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Essays in Corporate Governance and ESG
No full textCorporate governance plays a crucial role in shaping firms’ strategic priorities, particularly in the realm of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) responsibilities. As firms face increasing pressure from investors, regulators, and stakeholders to incorporate sustainability into their business models, the effectiveness of ESG governance mechanisms has become a critical research question. My dissertation explores this issue through two interrelated studies that examine the role of board directors’ ESG expertise (Chapter 1) and sustainability-linked executive compensation (Chapter 2) in influencing corporate ESG outcomes.Chapter 1 investigates whether the ESG-related skill sets of board directors enhance firms’ ESG performance. Based on a main dataset of S&P 1500 firms from 2009 to 2022, I analyze whether directors with ESG expertise influence corporate ESG outcomes, particularly through their role in shaping CEO compensation structures. While prior literature suggests that directors’ expertise can improve firm performance, I find no consistent evidence that directors with ESG skill sets enhance corporate ESG performance. Instead, my findings reveal a potential ESG-washing phenomenon—where firms that appoint ESG-skilled directors appear to signal commitment to sustainability but fail to translate these governance changes into meaningful ESG improvements. However, I do find that directors with ESG expertise increase the likelihood of ESG targets being incorporated into CEO compensation contracts, particularly in S&P 500 firms, suggesting that these directors influence the formalization of ESG-related incentives at the executive level. Chapter 2 extends the analysis to examine whether sustainability-linked executive compensation effectively drives improved ESG outcomes. This study focuses on Fortune 250 firms, particularly those in the oil and gas sector, and explores how firms structure sustainability goals in CEO annual incentive plans (AIPs). I find that while sustainability-linked compensation is relatively uncommon—appearing in only 8% of firms as recently as 2020—it is most prevalent in high-polluting industries such as oil and gas. My analysis reveals that sustainability-linked incentive plans only improve environmental outcomes (e.g., CO2 emissions and regulatory penalties) for firms with a history of high pollution. However, for firms without a prior record of environmental misconduct, these incentives show no significant effect on sustainability performance. This suggests that ESG-linked CEO pay may function as a corrective measure for firms with poor environmental track records, rather than a proactive tool for enhancing corporate sustainability across all firms
CARRYING THE WEIGHT: A QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF COMPASSION FATIGUE AMONG SCHOOL COUNSELORS
No full textCurrent trends indicate that schools are struggling to recruit and retain PK-12 school counselors nationwide. Scholars have theorized that one contributing reason for the lack of school counselors is compassion fatigue stemming from challenging work with students suffering different levels of trauma. Yet, very little empirical research has sought to investigate to what extent school counselors experience compassion fatigue as well as what factors are associated with this psychological state. To address these gaps, the purpose of this study was to investigate self-reported levels of compassion fatigue among Oklahoma’s PK-12 school counselors (n = 563) as well as factors associated with compassion fatigue. Compassion fatigue was analyzed using commonly used proxy measures of burnout and secondary trauma. This study’s results did not indicate high levels of compassion fatigue among school counselors overall. School counselors exhibited only moderate levels of burnout, secondary traumatic stress, and compassion satisfaction after controlling for individual characteristics, individual professional characteristics, school demographics, and community demographics. However, among personal, school, and community indicators, this study found that poor perceptions of administrative support were consistently related to high burnout, high secondary traumatic stress, and low compassion satisfaction, which in combination, is thought to be representative of high compassion fatigue. Less experience, being younger, and personal experiences of trauma were also associated with burnout and secondary traumatic stress. The findings in this study raise important questions for schools on how to provide administrative supports for school counselors, particularly those who are new to the profession and have their own experiences with trauma
WALKING THE TEMPORAL TIGHTROPE: AN EXPLORATION OF THE ACADEMIC WORKLOAD AND DISCREPANCIES WITHIN FACULTY TIME ALLOCATION
