Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

The Synthesis Of Memristive Neuromorphic Circuits, Austin Richard Wyer

Masters Theses

As Moores Law has come to a halt, it has become necessary to explore alternative forms of computation that are not limited in the same ways as traditional CMOS technologies and the Von Neumann architecture. Neuromorphic computing, computing inspired by the human brain with neurons and synapses, has been proposed as one of these alternatives. Memristors, non-volatile devices with adjustable resistances, have emerged as a candidate for implementing neuromorphic computing systems because of their low power and low area overhead. This work presents a C++ simulator for an implementation of a memristive neuromorphic circuit. The simulator is used within a …

The Effect Of Plant Source On Lignin-Based Polyurethanes And The Interdiffusion Dynamics Of Semi-Rigid Polymers, Jason Michael Lang

Masters Theses

The work reported in this thesis increases our understanding of the effect of lignin plant source on the mechanical and morphological properties of lignin-based polyurethanes and the interdiffusion of glassy/liquid bilayer thin films. The interdiffusion of glassy/liquid polymer pairs has received much less attention than liquid/liquid bilayers, leading to conflicting results and unresolved discrepancies. Therefore, the reported study of interdiffusion between polysulfone glassy/liquid polymer layers provides insight into the dynamics of these systems.

This thesis first reports the correlation between the mechanical properties of lignin-based polyurethanes and the lignin plant source. Lignin is a molecule that can be used as …

Apan Production Through Photooxidation Of Isoprene In The Presence Of NoX, Timothy Glidewell

Masters Theses

Peroxyacyl nitrates (PANs, RC(O)OONO₂) are of great importance in atmospheric chemistry. They act as transporters of reactive nitrogen, and radical delivery agents. There are no known natural emission sources of PANs; they are produced through reaction of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen oxides (NO_x) in the atmosphere.

VOCs can enter the atmosphere through biogenic and anthropogenic pathways. It has been estimated that isoprene makes up 70% of the biogenic VOCs (BVOCs) emitted annually. Isoprene has been shown to impact ozone levels in both rural and urban areas by sequestering and transporting NO_x in the form …

The Influence Of Road Salt On Seasonal Mixing And Redox Stratification In Three Southwest Michigan Kettle Lakes, Danielle Dupuis

Masters Theses

Influxes of saline water from roads treated with deicers can alter the density structure of urban lakes. This can delay or halt turnover events, which may lead to persistent hypolimnetic anoxia in nutrient-rich lakes. In this study, the lake columns of two urban lakes (Woods Lake and Asylum Lake) and one rural lake (North Lake), were sampled once a month from March 2016 to June 2017. Lake column water was analyzed for conductivity, temperature, dissolved oxygen, ferrous iron, manganese, sulfide, calcium, magnesium, sodium, chloride and methane concentrations as a function of depth. All three lakes are eutrophic with anoxic hypolimnia …

Automated Program Profiling And Analysis For Managing Heterogeneous Memory Systems, Adam Palmer Howard

Masters Theses

Many promising memory technologies, such as non-volatile, storage-class memories and high-bandwidth, on-chip RAMs, are beginning to emerge. Since each of these new technologies present tradeoffs distinct from conventional DRAMs, next-generation systems are likely to include multiple tiers of memory storage, each with their own type of devices. To efficiently utilize the available hardware, such systems will need to alter their data management strategies to consider the performance and capabilities provided by each tier.

This work explores a variety of cross-layer strategies for managing application data in heterogeneous memory systems. We propose different program profiling-based techniques to automatically partition program allocation …

Classification Results Of Hadamard Matrices, Gregory Allen Schmidt

Masters Theses

In 1893 Hadamard proved that for any n x n matrix A over the complex numbers, with all of its entries of absolute value less than or equal to 1, it necessarily follows that

|det(A)| ≤ n^n/2 [n raised to the power n divided by two],

with equality if and only if the rows of A are mutually orthogonal and the absolute value of each entry is equal to 1 (See [2], [3]). Such matrices are now appropriately identified as Hadamard matrices, which provides an active area of research in both theoretical and applied fields …

Bats Roosting In Buildings In Great Smoky Mountains National Park: Ecology, Human Dimensions, And Management Implications, Kirstin Emily Fagan

Masters Theses

During summer, bats are regularly observed in buildings of Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GRSM or the Park), the most visited National Park in the USA. As a result, natural and cultural resources managers seek to ensure public safety and protect historic structures while minimizing impacts on bats, especially in light of declines in bat populations as a result of white-nose syndrome. To inform management decisions, I examined the ecological and human dimensions of bats roosting in buildings in GRSM.

