Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Oregon Natural Areas Plan, Oregon Natural Heritage Advisory Council

Institute for Natural Resources Publications

The rich diversity of ecosystems and native plants and animals is one of Oregon's most distinctive and valued qualities. Our state contains rain forests, dry forests, oak woodlands, alpine meadows, prairies, deserts, marshes, estuaries, dunes, rocky headlands, lakes and streams. There are a number of reasons it is so diverse. First are the extremes of climate, with rainfall ranging from over 200 inches a year along Oregon’s north coast, to less than 7 inches a year in the Alvord Desert, and temperatures from the very mild banana belt along the coast near the California border to the extremes of the …

Smart Objects In A Virtual World, Akihiro Eguchi

Inquiry: The University of Arkansas Undergraduate Research Journal

The coming Internet of Things will usher in a smart semantic world where many more physical objects will be networked so that they can communicate with each other and with humans. This paper identifies protocols that smart objects will need to follow and the ways in which today’s virtual worlds can be used to better design and understand these protocols for tomorrow’s smart world.

Geologic Map Of The Nez Perce Drainage Basin, Southwestern Montana, Rose Aimee Feinstein

Inquiry: The University of Arkansas Undergraduate Research Journal

A geologic map of the Nez Perce drainage basin in southwestern Montana offers an understanding of the developing paleotopography of the area following the Laramide orogeny, ca. 65 ma. In this project, a small drainage basin was studied in detail, focusing on the geomorphology, structure, lithology, and ages of the various rock units. Based on the results of these studies and the relationships found among four major gravel units mapped within the basin, the basin development was approximated. The youngest unit is a fine-grained (mean diameter = 8.23 cm) channel deposit within Nez Perce Creek, sourced from within the basin, …

The Efficacy Of Chemistry Outreach Programs On Middle School Students, Erica M. Dumeyer

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

The current project was designed to determine if science outreach programs affect the attitude of the students toward science and increase the science content knowledge of the students participating in the program. Students from middle schools surrounding the Bowling Green area participated in the project. The data set includes a total of 850 students from 7th and 8th grade. Students were given a pre-test (taken several days before the presentation) and a post-test (taken several days after the presentation). The tests contain both subjective, affective as well as objective, content questions. The individual student pre-/post-tests were index numbered to protect …

Mathematical Reasoning In Service Courses: Why Students Need Mathematical Modeling Problems, Kris H. Green, Allen Emerson

The Mathematics Enthusiast

In this paper we argue that conventional mathematics word problems are not aligned with the typical learning goals and expectations partner disciplines, especially business, have in requiring that their students take mathematics courses. Using the taxonomy of educational objectives presented by Anderson and Krathwohl (2001) we show how mathematical modeling problems can be used to promote the needed alignment and contrast two examples to illustrate the differences. We then demonstrate how the more conventional word problem can be rewritten as a modeling problem. Sample assessment materials and instructional activities are included to support teachers in making the transition to the …

Observations Of Storm Morphodynamics Using Coastal Lidar And Radar Imaging System (Claris): Importance Of Wave Refraction And Dissipation Over Complex Surf-Zone Morphology At A Shoreline Erosional Hotspot, Katherine L. Brodie

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Elevated water levels and large waves during storms cause beach erosion, overwash, and coastal flooding, particularly along barrier island coastlines. While predictions of storm tracks have greatly improved over the last decade, predictions of maximum water levels and variations in the extent of damage along a coastline need improvement. In particular, physics based models still cannot explain why some regions along a relatively straight coastline may experience significant erosion and overwash during a storm, while nearby locations remain seemingly unchanged. Correct predictions of both the timing of erosion and variations in the magnitude of erosion along the coast will be …

