Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Development And Characterization Of Aso-Based Ribonuclease Targeting Chimera For The Degradation Of Cug Rna Repeat Expansion In Myotonic Dystrophy Type, Audrey Coons

Chemistry

Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1 is a multisystemic genetic disorder that primarily affects the muscles in the body leading to such pathologies as myotonia, muscle atrophy, insulin resistance and even neurological deficits. This disorder is caused by a series of CUG repeats in the 3’ untranslated region of the DMPK gene; symptoms appear after around 34 repeats. These repeats form foci when MBNL1 protein that deals with alternative splicing of many events in the body, forms aggregations around these repeats. These foci render the MBNL 1 proteins useless. There is no FDA approved therapeutic, but many RNA targeting therapeutics have been …

Environmental And Societal Impacts Of Agricultural Land Abandonment In Indonesia: A Bibliometric Review, Jane A. Landrum

Geosciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

In the past decades, Southeast Asia has faced one of the highest urbanization rates globally, with land conversion, agricultural land abandonment, and deforestation occurring simultaneously. High population growth rates and migration away from rural areas have also led to increased food insecurity, which has increased the need for agricultural production. In Indonesia, high rates of urbanization on the island of Java have historically prompted governmental policy solutions aimed at population redistribution and agricultural extensification (rather than intensification). The cost of this conversion of lands to agriculture often falls on the environment, with peatlands and forested lands being converted to large-scale …

Mechanistic Investigation Of Ring-Opening Polymerization Of Polycaprolactone Using Tin(Ii) Catalysts: Ligand Effects And Biomedical Applications, Eva-Larue M. Barber

Honors Scholar Theses

This research explores the mechanistic aspects of ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of ε-caprolactone (CL) to produce polycaprolactone (PCL), a biodegradable polymer widely used in biomedical applications. The study investigates how light exposure and catalyst concentration influence polymerization efficiency, using tin(II) 2-ethylhexanoate [Sn(Oct)₂] as the catalyst in a non-polar toluene solvent at 90 °C. Reactions were conducted under either ambient light or black light bulb (BLB) illumination, with monomer-to-catalyst ratios of 1:1 and 200:1.

Proton nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H NMR) spectroscopy was used to analyze conversion efficiency by tracking the disappearance of monomer signals and appearance of characteristic PCL peaks. Results revealed …

Latitudinal Gradients In Arctic Willows And Their Effects On Stream-Riparian Systems, Donal Heaney

Honors Scholar Theses

Extreme warming in the Arctic due to climate change presents the opportunity to study rapid changes to ecosystems and their potential resilience. Willow (Salix) shrubs form the base of many Arctic riparian ecosystems, and they have increased in height and range as temperatures have warmed. The effects of warming on willows could alter riparian ecosystems and neighboring streams, so understanding how climate change will affect willows is integral to understanding how the stream-riparian meta-ecosystem might change. I used data from the EvoME Institute to compare willow canopy cover above Arctic streams along a latitudinal transect and investigate how …

Stability Analysis Of Turbulent Fluid Flow, Adam D. Schroeder

Mathematics, Statistics, and Computer Science Honors Projects

Hydrodynamic stability refers to the study of when and how laminar flows transition to turbulence. This includes investigations of the mechanisms of transition, as well as the classification of known flow configurations as either stable or unstable and the identification of critical values of flow parameters at which this bifurcation occurs. In this thesis, we introduce the mathematical theory behind continuum mechanics and fluid dynamics as well as some tools from the study of dynamical systems. We apply these concepts to the linear stability analysis of zero pressure gradient flat plate flow via numerical simulations in OpenFOAM, discussing both the …

Cover Crop-Induced Improvements To Soil Hydraulic Properties And The Role Of Termination Time In Mitigating Negative Soil Moisture Impacts, Fabrizio Javier Pilco

Theses and Dissertations

In the Lower Rio Grande Valley of South Texas, water scarcity and drought pose ongoing challenges for farmers. Although cover crops are promoted for improving soil health and moisture, their effects on soil hydraulic properties in this region remain understudied. This thesis addresses both long-term (Chapter 2) and short-term (Chapter 3) impacts of cover crops on soil hydraulic properties and soil moisture. Long-term effects were evaluated through a three-year participatory field trial across four farms using a BACI design, while short terms were evaluated using a complete randomized block design. Soil hydraulic properties (residual water content θr, saturated water content …

