2025 UMKC Theses - Freely Available Online
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Item Electrical resistivity tomography imaging of the Motagua Fault in Guatemala(2025) Dollens, Aleigha Kayan; Niemi, Tina M.The Motagua fault is a sinistral, strike-slip fault that forms part of the North American- Caribbean plate boundary. A 230-km-long segment of the Motagua fault ruptured in the 1976 M7.5 Guatemala earthquake. We collected Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) data using the Wenner array method at two locations (Gualán and Estanzuela) where the 1976 ground rupture was exactly located using historical photographs and an offset concrete irrigation canal. The data were processed using RES2DINV software to develop an inverse model with topographic corrections. At Gualán, the Motagua fault is defined by a 7-m-wide low-resistivity zone. At Estanzuela, a low resistivity zone represents the northern faultcontrolled margin of the sag depression. While the historical photographs of the 1976 fault rupture define a single, narrow rupture mole track, ERT data indicate parallel fault strands and distributed shear in the subsurface. Aseismic slip (creep) along multiple fractures may also play a role in producing the low resistivity zones along the Motagua fault. The ERT data in this study indicate the presence of inactive borderline structures and distributed shear near the fault zone, extending beyond the main active fault strand.Item Shocks & fronts in the merging x-ray bright cluster Abell 2219(2025) Huber, Joe (Graduate student in physics); Rulis, Paul Michael, 1976-We present a deep 470 ks Chandra observation of Abell 2219, a very hot and X-ray luminous cluster experiencing a major merger event. Abell 2219, at a redshift of z = 0.225, is only the second galaxy cluster merger where both the forward and reverse shock fronts are identified with X-ray temperature and density measurements (Russell et al., 2012, the other is Abell 2146) and one of only a handful with any shock fronts unambiguously detected as both temperature and density discontinuities. The reason for this rarity is the requirement of a near plane-of-sky merger, to mitigate the effects of projection, and also the inherently low X-ray surface brightness of shocked regions in the outskirts of clusters. Nonetheless, these sharp discontinuities, along with cluster cold fronts, have the potential to illuminate the micro-scale transport processes occurring in the hot intracluster medium. Abell 2219 is also one of the hottest and most X-ray luminous galaxy clusters known, with a system temperature of 12 keV, and unusually, a hot yet dense core, suggesting evidence for ongoing shock activity at the core. It hosts a bright radio halo and three strong radio galaxies. Previous Chandra observations have revealed this system is in the early throes of a violent merger. In this work we present the development of data reduction and analysis pipelines to process our high spatial-resolution, deeper X-ray data, allowing us to confirm the presence of of both shocks and cold fronts within the cluster merger.Item Benzannulated indoles as drug discovery templates. Efforts towards the total synthesis of a library of therapeutic candidates inspired by Cis-Trikentrin A(2025) Mcatee, William Norman; Buszek, Keith R.The herbindole and trikentrin indole alkaloids are a series of structurally related natural products, characterized by a 6,7-benzannulated indole core – a structural motif rarely observed in nature. Originally isolated from the Trikentrion flabelliforme, and Axinella sp. sponges, these compounds present as attractive targets for synthetic and medicinal chemists, due to their reported antibiotic, cytotoxic, and analgesic properties. Indeed, extensive efforts have been made since 1988 towards novel synthetic routes to the aforementioned natural products. Once accessed, analogues of the trikentrin indoles and herbindole present as ideal drug discovery templates due to their likelihood for bioactivity and high potential for synthetic diversification. Until recently, efforts towards the total synthesis of these deceptively simple herbindole and trikentrin indoles have proven these compounds to be challenging targets. Specifically, extensive substitution at the C4 and C5 positions without substitution at the easily accessible C2 and C3 positions have been of particular challenge to synthetic chemists. Additionally, these diastereomeric properties of the fused 6,7 dimethylcyclopentyl unit provides additional complexity to proposed synthetic routes. Many of these challenges have been alleviated through the discovery of a new class of reactive aryne intermediates. These intermediates allow for the generation of an in-situ 6,7-indole aryne, proving readily susceptible to selective annulation of the indole via [4+2] cycloaddition. Additionally, the tunable