Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Relating Predator Community Ecology And Duck Nest Survival In Eastern South Dakota, Samantha R. Fino

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As conversion of native grasslands and wetlands to croplands continues in the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR), managers are tasked with maintaining sustainable waterfowl populations. Mesopredator community dynamics is a hypothesized mechanism driving spatiotemporal variation of waterfowl nest survival in the PPR, yet studies often lack detailed information on mesopredator species occurrence and abundance. Therefore, understanding spatial and temporal variation in behaviors of mesopredators provides valuable insights for understanding predator-prey interactions between mesopredators and upland duck nests. Further, differences in a predator community resulting from lethal removal of dominant species may influence composition and space use patterns of subordinate and non-target …

Quantitative Change Analysis Of Undisturbed Lands In Eastern South Dakota: 2012-2021, Riley W. Wollschlager

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The actual rate of loss of undisturbed prairie and woodland in eastern South Dakota is unknown, and the landscape composition of the region continues to change. Undisturbed land is land with no proven prior cropping or other disturbance history. Agriculture, development, recreation, and other land use practices create disturbances resulting in the further conversion of undisturbed prairies and woodlands. Previous work by South Dakota State University (SDSU) quantified the remaining undisturbed land in eastern South Dakota as of 2012 (Bauman et al 2016). Farm Service Agency (FSA) common land unit (CLU) and National Agricultural Imagery Program (NAIP) imagery were the …

A Study Of The Local Deep Galerkin Method For The Modified Cahn Hilliard Equation, Shi Wen Wong

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Solving higher order partial differential equations (PDEs) can often prove to be a challenging task due to the involvement of higher-order derivatives of the unknown function, particularly for complex problems. The higher the order of the PDE, the more challenging it becomes to obtain an analytical solution. In such cases, alternative numerical methods are often used, such as finite element method or finite difference method. However, these methods can be computationally expensive and require a significant amount of mathematical expertise to implement. In recent times, there has been significant progress in applying neural networks to various fields, including the solution …

Some 2-Color Rado Numbers For A Linear Equation With A Negative Constant, Rachel Bergjord

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

An r-coloring is a function Δ that assigns a color to each natural number from 1 to some number n using colors 0, 1, . . . , r − 1. A monochromatic solution (in Δ) to an equation L with m variables is an ordered m-tuple (x1, x2, . . . , xm) where Δ(x1) = Δ(x2) = · · · = Δ(xm) and (x1, x2, . . . , xm−1, xm) solves L. Given a linear equation L and t ∈ N, the t-color Rado number for L is the least integer n (if it exists) such that …

Methods For Improving Potassium Fertilizer Recommendations For Corn In South Dakota, Andrew J. Ahlersmeyer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Corn (Zea mays L.) is a vital commodity in South Dakota’s agricultural sector. Optimal corn production occurs when there are sufficient mineral nutrients in the soil, especially potassium (K). Applications of K fertilizer are used when soil test K (STK) levels are deficient. Therefore, producers need reliable, thoroughly tested fertilizer recommendations to make profitable decisions and maintain environmental stewardship. South Dakota K fertilizer recommendations have not been updated in nearly 20 years. Simultaneously, changes in corn genetics, management practices, and climate patterns suggest that the critical soil test value (CSTV) for STK may have shifted in that same time frame. …

Development Of Novel Cellular Assay Model And Therapeutic Deep Eutectic Solvents To Optimize The Activity Of Anticancer Agents, Nizam Uddin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Multidrug resistance (MDR) is the major burden behind chemotherapeutic treatment failure. It is the principal mechanism by which cancer cells evade chemotherapeutic treatment. As a result, aggressive cancer cells survive and continue uncontrolled cell division. Multidrug resistance affects survival rate of almost all types of cancer patients and death toll rises at an alarming rate. There are seven different mechanisms for evolving MDR. The most common mechanism in efflux activity of overexpressed ABC transporters. MRP1 is a prominent ABC transporter that pumps out a wide variety of anticancer drugs from the cells and thereby reduces intracellular drug concentrations and develops …

