Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Utilizing Concept Mapping As A Teaching And Learning Tool To Prepare For The Science Taks Test, Rosa Linda Zuniga

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Concept mapping was used with Donna High School students to determine its effect on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) test. Concept mapping was used with models such as the Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol model (SIOP), the 5- E model, and the Learning Groups model. This measure was taken because the models used have not helped students improve their TAKS scores significantly. The findings of this research reveals that using the process of concept mapping together with the SIOP model helps students clearly see related concepts and motivates them to think more deeply. Students quickly realize what concepts …

The Development Of An Advanced Filial Therapy Model, Amy Cathleen Wickstrom

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

This study sought to develop an advanced filial therapy model by examining the experiences of seven parents who participated in a preliminary advanced filial therapy intervention. These parents had previously completed a 10-week basic filial therapy model called Child Parent Relationship Therapy. A phenomenological qualitative design was employed, wherein data was obtained from parent playtime notes, researcher field notes, group process transcriptions, and focus groups. Parent experiences of the intervention were examined from a systems-relational lens, and four categories emerged, which include relational epiphanies, enhanced understanding of the playtimes, model format, and skill development. Additionally, a variety of themes were …

Accelerated Ctis Using The Cell Processor, Thaddeus James Thompson

Masters Theses

The Computed Tomography Imaging Spectrometer (CTIS) is a device capable of simultaneously acquiring imagery from multiple bands of the electromagnetic spectrum. Due to the method of data collection from this system, a processing intensive reconstruction phase is required to resolve the image output. This paper evaluates a parallelized implementation of the Vose-Horton CTIS reconstruction algorithm using the Cell processor. In addition to demonstrating the feasibility of a mixed precision implementation, it is shown that use of the parallel processing capabilities of the Cell may provide a significant reduction in reconstruction time.

Spatial Instability Of Electrically Driven Jets With Finite Conductivity And Under Constant Or Variable Applied Field, Saulo Orizaga, Daniel N. Riahi

School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

We investigate the problem of spatial instability of electrically driven viscous jets with finite electrical conductivity and in the presence of either a constant or a variable applied electric field. A mathematical model, which is developed and used for the spatially growing disturbances in electrically driven jet flows, leads to a lengthy equation for the unknown growth rate and frequency of the disturbances. This equation is solved numerically using Newton’s method. For neutral temporal stability boundary, we find, in particular, two new spatial modes of instability under certain conditions. One of these modes is enhanced by the strength Ω of …

Design And Synthesis Of Fret-Based Boronic Acid Receptors To Detect Carbohydrate Clustering And Development Of Diacylglycerol-Based Lipid Probesto Investigate Lipid-Protein Binding Interactions, Manpreet Kaur Cheema

Masters Theses

Carbohydrate–protein interactions play vital roles in various biochemical processes such as signal transduction and cell surface recognition events. The clustering of carbohydrates into dense domains such as lipid rafts regulates recognition by multivalent receptors (i.e. lectins). These regions are known to play important roles in biological processes such as cellular transduction and trafficking. In order to characterize the clustering of glycans on cell surfaces, detection of domains with high carbohydrate density is of great interest. In this thesis, we present the work based on a modular strategy to design and synthesize boronic acid-based carbohydrate receptors, which are termed as boronolectins …

Development Of A Novel Lysophosphatidic Acid Activity Probe To Identify And Characterize New Protein Targets, Leah M. Cuthriell

Masters Theses

Lipids are categorized according to their biological function. Phospholipids, glycolipids, and cholesterol are bulk membrane lipids that offer structure and support to the cells and organelle membranes. Signaling lipids include diacylglycerol, phosphatidic acid, and lysophosphatidic acid (LPA). These are low abundance lipids that are active in various pathways. LPA acts through GPCR receptors to activate G or beta mediated stimulation of phospholipase C leading to phosphatidylinositol-(4,5)-bisphosphate hydrolysis, G_i mediated inhibition of adenyl cyclase, and G_i mediated stimulation of the mitogenic Ras- MAP kinase. To further elucidate the biological activity of LPA and potentially identify new LPA binding receptors, …

