Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Problems And Prospects Of Grassland Development: Policy Issues, S. Ray Smith

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

There are a range of government and non-government policies that affect grassland development around the world. The objective of this paper is to provide examples of successful policies which have been instrumental in the preservation and maintenance of grasslands and to highlight policies which have resulted in negative consequences. This paper will not attempt to provide a complete overview of policies, but instead will provide examples from representative countries. Policies which affect grasslands can be classified into two broad categories: government policies that cover comprehensive landscape issues like the Grassland Household Contract System (GHCS) in China or the Federal Land …

Climate-Smart Brachiaria For Improving Livestock Production In East Africa: Emerging Opportunities, Sita R. Ghimire, Donald M. G. Njarui, Mupenzi Mutimura, Juan A. Cardoso, Linda Johnson, Elias M. Gichangi, Suliana Teasdale, Kennedy Odokonyero, John Caradus, Idupulapati M. Rao, Appolinaire Djikeng

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Brachiaria grass is an important tropical forage of African origin with desirable attributes of agricultural and environmental significance. Brachiaria has been extensively cultivated as a pasture across the tropics except in its endemic provenance of Africa. In 2013, a collaborative research program was initiated in Kenya and Rwanda with the aim of improving the availability of quality livestock feeds adapted to drought and low fertility soils using Brachiaria. The outcomes sought were increased livestock productivity leading to improved farmer income and the development of seed production opportunities. The program has identified five preferred cultivars, and four of them are currently …

Determination Of Inhibitor Specificity For Low Molecular Weight Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase Isoforms A And B, Erica K. Sinner

Honors Theses, 1963-2015

The two active isoforms of Low Molecular Weight Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase (LMW-PTP) have inverse cellular effects on cancer. Isoform A has been found to be anti-oncogenic, while overexpression of Isoform B is oncogenic. Inhibitors of Isoform B could have anti-cancer effects, however, it is of utmost importance that these inhibitors exhibit specificity for Isoform B and do not affect the function of Isoform A. Isoform A was recombinantly expressed, purified and characterized in order to compare its structure and function to Isoform B. It is hoped that this characterization, along with the synthesis and screening of potential inhibitors for both …

Cyberspace: A Venue For Terrorism, David Bieda, Leila Halawi

Publications

This paper discusses how cyberspace has become a venue for terrorists groups for recruiting and proliferating propaganda and terrorism. Moreover, this study explores how the low cost Internet infrastructure and social media sites (such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube) have contributed to their networking and operations due to the convenience, in terms of availability, accessibility, message redundancy, ease of use, and the inability to censor content. Concepts such as cyber-weapons, cyber-attacks, cyber-war, and cyber-terrorism are presented and explored to assess how terrorist groups are exploiting cyberspace.

Total Synthesis Of Clavatadine A Analogs To Produce A Viable Reversible Inhibitor For Factor Xia, Christopher E. Malmberg

All Master's Theses

Cardiovascular disease has quickly become a major health concern in the United States, with numerous citizens dying from cardiovascular disease each year. Older medications, while effective against cardiovascular disease, are problematic to prescribe. A recently isolated natural product, clavatadine A, selectively inhibits human blood coagulation factor XIa. As a result, the synthesis and biological testing of clavatadine A and synthetic clavatadine A analogues that selectively inhibit factor XIa would represent a new direction in cardiovascular disease research. A potent and selective factor XIa inhibitor has the potential to be a safer replacement for current anticoagulants, such as Warfarin, Pradaxa^{® …}

Bimetallic Complexes Supported By A Redox-Active Ligand With Fused Pincer-Type Coordination Sites, Denan Wang, Sergey Lindeman, Adam T. Fiedler

Chemistry Faculty Research and Publications

The remarkable chemistry of mononuclear complexes featuring tridentate, meridionally chelating “pincer” ligands has stimulated the development of ligand frameworks containing multiple pincer sites. Here, the coordination chemistry of a novel pentadentate ligand (L^N3O2) that provides two closely spaced NNO pincer-type compartments fused together at a central diarylamido unit is described. The trianionic L^N3O2 chelate supports homobimetallic structures in which each M(II) ion (M = Co, Cu, Zn) is bound in a meridional fashion by the bridging diarylamido N atom and O,N-donors of the salicyaldimine arms. The metal centers are also coordinated by a mono- or bidentate …