Design, Synthesis, And Biological Evaluation Of Novel Steroidal Analogs: Potential Anticancer Agents, Trevor Ostlund

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cancer is a malicious disease with low survivability rates primarily due to lack of reliable treatment options. Treatments are often non-specific for patients, and cancer resistance to treatment is becoming more prevalent as fast as new therapies are created. Previous studies in our laboratory have focused on the Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) and its downstream kinase family members as a key target for cancer. This cascade controls cell proliferation, anti-apoptotic effects, cell regulation, and other survival factors. Additionally, ABC transporters, responsible for efflux of chemotherapeutic material from cells, are key targets to combat drug resistance. We first evaluated a …

Cytotoxicity Profiling And Apoptotic Potential Of Carboxylic Acids-Based Deep Eutectic Solvents On Mammalian Cell Lines, Mavis Korankye

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the past few years, there has been a notable surge in demand for high-purity medicines due to the prevalence of chronic diseases such as cancer, hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and neurological disorders. Considerable efforts have been dedicated to discovering new solvents that are environmentally friendly and cost-effective that are well-suited for industrial applications. Deep eutectic solvents have gained recognition as a highly promising alternative to organic solvents and ionic liquids due to their easily sourced raw materials, simple and cheap preparation methods, high tunability, low volatility, low toxicity, and biodegradability. The industrial utilization of deep eutectic solvents (DESs) is …

Advanced Analytical Techniques For The Analysis Of Toxic Inhaled Agent Exposure And Pharmacokinetic Investigation, Sharmin Sultana

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Toxic inhalation agents (TIAs) (i.e., chlorine (Cl2), cyanide (HCN), etc.) are highly poisonous. However, they have a variety of industrial uses, such as health, agro-food, building, textiles, transport, leisure activities, cosmetics, etc. In addition, TIAs can be used as chemical agents in terrorist events or conventional warfare. The ability to detect TIAs in biological and environmental samples is important for preparing use, determining individual exposure, limiting hazardous exposure, etc. Therefore, developing simple and sensitive analytical methods for TIAs, TIA metabolites, and antidotes for those toxic agents is very important. The focus of this study was chlorine and cyanide. Chlorine is …

Walleye Feeding, Movements, And Energetics Reveal The Importance Of Connected Wetlands In Glacial Lakes, Logan M. Cutler

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Fish require a variety of resources including prey, thermal refugia, and different physical habitat characteristics to grow and reproduce. All necessary resources are rarely provided by a single habitat, resulting in tradeoffs between occupying different habitats; therefore, the ability to move among heterogenous habitats is critical. These tradeoffs may occur in lakes with connected wetlands where the main lake habitats tend to be more thermally stable, but wetlands often provide more diverse and abundant prey. For my second chapter, I compared prey diversity and abundance as well as Walleye (Sander vitreus) diets and condition in a large glacial lake (Lake …

Tracking Nitrogen Mineralization In The Presence Of Biochar Utilizing Complementary-Method Assays In East Central South Dakota, Andrew Calvin Engel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Understanding soil N transformations in agricultural systems of the Northern Great Plains is crucial for guiding effective soil and nutrient management of this vital cropland. While the use of biochar in agriculture has attracted great attention recently, little has been reported on the seasonal dynamics of soil nitrogen (N) transformation and its response to biochar application. A field experiment was conducted over 2 seasons, spring (6/3/19-6/24/19) and summer (7/26/19-8/16/19), using four treatments or control soil, urea (224 kg N/ha), biochar (46,250 kg/ha), and urea+biochar (224 kg N/ha and 46,250 kg/ha, respectively). The results for both seasons showed biochar had no …

Trustworthy Decentralized Last Mile Delivery Framework Using Blockchain, Ala' Alqaisi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The fierce competition and rapidly growing eCommerce market are painful headaches for logistics companies. In 2021, Canada Post’s parcel volume peaked at 361 million units with a minimum charge of $10 per each. The Last-Mile Delivery (LMD) is the final leg of the supply chain that ends with the package at the customer’s doorstep. LMD involves moving small shipments to geographically dispersed locations with high expectations on service levels and precise time windows. Therefore, it is the most complex and costly logistics process, accounting for more than 50% of the overall supply chain cost. Innovations like Crowdshipping, such as Uber …

