Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Data Mining Based Hybridization Of Meta-Raps, Fatemah Al-Duoli, Ghaith Rabadi

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

Though metaheuristics have been frequently employed to improve the performance of data mining algorithms, the opposite is not true. This paper discusses the process of employing a data mining algorithm to improve the performance of a metaheuristic algorithm. The targeted algorithms to be hybridized are the Meta-heuristic for Randomized Priority Search (Meta-RaPS) and an algorithm used to create an Inductive Decision Tree. This hybridization focuses on using a decision tree to perform on-line tuning of the parameters in Meta-RaPS. The process makes use of the information collected during the iterative construction and improvement phases Meta-RaPS performs. The data mining algorithm …

The Bivariate Erlang And Its Application In Modeling Recurrence Times Of Kidney Dialysis Data, Norou Diawara, S.H. Sathish Indika, Melva Grant, Edgard M. Maboudou-Tchao

Mathematics & Statistics Faculty Publications

Recent advances in computer modeling allows us to find closer fits to data. Our emphasis is on the interdependence between occurrence at kidney dialysis. The interdependence between kidney dialysis occurrences is modelled by a bivariate exponential that we propose in this article. The application is shown on the McGilchrist and Aisbett kidney data set with the use of the exponential distribution. The proposed bivariate exponential model has exponential marginal densities, correlated via a latent random variables and with finite probability of simultaneous occurrence. Extension of the model to a bivariate Erlang type distribution with same shape parameter is presented.

Search For Gravitational Waves Associated With Γ-Ray Bursts Detected By The Interplanetary Network, J. Aasi, B. P. Abbott, H. Daveloza, Mario C. Diaz, S. R. Morriss, Soma Mukherjee, M. E. Normandin, Volker Quetschke, O. Puncken, Malik Rakhmanov, K. E. Ramirez, Robert Stone, G. Tellez, Cristina V. Torres, G. Valdes

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications and Presentations

We present the results of a search for gravitational waves associated with 223 γ-ray bursts (GRBs) detected by the InterPlanetary Network (IPN) in 2005–2010 during LIGO’s fifth and sixth science runs and Virgo’s first, second, and third science runs. The IPN satellites provide accurate times of the bursts and sky localizations that vary significantly from degree scale to hundreds of square degrees. We search for both a well-modeled binary coalescence signal, the favored progenitor model for short GRBs, and for generic, unmodeled gravitational wave bursts. Both searches use the event time and sky localization to improve the gravitational wave search …

Intrinsic Delocalization During The Decay Of Excitons In Polymeric Solar Cells, Thomas George, W. Chen, D. Jiang, R. Chen, S. Li

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Works

In bulk heterojunction polymer solar cells, external photoexcitation results in localized excitons in the polymer chain. After hot exciton formation and subsequent relaxation, the dipole moment drives the electron to partially transfer to extended orbitals from the original localized ones, leading to self-delocalization. Based on the dynamic fluorescence spectra, the delocalization of excitons is revealed to be an intrinsic property dominated by exciton decay, acting as a bridge for the exciton to diffuse in the polymeric solar cell. The modification of the dipole moment enhances the efficiency of polymer solar cells.

Search For Gravitational Wave Ringdowns From Perturbed Intermediate Mass Black Holes In Ligo-Virgo Data From 2005–2010, J. Aasi, B. P. Abbott, Matthew Benacquista, H. Daveloza, Mario C. Diaz, S. R. Morriss, Soma Mukherjee, Volker Quetschke, O. Puncken, Malik Rakhmanov, K. E. Ramirez, Robert Stone, Cristina V. Torres, G. Valdes

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications and Presentations

We report results from a search for gravitational waves produced by perturbed intermediate mass black holes (IMBH) in data collected by LIGO and Virgo between 2005 and 2010. The search was sensitive to astrophysical sources that produced damped sinusoid gravitational wave signals, also known as ringdowns, with frequency 50 ≤ f0=Hz ≤ 2000 and decay timescale 0.0001 ≲ τ=s ≲ 0.1 characteristic of those produced in mergers of IMBH pairs. No significant gravitational wave candidate was detected. We report upper limits on the astrophysical coalescence rates of IMBHs with total binary mass 50 ≤ M=M⊙ ≤ 450 and component mass …

