Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Ceo_2/Pt Composite Electrodes And Their Catalytic Performance, Ying Fu, Zi-Dong Wei, Yong-Chao Feng, Xin-Li Ma, Ming-Jia Liao, Chao Liao, Jie Zhang, Huan Zhang

Journal of Electrochemistry

In this paper,the cerium oxide(CeO2) nanoparticles were electrochemically deposited on a Pt electrode by potentiostatic deposition(psd) and potential pulse deposition(ppd) to form CeO2/Pt composite electrodes,CeO2/Pt(psd) and CeO2/Pt(ppd).The properties of the CeO2 were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscope(FESEM) and X-ray diffraction(XRD).The results showed that the CeO2 nanoparticles prepared by psd and ppd were homogeneous and dense.The methanol oxidation reaction(MOR) and oxygen reduction reaction(ORR) on the Pt electrode were enhanced with the introduction of CeO2 into Pt.In addition,the catalytic capability of the CeO2/Pt electrode can be further improved after dissolution of part of CeO2 on the composite electrode in H2SO4.The …

Electrochemical Properties Of Lamg_(11)Zr+Ni Composite, Xin-Chun Yan, Zi-Li Liu, Xin-Bo Liu

Journal of Electrochemistry

Using the LaMg11Zr as the initial alloy,the LaMg11Zr+Ni composite was prepared by mechanical alloying,and the effect of ball-milling time on the amorphous structure of alloy powers was characterized by X-ray diffraction(XRD).The amorphous(LaMg11Zr+Ni) alloy can be obtained after 20 h ball-milling,and has the best electrochemical capacity,electrochemical cycle stability.

Ec-Pt/Cnts Glucose Oxidative Electrode, Jia-Hua Liang, Chun-Mei Zhou, Hong-Juan Wang

Journal of Electrochemistry

A glucose oxidative electrode(GOD),EC-Pt/CNTs glucose oxidative electrode,was constructed by ethyl cellulose(EC) and Pt/CNTs.The sensitivity of the EC-Pt/CNTs GOD is 0.85 μA/mM in the concentration range of 0～4 mmol/L of glucose.After dipped in PBS(4℃) for 18 days,the activity of the EC-Pt/CNTs GOD can reach 80%.It is promising for the EC-Pt/CNTs GOD to be used to construct glucose biosensor.

Comparison Of Three Models For Predicting Gross Primary Production Across And Within Forested Ecoregions In The Contiguous United States, Nicholas C. Coops, Colin J. Ferster, Richard H. Waring, Joanne Nightingale

United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration: Publications

Gross primary production (GPP), the photosynthetic uptake of carbon, is an important variable in the global carbon cycle. Although continuous measurements of GPP are being collected from a network of micrometeorological towers, each site represents a small area with records available for only a limited period. As a result, GPP is commonly modeled over forested landscapes as a function of climatic and soil variables, often supplemented with satellite-derived estimates of the vegetation's light-absorbing properties. Since the late 1990s, a number of models have been developed to provide seasonal and annual estimates of GPP across much of the Earth. Each model, …

Dynamics Of Quasiconformal Fields, Tadeusz Iwaniec, Leonid V. Kovalev, Jani Onninen

Mathematics - All Scholarship

A uniqueness theorem is established for autonomous systems of ODEs, x= f(x), where f is a Sobolev vector field with additional geometric structure, such as delta-monoticity or reduced quasiconformality. Specifically, through every non-critical point of f there passes a unique integral curve.