The Case For A Directional Dark Matter Detector And The Status Of Current Experimental Efforts, S. Ahlen, N. Afshordi, James B. R. Battat, J. Billard, N. Bozorgnia, S. Burgos, T. Caldwell, J. M. Carmona, S. Cebrian, P. Colas, T. Dafni, E. Daw, D. Dujmic, A. Dushkin, W. Fedus, E. Ferrer, D. Finkbeiner, P. H. Fisher, J. Forbes, T. Fusayasu, J. Galan, T. Gamble, C. Ghag, I. Giomataris, M. Gold, H. Gomez, M. E. Gomez, P. Gondolo, A. Green, C. Grignon, O. Guillaudin, C. Hagemann, K. Hattori, S. Henderson, N. Higashi, C. Ida, F. J. Iguaz, A. Inglis, I. G. Irastorza, S. Iwaki, A. Kaboth, S. Kabuki, J. Kadyk, N. Kallivayalil, H. Kubo, S. Kurosawa, V. A. Kudryavtsev, T. Lamy, R. Lanza, T. B. Lawson, A. Lee, E. R. Lee, T. Lin, D. Loomba, J. Lopez, G. Luzon, T. Manobu, J. Martoff, F. Mayet, B. Mccluskey, E. Miller, K. Miuchi, J. Monroe, B. Morgan, D. Muna, A. St. J. Murphy, T. Naka, K. Nakamura, M. Nakamura, T. Nakano, G. G. Nicklin, H. Nishimura, K. Niwa, S. M. Paling, J. Parker, A. Petkov, M. Pipe, K. Pushkin, M. Robinson, A. Rodriguez, J. Rodriguez-Quintero, T. Sahin, R. Sanderson, N. Sanghi, D. Santos, O. Sato, T. Sawano, G. Sciolla, H. Sekiya, T. R. Slatyer, D. P. Snowden-Ifft, N. J. C. Spooner, A. Sugiyama, A. Takada, M. Takahashi, A. Takeda, T. Tanimori, K. Taniue, A. Tomas, H. Tomita, K. Tsuchiya, J. Turk, E. Tziaferi, K. Ueno, S. Vahsen, R. Vanderspek, J. Vergados, J. A. Villar, H. Wellenstein, I. Wolfe, R. K. Yamamoto, H. Yegoryan

Physics Faculty Research and Scholarship

We present the case for a dark matter detector with directional sensitivity. This document was developed at the 2009 CYGNUS workshop on directional dark matter detection, and contains contributions from theorists and experimental groups in the field. We describe the need for a dark matter detector with directional sensitivity; each directional dark matter experiment presents their project's status; and we close with a feasibility study for scaling up to a one ton directional detector, which would cost around $150M.

A Review Of Polytypism In Lead Iodide, Peter A. Beckmann

Physics Faculty Research and Scholarship

Lead Iodide (PbI2) is an important inorganic solid for both basic scientific research and possible technological applications and in this brief review we discuss the structure of PbI2. Although the basic structure is a simple I-Pb-I layered structure with a [PbI6]4- near-octahedron being the basic building block, there are many ways of stacking the layers which results in many polytypes. We present 20 of the 23 entries for the structure of PbI2 from the Inorganic Structural Database and order them by polytype. This represents more than 80 years of crystallographic research in the structure of this compound. We present a …

A Proton Spin-Lattice Relaxation Rate Study Of Methyl And T-Butyl Group Reorientation In The Solid State, Laura C. Popa, Arnold L. Rheingold, Peter A. Beckmann

Physics Faculty Research and Scholarship

We have measured the solid state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) ¹H spin-lattice relaxation rate from 93 to 340 K at NMR frequencies of 8.5 and 53 MHz in 5-t-butyl-4-hydroxy-2-methylphenyl sulfide. We have also determined the molecular and crystal structures from X-ray diffraction experiments. The relaxation is caused by methyl and t-butyl group rotation modulating the spin–spin interactions and we relate the NMR dynamical parameters to the structure. A successful fit of the data requires that the 2-methyl groups are rotating fast (on the NMR time scale) even at the lowest temperatures employed. The rotational barrier for …

Azlactone-Functionalized Polymers As Reactive Templates For Parallel Polymer Synthesis: Synthesis And Screening Of A Small Library Of Cationic Polymers In The Context Of Dna Delivery, Bin Sun, Xianghui Liu, Maren E. Buck, David M. Lynn

Chemistry: Faculty Publications

Azlactone-functionalized polymers are used as reactive templates for the synthesis of a library of amine-functionalized polymers of interest in the context of DNA delivery and other applications.

From Permutahedron To Associahedron, Colum Watt, Thomas Brady

Articles

For each finite real reflection group $W$, we identify a copy of the type-$W$ simplicial generalised associahedron inside the corresponding simplicial permutahedron. This defines a bijection between the facets of the generalised associahedron and the elements of the type-$W$ non-crossing partition lattice which is more tractable than previous such bijections. We show that the simplicial fan determined by this associahedron coincides with the Cambrian fan for $W$.