Practical Secure Aggregation In Federated Learning Using Additive Secret Sharing, Hamid Fazli Khojir

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Federated learning is a machine learning technique where multiple clients with local data collaborate in training a machine learning model. In FedAvg, the main federated learning algorithm, clients train machine learning models locally and share the trained model with the server. While the sensitive data will never be sent to the server, a malicious server can construct the original training data by having access to the clients’ models in each training round. Secure aggregation techniques such as cryptography, trusted execution environment, or differential privacy are used to solve this problem. However, these techniques incur computation and communication overhead or affect …

Using Machine Learning Classification And Esa Sentinel 2 Multispectral Imager Data To Delineate Marsh Vegetation And Measure Ecotone Movement In Coastal Georgia, Thomas A. Pudil

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Tidal marshes are unique communities that are subjected to environmental stressors including sea level rise, salinity change, and drought, resulting in constant change. It is important to monitor these changing areas because of the ecosystem services they provide to us, such as protection from storms and carbon sequestration. The proposed work for this thesis project is focused on the study of tidal marshes and the dynamics between the vegetation species within them. The aim of this project is to use geospatial technology and analyses, along with machine learning classification methods, to monitor change in these valuable ecosystems. The Georgia coast …

Middle Savannah River: An A/R/Tographic Ecopedagogical Ethnography Experimenting With Rhizomatic Perspectives, Lisa Augustine-Chizmar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research is an experiment in perspective. Using the four commonplaces (Schwab, 1978), I practiced letting the Savannah River teach me what there is to know about the water, the land, the people, and the other entities that depend on ki through artistic, ethnographic, and ecopedagogical lenses. The ethnographic findings describe the social actors that depend on ki and give a voice to the River. The a/r/tographic findings display the River on a canvas map through two hundred years using paint, clay, photography, video, abstract acrylics, and fabric. Together, these methods contribute to a unique ecopedagogical journey. This word cloud …

Network Intrusion Detection Using Deep Reinforcement Learning, Hamed T. Sanusi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis delves into cybersecurity by applying Deep Reinforcement(DRL) Learning in network intrusion detection. One advantage of DRL is the ability to adapt to changing network conditions and evolving attack methods, making it a promising solution for addressing the challenges involved in intrusion detection. The thesis will also discuss the obstacles and benefits of using Classification methods for network intrusion detection and the need for high-quality training data. To train and test our proposed method, the NSL-KDD dataset was used and then adjusted by converting it from a multi-classification to a binary classification, achieved by joining all attacks into one. …

Temporal Neural Team Formation With Negative Sampling, Seyed Sobhan Dashti

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Predicting future successful teams of experts who can synergistically work in concert with each other and en masse cover a set of required skills of a degree necessary for the achievement of the desired outcome is challenging due to several reasons, including 1) the magnitude of the pool of plausible expert candidates with diverse backgrounds and skills, and 2) the drift and variability of collaborative ties of experts and their level of expertise in each area in time. Prior works in team formation have neglected the fact that experts’ skill, interests, and collaborative ties change over time. We can categorize …

Terrain Cost Learning From Human Preferences For Robot Path Planning Using A Visual User Interface, Kaivalya Velagapudi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Robot navigation in terrains with limited exploration and limited knowledge has been a problem of interest in robotics due to the potential dangers that may arise during traversal. Due to the large number of path permutations within a complex and feature-rich real-world environment, and in the interest of saving time and ensuring safety, the robot should learn the optimal path without repeated exploration of the terrain. This can be accomplished by leveraging the path preferences of a human operator so that, with selective inputs, the agent can effectively learn a terrain-cost mapping in order to determine the optimal route, thereby …