No full textThis study investigates faculty workload within a research-intensive (R1) university, with a focus on gender differences and workload discrepancies within teaching, research, and service. Drawing on gendered organizations theory and social role theory, the study explores how faculty members experience workload misalignment and its implications for organizational outcomes. Findings indicate that while both men and women faculty reported spending more time on teaching and service than preferred, and less on research, men spent significantly more time on research while women spent more time on service. Associate professors reported the highest service and lowest research engagement, suggesting workload imbalances that may be related to career stage. However, discrepancies between actual and preferred workload were not significantly different across gender or rank. Importantly, research and service workload discrepancies were meaningfully associated with organizational outcomes. These results highlight the need for institutions to address workload equity, particularly how faculty time within workload is valued and distributed
Morse Families in Anisotropic Optics
No full textThe main objects of study in this dissertation are Morse families, which are helpful for gaining an understanding of the propagation of light rays. Previous literature on Morse families limited discussion to isotropic media, where the speed of ray propagation is independent of the direction of propagation. We extend the discussion to anisotropic media using tools of Finsler geometry. We prove that in homogeneous media, where the speed of propagation is independent of the point in the medium, any Finsler metric F generates a Morse family. We also prove that in inhomogeneous, anisotropic media, any Finsler metric F which is a perturbation of the flat Euclidean metric is a Morse family. Additionally, Morse families can be used to determine the envelopes of a family of light rays in anisotropic media
UTILIZATION OF ISOPRENE ENZYMES FOR SYNTHESIS OF NON-NATURAL ISOPRENE ANALOGS
No full textIsoprenoids, also known as terpenoids, constitute the largest and most structurally diverse class of natural products, comprising over 50,000 compounds. These include essential primary metabolites such as sterols, carotenoids, and quinones, as well as a wide range of secondary metabolites with significant medicinal properties. All isoprenoids are biosynthetically derived from the universal five-carbon precursors dimethylallyl diphosphate (DMAPP) and its isomer isopentenyl diphosphate (IPP). While plants serve as a major source of isoprenoids, limitations such as slow growth rates, low yields, and labor-intensive extraction processes hinder their large-scale production.To overcome these challenges, considerable efforts have been devoted to metabolic engineering and chemoenzymatic approaches aimed at producing both natural and unnatural isoprenoids in heterologous hosts. This thesis focuses on the development of chemoenzymatic strategies for the synthesis and diversification of isoprenoid analogs, utilizing organic synthesis in conjunction with prenyltransferase (PT) enzymes—including both aromatic PTs and chain-elongating enzymes such as farnesyl diphosphate synthase (FPPS). A central aim of this research is the synthesis of novel isoprenoid precursors bearing chemoselective functional groups such as alkynes, alkenes, and azides, which facilitate late-stage functionalization—a key strategy in medicinal chemistry for expanding chemical diversity. While a broad range of alkyl pyrophosphate (alkyl-PP) donors with chain lengths of C5, C10, and C15 have been identified, synthetic access to these molecules—especially for late-stage modifications—remains limited. This work demonstrates that late-stage functionalization of complex isoprenoid intermediates, such as farnesyl diphosphate (FPP), significantly expands the utility of PTs and FPPS in drug discovery applications. FPP is a key intermediate in the biosynthesis of numerous biologically active compounds, including sterols, carotenoids, and antibiotics. However, the multistep synthesis of longer-chain prenyl donors from simple C5 precursors often suffers from low efficiency. This research addresses these limitations through the chemoenzymatic generation of structurally complex alkyl-PP compounds. Furthermore, this thesis explores the potential of PTs as biocatalysts for the late-stage diversification of complex natural products. PTs, particularly those derived from bacterial and fungal biosynthetic pathways, exhibit remarkable substrate promiscuity and can catalyze the transfer of diverse alkyl groups to aromatic acceptors. The versatility of this approach is demonstrated through the functionalization of two challenging natural products: daptomycin (Dap) and cannabigerolic acid (CBGA). Using the aromatic PT CdpNPT and a library of synthetic, non-native alkyl-PP donors, six novel Dap analogs were successfully synthesized. In addition, the mutant PT NphB M31S enabled selective C3 alkylation of olivetolic acid (OA), yielding 14 novel CBGA analogs. These results collectively highlight the value of chemoenzymatic late-stage functionalization as a powerful platform for the generation of structurally diverse isoprenoid analogs. This work expands the chemical space available for structure–activity relationship (SAR) studies and contributes to the development of novel bioactive compounds with potential pharmaceutical applications