Graphical User Interfaces As Updatable Views, James Felger Terwilliger

Dissertations and Theses

In contrast to a traditional setting where users express queries against the database schema, we assert that the semantics of data can often be understood by viewing the data in the context of the user interface (UI) of the software tool used to enter the data. That is, we believe that users will understand the data in a database by seeing the labels, dropdown menus, tool tips, help text, control contents, and juxtaposition or arrangement of controls that are built in to the user interface. Our goal is to allow domain experts with little technical skill to understand and query …

Photoluminescence Of 1-D Copper(I) Cyanide Chains: A Theoretical Description, Craig A. Bayse, Timothy P. Brewster, Robert D. Pike

Arts & Sciences Articles

Solid copper(I) cyanide occurs as extended one-dimensional chains with interesting photophysical properties. To explain the observed luminescence spectroscopy of CuCN, we report a series of computational studies using short bare and potassium-capped [Cun(CN)n+1] − (n = 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7) chains as CuCN models. On the basis of TD-DFT calculations of these model chains, the excitation transitions in the UV spectrum are assigned as Laporte-allowed π−π transitions from MOs with Cu 3dπ and CN π character to empty MOs with Cu 4p and CN π* character. Transitions between the HOMO (3dz …

Adhesion And Interfacial Fracture Toughness Between Hard And Soft Materials, Nima Rahbar, Kurt Wolf, Argjenta Orana, Roy Fennimore, Zong Zong, Juan Meng, George Papandreou, Cynthia Maryanoff, Wole Soboyejo

Nima Rahbar

This paper presents the results of a combined experimental and theoretical study of adhesion between hard and soft layers that are relevant to medical devices such as drug-eluting stents and semiconductor applications. Brazil disk specimens were used to measure the interfacial fracture energies between model parylene C and 316L stainless steel over a wide range of mode mixities. The trends in the overall fracture energies are predicted using a combination of adhesion theories and fracture mechanics concepts. The measured interfacial fracture energies are shown to be in good agreement with the predictions.

Cycles In Metabolic Networks, Tim Nunamaker

Computer Science Honors Theses

Modeling sophisticated biological systems in a way that makes them more apprehensible, without losing comprehension or robustness, is challenging task. The flux balance analysis FBA) model describes metabolic networks of single-celled organisms with the goal of simulating their steady-state behavior. FBA simulations yield reliable and biologically relevant growth rate values, but do not simulate intra-cellular behavior well.

Solutions to the FBA model are often degenerate and non-unique. Ideally, the model should simulate metabolic activity in exactly one way under any given circumstances--the way the real organism's metabolism behaves. The ultimate goal of this project is to better understand the FBA …

Molecular Hydrogen Formation On Low Temperature Surfaces In Temperature Programmed Desorption Experiments, Gianfranco Vidali, Ling Li, J. Roser, E. Congiu

Physics - All Scholarship

The study of the formation of molecular hydrogen on low temperature surfaces is of interest both because it allows to explore elementary steps in the heterogeneous catalysis of a simple molecule and because of the applications in astrochemistry. Here we report results of experiments of molecular hydrogen formation on amorphous silicate surfaces using temperature-programmed desorption (TPD). In these experiments beams of H and D atoms are irradiated on the surface of an amorphous silicate sample. The desorption rate of HD molecules is monitored using a mass spectrometer during a subsequent TPD run. The results are analyzed using rate equations and …

Tidal Heating Of Terrestrial Extrasolar Planets And Implications For Their Habitability, Brian Jackson, Rory Barnes, Richard Greenberg

Brian Jackson

The tidal heating of hypothetical rocky (or terrestrial) extrasolar planets spans a wide range of values depending on stellar masses and initial orbits. Tidal heating may be sufficiently large (in many cases, in excess of radiogenic heating) and long-lived to drive plate tectonics, similar to the Earth's, which may enhance the planet's habitability. In other cases, excessive tidal heating may result in Io-like planets with violent volcanism, probably rendering them unsuitable for life. On water-rich planets, tidal heating may generate subsurface oceans analogous to Europa's with similar prospects for habitability. Tidal heating may enhance the outgassing of volatiles, contributing to …

Transformation Groups And Duality In The Analysis Of Musical Structure, Janine Du Plessis

Mathematics Theses

One goal of music theory is to describe the resources of a pitch system. Traditionally, the study of pitch intervals was done using frequency ratios of the powers of small integers. Modern mathematical music theory offers an independent way of understanding the pitch system by considering intervals as transformations. This thesis takes advantage of the historical emergence of algebraic structures in musicology and, in the spirit of transformational theory, treats operations that form mathematical groups. Aspects of Neo-Riemannian theory are explored and developed, in particular the T/I and PLR groups as dual. Pitch class spaces, such as 12, can also …