First All-Sky Search For Continuous Gravitational Waves From Unknown Sources In Binary Systems, J. Aasi, B. P. Abbott, Teviet Creighton, H. Daveloza, Mario C. Diaz, S. R. Morriss, Soma Mukherjee, M. E. Normandin, Volker Quetschke, O. Puncken, Malik Rakhmanov, K. E. Ramirez, Robert Stone, Cristina V. Torres, G. Valdes

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications and Presentations

We present the first results of an all-sky search for continuous gravitational waves from unknown spinning neutron stars in binary systems using LIGO and Virgo data. Using a specially developed analysis program, the TwoSpect algorithm, the search was carried out on data from the sixth LIGO science run and the second and third Virgo science runs. The search covers a range of frequencies from 20 Hz to 520 Hz, a range of orbital periods from 2 to ∼2; 254 h and a frequency- and period-dependent range of frequency modulation depths from 0.277 to 100 mHz. This corresponds to a range …

Biosensors And Nanobiosensors: Design And Applications, Ahmed Touhami

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications and Presentations

The goal of this chapter is to cover the full scope of biosensors. It offers a survey of the principles, design, operation, and biomedical applications of the most popular types of biosensing devices in use today. By discussing recent research and future trends based on many excellent books and reviews, it is hoped to give the readers a comprehensive view on this fast growing field.

A Climatology Of Central American Gyres, Philippe Pierre Papin

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Central American gyres (CAGs) are large, low-level, cyclonic circulations that are observed over Central America during the tropical cyclone (TC) season. CAGs often occur in conjunction with TCs, and can result in torrential rainfall over portions of Central America, the Caribbean Islands, and eastern United States. The lack of prior research on CAGs, their apparent links to TC activity, and their association with high- impact weather motivates this study.

Monitoring Ligand-Induced Nucleic Acid Conformational Changes Using Ion Mobility Spectrometry-Mass Spectrometry, Bill Kenneth Redick

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Three-dimensional structures of biopolymers frequently dictate the biological role those molecules play. As such, investigation into structure of nucleic acids can provide important information pertaining to how those nucleic acids work. Many nucleic acid species, especially single-stranded RNA, fold into unique structures that allow them to function properly. Metals, and other cationic species, are often bound to the nucleic acid to make folding into the proper structure more favorable by neutralizing the negative charge on the nucleic acid imparted by the phosphate group. This investigation explores tertiary structure of nucleic acids that have been folded in the presence of ligands …

Computer Science Concept Inventories: Past And Future, Cynthia Taylor, Daniel Zingaro, Leo Porter, Kevin C. Webb, C. B. Lee, Michael Clancy

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Concept Inventories (CIs) are assessments designed to measure student learning of core concepts. CIs have become well known for their major impact on pedagogical techniques in other sciences, especially physics. Presently, there are no widely used, validated CIs for computer science. However, considerable groundwork has been performed in the form of identifying core concepts, analyzing student misconceptions, and developing CI assessment questions. Although much of the work has been focused on CS1 and a CI has been developed for digital logic, some preliminary work on CIs is underway for other courses. This literature review examines CI work in other STEM …

Free-Energy Calculations For Semi-Flexible Macromolecules: Applications To Dna Knotting And Looping, Stefan M. Giovan, Robert G. Scharein, Andreas Hanke, Stephen D. Levene

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications and Presentations

We present a method to obtain numerically accurate values of configurational free energies of semiflexible macromolecular systems, based on the technique of thermodynamic integration combined with normal-mode analysis of a reference system subject to harmonic constraints. Compared with previous free-energy calculations that depend on a reference state, our approach introduces two innovations, namely, the use of internal coordinates to constrain the reference states and the ability to freely select these reference states. As a consequence, it is possible to explore systems that undergo substantially larger fluctuations than those considered in previous calculations, including semiflexible biopolymers having arbitrary ratios of contour …

A Comparative Study Of Reservoir Computing For Temporal Signal Processing, Alireza Goudarzi, Peter Banda, Matthew R. Lakin, Christof Teuscher, Darko Stefanovic