Synthesis Of Unnatural Amino Acids For Genetic Encoding By The Pyrrolysyl-Trna/Rna Synthetase System, William A. Knight

Theses and Dissertations

The complexity of all biomolecules in existence today can be attributed to the variation of the amino acid repertoire. In nature, 20 canonical amino acids are translated to form these biomolecules, however, many of these amino acids have revealed posttranslational modifications (i.e. acetylation, methylation) after incorporation. Amino acids that exhibit PTM are known for their involvement in cellular processes such as DNA repair and DNA replication; these PTMs are commonly found on histones within the chromatin complex. Utilization of in vivo site-specific incorporation has recently reported functionality of post-translationally modified amino acids.1 xii Here we report the synthesis and in …

Applications Of Stability Analysis To Nonlinear Discrete Dynamical Systems Modeling Interactions, Jonathan L. Hughes

Theses and Dissertations

Many of the phenomena studied in the natural and social sciences are governed by processes which are discrete and nonlinear in nature, while the most highly developed and commonly used mathematical models are linear and continuous. There are significant differences between the discrete and the continuous, the nonlinear and the linear cases, and the development of mathematical models which exhibit the discrete, nonlinear properties occurring in nature and society is critical to future scientific progress. This thesis presents the basic theory of discrete dynamical systems and stability analysis and explores several applications of this theory to nonlinear systems which model …

A Continuous Process Towards The Synthesis Of Quinolones, Stevara N. Clinton

Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

The development of quinolones is described from the first quinolone to the latest fluoroquinolones. Quinolones have generated considerable interest since their discovery because of their antibacterial capabilities. Analogs incorporating the 4-quinolone ring system comprise a largely expanding group of synthetic compounds. The development of antibacterial resistance has created the need for an efficient synthesis of quinolones that can be easily adapted toward the assembly of quinolone based antibacterial drugs.

There are several reported approaches to the 4-quinolone ring system. Many of these methods use expensive starting materials, require the removal of high boiling solvents, or use high temperature conditions …

Domination Numbers Of Semi-Strong Products Of Graphs, Stephen R. Cheney

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the domination number of the semi-strong product of two graphs G and H where both G and H are simple and connected graphs. The product has an edge set that is the union of the edge set of the direct product of G and H together with the cardinality of V(H), copies of G. Unlike the other more common products (Cartesian, direct and strong), the semi-strong product is neither commutative nor associative.

The semi-strong product is not supermultiplicative, so it does not satisfy a Vizing like conjecture. It is also not submultiplicative so it shares these two …

Cellulose, Chitosan, And Keratin Composite Materials. Controlled Drug Release, Chieu D. Tran, Tamutsiwa Moven Mututuvari

Chemistry Faculty Research and Publications

A method was developed in which cellulose (CEL) and/or chitosan (CS) were added to keratin (KER) to enable [CEL/CS+KER] composites to have better mechanical strength and wider utilization. Butylmethylimmidazolium chloride ([BMIm⁺Cl^–]), an ionic liquid, was used as the sole solvent, and because the [BMIm⁺Cl^–] used was recovered, the method is green and recyclable. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy results confirm that KER, CS, and CEL remain chemically intact in the composites. Tensile strength results expectedly show that adding CEL or CS into KER substantially increases the mechanical strength of the composites. We found …

Epr Methods For Biological Cu(Ii): L-Band Cw And Nars, Brian Bennett, Jason M. Kowalski

Physics Faculty Research and Publications

Abstract: Copper has many roles in biology that involve the change of coordination sphere and/or oxidation state of the copper ion. Consequently, the study of copper in heterogeneous environments is an important area in biophysics. EPR is a primary technique for the investigation of paramagnetic copper, which is usually the isolated Cu(II) ion, but sometimes as Cu(II) in different oxidation states of multitransition ion clusters. The gross geometry of the coordination environment of Cu(II) can often be determined from a simple inspection of the EPR spectrum, recorded in the traditional X-band frequency range (9–10 GHz). Identification and quantitation of the …

The Role Of Citizens In Detecting And Responding To A Rapid Marine Invasion, Steven B. Scyphers, Sean P. Powers, J. Lad Akins, J. Marcus Drymon, Charles W. Martin, Zeb H. Schobernd, Pamela J. Schofield, Robert L. Shipp, Theodore S. Switzer