Post-Translational Modification Of Proteins Via Ambient Air Pollutants And Endogenous Reactive Species, Rachel Lauren Davey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Proteins can react with reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) to form post-translational modifications (PTMs), which can affect protein structure and function. The formation of 3-nitrotyrosine (NTyr) and dityrosine (DiTyr) upon reaction of proteins with ROS/RNS are two common PTMs studied due to their stability and irreversibility, as well as their ability to enhance the allergenicity of pollen allergens upon formation. Many common techniques used to study the formation of these PTMs can reliably detect the PTMs but can only provide semi-quantitative information due to many assumptions and limitations. In Chapter 2 we present an analysis of …

Mechanistic Insights Into Mftr-Dependent Regulation Of The Redox Cofactor Mycofactocin, Aigera Mendauletova

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Organic redox cofactors are essential for life. While classic flavins and nicotinamides are widely distributed across all domains of life, nature has also evolved niche cofactors in subsets of life domains. For example, in Actinobacteria, coenzyme F420 is commonly used in place of flavin mononucleotide in enzymes associated with carbon fixation and oxidation of secondary alcohols. The importance of niche cofactors has long been recognized however, detailed understanding about their biosynthesis and physiological uses has been lagging. One class of niche cofactors is derived from ribosomally synthesized and posttranslationally modified peptides (RiPPs). To achieve their mature form, the genetically …

A Study Of The Cultural And Geological Environment Of The Magic Mountain Site In Golden, Colorado, Brianna K. Dalessandro

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Magic Mountain site, located in Golden, Colorado, has been the subject of intensive academic studies since the 1950s because of its extensive artifact assemblage and long habitation periods. The aim of this thesis was to use ground-penetrating radar, magnetometry, GIS models, and lithic analysis to further study when and how the Magic Mountain site was used during prehistoric times and contextualize a variety of hypotheses about site habitation and migratory patterns of prehistoric people in Colorado.

The results of these analyses indicate the habitation and migratory pattern of the Magic Mountain site was a periodic, but consistent, proximal visitation …

Developing Best Practices For The Propagation Of Spartina Alterniflora For Use In Salt Marsh Restortaion, Justin Hinson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Coastal salt marshes are valuable ecosystems under threat from climate change and sea level rise. Living shorelines offer a promising solution, often incorporating the foundational salt marsh species Spartina alterniflora due to its ability to tolerate natural stressors and maintain sediment stability. However, research suggests that seed-based propagation protocols should be developed on a local scale due to the genetic heterogeneity within and between S. alterniflora populations. Here, we attempt to contribute to the development of one such protocol for coastal Georgia S. alterniflora.

In Fall 2021, seeds were collected bi-monthly from four marshes of varying ocean proximity and …

A Comparison Of Tung Oil Resin Reinforcements Using Fibrous Proteins And Peptides For Biological And Materials Applications, Parker L. Williams

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this study a tung oil based thermoset was reinforced with collagen and fibroin, and the resulting composites were analyzed for their physical properties. Tung tree seed oil is a great candidate for biobased polymer production because its triglycerides are primarily made of alpha eleostearic acid, a fatty acid with three conjugated carbon-carbon double bonds. These double bonds allow for mechanically strong crosslinking in the polymer. It has been observed that polymerized tung oil forms a gel. This issue has been addressed using divinylbenzene (DVB) and n-butyl methacrylate (BMA) as co-monomers. Similar bio-based polymers have been studied and tend to …

Development And Praxis Of Ph Drug Delivery System Contra Zika, Julissa Rodriguez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As the effects of global warming continue to spread throughout the world, another critical issue is slowly gaining attention in many urban tropical countries. The Emerging Infectious Diseases/ Pathogens list from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) listed the Zika virus as a potential pandemic threat. In 2015, an outbreak of Zika was noted in several South American countries until the spread reached an all-time high of 87 countries in 2017. During the outbreaks, adults affected were noted to have joint and muscle pains, fevers, and rashes. The worst cases reported would ultimately lead to Guillain-Barre symptoms. Still, pregnant women …

