Middle Tennessee State University
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Probability-based Approaches to Modern Music Composition and Production
No full textProbability-based Approaches to Modern Music Composition and Production is a
creative project that recontextualizes traditional aleatoric and generative music
techniques through a modern, digital lens. An overview of the histories of aleatoric and
generative music provide a foundation for this project’s creative experimentation, as does
an analysis of each genre’s forms and notable works. This project’s outcome consists of
three songs that embrace aleatoric and generative principles in different ways. An
analysis of each song deconstructs their use of these experimental techniques in an
electronic Digital Audio Workstation and what challenges creating modern aleatoric and
generative music pose to modern composers
Physics Informed and Recursive Neural Networks for Ordinary Differential Equations
No full textThe human brain is an amazing organ. This 3-pound mass of fats and proteins is able to take signals from all over the body, process those signals, and determine the best course of action, all instantly. The brain has the ability to learn, remember, and forget information throughout its lifetime. Brains have certain regions that handle certain tasks. This organ is being constantly studied and researchers are constantly finding out new information about this organ. Modern computer scientists have been trying to re-create this organ in a digital form. Computers are being programmed to take signals, in the form of data, process that data, transform the processed data into a new signal, and generate meaningful output. This is done with data processing, training, validating, and testing known sets of signals and desired outputs. Recently, the use of customizable loss functions gave rise to the subfield of Physics Informed Neural Networks (PINN) and using these Informed Neural Networks to estimate parameters of Ordinary Differential Equations (ODE). This paper will investigate and compare different network structures for this task.M.S
Statistical Analysis of the Relationship Between Literacy Programs and Third-Grade ELA State Assessment Scores in Tennessee
No full textThis thesis sought to understand the relationship between literacy programs and
the ELA test scores of third-grade students in Tennessee. Using data from Tennessee
Comprehensive Assessment Data (TCAP) and programs made public by Tennessee
Foundational Literacy Skills Plans, a quantitative analysis is performed. Using a multiple
linear regression model, including data from per pupil expenditures of each district, no
statistically significant relationship was found between the observed test scores and
literacy programs
Three Essays on Labor Economics
No full textMy dissertation comprises three chapters. The first chapter examines the impact of Amazon’s physical expansion on local business owners, finding no effect on income but an increase in full-time local business owners. The second chapter assesses the effects of e-commerce expansion on the US labor market using instrumental variable techniques to analyze earnings, employment, and establishment numbers. The third chapter studies implementation of Recreational Marijuana Legalization (RML), finding no significant impact on labor outcomes across different skill levels.Ph.D
Synthesis and Characterization of Antifungal Peptoid Dendrimers
No full textCurrently the rate of fungal infections across the globe is increasing and given heightened
rates of resistance to a limited number of treatment options, new anti-fungal agents are
desperately needed. Opportunistic fungi such as Cryptococcus neoformans are a major part
of the problem, as they infect immunocompromised individuals. A vast majority of the
antifungals on the market exhibit a variety of toxicities as well as drug interactions that
prevent symbiotic treatment modalities. Peptoids are peptidomimetics that are Nsubstituted
glycine oligomers and have been shown to have promise as antimicrobial agents
due to their proteolytic stability, low hemolytic activity, quick killing kinetics, minimal
mammalian toxicity, and nonspecific mode of action. Given this, our group has developed
a promising antifungal peptoid (RMG8-8) for treatment of C. neoformans and to attempt
to improve the activity of this molecule, we have explored a novel display of RMG8-8:
peptoid dendrimers. Antimicrobial peptide (AMP) dendrimers have been reported to have
hyper-potency against a wide variety of yeasts and their absorption and bioavailability
improved due to increased steric hindrance, providing in vivo stability. Due to structural
similarities between peptides and peptoids, these benefits are likely to apply to peptoid
dendrimers. Specifically, several generations of RMG8-8 dendrimers have been
synthesized displaying varying copies of the peptoid and will be tested for antifungal