To assess roost selection by building-roosting bats, I surveyed 140 buildings in the Park for bats during May to August, …

A Predictive Model For Brook Trout Restoration In The Cherokee National Forest, Caylor Garrett Romines

Masters Theses

Over the course of the last century, Brook Trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) have been reduced in abundance and extirpated from many high elevation streams throughout the southern Appalachian Mountains. These fish have been threatened by anthropogenic factors that restrict their distribution across the longitudinal gradient of the streams they occupy. A large portion of Tennessee's Brook Trout streams are located within the Cherokee National Forest (CNF). Many agencies in the southern Appalachian Mountains are working to restore Brook Trout populations throughout this species’ historic native range. The purpose of this research is to develop a model of important habitat …

A Gpu Implementation Of Distance-Driven Computed Tomography, Ryan D. Wagner

Masters Theses

Computed tomography (CT) is used to produce cross-sectional images of an object via noninvasive X-ray scanning of the object. These images have a wide range of uses including threat detection in checked baggage at airports. The projection data collected by the CT scanner must be reconstructed before the image may be viewed. In comparison to filtered backprojection methods of reconstruction, iterative reconstruction algorithms have been shown to increase overall image quality by incorporating a more complete model of the underlying physics. Unfortunately, iterative algorithms are generally too slow to meet the high throughput demands of this application. It is therefore …

Characterization Of Γ-Butyrolactone Rings: A Computational And Toxicological Study, Donald C. Kidd

Masters Theses

Given the declining state of the natural environment, identifying green methodologies in synthetic chemistry is becoming paramount. An under explored area of green chemistry, is the use of catalytic systems in green solvents. One interesting concept in green chemistry is the use of N-Heterocyclic Carbenes (NHCs) as organocatalysts.

Thiamine or vitamin B1 was one of the first NHCs recognized. Thiamine is required for carbohydrate metabolism and helps the cell produce adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Over the last 20 years NHCs have been found to be efficient catalysts in carbon-carbon bond forming reactions.

But to date, little research has been done exploring …

Novel Spectroscopic Tools To Differentiate Drug-Dna Binding Interactions, Fadwa Dhafer Hamad

Masters Theses

DNA-drug interactions play a major role in therapeutics, diagnostics, forensics and imaging. Drugs bind to DNA in several ways based on the mode of interaction and they alter protein-DNA interactions or breaks/cleaves DNA that can lead to the cure of the disease. The major goal of the research carried out in this thesis is to develop novel optical spectroscopic tools that can differentiate Drug-DNA binding interactions mode whether its intercalation or minor-groove binding. To achieve this goal, we developed two-photon absorption (2PA) cross-section based technique to differentiate between Drug-DNA binding modes. The investigations were carried out on two drug molecules, …

Spatially Explicit Population Estimates Of The Florida Black Bear, Jacob Michael Humm

Masters Theses

The Florida black bear (Ursus americanus floridanus) is currently comprised of 7 isolated subpopulations: Apalachicola, Eglin, Osceola, Ocala/St. Johns, Chassahowitzka, Highlands/Glades, and Big Cypress. The last statewide assessment of Florida black bear population dynamics was conducted by Simek et al. (2005) using traditional capture-markrecapture methods. The subspecies was removed from Florida’s List of State Threatened Species in 2012 contingent upon the formulation of a management plan that would maintain viable subpopulations of black bears in suitable habitat. Accurate population estimates for each of the remaining black bear subpopulations in Florida were needed to achieve the management goals of …