University Faculty and Staff Publications

Documenting and responding to species invasions requires innovative strategies that account for ecological and societal complexities. We used the recent expansion of Indo-Pacific lionfish (Pterois volitans/miles) throughout northern Gulf of Mexico coastal waters to evaluate the role of stakeholders in documenting and responding to a rapid marine invasion. We coupled an online survey of spearfishers and citizen science monitoring programs with traditional fishery-independent data sources and found that citizen observations documented lionfish 1–2 years earlier and more frequently than traditional reef fish monitoring programs. Citizen observations first documented lionfish in 2010 followed by rapid expansion and proliferation in …

Spatial Analyses On Seismo-Ionospheric Precursors Observed By Gim Tec And Demeter During The 2008 M8.0wenchuan Earthquake, Jann-Yenq Liu, Yuh-Ing Chen, Cheng-Chi Huang, Michel Parrot, Sergey Pulintets, Dimitar Ouzounov

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

An abstract of the "Spatial analyses on seismo-ionospheric precursors observed by GIM TEC and DEMETER during the 2008 M8.0Wenchuan earthquake" paper presented at EGU General Assembly in 2015.

Chemoenzymatic Studies To Enhance The Chemical Space Of Natural Products, Jhong-Min Chen

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacy

Natural products provide some of the most potent anticancer agents and offer a template for new drug design or improvement with the advantage of an enormous chemical space. The overall goal of this thesis research is to enhance the chemical space of two natural products in order to generate novel drugs with better in vivo bioactivities than the original natural products.

Polycarcin V (PV) is a gilvocarcin-type antitumor agent with similar structure and comparable bioactivity with the principle compound of this group, gilvocarcin V (GV). Modest modifications of the polyketide-derived tetracyclic core of GV had been accomplished, but the most …

Self-Mappings Of The Quaternionic Unit Ball: Multiplier Properties, Schwarz-Pick Inequality, And Nevanlinna-Pick Interpolation Problem, Daniel Alpay, Vladimir Bolotnikov, Fabrizio Colombo, Irene Sabadini, Fabrizio Colombo

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

We study several aspects concerning slice regular functions mapping the quaternionic open unit ball B into itself. We characterize these functions in terms of their Taylor coefficients at the origin and identify them as contractive multipliers of the Hardy space H2(B). In addition, we formulate and solve the Nevanlinna-Pick interpolation problem in the class of such functions presenting necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence and for the uniqueness of a solution. Finally, we describe all solutions to the problem in the indeterminate case.

A New Resolvent Equation For The S-Functional Calculus, Daniel Alpay, Fabrizio Colombo, Jonathan Gantner, Irene Sabadini

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

The S-functional calculus is a functional calculus for (n + 1)-tuples of non necessarily commuting operators that can be considered a higher dimensional version of the classical Riesz-Dunford functional calculus for a single operator. In this last calculus, the resolvent equation plays an important role in the proof of several results. Associated with the S-functional calculus there are two resolvent operators: the left S−1 L (s, T ) and the right one S−1 R (s, T ), where s = (s0, s1, . . . , sn) ∈ Rn+1 and T = (T0, T1, . . . , Tn) is …

Controlled Deposition Of Tin Oxide And Silver Nanoparticles Using Microcontact Printing, Joo C. Chan, Nicole Hannah-Moore, Shankar B. Rananavare

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

This report describes extensive studies of deposition processes involving tin oxide (SnO_x) nanoparticles on smooth glass surfaces. We demonstrate the use of smooth films of these nanoparticles as a platform for spatially-selective electroless deposition of silver by soft lithographic stamping. The edge and height roughness of the depositing metallic films are 100 nm and 20 nm, respectively, controlled by the intrinsic size of the nanoparticles. Mixtures of alcohols as capping agents provide further control over the size and shape of nanoparticles clusters. The distribution of cluster heights obtained by atomic force microscopy (AFM) is modeled through a modified …

Phthalimide-Based Π-Conjugated Small Molecules With Tailored Electronic Energy Levels For Use As Acceptors In Organic Solar Cells, Arthur D. Hendsbee, Seth M. Mcafee, Jon-Paul Sun, Theresa M. Mccormick, Ian G. Hill, Gregory C. Welch