The Effect Of Hiv-1 Infection Associated Bacterial Lipopolysaccharide (Lps) On Human Oral Keratinocytes: Implications For Promoting Chronic Inflammation, Md Shafayat Jamil

Theses and Dissertations

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) remains a major global health concern, affecting approximately 39 million people worldwide, with 500,000 new infections reported in 2022. While combined antiretroviral therapy (cART) has significantly reduced viral replication, HIV-1 infection is linked to various comorbidities, including oral dysbiosis and accelerated aging. Immune dysregulation in HIV-1–infected individuals promotes the proliferation of pathogenic gram-negative bacteria like Porphyromonas gingivalis, a key contributor to periodontal disease. P. gingivalis secretes lipopolysaccharide (LPS), which adversely affects human oral keratinocytes (HOK), the first line of defense against microbial threats in the oral cavity. HOK recognize LPS as a threat, …

Generalizable Skill Learning In Robotic Agents Using Transformer Models, Erik Enriquez

Theses and Dissertations

This work explores the application of Transformer models to robotic skill learning, aiming to enhance generalization across various physical tasks and environments with continuous control. Despite their success in other domains, our experiments reveal that the utility of Transformers in robotics heavily depends on pretraining strategies. Specifically, Transformers pretrained on reinforcement learning tasks generalized effectively, while those trained with task-agnostic masking strategies did not. These findings challenge assumptions about the universality of Transformer-based methods and underscore the importance of domain-aligned pretraining for developing versatile robotic agents.

Carbon Dioxide, Methane, And Nitrous Oxide Fluxes From Managed Aquatic Systems Of The Rio Grande Valley, Siena Rose Stassi

Theses and Dissertations

Greenhouse gas (GHG) dynamics from small-scale inland water remain relatively understudied, with knowledge gaps across ecosystem types and regions. In South Texas, there is a unique system of managed distributaries and their associated ox-bow lakes, commonly known as resacas. Most resacas are artificially managed and considered novel ecosystems, yet their GHG dynamics are unknown. Two resaca systems were monitored throughout one year to understand the magnitude, temporal variation, and environmental drivers of diffusive fluxes of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O), along with ebullitive CH4 emissions. Emissions of both CO2 and CH4 peaked in hot summer months, …

P-Adic Quantum Mechanics, Infinite Potential Wells, And Continuous-Time Quantum Walks, Nathaniel P. Mayes

Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, we introduce a p-adic version of the infinite potential well in quantum mechanics (QM). This model describes the confinement of a particle in a p-adic ball. We rigorously solve the Cauchy problem for the Schrödinger equation and determine the stationary solutions. The p-adic balls are fractal objects. By dividing a p-adic ball into a finite number of sub-balls and using the wavefunctions of the infinite potential well, we construct a continuous-time quantum walk (CTQW) on a fully connected graph, where each vertex corresponds to a sub-ball in the partition of the original ball. …

The Herzog-Takayama Resolution Over A Skew Polynomial Ring, Linoy Utkina

Theses and Dissertations

Let k be a field, and let I be a monomial ideal in the polynomial ring R = k[x1,..., xn]. In her thesis, Taylor introduced a complex that yields a finite free resolution of R/I as an R-module. Building on Taylor’s work, Ferraro, Martin, and Moore extended this construction to monomial ideals in skew polynomial rings. Because the Taylor resolution is typically not minimal, subsequent research efforts went into identifying specific classes of ideals whose minimal free resolutions can be constructed more simply. In 1990, Eliahou and Kervaire devised an approach for handling minimal resolutions of …

Camassa-Holm Type Equations And Multi-Peakon Solutions, Yonghong Chen

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates the multi-peakon solutions of a class of Camassa-Holm type equations with quadratic nonlinearities, specifically focusing on the differential equation mt +θmu+ amxu+bmux = 0, where m = u−uxx, and θ, a, b are arbitrary constants. We derive the nonlocal form of the equation and explore its peakon dynamics, including the well-known Camassa–Holm, Degasperis–Procesi, and Holm–Staley b-family equations. By employing a practical computational approach, we analyze the N-peakon solutions and present the corresponding dynamical systems, particularly focusing on the two-peakon case. The results will …