DEVELOPMENT OF A TESTING FACILITY AND PROTOCOL TO PERFORM HIGH-PRESSURE AND HIGH-TEMPERATURE QUALIFICATION OF GEOTHERMAL DOWNHOLE TOOLS
No full textEnergy demand is rapidly increasing, along with the necessity to reduce CO2 emissions in the environment. This is where Geothermal Energy (GE) plays an important role; its availability 98% of the time and independence from weather conditions, to name a few, make GE more attractive than other types of renewable sources like solar or wind hydropower. However, the technical challenges associated with the high-pressure and high-temperature (HPHT) conditions found when performing geothermal operations exposed the necessity to have a robust and reliable design for the tool that aims to be installed in this kind of operation. This study focuses on the design, the development of a testing protocol, and the validation of a zonal isolation tool that is set to be installed in geothermal operations, more precisely, in the Utah FORGE (Frontier Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy) project.This research reveals critical limitations in the current oil and gas packer testing standard (API 11D1/ISO 14310). It fails to require prolonged thermal cycling or multiple repetitions of these cycles. Studies indicate that packers designed for oil and gas often fail under geothermal HPHT conditions. To address this, a comprehensive HPHT testing protocol was developed to meet Utah FORGE project requirements of 6,000 psi and 240ºC and to test any downhole tool intended for geothermal use purposes. Key findings emerged from exposing the tool to HPHT conditions for over six weeks across four thermal cycles. During those cycles, the tool was heated up to the desired temperature, pressured, and then cooled down. It was demonstrated that the temperature directly influenced the tool's sealing properties, and it remained in good condition after being removed from the casing post-testing. This work underscores the need for specialized testing facilities and protocols for geothermal purposes to ensure tool reliability and advance geothermal technologies, which are vital for energy development demand
The Importance of Community: Planning a Reparative Description Symposium in Your State
No full textOn April 1, 2025, MSU Libraries hosted the Symposium on Reparative Description in Library Catalogs. This event was attended by 80 cultural heritage workers from across the state and beyond (including Ohio, Indiana, and Canada!) and from a range of institutional types such as academic, community college, public, government, archives, K-12 school, library school students, faculty, and vendors. With no experience running a symposium (but plenty of enthusiasm!), the planning team was thrilled with the response of our colleagues across the state and types of institutions! This presentation will walk through our process of building the symposium from scratch, including assembling the planning team, building the program, and soliciting sponsorships, all while holding our values of inclusivity for all (by keeping costs minimal for attendees) and centering our Indigenous colleagues’ voices and perspectives for the day
ADVANCED BIOANALYTICAL TECHNIQUES FOR CHARACTERIZING PROTEIN INTERACTIONS IN COMPLEX BIOLOGICAL SYSTEMS
No full textStructural biology aims to study three-dimensional structures of macromolecules to better understand their functions in physiological contexts. Specifically, detailed insights into protein interactions and dynamics is essential for understanding protein function, revealing the fundamentals of all types of cellular processes and diseases. Recent advancements in different bioanalytical techniques has drastically expanded applications to studying protein systems under these physiological conditions, but the inherent complexity of native biological samples consistently demands new techniques and strategies. This dissertation focuses on using recent advancements in hydrogen deuterium exchange mass spectrometry (HDX-MS) and cryogenic electron microscopy (cryoEM) to characterize protein interactions and dynamics in uniquely difficult protein samples.Conventional HDX-MS applications have largely been restricted to simplified, purified protein systems, with considerable effort focused on using HDX-MS for epitope mapping monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). However, in order to study the immunology of a vaccine-induced anti-toxin response, a close examination of the polyclonal antibody (pAb) response is needed. Epitope mapping of human polyclonal antibody (pAb) is inherently complex, and predicting vaccine-elicited serum antibodies binding