Optimization Of The Nedm Experiment, Patrick Rogers

Masters Theses

The Neutron Electric Dipole Moment (NEDM) experiment is an upcoming experiment at ORNL to measure the size of an electric dipole moment inside of the neutron. This is being done to probe CP asymmetries that could give rise to a matter dominated universe. The experiment will utilize a nuclear reaction that outputs scintillation light in a manner that depends on the alignment of the spins of the reactant particles. This light will be detected and used to measure the NEDM. The amount of light collected for measurement will impact the accuracy of the results; the more photons collected the better …

Convective Mode Climatology Of Tennessee Tornado Events And Effect On National Weather Service Warning Processes, Kelly Nicole Gassert

Masters Theses

Tennessee resides in the Southeastern United States, a region prone to violent tornadoes on a year-round basis. With one of the highest tornado fatality rates in the country, and a climatology that varies across the state, analysis of storms resulting in Tennessee tornadoes is necessary for improving forecasting techniques and decreasing loss of life. This study analyzed convective modes responsible for Tennessee tornadoes from 2003 to 2014 to determine an association with fatalities, seasonality, day and night, tornado magnitude, regionality, and multiple-tornado days. Chi-squared tests were conducted to determine if these patterns were significant. National Weather Service forecasters from the …

Development Of Nuclear Underground Engineered Test Surrogates For Technical Nuclear Forensics Exploitation, Robert Boone Gilbreath

Masters Theses

A method for formulation and production of Nuclear UnderGround Engineered Test Surrogates (NUGETS) based on notional improvised nuclear device (IND) detonations in an underground environment analogous to the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS) is presented. Extensive statistical analyses of precursory geochemical and geophysical characteristics are combined with an augmented surrogate debris cooling technique and predictive IND contributions from the ORIGEN Fallout Analysis Tool. Precursory and resultant elemental compositions, cooling curve calculations, and visual comparison of NUGETS to genuine underground debris are reported. Application of NUGETS methodology to future studies in urban, underground post-detonation technical nuclear forensic (TNF) analysis is suggested.

Development Of Microfluidic Platforms For Studies Of Cellular Organization In Escherichia Coli, Anna Dawn Jennings

Masters Theses

Traditionally, bacteria cells have been imaged on agarose pads allowing them to grow in steady conditions for only a few doubling times. To understand the cellular organization in bacteria, tools are needed that allow the observation of log-phase cells for many generations. In recent years, several microfluidic platforms have been designed that allow microscopic imaging of bacteria for over one hundred generations. One of the most promising approaches has been the so-called mother machine design where bacteria grow in small dead-end channels all connected to a large main channel, which is used to flow fresh nutrients to the cells and …

Cation Exchange Processes Involving The Agricultural Antibiotic Tylosin In Soil And Soil Minerals, Jaime Jacinda Call

Masters Theses

Tylosin (TYL) is a veterinary antibiotic that is used as a feed additive in swine production. Concentrations as high as 4.0 mg L^-1 have been found in swine manure leachates. Tylosin is predominately a cationic species, due to the protonation of a dimethylamine moiety in pH < 7.5 solutions. The soil adsorption of TYL is influenced by pH, background electrolyte, and ionic strength, suggesting that ion exchange is an important retention mechanism. The objective of this study was to examine the exchange selectivity of TYL in competition with sodium and calcium in montmorillonite and vermiculite reference clays and in the Bt2 horizons of a west Tennessee Loring soil. Binary exchange studies were performed and exchange isotherms were developed to establish preference, to determine the Vanselow selectivity coefficient (K_V) as a function of exchange phase composition, and to determine the exchangeable and nonexchangeable forms of TYL. X-ray diffraction was used to evaluate TYL intercalation into reference and soil clay minerals. For TYLX-NaX exchange, the exchange isotherms indicated that TYL⁺ was preferred over Na⁺ by montmorillonite, but not by …

Efficient Simulation Of A Simple Evolutionary System, Mahendra Duwal Shrestha

Masters Theses

An infinite population model is considered for diploid evolution under the influence of crossing over and mutation. The evolution equations show how Vose’s haploid model for Genetic Algorithms extends to the diploid case, thereby making feasible simulations which otherwise would require excessive resources. This is illustrated through computations confirming the convergence of finite diploid population short-term behaviour to the behaviour predicted by the infinite diploid model. The results show the distance between finite and infinite population evolutionary trajectories can decrease in practice like the reciprocal of the square root of population size.