activity and mammalian cytotoxicity
Race and Politics of Marijuana Criminalization
No full textMarijuana use in the United States has become a contentious topic, particularly
regarding racial disparities and arrests, convictions, and sentencing rates. This thesis
examines racial disparities and marijuana legalization in Tennessee. The central argument
guiding this study is that race and the status of African Americans are at the forefront of
debates about marijuana legalization and decriminalization. This research relies on
primary and secondary data including interviews, surveys from MTSU’s 2014 and 2018
Polls, research of scholarly works, and analysis of state legislation. The thesis further
examines the politics of marijuana and race, particularly involving African Americans in
Tennessee
Chapter Tile of Specific Topic (Chapter 5)
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Office Housework, The Big 5 Personality, and Work Values: A Correlational Study
No full textThis research focused on the link between Office Housework, the Big 5, and Work Values. The limited research on Office Housework suggests that it is an important behavior category to pursue due to potential negative implications for individuals who engage in these behaviors, despite the reality that these behaviors are necessary to the maintain the status quo in a work environment. We tested correlations between Office Housework behaviors and each of the Big 5 personality traits, as well as correlations between Office Housework and a handful of relevant Work Values. For the Big 5 personality traits, we found a positive correlation between Office Housework and conscientiousness, openness, and extraversion. For the Work Values tested, we found a positive correlation between Office Housework and the Helping and Supporting, Enjoyment, and Rule Respecting Values. This research provides potential for a better understanding of the kind of individual who engages in Office Housework.M.A
ACUTE OXYTOCIN ADMINISTRATION AVOID ANXIETY LIKE BEHAVIOR IN MALE AND FEMALE MICE
No full textOxytocin is a neurotransmitter and hormone with a well-established role in
prosocial behaviors in animals and humans. It is currently being tested in clinical trials
for the treatment of social symptoms associated with autism spectrum disorders.
However, the behavioral effects of oxytocin treatment in humans have been variable with
both prosocial (increased empathy) and antisocial (increased competitiveness) behaviors.
Previous studies in our lab have shown increased anxiety-like behaviors in mice treated
chronically with oxytocin (12 ug dose per day for 14 consecutive days, data
unpublished). The current study aims to see the effect of acute oxytocin administration on
anxiety and social behavior in male and female mice to determine if the schedule of
oxytocin administration affects behavioral outcomes. Adult C57BL/6J mice will be
acutely pretreated with saline or oxytocin (12 μg) via intranasal (i.n.) or intraperitoneal
(i.p.) administration an hour before the behavior tests. Mice completed a battery of
behavioral tests including the elevated plus maze (EPM), three-chamber sociability task
(3C), and free dyadic social interaction (FDSI) after drug administration to determine
changes in social behavior and anxiety-like behavior. Human coders coded anxiety-like
behaviors, social preference, and social novelty. With acute oxytocin administration,
sociability increase as measured by the 3C and FDSI tasks while avoiding increases in
anxiety-like behaviors, as measured by the EPM task, associated with chronic
administration. Understanding the effects of acute oxytocin administration on anxiety in
mice might lead to the development of new treatments for anxiety disorders in humans
Synthesis and Characterization of Cyclic Peptoids Against Cryptococcus neoformans and Candida albicans
No full textAntimicrobial resistant strains of fungal pathogens such as Cryptococcus
neoformans and Candida albicans have risen to concerning heights, necessitating the
discovery of a safe and effective novel antimicrobial agent. Peptoids, N-substituted peptide
mimics, are one class of compounds with increasing interest due to improved stability and
bioavailability compared to their peptide counterparts. RMG8-8 and RMG9-11 are two
peptoids recently discovered in the Bicker Lab with observed antifungal activity against
Cryptococcus neoformans and Candida albicans, respectively. This study attempted to
optimize antifungal activity of RMG8-8 and RMG9-11 through cyclization. Following
synthesis, cyclic RMG8-8 (RHS3) and cyclic RMG9-11 (RHS6) were characterized by
minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC90) against the two fungal pathogens, mammalian
cytotoxicity (MTT) against HepG2 liver cells, and hemolytic activity against human red
blood cells. Despite neither of the cyclic peptoids significantly outperforming their linear
parent compound, future optimization efforts may be investigated