Polarimetry Studies For The Npdgamma Experiment At The Sns, Mostafa Jon Dadras

Masters Theses

The NPDGamma collaboration aims to measure a parity{violating directional gamma-ray asymmetry from the capture of polarized cold neutrons on protons. The asymmetry, predicted to be on the order of 50 ppb, is a result of the weak interaction between mesons and nucleons during the neutron capture reaction. The experiment is designed to make a statistics limited measurement of the asymmetry at the level of about 20%. The experiment will be carried out at the Fundamental neutron Physics Beamline (FnPB) at the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS). The neutron beam is polarized by a super{mirror polarizer. A 9.5 G magnetic field guides …

Phosphorus Transport From A Field Receiving Long-Term Liquid Dairy Manure Application In A Karst Landscape, Dustin Cody Graham

Masters Theses

Agricultural runoff is a leading non-point source contributor to water quality impairment in the United States and is associated with eutrophication of surface waters. Phosphorus (P) is often the most limiting nutrient for eutrophication in freshwaters. The objectives of this study were to characterize the P forms in surface runoff from an agricultural field that has received long-term applications of liquid dairy manure and to determine the forms of soil P that occur within a sinkhole feature located within the application field. Three 21-m x 6 m bermed plots were established to collect storm water runoff from a portion of …

The Impact Of Iron Deprivation On The Metabolism Of Escherichia Coli As Measured By Targeted Hplc-Ms/Ms Based Metabolomics, Jamie Rhea Light

Masters Theses

Iron is a necessity for all living organisms, and bacteria typically need an internal concentration of iron in the micromolar range.¹ This becomes quite problematic, especially in pathogenic bacteria, because the concentration of free ions within the human body is only 10^-24 Molar due to iron binding proteins, like transferrin.¹ In order to circumvent this problem, bacteria produce small iron chelating molecules called siderophores.¹ The bacteria utilized for this study, a K-12 derivative of Escherichia coli, produce only one siderophore, enterobactin. Not only is the transcription of genes associated with iron acquisition initiated in response …

An Exploration Of Monophonic Instrument Classification Using Multi-Threaded Artificial Neural Networks, Marc Joseph Rubin

Masters Theses

The use of computers for automated music analysis could benefit several aspects of academia and industry, from psychological and music research, to intelligent music selection and music copyright investigation. In the following thesis, one of the first steps of automated musical analysis, i.e., monophonic instrument recognition, was explored. A multi-threaded artificial neural network was implemented and used as the classifier in order to utilize multi-core technology and allow for faster training. The parallelized batch-mode backpropagation algorithm used provided linear speedup, an improvement to the current literature. For the classification experiments, eleven different sets of instruments were used, starting with perceptively …

An Investigation Into The Activities Of 1,2,3 & 1,2,4 Triazoles In Biological And Catalytic Systems, David John Schneider

Masters Theses

Selective epigenetic control of the cellular machinery is a grail of drug development. The balance between HAT’s and HDAC’s activities is one way the cell controls what, and at when during the cellular lifecycle a gene is expressed. Having the ability to lock chromatin down to the histone is a powerful tool for the treatment of disease states like cancer. Presented here is a preliminary exploration of the synthesis, and basic testing of novel compounds that use a triazole motif as a zinc binding group in an attempt to gain further selectivity in inhibition over HDAC’s.

Interest in the development …

A Statistical Analysis Of Key Factors Influencing The Location Of Biomass-Using Facilities, Xu Liu

Masters Theses

Bioenergy and biofuels are emerging industries in the U.S. economy that will require statistical and economical analyses of woody biomass resources, supply chains, and other key factors that influence the siting of industrial facilities. This thesis develops models using logistic regression to improve the understanding of the key factors that influence the locations of existing wood-using bioenergy and biofuels plants, and other wood-using plants. The scope of the study is 13 Southeastern states.¹ Logistic regression models are developed at the state and regional levels. The resolution of the study is the ZIP Code tabulation area (ZCTA). There are 9,416 …