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

The design, synthesis, and characterization of seven phthalimide-based organic π-conjugated small molecules are reported. The new materials are based on a phthalimide–thiophene–CORE–thiophene–phthalimide architecture. The CORE units utilized were phthalimide (M2), diketopyrrolopyrrole (M3), isoindigo (M4), naphthalene diimide (M5), perylene diimide (M6), and difluorobenzothiadiazole (M7); they were specifically selected to progressively increase the electron affinity of the resulting compound. A small molecule with no core (M1) was synthesized for comparison. Each material was synthesized through optimized direct heteroarylation cross-coupling procedures using bench top solvents in air. Combinations of …

Bandwidth Extension Of Narrowband Speech In Log Spectra Domain Using Neural Network, Sara Pourmohammadi, Mansour Vali, Mohsen Ghadyani

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

In recent years, there have been significant advances in communication technology, but speech signals still suffer from low perceived quality caused by bandwidth limitations of telephone networks. The bandwidth extension (BWE) approach adds high-frequency components of the speech signal to band-limited telephone speech and increases speech perception significantly. In this work, we develop a new method for representation of vocal tract filter coefficients using log of filter bank energy (LFBE) parameters as an alternative for mel-frequency cepstral coefficients (MFCCs). This approach is based on a strong correlation between the spectral components of low- and high-band spectrums. Furthermore, the performances of …

Model-Based Test Case Prioritization Using Cluster Analysis: A Soft-Computing Approach, Ni̇da Gökçe, Fevzi̇ Belli̇, Mübari̇z Emi̇nli̇, Beki̇r Taner Di̇nçer

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

Model-based testing is related to the particular relevant features of the software under test (SUT) and its environment. Real-life systems often require a large number of tests, which cannot exhaustively be run due to time and cost constraints. Thus, it is necessary to prioritize the test cases in accordance with their importance as the tester perceives it, usually given by several attributes of relevant events entailed. Based on event-oriented graph models, this paper proposes an approach to ranking test cases in accordance with their preference degrees. For forming preference groups, events are clustered using an unsupervised neural network and fuzzy …

Detection Of Microcalcification In Digitized Mammograms With Multistable Cellular Neural Networks Using A New Image Enhancement Method: Automated Lesion Intensity Enhancer (Alie), Levent Ci̇vci̇k, Burak Yilmaz, Yüksel Özbay, Gani̇me Di̇lek Emli̇k

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

Microcalcification detection is a very important issue in early diagnosis of breast cancer. Generally physicians use mammogram images for this task; however, sometimes analyzing these images become a hard task because of problems in images such as high brightness values, dense tissues, noise, and insufficient contrast level. In this paper, we present a novel technique for the task of microcalcification detection. This technique consists of three steps. The first step is focused on removing pectoral muscle and unnecessary parts from the mammogram images by using cellular neural networks (CNNs), which makes this a novel process. In the second step, we …

A Performance Comparison Of Conventional And Transverse Flux Linear Switched Reluctance Motors, Nuretti̇n Üstkoyuncu, Krishnan Ramu

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

This paper presents a comprehensive comparison between conventional (longitudinal flux) linear switched reluctance machines (CLSRMs) and transverse flux linear switched reluctance machines (TLSRMs) so as to enable engineers to choose a structure suitable for their applications. A commonly-used single-sided CLSRM and 4 different TLSRM structures are considered for the comparison. For a fair comparison of the 2 types of LSRMs, equal dimensions, including equal length and magnetomotive force, are applied as much as possible. The analytical approach and 3-dimensional finite element analysis (FEA) are employed to obtain the performance of these machines. It is proven analytically that the CLSRM has …

Load Management In A Distributed Multimedia Streaming Environment Using A Fault-Tolerant Hierarchical System, Hadi̇ Işik Aybay, Mohammad Ahmed Shah

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

In contrast to text-only forms of communications, multimedia uses a combination of audiovisual means alongside textual modes of communication. Streaming multimedia is such multimedia that is constantly delivered by a provider of the multimedia to a client. In streaming multimedia the streamed content is continually presented to and received by the end user. Distributed multimedia systems (DMSs) deliver multimedia content to end-users by means of distributed multimedia databases and distributed information servers. These DMSs are designed to deliver multimedia content over a network. A fault-tolerant redundant hierarchy (Red-HI)-based load management policy for a distributed multimedia streaming system is proposed in …