Computer Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Reservoir computing (RC) is a novel approach to time series prediction using recurrent neural networks. In RC, an input signal perturbs the intrinsic dynamics of a medium called a reservoir. A readout layer is then trained to reconstruct a target output from the reservoir's state. The multitude of RC architectures and evaluation metrics poses a challenge to both practitioners and theorists who study the task-solving performance and computational power of RC. In addition, in contrast to traditional computation models, the reservoir is a dynamical system in which computation and memory are inseparable, and therefore hard to analyze. Here, we compare …

Guiding Data-Driven Transportation Decisions, Kristin A. Tufte, Basem Elazzabi, Nathan Hall, Morgan Harvey, Kath Knobe, David Maier, Veronika Margaret Megler

Computer Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Urban transportation professionals are under increasing pressure to perform data-driven decision making and to provide data-driven performance metrics. This pressure comes from sources including the federal government and is driven, in part, by the increased volume and variety of transportation data available. This sudden increase of data is partially a result of improved technology for sensors and mobile devices as well as reduced device and storage costs. However, using this proliferation of data for decisions and performance metrics is proving to be difficult. In this paper, we describe a proposed structure for a system to support data-driven decision making. A …

The Impact Of Ph On The Structure And Function Of Neural Cadherin, Jared Michael Jungles

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Neural (N-) cadherin is a transmembrane protein within adherens junctions that mediates cell-cell adhesion. It has 5 modular extracellular domains (EC1-EC5) that bind 3 calcium ions between each of the modules. Calcium binding is required for dimerization. N-cadherin is involved in diverse processes including tissue morphogenesis, excitatory synapse formation and dynamics, and metastasis of cancer. During neurotransmission and tumorigenesis, fluctuations in extracellular pH occur, causing tissue acidosis with associated physiological consequences. Studies reported here aim to determine the effect of pH on the dimerization properties of EC1-EC2 N-cadherin in vitro. Since N-cadherin is an anionic protein, we hypothesized that acidification …

Elemental Fingerprinting Using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry And Chemometrics: Application To Environmental Science And Provenance Studies, Lorlyn Paquibot Reidy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Cosmological And Astrophysical Tests Of Modified Gravity, Caixia Gao

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Three alternative theories to general relativity will be studied. The aim is to test these theories by applying them to astronomical objects or the cosmological background. The first one is unimodular relativity. The cosmological perturbation theory of this model is studied and the predictions on temperature fluctuations of the cmb are found. The second one is drgt massive gravity. In this theory a charged black hole solution is found and compared to those in gr, folloby constraints on the parameter space. The third one is a general massive gravity theory which shares the same background equation with the massless case …

Group Velocity Of Acoustic Waves In Plates Of Electronic Materials, Saminda Adikaram

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this study the propagation and dispersion characteristics of plate acoustic waves (PAW) in electronic materials are investigated experimentally. Plate acoustic waves are elastic waves that travel along a plate with thickness comparable to the wavelength of the waves. Lamb waves, a type of plate acoustic wave, have particle motion in the direction of propagation and normal to the plate. Unlike an infinite medium, plates support two sets of Lamb wave modes (symmetric and anti-symmetric) with unique velocities which depend on the relationship between the wavelength and the thickness of the plate. Out of this, two zero order modes (so …

Evaluating The Efficacy Of Small Basis Sets And The Counterpoise Procedure To Reproduce Complete Basis Set Limit Higher-Order Correlation Corrections For Weakly Bound Molecular Clusters, Cara M. Thorne

Honors Theses

The efficacy of small basis sets and the counterpoise procedure to accurately reproduce higher-order correlation corrections, which are routinely employed to estimate CCSD(T) interaction energies at the complete basis set (CBS) limit using an additive scheme, was examined through the study of four dispersion-dominated dimer systems. The dimers of acetylene (HCCH), cyanogen (NCCN), diphosphorous (P2) and 1,4-diphosphabutadiyne (PCCP) were studied in three different configurations: cross, parallel-displaced and t-shaped at the intermolecular distance corresponding to the minimum point on the CCSD(T) potential energy curve (PEC) for each system using MP2, CCSD and CCSD(T) methods in conjunction with eight basis sets from …