Under necessary and sufficient conditions (NS) concerning mutation …

Probing Pulse Structure At The Spallation Neutron Source Via Polarimetry Measurements, Connor Miller Gautam

Masters Theses

The Fundamental Neutron Physics Beamline (FNPB) at Spallation Neutron Source is used to probe fundamental forces via cold neutrons. The beamline's latest experiment is probing the hadronic weak interaction through the capture of polarized cold neutrons on ³He nuclei. While the strong nuclear force is dominant in this interaction, a weak signal can be observed in the parity violating momentum asymmetry in the reaction products. As the asymmetry measurement requires both neutron spin states, a means of controlling the neutron spin is required. In order to alternate the spins, a radio frequency spin rotator was installed for the experiment. …

Characterization Of Reactor Background Radiation At Hfir For The Prospect Experiment, Blaine Alexander Heffron

Masters Theses

This work describes an investigation of the background radiation present at the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) on behalf of the PROSPECT collaboration. The PROSPECT experiment is designed to make a precision measurement of the antineutrino spectrum at HFIR and search for sterile neutrinos. Temporal and spacial variation of neutron and gamma backgrounds at the experiment site for the PROSPECT detector are measured in order to determine if the reactor correlated radiation will contribute a significant background to the inverse beta decay signal. Knowledge of spacial background variation will also be used to inform the design of a local shield …

Influence Of Algae On Soil Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity: An In Situ Treatment Option For Reducing Infiltration Beneath Unlined Algae Cultivation Ponds, Molly Brianne Pattullo

Masters Theses

Commercial production of algal biofuels is currently limited by high capital costs, including the cost of installation and maintenance of plastic pond liners, which mitigate seepage of cultivation fluids and control the release of salts and nutrients into the subsurface beneath outdoor algae cultivation ponds. However, studies of animal waste settling lagoons show that underlying soils ranging from sands to clay loams can exhibit reduced hydraulic conductivity within days to weeks after construction, reducing the need for plastic liners. The mechanisms of the hydraulic conductivity reductions, or “soil sealing”, are physical rearrangement of soil particles, buildup of fines, and the …

Determining Sources Of Nitrate In The Semi-Arid Rio Grande Using Nitrogen And Oxygen Isotopes, Diego Alberto Sanchez Hernandez

Masters Theses

The Rio Grande, a semi-arid river in the American Southwest, is a major source of surface water for agriculture and drinking supplies in New Mexico and Texas. In addition to increasing salinity, considerable increases of NO₃^- [nitrate] have been observed in the semi-arid portion of the Rio Grande. It is possible that elevated water salinity inhibits denitrification on irrigated fields and, thus, fails to mediate excess nutrient load from anthropogenic activities. Therefore, two major goals of this project were to 1) characterize and quantify major NO₃^- sources, and 2) assess whether elevated water salinity affects microbial …

On The Role Of Genetic Algorithms In The Pattern Recognition Task Of Classification, Isaac Ben Sherman

Masters Theses

In this dissertation we ask, formulate an apparatus for answering, and answer the following three questions: Where do Genetic Algorithms fit in the greater scheme of pattern recognition? Given primitive mechanics, can Genetic Algorithms match or exceed the performance of theoretically-based methods? Can we build a generic universal Genetic Algorithm for classification? To answer these questions, we develop a genetic algorithm which optimizes MATLAB classifiers and a variable length genetic algorithm which does classification based entirely on boolean logic. We test these algorithms on disparate datasets rooted in cellular biology, music theory, and medicine. We then get results from these …

Influence Of Environmental Conditions And Inundation History On Bacterial Diversity Of Salt Marsh Soils In Southern Louisiana, Brandon M. Bagley

Masters Theses

Diversity patterns and controls on bacterial community composition were investigated from coastal salt marsh soils in southern Louisiana (USA) from 2012 – 2014. These salt marshes are part of an extensive coastal landscape that is experiencing land loss due to subsidence, sea-level rise, and anthropogenic activities, including from the impacts of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010. Prior to the oil spill, microbiology research focused predominately on biogeochemical roles and not on taxonomic representation in the soils or on understanding the significance of taxonomic diversity at the microbial level to marsh food webs or ecosystem dynamics. The purpose of …