Amorphous Core Transformers Efficiency Analysis In Turkish Electrical Distribution Systems, Fati̇h Işik, Yilmaz Uyaroğlu

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

Transformers are an indispensable element in the transmission and distribution of electricity. While they are highly efficient, the increasing global demand for electrical energy has prompted efforts to improve their performance. No-load power losses constitute the majority of total losses within electrical energy distribution, especially when looking at load ratio. In recent years, some studies have found that no-load power losses of amorphous core transformers are less than those of laminated steel core transformers by as much as 60{\%} to 70{\%}. For this paper, we have manufactured an amorphous distribution transformer prototype rated 33 kV and 1 MVA. By quantifying …

Active Filter Solutions In Energy Systems, Sabi̇r Rüstemli̇, Mehmet Sai̇t Cengi̇z

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

Recent developments in power electronics have increased the usage of nonlinear loads in energy systems. With increases in the usage of semiconductor-sourced nonlinear loads, the adverse effects of harmonics-sensitive loads (e.g., protection control circuits and circuit breakers) have also increased. Generally, the negative effects of harmonics in power systems include the following: increased power losses; motor, generator, and transformer overheating; faulty operation of measurement and protection systems; lifetime shortening of electrical components; and parallel and series resonance problems. Therefore, harmonics has become a serious problem in current power electronics systems. However, harmonics can be reduced, particularly through drainage using filters. …

Variable Charge/Discharge Time-Interval Control Strategy Of Bess For Wind Power Dispatch, Wei Chai, Zheng Li, Xu Cai

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

A variable charge/discharge time-interval ($T_{C/D})$ control strategy of a battery energy storage system (BESS) for wind power dispatch is proposed in this paper, aiming at: 1) extending the BESS life, 2) reducing the total BESS energy loss, and 3) increasing the dispatch tracking accuracy. A multifactor life model of a large-scale BESS containing four factors, charge/discharge rate, times, $T_{C/D}$, and temperature, is developed, which has taken into account the cell series/parallel effects and BESS operational characteristics. A comprehensive evaluation system including BESS aging level (BAL), energy loss index (ELI), and tracking inaccuracy index (TII) is proposed, and the relationships between …

Performance Evaluation Of Three Phase Srf-Pll And Maf-Srf-Pll, Anirban Ghoshal, Vinod John

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

Synchronous reference frame phase locked loop (SRF-PLL) is a well established technique used for maintaining synchronism of a grid connected VSI with an electric grid. Many methods of PLL are present in the literature to achieve improved performance under nonideal grid condition. These solutions are based on SRF-PLL structure along with some modification to achieve improved performance. It is observed that faster and better performance are achieved at the expense of more computations. Moving average filter (MAF) SRF-PLL structure is one such solution that consumes less resources and gives a reasonably fast response. In this work the performance of a …

Capacity Allocation Of Hybrid Solar-Wind Energy System Based On Discrete Probabilistic Method, Chengjin Ye, Minxiang Huang

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

Complementary renewable energies like wind and solar power may be more sufficient to satisfy reliability requirements. This paper proposes a quantitative capacity allocation method of a hybrid wind and solar energy system. First, discrete probability distributions are established to model the random factors including the volatility of power outputs and the failure of components. Then a multiobjective optimization model is formulated with objectives of minimization of the total investment, the nodal voltages violating limits probability, and power supply inadequacy probability. For the purpose of fast probability computing with a satisfactory precision degree, an innovative probabilistic load flow algorithm is introduced, …

Frequency-Adaptive Grid-Virtual-Flux Synchronization By Multiple Second-Order Generalized Integrators Under Distorted Grid Conditions, Yingjie Wang, Haiyuan Liu, Xuelong Han, Kangan Wang

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

With some of the intermittent new energy and large nonlinear loads, grid voltage unbalance, harmonics, and frequency deviation are increasing year by year. The voltage source converter (VSC) is seriously affected by the various unexpected factors, and the presence of grid impedance makes the situation worse. In order to make the VSC track the nonideal grid quickly and accurately, this paper proposes a frequency-adaptive grid-virtual-flux synchronization by multiple second-order generalized integrators (MSOGI-GVFS). Key expressions of the MSOGI-GVFS and its frequency response characteristics are described in this paper. A second-order generalized integrator configured as a quadrature signal generator generates a specific-frequency …