Simple Cooling Method Improves The Quality Of Marketed Camel Milk In Northern Kenya, D. Layne Coppock, A. O. Adongo, F. Wayua, I. J. Sagalla, H. K. Walaga, C. Amboga

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

Milk marketing is important for many pastoralists to generate income, especially poor households with little else to sell. Milk is accumulated at pastoral settlements and transported to local markets on foot, by pack animals, or in vehicles. Despite challenges of heat and long-distance travel, pastoralists or traders do not attempt to cool marketed milk and possibly reduce risk of spoilage. Milk spoilage is an important problem that limits urban consumer demand. Our research objective was to determine effects of water-soaked hemp (burlap), wrapped around plastic jerry cans, on reducing milk temperature and enhancing quality of marketed camel milk, a key …

Modeling The Fluorescence Of Protein-Embedded Tryptophans With Ab Initio Multiconfigurational Quantum Chemistry: The Limiting Cases Of Parvalbumin And Monellin, Sara Pistolesi, Adalgisa Sinicropi, Rebecca Pogni, Riccardo Basosi, Nicolas Ferre, Massimo Olivucci

Chemistry Faculty Publications

We show that a quantum-mechanics/molecular-mechanics strategy based on ab initio (i.e., first principle) multiconfigurational perturbation theory can reproduce the spectral properties of a tryptophan residue embedded in the contrasting hydrophobic and hydrophilic environments of parvalbumin and monellin, respectively. We show that the observed absorption and emission energies can be reproduced with a less than 3 kcal mol(-1) error. The analysis of the computed emission energies based on a protein disassembly scheme and protein electrostatic potential mapping allows for a detailed understanding of the factors modulating the tryptophan emission. It is shown that for rnonellin, where the tryptophan is exposed to …

Thermocapillary Effects In Driven Dewetting And Self-Assembly Of Pulsed Laser-Irradiated Metallic Films, Mikhail Khenner

Mathematics Faculty Publications

A mathematical model for the evolution of pulsed laser-irradiated, molten metallic films has been developed using the lubrication theory. The heat transfer problem that incorporates the absorbed heat from a single laser beam or the interfering laser beams is solved analytically. Using this temperature field, we derive the 3D long-wave evolution PDE for the film height. To get insights into dynamics of dewetting, we study the 2D version of the evolution equation by means of a linear stability analysis and by numerical simulations. The stabilizing and destabilizing effects of various system parameters, such as the reflectivity, the peak laser beam …

Thermocapillary Effects In Driven Dewetting And Self-Assembly Of Pulsed Laser-Irradiated Metallic Films, Mikhail Khenner

Mathematics Faculty Publications

A mathematical model for the evolution of pulsed laser-irradiated, molten metallic films has been developed using the lubrication theory. The heat transfer problem that incorporates the absorbed heat from a single laser beam or the interfering laser beams is solved analytically. Using this temperature field, we derive the 3D long-wave evolution PDE for the film height. To get insights into dynamics of dewetting, we study the 2D version of the evolution equation by means of a linear stability analysis and by numerical simulations. The stabilizing and destabilizing effects of various system parameters, such as the reflectivity, the peak laser beam …

Mining Data From Multiple Software Development Projects, Huanjing Wang, Taghi M. Khoshgoftaar, Kehan Gao, Naeem Seliya

Computer Science Faculty Publications

A large system often goes through multiple software project development cycles, in part due to changes in operation and development environments. For example, rapid turnover of the development team between releases can influence software quality, making it important to mine software project data over multiple system releases when building defect predictors. Data collection of software attributes are often conducted independent of the quality improvement goals, leading to the availability of a large number of attributes for analysis. Given the problems associated with variations in development process, data collection, and quality goals from one release to another emphasizes the importance of …

Thermocapillary Effects In Driven Dewetting And Self-Assembly Of Pulsed Laser-Irradiated Metallic Films, Mikhail Khenner