Congruences In Arithmetic Progression For Coefficients Of Gaussian Polynomials And Crank Statistics, Joselyne Aniceto

Theses and Dissertations

The study of partition congruences, inspired by Ramanujan’s discoveries for ��(��) over a century ago, remains a central topic in this field. This dissertation examines congruence properties in two restricted partition functions: ��(��,��), which counts partitions of �� into at most �� parts, and ��(��,��,��), which further limits the size of the largest part to be at most ��. Building on Kronholm’s 2007 result, now known as the Interval Theorem, and a recent result by Eichhorn, Engle, and Kronholm, we establish new infinite families of congruences for ��(��,��,��). This dissertation extends not only the recent results of Eichhorn, Engle, …

The Influence Of Solar Energy Infrastructure On Pollinators And Crops, Deisy Garcia

Theses and Dissertations

As the human population grows, demand for agriculture and renewable energy rises. Landuse competition is caused by the expansion of area-intensive solar photovoltaic (PV) facilities. While solar energy is crucial to mitigate climate change, it presents challenges related to land availability and effects on habitats for essential pollinators. In Chapter II, a spatial analysis was conducted to examine the relationship between solar panel density and pollinator diversity, exploring regions with the least interaction between these two factors. Our findings can inform solar siting and management strategies at landscape levels, in conjunction with field studies, that both mitigate potential interaction and …

Implementing And Evaluating An Ai-Powered Visual Decision Support System To Improve Antibiotic Usage Among Physicians With A Built-In Early Warning System, Akua Sekyiwaa Osei-Nkwantabisa

Theses and Dissertations

The widespread misuse and excessive prescription of antibiotics have played a pivotal role in the emergence and proliferation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, posing a critical global public health crisis. Addressing this challenge necessitates innovative solutions that enhance antimicrobial stewardship. This study presents the development and implementation of a visual decision support system designed to monitor and optimize antibiotic usage among healthcare providers. The proposed system integrates advanced machine learning algorithms with real-time data analytics to provide a dynamic, evidence-based decision support tool. Specifically, a neural network model was developed after evaluating multiple machine learning approaches, including Random Forest, Logistic Regression and …

Spatio-Temporal Pattern Of Nutrient Dynamics In The South Texas Coastal Watershed, Mohammad Sadman Alam

Theses and Dissertations

Eutrophication threatens aquatic ecosystems by altering productivity through excessive nutrient inputs. In some systems, primary productivity is limited by nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), or both, based on the N:P ratio defined by the "Redfield" ratio. South Texas, facing rapid urban growth and industrialization, is at risk of higher nutrient loads, but research on nutrient dynamics in this region is limited. This study investigates nutrient variations in the freshwater (FW) abandoned distributaries of the Rio Grande and hypersaline saltwater (SW) systems. Results showed a significant decrease in dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) and an increase in dissolved inorganic phosphorus (DIP), shifting the …

Mitigation Of Droughts And Floods From Conjunctive Water Resource Management Using Managed Aquifer Recharge (Mar): Experiments And Numerical Modeling, Sumiaya Amin Preota

Theses and Dissertations

Water supply of Rio Grande Valley in South Texas has been impacted by intensified climate extremes such as droughts and floods. This research assessed the viability of conjunctive water resource management using Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) carbon-modified infiltration basins. Multiple environmental variables in the Arroyo Colorado watershed were investigated, i.e., (i) water availability- quantity of floodwater can be repurposed, (ii) storativity and suitability - capacity within the unsaturated aquifer and ideal locations for building infiltration basins, (iii) water quality- contaminant removal using active carbon/biochar.