Synthesis Of An Unsymmetrical Ccc-Nhc Pincer Ligand Precursor, Brian Spurlock

Honors Theses

The purpose of this study was to synthesize a 3-butyl-1-(3-(3-butyl-1H-imidazol-3-ium-1-yl)phenyl)-4,5-dichloro-1H-imidazol-3-ium salt using an Ullmann-type copper coupling reaction. This salt would subsequently be metallated and evaluated for C-H bond activation and luminescence. However, NMR and MS spectra did not show evidence of conversion to the desired product under standard conditions so a model reaction was designed making use of recent findings concerning the Ullmann-type coupling of imidazoles to aryl halides. Specifically, an activated aryl halide with a larger leaving group was used with a more soluble base and a ligand for the copper. The desired product appears by ESI-MS to have …

Classification Of Four Meteorite Samples, Karla Farley

University Honors Theses

The petrography, mineralogy, and mineral chemistry of four unclassified Northwest Africa meteorites in the Cascadia Meteorite Laboratory collection (CML0005, 0023, 0024, 0032) were studied using optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The data will be used to classify the meteorites and to obtain official names for the meteorites. CML0023 has the preliminary classification of L6 (S3) W1, CML0024 has L6 (S3) W1, and CML0032 has L6 (S2) W1. CML0005 has chemistry and mineralogy that indicate it is an anomalous acapulcoite.

Anodic Strategies For The Covalent Attachment Of Molecules To Electrodes Through Ethynyl And Vinyl Linkages, Matthew Vincent Sheridan

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Substrates with localized, organic radicals have the ability to attack `inert' surfaces to form covalent bonds between the substrate and an atom at the surface. These radicals can be generated in electrochemical experiments with substrates bearing an electroactive moiety. The moiety after oxidation (loss of an electron) or reduction (gain of an electron) generates the active radical. Electron transfer reactions at an electrode surface generate a high population of these radicals, thereby facilitating attachment.

The electrochemical oxidations of compounds containing terminal alkynes and alkenes were found to be effective methods for covalent attachment to glassy carbon, gold, and platinum electrodes. …

Ecological Remediation Using Bacterial, Fungal, And Plant Microcosms: An Effective Solution For Bunker C Crude Oil Contamination In Waterways, Jakob E. Schenker

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Factory legacy pollutants are an increasing concern for waterways as old infrastructure deteriorates and contaminates nearby environments. The Fisherville Mill in Grafton, Massachusetts, USA exemplifies this problem since it has now fallen into disrepair and is leaking Bunker C crude oil into the adjoining Blackstone River, a third order stream. Our research examines how effectively an ecologically engineered system (EES), consisting of anaerobic bacteria environments, fungal microcosms, and aquatic plant environments, can break down petroleum hydrocarbons, specifically aliphatic and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), in this river environment.

Our testing protocol involved taking water samples before and after each filtration stage …

Application Of A Ring Fragmentation/Azomethine Ylide 1,3-Dipolar Cycloaddition Sequence In The Synthesis Of Demissidine, Zhe Zhang

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Edible potatoes originated in the Andes and were brought to Europe in the 16th century. Their introduction spurred both the European population growth and economic development. Being the world's fourth-largest food crop, potatoes continue to shape the global economy and world history. Glycoalkaloids are natural insect deterrents generated by potatoes, and are known for their toxic effects as well as potential medicinal utilities. Demissidine, the aglycone of the primary glycoalkaloids, represents one major Solanum alkaloid. Its unique indolizidine framework presents a challenging synthetic target in organic chemistry. Our synthesis of demissidine starts from readily available epiandrosterone and takes advantage of …

Structural Analysis Of Bulky Thiolate-Protected Gold Nanomolecules, David Walton Crasto

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Routine preparation of thiolate-protected gold nanomolecules involves, most commonly, straight-chain organic thiolate ligands for which the sulfhydryl `head' group is bound to a primary carbon atom. The primary connectivity of these sulfur atoms, such as for the case of n-hexanethiol and phenylethanethiol, allows for even packing, and the relative ease of formation of gold-thiolate oligomers about the surface monolayer in the formation of Au-SR bonds. Moreover, these straight-chain ligands routinely support the formation of an icosahedron-based series of core-size gold nanomolecules. Within this series of nanoparticles, Au25(SR)18 and Au38(SR)24 are among the most commonly studied core-sizes; Au25(SR)18 is situated upon …