is difficult, resulting in limited techniques for direct conformational epitope mapping of pAbs. Here, we demonstrated the utility of our subzero temperature ultra-high-pressure liquid chromatography hydrogen-deuterium exchange coupled mass spectrometry (UPLC-HDX-MS) platform for direct conformational epitope mapping of pAbs in anthrax vaccine adsorbed (AVA) vaccine-elicited serum antibodies to protective antigen (PA). Moreover, we modified the protein thermal depletion (PTD) technique to remove unbound antigens, thereby enhancing the sensitivity of HDX-MS-based epitope mapping in complex serum samples. By implementation of PTD-HDX-MS at 60°C, we successfully characterized conformational epitopes of PA in two human vaccine-elicited serum samples. HDX-MS experiments have made significant efforts to limit back-exchange, the unavoidable loss of varying degrees of deuteration occurring at later stages in the workflow, which reduces sensitivity to shifts in deuterium uptake. Regardless of the approach, whether bottom-up or top-down workflows, back-exchange remains one of the most persistent problems in HDX analysis and solutions to this shortcoming are often complicated. While attempts to reduce back-exchange have been successful, these methods typically require complex sub-zero cooling systems to reduce rates of exchange. Recently, our group developed an electrospray-assisted device capable of ultra-low volume sample extraction termed Spray-capillary. Here, we utilized Spray-capillary to inject low-volume deuterium-labeled sample plugs (1-100 nL), which were surrounded by background buffer, for MS analysis using pressure elution. We observed minimal back-exchange in the middle of the sample plug at room temperature, attributed to the low diffusion rate of the sample within the surrounding background buffers. We conclude with room temperature Spray-capillary time-course HDX-MS analysis on a standard protein system, showing that Spray-capillary facilitated HDX-MS analysis offers a simple alternative for protein characterization. A complementary technique in cryoEM has become an indispensable technique in structural biology, providing crucial information about conformational variability of purified protein samples. As such, we sought to exploit this for purposes of exploring vulnerabilities for antifolate inhibitor development. The folate biosynthesis pathway has long been a target for antibiotic inhibition by FDA-approved trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole, due to its vital role in bacterial cell growth. Few enzymes in the folate pathway are well-studied, which includes dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR), the target of trimethoprim, pyrimethamine, and methotrexate. Recently, sulfamonides targeting dihydropteroate synthase (DHPS) have been shown to act synergistically with DHFR inhibitors, suggesting additional antifolates acting synergistically could potentially improve the current antibiotic profile. An interesting candidate in dihydroneopterin aldolase (DHNA) exists as an octamer in solution with eight active sites shown to be allosterically regulated in Mycobacterial tuberculosis DHNA. Multiple inhibitor scaffolds and crystal structures of DHNA from several microorganisms have been reported, but a lack of activity of DHNA inhibitors in cells suggests alternative approaches to classical substrate-mimetic strategies could be needed. To gain insights into DHNA enzyme dynamics or potential allostery during catalysis, we used cryoEM single particle analysis (SPA) to capture high-resolution features of DHNA in the presence of substrate and product. Here, we report the first cryoEM structures of Yersinia pestis DHNA and kinetic data supporting an allosteric mechanism. These contributions enhance our understanding of DHNA dynamics during catalysis and provide valuable insights into potential vulnerabilities for inhibitor development
QUANTIFICATION AND ANALYSIS OF BIOMOLECULES VIA MASS SPECTROMETRY FOR THE UNDERSTANDING, DETECTION, AND TREATMENT OF DISEASE
No full textMass spectrometry is an incredibly powerful analytical tool capable of analyzing a wide range of biologically relevant molecules like metabolites and proteins. Metabolites, or molecules with a molecular weight under 1500 daltons, are a group of molecules incredibly sensitive to small changes in the body. This characteristic makes them excellent as diagnostic markers of disease. Metabolites also serve as the building blocks of all of the biochemical pathways that make our body function. By observing changes in metabolism caused by disease, mechanisms of disease and, by extension, potential disease treatments can be discerned. Proteins, a key regulator of metabolism and an important group of molecules for drug development, can also be quantified via mass spectrometry, but their large structure presents several analytical challenges. In this dissertation, the applications of mass spectrometry in the study of metabolites as both a diagnostic biomarker and tool