Unappropriated flow and high magnitude flow (HMF) analysis indicated that excess floodwater can be a …

Simulating Chill: Exploring The Cognitive And Therapeutic Potential Of Cold Vr Environments, Jessica Turner, Piper Hutson, James Hutson

Faculty Scholarship

This study investigates the cognitive and therapeutic potential of immersive virtual reality (VR) environments designed to simulate cold conditions. Through the engagement of participants through multisensory stimuli—including vivid visual representations of the Athabasca Glacier, auditory effects of icy winds, and corresponding haptic feedback—the research evaluates neurological and physiological responses associated with attention, emotional regulation, and stress modulation. Participants experienced virtual scenarios featuring icy winds and snow, activating specific neurological pathways involving the occipital lobe, primary visual cortex, superior colliculus, and insula, thus reinforcing sensory integration. Through predictive coding, the anterior insula and hypothalamus were engaged, prompting thermoregulatory simulations and subconscious …

Relaxation Maximum-Based Iteration Method For Solving The Generalized Absolute Value Equation, Ximing Fang, Zhidong Wang, Zhijun Qiao

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

The generalized absolute value equation (GAVE) has wide applications in scientific computing. Establishing a high performance computing method to solve the GAVE is a hot research topic in recent years. In this paper, with the aid of the maximum function, the GAVE is decomposed of two equations, and then we present the relaxation maximum-based (RM) iteration method. To see the feasibility of the method, we discuss the necessary and sufficient conditions for the GAVE to have a unique solution. Next, the convergence analysis of the RM iteration is discussed under some convergence conditions. Moreover, some numerical examples of low and …

Evaluating Free Merchandise Use At Coastal Carolina University, Ally Murphy, Ciara Cassady, Joseph Dumars

Goal 13: Climate Action

No abstract provided.

Sediment And Debris Flows Resulting From The 2020 El Dorado Wildfire, San Bernardino Mountains, California, Andrew Suarez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The Yucaipa Ridge is a section of the San Bernardino Mountains within the Transverse Ranges of Southern California. During the summer and early fall of 2020, Yucaipa Ridge experienced severe vegetation damage from both the Apple and El Dorado wildfires. Burned slopes exhibit a higher susceptibility to geomorphic change within several years of burning from the introduction of meteoric water onto the slope. Yucaipa, Oak Glen, and other nearby communities are currently at risk of damage by hyperconcentrated flows and debris flows during the seasonal rainy season.

Debris flows and hyperconcentrated flows (a.k.a. mudflows; are grouped and referred to in …

Geochemistry Of The Inyo Volcanic Chain, And Evaluation Of The Portable Niton Xrf Instrument, Dylan Terry

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The Inyo Volcanic Chain (IVC) is a series of rhyolitic lava domes straddling the northwest rim of the Long Valley Caldera (LVC), most recently erupting ~650 years ago, producing the South Deadman, Obsidian, and Glass Creek Domes. For this study, samples were analyzed for geochemistry and petrography at six of the IVC domes. To measure geochemistry, a portable x-ray fluorescence machine (PXRF) was used, in part to test how well it performed on felsic rocks. The PXRF performed poorly with the factory calibration in detecting most elements, though detection of some elements improved with a calibration curve applied. The three …

Degradation Of Martian Glacier-Like Forms In Relation To The Observed Evolution Of Emmons Glacier On Mount Rainier, Wa, Jose E. Jimenez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This study establishes parallels between the observed degradational evolution of debris-covered glaciers on Mount Rainier, WA and select glacier-like forms (GLFs) by studying the time-varying morphologies of the debris cover. Mount Rainier is home to 28 debris-covered valley glaciers, including Emmons Glacier which has a history of orthoimages taken from 1951 to 2023 and high-resolution Digital Elevation Model (DEM) coverage of 2008, 2021 and 2022. We can observe the degradational evolution of Emmons Glacier through orthorectified black and white imagery collected from an airborne platform and the National Agricultural Imagery Program (NAIP) colored satellite images periodically collected over the last …

Towards Reliable Ml: Data Attribution And Adversarial Robustness, Xiaosen Zheng

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

Modern machine learning (ML) models achieve remarkable success, but face critical reliability challenges. This thesis advances two pillars of reliable ML systems: interpretability through data attribution and robustness against adversarial threats.