Local And Traditional Knowledge And The Historical Ecology Of Pacific Herring In Alaska, Thomas F. Thornton, Madonna L. Moss, Virginia L. Butler, Jamie Hebert, Fritz Funk

Anthropology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The article focuses on the historical ecology of the Pacific herring, a marine food web resource, in the Gulf of Alaska. It states the hearing conducted by the Alaska Legislature's House special committee on fisheries on the status and management of herring in Southeast Alaska during which Tlingit fisherman Clarence Jackson of Kake notes the disappearance of herring in his lifetime. Information on herring ecology based from Native and non-Native individuals from Southeast communities and archaeological site reports reveal that non-Natives in Southeast Alaska have exploited herring with the development of a herring reduction plant. It underscores the need for …

Ascertaining The Relationship Between Security Awareness And The Security Behavior Of Individuals, Gordon J. Grant

CCE Theses and Dissertations

Security threats caused by the inappropriate actions of the user continue to be a significant security problem within any organization. The purpose of this study was to continue the efforts of Katz by assessing the security behavior and practices of working professionals. Katz conducted a study that assessed whether the faculty and staff at Armstrong Atlantic State University had been performing the simple everyday practices and behavior necessary to avert insider threats to information security. Critical in understanding human behavior is in knowing how behavior varies across different groups or demographics. Because a user's behavior can be influenced by demographic …

Judges' Awareness, Understanding, And Application Of Digital Evidence, Gary Craig Kessler

CCE Theses and Dissertations

As digital evidence grows in both volume and importance in criminal and civil courts, judges need to fairly and justly evaluate the merits of the offered evidence. To do so, judges need a general understanding of the underlying technologies and applications from which digital evidence is derived. Due to the relative newness of the computer forensics field, there have been few studies on the use of digital forensic evidence and none about judges' relationship with digital evidence.

This study addressed judges' awareness, knowledge, and perceptions of digital evidence, using grounded theory methods. The interaction of judges with digital evidence has …

Early Detection Of Online Auction Opportunistic Sellers Through The Use Of Negative-Positive Feedback, Gregory J. Reinert

CCE Theses and Dissertations

Apparently fraud is a growth industry. The monetary losses from Internet fraud have increased every year since first officially reported by the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) in 2000. Prior research studies and third-party reports of fraud show rates substantially higher than eBay’s reported negative feedback rate of less than 1%. The conclusion is most buyers are withholding reports of negative feedback.

Researchers Nikitov and Stone in a forensic case study of a single opportunistic eBay seller found buyers sometimes embedded negative comments in positive feedback as a means of avoiding retaliation from sellers and damage to their reputation. This …

An Analysis Of The Radio Frequency Identification (Rfid) Technology Implementation Within An Independent Public Library System: A Case Study Of The North Canton, Ohio Public Library, Keith P. Lyons

CCE Theses and Dissertations

An Analysis of the Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Technology Implementation within an Independent Public Library System:

A Case Study of the North Canton, Ohio Public Library

by

Keith P. Lyons

June 2010

Public libraries require efficient control systems to maintain accurate inventories, statistics, and records of patron borrowing. Generally, public libraries use barcode technology to accomplish these tasks. Radio frequency identification (RFID) has gained the attention of public library personnel in recent years as a replacement for barcodes. RFID implementation contributes to improved staff productivity, increased operational efficiency, and improved item security as well. While potential benefits are significant, issues …

Physician Information Seeking Behaviors: Are Physicians Successful Searchers?, Janice Swiatek-Kelley

CCE Theses and Dissertations

In the recent past, physicians found answers to questions by consulting colleagues, textbooks, and professional journals. Now, the availability of medical information through electronic resources has changed physician information-seeking behaviors. Evidence-based medicine is now the accepted decision-making paradigm, and a physician's ability to locate best practice guidelines through electronic information resources has become an essential skill. As physicians struggle to stay current in the wake of an ever-growing volume of medical information, several electronic resources claim to provide one-stop access to the most current information with correct and complete answers to problems encountered in the practice of health care. The …

Assessing The Feasibility Of An Aerotropolis Around Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, Executive Report, Claudette Robey, Daila Shimek, James Wyles, Brian A. Mikelbank, Jim Robey, Kevin O'Brien, Et.Al.

All Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs Publications

This report provides an assessment of the feasibility of developing an aerotropolis around Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, Cleveland, Ohio. The report describes the methodology used to assess the feasibility, notes the needs and expectations of community stakeholders, profiles the challenges and successes of six emerging and potential U.S. aerotropolises, and discusses the operating experiences and challenges of 12 additional U.S. airports. Further, this report describes the demographic and economic aspects of the study cities, and discusses potential target industry opportunities. The findings suggest that it is feasible to develop CLE as an aerotropolis, and that CLE may not be suited …

Total Synthesis Of 2-Aminoimidazole Alkaloids From Leucetta And Clathrina Sponges, Panduka B. Koswatta

Chemistry & Biochemistry Dissertations

Sponges of the major class, Calcarea can be found in nearly all marine habitats. Two Calcarea genera, Leucetta and Clathrina have found be rich with 2-aminoimidazole alkaloids. The first alkaloid of these groups was isolated in 1987 from a bright yellow sponge of the class Calcispongiae (calcarea) and Leucetta chagosensis dendy (Leucetta) collected near Na'ama in the Gulf of Eilat (Aqaba) in the Red Sea. The nomenclature for this whole series of compounds is based on the location of the initial source material. The first Chapter describes the isolation, biological activities, possible biosyntheses and total synthesis of these alkaloids. The …

Application Of Pd-Catalyzed Reactions In The Total Synthesis Of Oroidin-Derived Alkaloids, Manojkumar R. Bhandari

Chemistry & Biochemistry Dissertations

The oroidin family of marine natural products is a growing group of sponge-derived alkaloids which contain 2-aminoimidazole and pyrrolecarboxamide fragments as their signature features. Due to their structural diversity and biological activity, many groups are interested in the total synthesis of these natural products. It has been proposed that many of the alkaloids in this family are produced in nature simply by dimerization and/or cyclization of the simplest member, oroidin. In this dissertation we have attempted to explore these biosynthetic relationships to complete the total synthesis of several oridin-derived natural products. This dissertation consists of two parts. The first part …

Elucidation Of The Structure And Recognition Properties Of Antimony(Iii)-Tartrate Using Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry, Aruna B. Wijeratne

Chemistry & Biochemistry Dissertations

Chirality of molecules is a major topic in the design, discovery and development of new drugs. Currently, analytical chemistry research divisions are challenged to find new methods to screen enantiospecific molecular recognition properties of potential chiral drug candidates with targeted biological molecules in a time-sensitive environment. Recently, mass spectrometry (MS) has received significant attention for its use in studying molecular recognition systems. Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) has received the most attention for the investigation of stereochemical association phenomena, due to its capacity to transfer solution phase chiral interactions into the gas phase for analysis in single-stage mass spectra. ESI-MS …

Ionic Liquids In Analytical Chemistry And Calix[4]Arene Chemistry Of Nox Gases, Eranda Pathirana Wanigasekara

Chemistry & Biochemistry Dissertations

Application of ionic liquids (ILs) in analytical chemistry can be numerous. The use of ILs in analytical techniques including gas chromatography (GC), electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS), capillary electrophoresis (CE), high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), solid phase microextraction (SPME) and spectroscopy have attracted great attention of scientific community in the past few decades. Many advancements in this field are due to the development of multiply charged, multifunctional ionic liquids.This dissertation mainly consists of two parts. The first part focuses on the use of new, structurally diverse, chemically robust ionic liquids for GC, SPME and ESI-MS applications. Within this section, highly …

Spatial Distribution Of Soda Straws Growth Rates Of The Coufin Cave (Vercors, France), Yves Perrette, Stéphane Jaillet

International Journal of Speleology

The Choranche Cave system (Vercors, France) is an excellent locality for measuring the growth rates of large numbers soda straws. This is especially the case for the Coufin Cave, as enlargement of the cave entrance in 1875 led to a change in stalactite color from brown to white, thus providing a reliable chronomarker. The date of this brown-to-white calcite transition has been confirmed by lamina counting. We measured and georeferenced the growth-lengths of 306 soda straws in a 1m² area of the roof of the Coufin Cave entrance chamber. Because of the very slow and sometimes inexistent water feeding …

Ecological Method Development For Detecting N-Nitrosodimethylamine In Water Using Hplc-Pdad, Jolisa Mcday

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Using ethanol, a sustainable reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic method with photo-diode array detection (HPLC-PDAD) was investigated to detect sub-parts per billion concentrations of N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) in drinking water and environmental water samples. This presents a practical and “green” option to analytical methods that require laborious derivatization, expensive detectors and unecological solvents.