Characterizing Non-Covalent Interactions And Peptide Bond Formation With Electronic Structure Theory, Eric Van Dornshuld

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The development and application of quantum mechanics has exploded in the past century. The rules of classical mechanics were found to be completely insufficient when applied to a universe that operates on the scale of atomic and subatomic particles. The advancement of quantum theory and computer technology has driven quantum mechanical analyses toward routine in the chemist's laboratory. Chapter 1 briefly outlines some comfailures of classical mechanics from a historical standpoint. Chapter 2 provides a mathematical overview to quantum chemistry including a brief presentation of the analytic solutions to the schrã¶dinger equation for some model systems. Chapter 3 and chapter …

Domain-Specific Probes For Calcium Binding To Neural Cadherin, Charles Ryan Humphries

Honors Theses

Cadherin is a major mediator of cell adhesion whose adhesive function is dependent upon calcium binding. However, the binding of calcium is not completely understood. The binding of calcium can be monitored using an abbreviated construct that contains only the first two extracellular domains (EC12) which includes two tryptophan residues, W2 and W113. Single tryptophan mutants were created which contain only W113 (W2A) and W2 (W113F). Fluorescence spectra were obtained of W2A, W113F, and WT in the presence and absence of calcium. Calcium titration data were collected for each protein. In both experiments, calcium binding increased the fluorescence signal of …

The Impacts Of Multiple Anthropogenic Disturbances On The Montane Forests Of The Green Mountains, Vermont, Usa, Carolyn Ann Pucko

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

How and why species’ ranges shift has long been a focus of ecology but is now becoming increasingly important given the current rate of climatic and environmental change. In response to global warming, species will need to migrate northward or upward to stay within their climatic tolerances. The ability of species to migrate will determine their fate and affect the community compositions of the future. However, to more accurately predict the future extent of species, we must identify and understand their responses to past and current climatic and environmental changes. The first place change is expected to occur is within …

An Investigation Into Polyiodination Of Activated Benzene Derivatives With Electrophilic Aromatic Substitution Reactions, Dakota Gilbert

Honors Theses

The aim of this research is to investigate the periodination of benzene derivatives that are activated towards electrophilic aromatic substitution. In this research, a successful electrophilic aromatic substitution reaction was completed with procedures that used iodine with silver sulfate as an activating agent in the reaction mixture. The ball-milling technique with N-iodosuccinnimide as the iodinating reagent was also explored. Only one iodine was added onto 4-iodoanisole as the activated benzene derivative. When 2,4-dichloroanisole was the substrate, a small amount of diiodo product accompanied the monoiodo product, but no triiodo (periodinated) product was observed. Nonetheless, the trials of this research give …

Mercury In Fish In North Mississippi Reservoirs: Statistical Analysis And Risk Assessment, Stacy Wolff

Honors Theses

Mercury (Hg) is a pollutant of particular concern because it is wide-spread, persistent, and poses a serious risk to human health. Once released into the atmosphere, it cycles through the environment by a series of complex biogeochemical processes. Upon deposition to aquatic ecosystems, inorganic mercury can be transformed to methylmercury by microorganisms. Methylmercury is a known human neurotoxin that can bioacculmulate in fish tissue and biomagnify up aquatic food chains. Consumption of contaminated fish is the primary route of human exposure to methylmercury. The Mississippi Department of Health has issued fish consumption advisories for Grenada and Enid Lakes in the …

P2p Email Encryption By An Identity-Based One-Way Group Key Agreement Protocol, Jyh-Haw Yeh, Fiona Zeng, Thomas Long

Computer Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

As a result of high-tech companies such as Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft offering free email services, email has become a primary channel of communication. However, email service providers have traditionally offered little in the way of message privacy protection. This has made emails, of which billions are sent around the world on any day, an attractive data source for personal identity information thieves. Google was one of the first companies to provide substantial email privacy protection when they began using the HTTPS always-on option to encrypt messages sent through their email service, Gmail. Unfortunately, Gmail's encryption option does not offer …