Remote Sensing Of Georgia Tidal Marsh Habitats Using Aerial Photography And Planetscope Satellite Imagery, Harrison M. Currin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Globally, tidal marshes cover about 90,800 km. Within the state of Georgia tidal marshes are primarily located behind the barrier islands and total 1,619 km². The combination of high salinity environments and daily inundation, and being dependent on river output, make these dynamic systems. Tidal marshes provide numerous ecosystem services such as carbon and nitrogen sequestration, flood control, coastal protection, and numerous biogeochemical processes. Due to their unique position, tidal marshes are under threat from sea level rise, drought, coastal development, and large-scale disturbance events. Tidal freshwater marshes are especially susceptible to these threats due to their geographic …

Comparative Analysis Of Fullstack Development Technologies: Frontend, Backend And Database, Qozeem Odeniran

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Accessing websites with various devices has brought changes in the field of application development. The choice of cross-platform, reusable frameworks is very crucial in this era. This thesis embarks in the evaluation of front-end, back-end, and database technologies to address the status quo. Study-a explores front-end development, focusing on angular.js and react.js. Using these frameworks, comparative web applications were created and evaluated locally. Important insights were obtained through benchmark tests, lighthouse metrics, and architectural evaluations. React.js proves to be a performance leader in spite of the possible influence of a virtual machine, opening the door for additional research. Study b …

Cytotoxicity And Reproductive Impairment In Rainbow Trout Cell Lines Exposed To Microcystis Aeruginosa Extracellular Metabolites, Keira Harshaw

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Current trends in cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (cHABs) demonstrate increasing risks to human health and the health of aquatic ecosystems around the globe. Expansion of algal blooms, both geographically and temporally, serve to place increasing numbers of freshwater species, including fish, in peril. Microcystis aeruginosa, one of the most common species of bloom-causing cyanobacteria, is capable of producing a vast diversity of biologically active compounds, however Microcystis studies are often dominated by microcystins. How non-microcystin metabolites contribute to Microcystis toxicity, particularly in freshwater fish, has been the subject of a limited, but growing, body of research. To contribute to …

Artificial Emotional Intelligence In Socially Assistive Robots, Hojjat Abdollahi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Artificial Emotional Intelligence (AEI) bridges the gap between humans and machines by demonstrating empathy and affection towards each other. This is achieved by evaluating the emotional state of human users, adapting the machine’s behavior to them, and hence giving an appropriate response to those emotions. AEI is part of a larger field of studies called Affective Computing. Affective computing is the integration of artificial intelligence, psychology, robotics, biometrics, and many more fields of study. The main component in AEI and affective computing is emotion, and how we can utilize emotion to create a more natural and productive relationship between humans …

Water Literacy In Drought-Prone Regions: Case Studies From Aurora, Colorado, Usa And Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa, Meghan Mccarroll

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Water managers around the world must reevaluate their approach to water security as challenges continue to grow. Supply-focused paradigms that aimed to capture, control, and commodify water resources are increasingly unreliable and often depend on environmentally and socially damaging practices. Of particular concern are regions experiencing climate shocks and aridification from rising global temperatures. In order to stretch limited water resources using equitable water policies, conservation programs, and alternative water sourcing, water managers must invest in a water literate citizenry. Water literacy is the culmination of water-related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors. The benefits of a water literate citizenry abound, including …

Factors Influencing Mortality Of Bighorn Sheep (Ovis Canadensis), Emily Moberg

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Reintroduced bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) in Nebraska faced a devastating pneumonia epizootic resulting in variable ewe reproductive success and poor lamb recruitment in many of the herds. From 2015-2017, no lamb recruitment was observed in the northern Pine Ridge subpopulation and as many as 60% of adults died. This was in stark contrast to the healthier Wildcat Hills herds to the south, where lamb recruitment was estimated to be between 50-70% during the same years. From 2018-2020, we radio-collared and recaptured 76 adult female bighorn sheep from 2 of 3 Pine Ridge herds and 1 of 2 Wildcat Hills herds. …