In the first part, we develop novel data attribution methods to elucidate the data-model relationship. We establish the critical role of memorization in model generalization through token-level influence analysis, extend sample-level attribution to diffusion models with effective approximation techniques, and introduce REGMIX, a group-level approach that predicts data mixture performance using small-scale experiments. These contributions provide practitioners with scalable tools to audit training data impacts across modalities.

The second …

The Influence Of Complex Terrain On The Turin, New York Tornado Of 2023, Alex D. Kramer

Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences Honors Program

Although uncommon as compared to other regions of the United States, the Northeast does experience significant tornados; those rated F/EF3 and above, of which some have had profound impacts on the region. Due to the diverse topography of the region, including its many northsouth oriented river valleys, most of these significant tornados traversed considerable changes in elevation throughout their lifetime. This study seeks to better understand the impacts of local topography on the intensity and overall progression of a significant tornadic event through using the most recent Northeast EF3: the Turin, NY tornado. With the consideration of previous studies involving …

Impact Of Shear Flow On Marine Biofilms Using Hyperspectral Imaging, Shantanu Mahesh Kore

All Theses

Various microbial communities in marine biofilms cause biofouling on submerged surfaces, posing challenges to marine industries. Despite their ecological and economic importance, biofilms' biomechanical and biochemical responses to hydrodynamic shear stress are insufficiently understood, particularly in dynamic flow conditions. To fill this gap, our study uses an innovative fiber-optic hyperspectral imaging (HSI) system and a supercontinuum laser source to examine marine biofilms' structure, composition, and detachment behavior at different shear stress levels.

To detect spectral and spatial heterogeneity in live biofilms without labeling, we created a custom imaging pipeline that captures reflectance spectra in the 600-850 nm range, targeting microbial …

The Impact Of Irrigation On Agricultural Land Values In The United States Southeast And An Analysis Of Farmland Prices In South Carolina, Christopher L. Thomas

All Theses

Land is a key component of the agriculture industry in the United States. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, farm real estate (land and buildings) accounted for 82.8% of total US farm sector assets in 2022, consequently making land the largest source of wealth in a farmer’s investment portfolio and the primary source of collateral used for farm operating loans. The Southeastern region of the United States has seen rapid farmland appreciation and intense population growth in recent years. This research investigates the rising farmland prices across the Southeast from both a regional and state-level perspective. Chapter Two …

Biodegradable Active Packaging: Exploring The Antimicrobial Efficacy And Compostability Of Chitosan-Based Films, Rachel Mchugh

All Theses

The overarching purpose of this experiment is to create an active packaging component that has both antimicrobial and biodegradable properties specifically designed for poultry food products. For the scope of this study, the packaging component created would theoretically be used in conjunction with another material, such as a poultry tray which are commonly used for fresh poultry products. Based on the scope and purpose of this experiment, biopolymer films and coatings were considered after the initial literature review. Due to the goals of the packaging component, chitosan, a polysaccharide shown to have antimicrobial properties and an inherent ability to biodegrade, …

Identification And Environmental Impact Of 35 Different Cut Flower Retail Packages In The U.S.A., Mary Kathryn Gillespie

All Theses

Cut flowers represent 35-billion dollars of global spending with 10-million dollars per day in the U.S.A; each transaction involving packaging. Across the country, cut flower packaging is inconsistently sized, laminated, colored, and unlikely to be recycled. 35 unique cut flower packages were collected across 16 different marketplaces, representing 88% of top grocery retailers. Measuring the materiality of the predominately unlabeled and inconsistent packaging collected required calorimetry equipment, such as Fourier-transform Infrared Spectroscopy, Differential Scanning Calorimeter, and precision gauges. Results unveil five materials representing the cut flower collection: Oriented Polypropylene (OPP), High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE), Paper, Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET), and Nonwoven Polypropylene …

Algebraic Properties Of Boolean Models, Harrison Fisher

All Theses

Boolean models are n-tuples of polynomial functions in n variables over the finite field of order 2. These models define finite dynamical systems which are used for modeling many different biological systems such as gene regulatory networks. These systems can be defined by updating every function synchronously, or by updating one function at a time asynchronously. In this project, we discuss a method for reverse engineering the model space of all Boolean models which fit a set of partial asynchronous data. This method is a generalization of a known method for synchronous data. In addition, we show that given the …