Mathematics Faculty Publications

A mathematical model for the evolution of pulsed laser-irradiated, molten metallic films has been developed using the lubrication theory. The heat transfer problem that incorporates the absorbed heat from a single laser beam or the interfering laser beams is solved analytically. Using this temperature field, we derive the 3D long-wave evolution PDE for the film height. To get insights into dynamics of dewetting, we study the 2D version of the evolution equation by means of a linear stability analysis and by numerical simulations. The stabilizing and destabilizing effects of various system parameters, such as the reflectivity, the peak laser beam …

The Effects Of Pulsed Exposures Of Suspended Clay On The Survival, Growth, And Reproduction Of Daphnia Magna, Sarah Robinson

All Theses

Suspended sediments are a natural component of aquatic ecosystems but anthropogenic activity such as land development can result in significant increases, especially following rain events due to surface erosion. Continuous exposures of suspended clay and silt have been shown to effect growth and reproduction of Cladocera, leading to a decrease in population growth rate. The mechanism of clay toxicity in these filter-feeding organisms is clogging of the gut tract resulting in decreased food uptake and assimilation. When placed in clean water, daphnids can purge clay from their gut and recover. In many surface waters, aquatic organisms experience episodic exposures of …

Semantic Search, Anup Sawant

All Theses

The thesis describes a Semantic approach towards web search through a stand-alone Java application. An Ontology Web Language(OWL) model is used to build a knowledge database related to different types of Organisms. The goal is to guide the Google web search engine using this OWL model. In the rst approach towards Semantic web search, an inference engine called CLIPS is used and in the second aproach, the Protege-OWL API is used. The thesis goes in detail about the design,
working and comparison of these two approaches. The thesis also deals with design approach for enhancement of the OWL model, once …

Improved Synthesis Of Pincer Ligand Precursor, And Synthesis And Structural Characterization Of Terphenyl Scaffolded S–C–S Palladium Pincer Complex., Paul Schroder, Thomas Spilker, Wilson Luu, James Updegraff, Man Lung Kwan, Paul Challen, John Protasiewicz

Paul R. Challen

An easier and more expedient synthesis of 2,6-(BrCH2C6H4)2-4-I-C6H3 (2) is reported. This material allowed easy synthesis of the new pincer ligand precursor 2,6-(4-CH3C6H4SCH2C6H4)2-4-I-C6H3 (3) in 87% yield. Compound 3 reacts with Pd2(dba)3 to give the new palladium pincer complex 4. Compound 4 has been fully characterized, including structural characterization by single crystal X-ray diffraction methods. The results of the crystallographic work on 4 reveal a twisted type pincer complex not unlike related terphenyl pincer complexes.

Polarimetry Studies For The Npdgamma Experiment At The Sns, Jonny Dadras

Jonny Dadras

The NPDGamma collaboration aims to measure a parity-violating directional gamma-ray asymmetry from the capture of polarized cold neutrons on protons. The asymmetry, predicted to be on the order of 50 ppb, is a result of the weak interaction between mesons and nucleons during the neutron capture reaction. The experiment is designed to make a statistics limited measurement of the asymmetry at the level of about 20%. The experiment will be carried out at the Fundamental neutron Physics Beamline (FnPB) at the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS). The neutron beam is polarized by a super-mirror polarizer. A 9.5 G magnetic field guides …

A Graph Theoretic Summation Of The Cubes Of The First N Integers, Joe Demaio, Andy Lightcap

Joe DeMaio

Modeling In Microbial Batch Culture And Its Parameter Identification, Zhaohua Gong, Chongyang Liu, Enmin Feng

Chongyang Liu

In this paper, the nonlinear dynamical system of batch fermentation is investigated in the bioconversion of glycerol to 1,3-propanediol(1,3-PD) by Klebsiella pneumoniae. Taking account of the kinetic behavior and experimental results in the batch cultures, we propose a two-stage dynamical system to formulate the fermentation process. Then some properties of the proposed system are proved. In view of the big errors between observations and numerical simulation results, we subsequently establish a parameter identification model to identify parameters in the system. The identifiability of the model is also discussed. Finally, in order to find the optimal parameters of the identification model, …