selectivity of the indole aryne generation allows for unaffected substituents at the C4 or C5 position, affording a wide variety of coupling reactions. Preliminary cell-based assays of herbindole and trikentrin indole analogue libraries have demonstrated promising anticancer, antiparasitic, and analgesic activity. Additionally, several key intermediates in the synthetic route towards these libraries have demonstrated newly discovered therapeutic value for a rare and aggressive cancer, sinonasal undifferentiated carcinoma (SNUC). Significant advances towards a more practical, accessible, and cost effective synthesis of these early intermediates have been made. Specifically, strategic eliminations of several toxic reagents and solvents (e.g. dichloromethane) as well as alternative synthetic approaches have been implemented. However, more work is needed in order to fully understand the structural activity relationship and maximize the therapeutic potential of these compounds. Recent advancements, described herein, enhance the practicality of the synthetic route towards a cis-Trikentrin A-inspired scaffold, with applications as a drug discovery template.Item The impact of 340B disruption on patients with autoimmune rheumatic diseases(2025) Puthawala, Emily Elizabeth; Nichols, Mark (Professor of bioinformatics)Patients with autoimmune inflammatory rheumatic diseases (AIRDs) rely on disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) to manage disease progression. AIRD patients are often prescribed biologic DMARDs (bDMARDs), which increases the financial burden of treatment. Since 1992, qualifying covered entities, such as University Health and Lakewood Medical Center, have been eligible to purchase discounted drugs through the Federal 340B Drug Pricing Program. Originally, 340B pricing was restricted to in-house hospital pharmacies. In 1996, covered entities were permitted to contract with one outside pharmacy. This was expanded to any pharmacy starting in 2010, improving medication access. In 2023, major drug manufacturers reinstated pre-2010 requirements resulting in disruption to bDMARD access. The aim of this study is to characterize the AIRD patient population affected, determine impacts on patient outcomes, and quantify changes in healthcare utilization and spending. This is a retrospective within-subject study utilizing pharmacy and EHR data from University Health and Lakewood Medical Center. This study is IRB exempt. Included patients were >18 years old, who utilized the 340B program. These patients were seen in the rheumatology clinic in the 6 months prior to and post 340B policy reversal. Patients who established care less than 3 months prior to the disruption were excluded. EHR data was deidentified, stored in REDCap, and analyzed using IMB SPSS. Of 222 patients screened, 43 were included. Patients were mostly female (67%), white (67%), and enrolled in Medicare (47%). We uncovered a significant impact on patients’ 340B usage. On average, patients filled 75 fewer days’ supply of bDMARDs through the 340B program in the 6 months post disruption [95% CI (46, 109), p <0.001]. No increased use of rescue medications such as glucocorticoids (p = 0.25), NSAIDs (p = 1.0) and opiates (p = 0.39) or ER visits (p = 0.26) was observed. We found evidence to suggest that the sudden reinstatement of pre-2010 pharmacy requirements for 340B discounts had a negative effect on medication accessibility for patients with AIRD. Future directions include quantifying prescription costs for patients as a result of decreased 340B participation and the impact of medication disruption in primary care and other subspecialty clinics.Item Surrogate learning for scoured bridges for capacity prediction with climate-scenario deep uncertainties(2025) Qadir, Ilham; Chen, ZhiQiangWaterway bridges are among the most vulnerable components of transportation infrastructure due to scour—the erosion of soil around foundations caused by flowing water—a risk expected to grow under climate-driven increases in flood intensity. Traditional fragility models often assume a fixed structural capacity, overlooking how scour alters soil–foundation–structure interaction (SFSI) and degrades performance.This study develops a computationally efficient surrogate-learning framework, trained on nonlinear pushover analyses, to predict yield-level transverse capacities—base shear, deck displacement, base moment, and column rotation—collectively expressed as a capacity tuple. To incorporate deep uncertainty arising from future IPCC climate-scenario trajectories, we employ a credal-set approach that yields upper and lower bounds on capacity predictions. The resulting method enables rapid, risk-informed evaluation of scour-critical bridges, supporting practical decision-making under uncertain future hydraulic hazards.
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