Measurement Of The Electron Charge Asymmetry In Pp → W + X → Eν + X Events At √S = 1.96 Tev, V. M. Abazov, Kenneth A. Bloom, Gregory Snow, D0 Collaboration

Kenneth Bloom Publications

We present a measurement of the electron charge asymmetry in pp → W + X → eν + X events at a center of mass energy of 1.96 TeV using 0.75 fb^-1 of data collected with the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider. The asymmetry is measured as a function of the electron transverse momentum and pseudorapidity in the interval (-3.2, 3.2) and is compared with expectations from next-to-leading order calculations in perturbative quantum chromodynamics. These measurements will allow more accurate determinations of the proton parton distribution functions.

Factorization Of Quasiseparable Matrices, Paul D. Johnson

Mathematics Theses

This paper investigates some of the ideas and algorithms developed for exploiting the structure of quasiseparable matrices. The case of purely scalar generators is considered initially. The process by which a quasiseparable matrix is represented as the product of matrices comprised of its generators is explained. This is done clearly in the scalar case, but may be extended to block generators. The complete factoring approach is then considered. This consists of two stages: inner-outer factorization followed by inner-coprime factorization. Finally, the stability of the algorithm is investigated. The algorithm is used to factor various quasiseparable matrices R created first using …

Search For Gravitational-Wave Bursts From Soft Gamma Repeaters, B. Abbott, R. Abbott, R. Adhikari, P. Ajith, B. Allen, G. Allen, R. S. Amin, S. B. Anderson, W. G. Anderson, M. A. Arain, M. Araya, H. Armandula, P. Armor, Y. Aso, S. Aston, P. Aufmuth, C. Aulbert, S. Babak, S. Ballmer, H. Bantilan, B. C. Barish, C. Barker, D. Barker, B. Barr, P. Barriga, M. A. Barton, I. Bartos, M. Bastarrika, K. Bayer, J. Betzwieser, P. T. Beyersdorf, Tiffany Z. Summerscales

Faculty Publications

We present a LIGO search for short-duration gravitational waves (GWs) associated with soft gamma ray repeater (SGR) bursts. This is the first search sensitive to neutron star f modes, usually considered the most efficient GW emitting modes. We find no evidence of GWs associated with any SGR burst in a sample consisting of the 27 Dec. 2004 giant flare from SGR 1806-20 and 190 lesser events from SGR 1806-20 and SGR 1900+14. The unprecedented sensitivity of the detectors allows us to set the most stringent limits on transient GW amplitudes published to date. We find upper limit estimates on the …

Examination Of Initialization Techniques For Nonnegative Matrix Factorization, John Frederic

Mathematics Theses

While much research has been done regarding different Nonnegative Matrix Factorization (NMF) algorithms, less time has been spent looking at initialization techniques. In this thesis, four different initializations are considered. After a brief discussion of NMF, the four initializations are described and each one is independently examined, followed by a comparison of the techniques. Next, each initialization's performance is investigated with respect to the changes in the size of the data set. Finally, a method by which smaller data sets may be used to determine how to treat larger data sets is examined.

Parameters Of Pseudorandom Quantum Circuits, Yaakov S. Weinstein, Winton G. Brown, Lorenza Viola

Dartmouth Scholarship

Pseudorandom circuits generate quantum states and unitary operators which are approximately distributed according to the unitarily invariant Haar measure. We explore how several design parameters affect the efficiency of pseudorandom circuits, with the goal of identifying relevant tradeoffs and optimizing convergence. The parameters we explore include the choice of single- and two-qubit gates, the topology of the underlying physical qubit architecture, the probabilistic application of two-qubit gates, as well as circuit size, initialization, and the effect of control constraints. Building on the equivalence between pseudorandom circuits and approximate t-designs, a Markov matrix approach is employed to analyze asymptotic convergence properties …