Mobile phase characteristics, instrument operating parameters, and sample preparation were investigated. Selectivity for NDMA was evaluated using three different C18 columns. Optimal peak resolution and detection were achieved at 231 nm. The limit of detection and quantitation for NDMA was 0.29 μg/mL and 0.96 μg/mL, respectively, with an ethanol …

Quantification Of Short-Chain Fatty Acids In Cecal Material By Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry, Charles Harrison

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Probiotic bacteria in the human colon that produce C₂ – C₄ short chain fatty acids (SCFA) and Lactobacillus species that produce lactate in addition to SCFAs are known to have positive health benefits. These organic acids were extracted with ether from murine cecal material (from Dr. Gary Huffnagle, Univ. of Mich.) and derivatized for quantitative measurement by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Antibiotic-treated animals gavaged with Candidaalbicans had a lower level of cecal butyrate relative to untreated animals, but a higher level of butyrate when treated mice were also administered Lactobacillus johnsonii NF-1. More recent studies have demonstrated a butyrate-lowering …

Influence Of The Reducing Agent Triphenylphosphine On Cyclooxygenase-1 Metabolism Of Arachidonic Acid, Rohini Sidhu

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Cyclooxygenase (COX) metabolizes the polyunsaturated fatty acid arachidonic acid (AA) to PGG2, a cyclic endoperoxide that also contains a hydroperoxide, which is subsequently reduced to an alcohol in the enzyme to yield PGH2. Reactions catalyzed by COX-1 are significantly influenced by lipid hydroperoxides. The tyrosyl radical that abstracts the 13 pro(s) hydrogen from AA to initiate the COX catalytic cycle is generated by iron-oxo derivatives in the enzyme that result from lipid hydroperoxide interaction with heme iron. Commercial preparations of arachidonic acid (AA) contain lipid hydroperoxides that can be separated from AA by thin layer chromatography and readily reduced to …

Effects Of Silver Nanoparticles On Photochemical Processes Focusing On Luminol Chemiluminescence, Scott Milam

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Silver nanoparticles of varying sizes were synthesized. Their effects on enhancing or quenching the photochemical processes of tryptophan fluorescence, a ruthenium complex decay constant and chemiluminescence of luminol and ferricyanide, were studied. The tryptophan fluorescence was slightly enhanced by smaller nanoparticles and showed slight quenching in the presence of larger nanoparticles. The tris (2,2’-bipyridyl ruthenium (II) chloride) complex was excited using a 532 nm laser, and the decay constant was measured. Neither gold nor silver nanoparticles showed an impact on this process. The luminol chemiluminescence was studied with an emphasis on holding the concentration of nanoparticles, surface area, and silver …

Analysis Of The Effect Of Various Ligands On The Hydrolysis Of Ruthenium (Iii) Complexes And Interpretation Of Kinetics Of Hydrolysis Profiles By Uv-Visible Spectrophotometry, Sudheer Koneru

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Cancer is one of the major causes of death in the world. Discovery of platinum metal-based drugs like cisplatin and carboplatin have proved to be successful in cancer treatment. Due to subsequent development of resistance, side effects, and fewer toxic effects of these drugs, the usage of these drugs has been limited. Novel drugs were being synthesized utilizing the transition metals like ruthenium, osmium, and copper.

In this research, ruthenium metal complexes of the formula HL[RuCl4L2] (where L= ligand) were synthesized. These ruthenium-based drugs exist in prodrug forms which are activated into antitumor drugs by means of hydrolysis, redox reactions, …

Recent Advances In Glylons Science, Cornelia Rosu

LSU Master's Theses

A variety of sugar- based polyamides called glylons were synthesized by using different pathways. The sugar- units were derived from D- glucaric acid and D-galactaric acid. Glylons D-glucaric- based with pendant free hydroxyl groups showed a low solubility in organic solvents, due to hydroxyl preference to form strong intra- and intermolecular H- bonding. To minimize these interactions an acetalation reaction was performed. Monoacetalated D-glucaric-based po-lymers exhibited a better solubility in a broader range of solvents but the residual hydroxyl groups favored aggregation. Completely blocked bis-acetalated galactaric-based glylons are so-luble in a broad range of solvents including toluene/methanol mixtures. Deprotection reaction …

The Effects Of Channel Stability On Benthic Macroinvertebrates In Southeastern Louisiana Streams, Peter Markos

LSU Master's Theses

Water chemistry, habitat quality, and channel stability interact to influence a stream’s biological integrity. The goal of this project was to assess how channel stability, together with other physicochemical stream measurements, are associated with the structure and abundance of resident macroinvertebrate communities. I recorded multiple physicochemical parameters and calculated a Pfankuch habitat stability index monthly for a year at potential reference streams in southeastern Louisiana. I assessed the relationships of channels stability with measured physicochemical parameters with multiple regression and principle components analysis. Mixed model multivariate analysis of variance was used to determine associations of habitat characteristics with resident macroinvertebrate …