Evaluation Of Non-Ionic Surfactants With And Without Hydrogen Peroxide For The In-Situ Remediation Of Napl Contaminants, Charles E. Holada

Masters Theses

Laboratory studies were conducted on Quillaja saponins and nine other surfactants commonly used to remove non-aqueous phase liquids (NAPLs) from soils and aquifers. The NAPL contaminant tested was diesel fuel. Static batch reactors containing an aged diesel-contaminated soil was treated with saponins and nine other commercially available surfactants to determine how much diesel fuel could be removed with the pore fluids after 1 day and 10 days of contact time. Of all the surfactants tested, saponins achieved the greatest removal of diesel fuel after 1 day and 10 days. There was large disparity in the diesel fuel removed by the …

Modeling Channel Response To Dam Removal In Lansing, Michigan, Using Swat, Ryan Filbin

Masters Theses

The removal of dams has increased in recent decades in the United States, largely resulting from decaying infrastructure and greater efforts to restore rivers to a more natural, free-flowing state. Dam removal presents the opportunity for increased public safety, improved environmental prosperity, and improved economic prosperity in conjunction with riverfront revitalization projects. The City of Lansing, Michigan, contains two moderate-to high-risk dams along the Grand River that pose a significant risk to the surrounding area in the event of structural failure.

The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) is applied to model the impacts of the Moores Park Dam and …

Security And Privacy In Cloud Computing, Ramakrishnan Krishnan

Masters Theses

Cloud computing (CC) gained a widespread acceptance as a paradigm of computing. The main aim of CC is to reduce the need for customers' investment in new hardware or software by offering flexible cloud services, with a user reaping the benefits of the pay per use approach. CC demands addressing many security and privacy issues: both problems (vulnerabilities, threats, and attacks) and solutions (controls). The thesis discusses all these classes of problems and solutions, categorizing them as either security-related issues, privacy-related issues, or intertwined security and privacy issues. The main contributions of the thesis are twofold: first, using the …

Gravity And Passive Seismic Methods Used Jointly For Understanding The Subsurface In A Glaciated Terrain: Dowling And Maple Grove Quadrangles, Barry County, Michigan, Scott A. Feldpausch

Masters Theses

The Horizontal to Vertical Spectral Ratio (HVSR) passive, single sensor seismic technique has been used together with gravimetry to study the topography hidden below the glacial drift of two 7.5’ quadrangles in Barry Co., MI. 265 stations were observed with both instruments along roads at nominal spacings of about 0.4 to 0.8 km. Occasional water wells and oil wells with documented penetrations of the base of glacial were used to calibrate the local power law regression calibration. This was also compared with the statewide calibration curve previously established. Results are presented as maps of Simple Bouguer Anomaly, Residual Bouguer Anomaly, …

Classification Of Basal Cell Carcinoma Using Telangiectatic Vessels And Machine Learning, Hemanth Yadav Aradhyula

Masters Theses

“Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is one of the most common types of skin cancer in the United States. Early detection of BCC by noninvasive techniques can decrease delay in treatment and save cost. A recent study estimated that 5.4 million cases of non-melanocytic skin cancer (NMSC) occur each year in the US. BCC accounts for 50% of NMSC cases. Telangiectasia, which appears in most BCCs is an important feature for identification of BCC for an automatic diagnostic system. In this thesis, three methods for detection of telangiectasia present in dermoscopy lesion image (DI) were proposed. Detected telangiectasia in DI was …

Comparing Region Level Testing Methods For Differential Dna Methylation Analysis, Arnold Albert Harder

Masters Theses

”Finding possible connections and solutions to help fight progression of diseases is a major area of research. Genomics is a primary path of research in disease research. Through the DNA sequence, possible connections to diseases have been found. However, most methods for fixing issues within a DNA sequence are still out of reach. One potential path is to investigate epigenetic modifications, such as DNA methylation. DNA methylation occurs when a methyl group attached to cytosines on the DNA sequence. Statistical methods can be used to identify sites or regions of significant differences in methylation levels between groups ( e. g. …