An Analysis Of Document Retrieval And Clustering Using An Effective Semantic Distance Measure, Nathan Scott Davis

Theses and Dissertations

As large amounts of digital information become more and more accessible, the ability to effectively find relevant information is increasingly important. Search engines have historically performed well at finding relevant information by relying primarily on lexical and word based measures. Similarly, standard approaches to organizing and categorizing large amounts of textual information have previously relied on lexical and word based measures to perform grouping or classification tasks. Quite often, however, these processes take place without respect to semantics, or word meanings. This is perhaps due to the fact that the idea of meaningful similarity is naturally qualitative, and thus difficult …

Predicting Intra-Urban Variation In Air Pollution Concentrations With Complex Spatio-Temporal Interactions, Adam A. Szpiro, Paul D. Sampson, Lianne Sheppard, Thomas Lumley, Sara D. Adar, Joel Kaufman

UW Biostatistics Working Paper Series

We describe a methodology for assigning individual estimates of long-term average air pollution concentrations that accounts for a complex spatio-temporal correlation structure and can accommodate unbalanced observations. This methodology has been developed as part of the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis and Air Pollution (MESA Air), a prospective cohort study funded by the U.S. EPA to investigate the relationship between chronic exposure to air pollution and cardiovascular disease. Our hierarchical model decomposes the space-time field into a “mean” that includes dependence on covariates and spatially varying seasonal and long-term trends and a “residual” that accounts for spatially correlated deviations from the …

Temperature Dependence Of The Training Effect In Exchange Coupled Ferromagnetic Bilayers, Christian Binek, Srinivas Polisetty, Sarbeswar Sahoo

Christian Binek Publications

The temperature dependence of the training effect is studied in an exchange coupled thin-film bilayer composed of a hard ferromagnetic pinning (CoPtCrB) layer in proximity of a soft ferromagnetic pinned (CoCr) layer. Interlayer exchange shifts the hysteresis loops of the soft layer along the magnetic-field axis. This shift is quantified by the bias field in far reaching analogy to the exchange bias field of conventional antiferromagnetic/ferromagnetic heterostructures. A ferromagnetic domain state induced in the hard layer experiences aging very similar to the training behavior of the antiferromagnetic domain state in conventional exchange bias systems. Training originates from changes in the …

Proxy Module For System On Mobile Devices (Syd) Middleware, Joseph Gunawan

Computer Science Theses

Nowadays, users of mobile devices are growing. The users expect that they could communicate constantly using their mobile devices while they are also constantly moving. Therefore, there is a need to provide disconnection tolerance of transactions in the mobile devices’ platforms and its synchronization management. System on Mobile Devices (SyD) is taken as one of the examples of mobile devices’ platforms. The thesis studies the existing SyD architecture, from its framework into its kernel, and introduces the proxy module enhancement in SyD to handle disconnection tolerance, including its synchronization. SyD kernel has been extended for the purpose of enabling proxy …

802.11 Fingerprinting To Detect Wireless Stealth Attacks, Aravind Venkataraman

Computer Science Theses

We propose a simple, passive and deployable approach for fingerprinting traffic on the wired side as a solution for three critical stealth attacks in wireless networks. We focus on extracting traces of the 802.11 medium access control (MAC) protocol from the temporal arrival patterns of incoming traffic streams as seen on the wired side, to identify attacker behavior. Attacks addressed include unauthorized access points, selfish behavior at the MAC layer and MAC layer covert timing channels. We employ the Bayesian binning technique as a means of classifying between delay distributions. The scheme requires no change to the 802.11 nodes or …

Nutrient Loading And Eutrophication In The Great Salt Lake, Wayne A. Wurtsbaugh

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

An Analysis Of Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy Data To Predict Herpes Simplex Virus 1 Infection, Patrick D. Champion

Mathematics Theses

The purpose of this analysis is to evaluate the usefulness of Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy in the detection of Herpes Simplex Virus 1 (hsv1) infection at an early stage. The raw absorption values were standardized to eliminate inter-sampling error. Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney (WMW) statistic's Z score was calculated to select significant spectral regions. Partial least squares modeling was performed because of multicollinearity. Kolmogorov-Smirnov statistic showed models for healthy tissues from different time groups were not from same distribution. The additional 24 hour dataset was evaluated using the following methods. Variables were selected by WMW Z score. Difference of Composites statistic, DC, …