for understanding disease is explored. First, in a mouse model for COVID-19, we used mass spectrometry to identify dysregulation of fatty acids, amino acids, and eicosanoids in the lungs. Furthermore, we observed that dysregulation was worse in peripheral lung tissue despite higher viral loads in central lung tissue. Moving beyond metabolites, chapter 3 of this dissertation focuses on the development of methodology to prepare and analyze proteins using a novel acoustic droplet ejection mass spectrometer. By optimizing instrument and analytical parameters, an analytical pipeline was developed for analyzing a small protein (17 kilodaltons), a medium protein (50 kilodaltons) and a large protein (150 kilodaltons) in under one second per sample. This dissertation provides insight on the detection and mechanism of infectious diseases while also providing insight on new methods to quantify drugs via mass spectrometry
FLIGHT PATHS AND CHANGING PATTERNS: TRACKING INDIVIDUAL BIRDS TO UNDERSTAND AERIAL HABITAT SELECTION AND MIGRATION STRATEGIES
No full textAerial migrants such as birds must contend with dynamic atmospheric conditions that have the capacity to greatly assist or impede their movements. Understanding habitat selection aloft provides powerful insights into how birds complete their biannual journeys, both about how conditions shape behaviors and how birds may respond to future conditions. The earliest studies of flight behavior were estimated by using weather radar, with radar studies continuing to provide observations of the system-wide migration patterns. However, species and individual level data of flight behavior (i.e. altitudinal profiles of a species, departure and arrival behaviors) and migration strategies is logistically challenging to collect but would facilitate empirical hypothesis testing about aerial habitat selection and flight strategies. Fortunately, the recent production of more affordable and lightweight multi-sensor data-logging devices that can collect high resolution spatiotemporal data is helping to bridge the gap between data collection and research questions regarding aerial habitat. My dissertation uses data collected on individuals by the most recent tracking technology to address gaps in knowledge about the relationships between animal movement and environmental conditions in the air. In Chapter 1, we reanalyze historical movement data collected by light-level geolocators, a type of tag that estimates location by the timing of sunrise and sunset, to ask questions about how life history traits and atmospheric conditions affect decisions to depart rest and refueling areas during migration. Because birds are expected to be limited in time and energy during migration, departure from rest and refueling areas, or stopover areas as they are more commonly known, has received much study, but with inconclusive evidence of driving atmospheric factors as well as life history traits. We find that large temperature changes, average migration distance, windspeed, and interaction of body size and surface pressure had positive effects on departure, that is the individual was more likely to depart under those conditions, and that if it was fall migration, the time since arrival to departure, the interaction of the time since arrival and temperature at departure had negative relationships with departure. In Chapter 2, I use high resolution GPS tracking data from Long-billed Curlews (Numenius americana) to compare how current migration strategies, including departure time, migration duration, and migration speed may have changed in the last decade. Though migration distances haven’t changed, we find that southbound departure was delayed for both sexes, but an overall faster migration pace has led to an earlier arrival to the wintering grounds especially for males. While male departure dates in spring show little change, female departures were delayed. Spring arrival time to the breeding grounds, however, appears unchanged for both sexes. We also described flight bouts and found that Long-billed Curlews completed their ~2500 km migration usually in several bouts. In both seasons, the first bout was generally the longest, however southbound first bouts often covered 50% of the total flight distance compared to in northbound migration where the first bout covered only 25% of the total flight distance. Faster groundspeeds were significant for longer distances covered in a flight bout. In Chapter 3, I investigate flight speeds and aerial habitat selection of Long-billed Curlews during migration using high resolution GPS tracking data. We found strong differences between diel and seasonal cycles for flight speeds and altitudes and that temperature, wind support, and boundary layer height had the strongest effects on altitude selection. For example, while Long-billed Curlews often reach heights above 5000 meters above sea level during prolonged flights that extended into daylight hours, these prolonged diurnal flights only happened in the fall season