Pragmatic Estimation Of A Spatio-Temporal Air Quality Model With Irregular Monitoring Data, Paul D. Sampson, Adam A. Szpiro, Lianne Sheppard, Johan Lindström, Joel D. Kaufman

UW Biostatistics Working Paper Series

Statistical analyses of the health effects of air pollution have increasingly used GIS-based covariates for prediction of ambient air quality in “land-use” regression models. More recently these regression models have accounted for spatial correlation structure in combining monitoring data with land-use covariates. The current paper builds on these concepts to address spatio-temporal prediction of ambient concentrations of particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter less than 2.5 μm (PM2.5) on the basis of a model representing spatially varying seasonal trends and spatial correlation structures. Our hierarchical methodology provides a pragmatic approach that fully exploits regulatory and other supplemental monitoring data which jointly …

A Fateful Year For Climate Change, William J. Antholis

Brookings Scholar Lecture Series

Since 1979, 20% of the polar ice cap has melted away. While the public is aware of climate change, the urgency to action is not there. Climate change is also an issue of national security, but enforcement of the the Kyoto and Copenhagen treaties is hampered.

Interagency Outdoor Education Programming: Quarterly Progress Report: Period Ending November 30, 2009, Margaret N. Rees

Reports (PLI Education)

Highlights of the university’s focused efforts during the past three months include the following:

• Evaluation results from the NEEI Certification program were presented at the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) National Conference on October 9, 2009.
• The Story of Gill graphic novel has been printed; a media release/bookstore signing is in the planning stages.
• A total of 60 people participated in Families in Nature events at Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area and Winchester Cultural Center.
• Registration has opened for the Our Places Tell Stories Conference, February 24 -27, 2010.
• Forever Earth was scheduled for 33 days and …

Subcutaneous Administration Of Tc007 Reduces Disease Severity In An Animal Model Of Sma, Virginia B. Mattis, Marina Y. Fosso, Cheng-Wei Tom Chang, Christian L. Lorson

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Background Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) is the leading genetic cause of infantile death. It is caused by the loss of functional Survival Motor Neuron 1 (SMN1). There is a nearly identical copy gene, SMN2, but it is unable to rescue from disease due to an alternative splicing event that excises a necessary exon (exon 7) from the majority of SMN2-derived transcripts. While SMNΔ7 protein has severely reduced functionality, the exon 7 sequences may not be specifically required for all activities. Therefore, aminoglycoside antibiotics previously shown to suppress stop codon recognition and promote translation read-through have been examined to increase the …

A Measurement Of Coherent Neutral Pion Production In Neutrino Neutral Current Interactions In The Nomad Experiment, C. T. Kullenberg, S. R. Mishra, M. B. Seaton, J. J. Kim, X. C. Tian, A. M. Scott, M. Kirsanov, Roberto Petti, S. Alekhin, P. Astier, D. Autiero, A. Baldisseri, M. Baldo-Ceolin, M. Banner, G. Bassompierre, K. Benslama, N. Besson, I. Bird, B. Blumenfeld, F. Bobisut, Et. Al.

Faculty Publications

We present a study of exclusive neutral pion production in neutrino–nucleus Neutral Current interactions using data from the NOMAD experiment at the CERN SPS. The data correspond to 1.44 X 10⁶ muon-neutrino Charged Current interactions in the energy range 2.5 ≤ E _v & ≤ 300GeV. Neutrino events with only one visible π⁰ in the final state are expected to result from two Neutral Current processes: coherent π⁰ production, v + A

Using Operator Teams For Supervisory Control, Jonathan M. Whetten

Theses and Dissertations

Robots and other automated systems have potential use in many different fields. As the scope of robot applications that robots are used for increases, there is a growing desire to have human operators manage multiple robots. Typical methods of enabling operators to multi-task in this way involve some combination of user interfaces that support human cognition and advanced robot autonomy. Our research explores a complementary method of managing multiple robots by utilizing operator teams. The evidence suggests that for appropriate task scenarios, two cooperating operators can be more than twice as effective as one operator working alone.