A See-Ability Metric To Improve Mini Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Operator Awareness Using Video Georegistered To Terrain Models, Cameron Howard Engh

Theses and Dissertations

Search and rescue operations conducted in wilderness environments can be greatly aided by the use of video filmed from mini-UAVs. While lightweight, inexpensive and easily transportable, these small aircraft suffer from wind buffeting and may produce video that is difficult to search. To aid in the video search process, we have created a system to project video frames into a 3D representation of the search region. This projection allows us to tie each frame of video to a real-world location, enabling a myriad of novel views, mosaics and metrics that can be used to guide the search including a new …

Parameter Estimation For The Beta Distribution, Claire Elayne Bangerter Owen

Theses and Dissertations

The beta distribution is useful in modeling continuous random variables that lie between 0 and 1, such as proportions and percentages. The beta distribution takes on many different shapes and may be described by two shape parameters, alpha and beta, that can be difficult to estimate. Maximum likelihood and method of moments estimation are possible, though method of moments is much more straightforward. We examine both of these methods here, and compare them to three more proposed methods of parameter estimation: 1) a method used in the Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT), 2) a modification of the two-sided power …

Benchmarking Corn Water Productivity In Nebraska Irrigated Cropping Systems, Kenneth Cassman

Nebraska Center for Energy Sciences Research: White Papers and Presentations

Improving corn water productivity is the key to meet the challenge of ever tightening water resources for irrigation and greater demands for food, feed and fuel. Corn grain yield per unit of water supply must therefore be increased dramatically in Nebraska and globally. In Nebraska, ≈80% of the irrigated land is for corn production. At present, there is a substantial exploitable gap between actual farm yields and attainable yields. This reflects, in part, inefficient use of water supply, and/or other non‐water related yield constraints. Boundary functions define the relationship of yield with water supply and are used to benchmark crop …

Energy Conservation Through Improved Irrigation Pumping Plant Performance, William Kranz

Nebraska Center for Energy Sciences Research: White Papers and Presentations

Nebraska has approximately 90,000 active irrigation wells that are powered by electric motors or gasoline, natural gas, propane or diesel fueled engines. Pumping plant performance data collected prior to 1990 indicated an average performance rating of 77 percent of the Nebraska Pumping Plant Performance Criteria (NPPPC). More recent tests confirm that pumping plant performance remains well below the Nebraska Criteria. Though significant improvement has been made in the brake horsepower output per unit of fuel for internal combustion engines, recent increases in fuel costs have more than doubled pumping costs during the past 3 years. Efficient irrigation pumping plants could …

Improving The Efficiency Of Water And Energy Use In Nebraska’S Irrigation Soybean Production Systems, James Specht

Nebraska Center for Energy Sciences Research: White Papers and Presentations

The use of irrigation in Nebraska’s soybean production systems has steadily increased to the extent that irrigated soybean acreage in recent years has accounts for about 45% of State total soybean acreage. Technological advances in irrigation equipment can greatly improve on‐farm water application efficiencies (with respect to both energy and water). However, producer adoption of these advances is very slow because of the capital expenditures required for irrigation system upgrades. An alternative approach is greater producer adoption and use of irrigation water management strategies that ensure that water is scheduled and applied in a just‐in‐time fashion, which also optimizes water …

Global Existence Of Some Infinite Energy Solutions For A Perfect Incompressible Fluid, Ralph A. Saxton, Feride Tiğlay

Mathematics Faculty Publications

This paper provides results on local and global existence for a class of solutions to the Euler equations for an incompressible, inviscid fluid. By considering a class of solutions which exhibits a characteristic growth at infinity we obtain an initial value problem for a nonlocal equation. We establish local well-posedness in all dimensions and persistence in time of these solutions for three and higher dimensions. We also examine a weaker class of global solutions.