Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Maximizing The Impact Of Digital Supports In Mathematics Learning Support In Higher Education – An Overview Of The 9th Annual Imlsn Workshop, Cormac Breen, Anthony Cronin

Articles

In this article we give a short description of the 9th Annual Workshop of the Irish Mathematics Learning Support Network (IMLSN). The workshop theme was ‘Maximizing the impact of digital supports in Mathematics Learning Support in Higher Education’. We briefly describe the Irish Mathematics Learning Support Network (IMLSN) and outline the factors that motivated this workshop theme. We will also discuss the presentations, some of the issues that were raised during the workshop and we close with some brief conclusions on this very successful event.

Efficient Computational Strategies For Doubly Intractable Problems With Applications To Bayesian Social Networks, Alberto Caimo, Antonietta Mira

Articles

Powerful ideas recently appeared in the literature are adjusted and combined to design improved samplers for doubly intractable target distributions with a focus on Bayesian exponential random graph models. Different forms of adaptive Metropolis–Hastings proposals (vertical, horizontal and rectangular) are tested and merged with the delayed rejection (DR) strategy with the aim of reducing the variance of the resulting Markov chain Monte Carlo estimators for a given computational time. The DR is modified in order to integrate it within the approximate exchange algorithm (AEA) to avoid the computation of intractable normalising constant that appears in exponential random graph models. This …

Knowledge Sharing In Organisations: A Bayesian Analysis Of The Role Of Reciprocity And Formal Structure, Alberto Caimo, Alessandro Lomi

Articles

We examine the conditions under which knowledge embedded in advice relations is likely to reach across intraorganizational boundaries and be shared between distant organizational members. We emphasize boundary-crossing relations because activities of knowledge transfer and sharing across subunit boundaries are systematically related to desirable organizational outcomes. Our main objective is to understand how organizational and social processes interact to sustain the transfer of knowledge carried by advice relations. Using original fieldwork and data that we have collected on members of the top management team in a multiunit industrial group, we show that knowledge embedded in task advice relations is unlikely …

Phytoremediation Of Metal Contamination Using Salix (Willows), Gordon J. Kersten

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Abandoned hardrock mines and the resulting Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) are a source of vast, environmental degradation that are toxic threats to plants, animals, and humans. Cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) are metal contaminants often found in AMD. In my mine outwash water samples, cadmium and lead concentrations were 19 and 160 times greater than concentrations in control waterways, and 300 and 40 times greater than EPA Aquatic Life Use water quality standards, respectively. I tested the phytoremediation characteristics of three montane willows native to the Rocky Mountains: Salix drummondiana, S. monticola, and S. planifolia. I tested …

Fluorescent Biological Aerosol Particles In Coastal Canada And The Link To Atmospheric Ice Nuclei, Jixiao Li

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Bioaerosols are a subgroup of atmospheric aerosols and are often linked to the spread of human, animal and plant diseases. Bioaerosols also may play an indirect effect on environmental processes, including the formation of precipitation and alteration of the global climate through their role as nuclei for cloud droplet formation. Several types of biological organisms (e.g., fungi and bacteria) have been shown to be effective ice nuclei (IN) and cloud condensation nuclei (CCN).

During 21 days in August 2013 we participated in a collaborative international campaign at a rural, coastal site near the village of Ucluelet on the west coast …

Isolation In Synchronized Drone Formations, Andrew P. Brunner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This paper expands on a theoretical model that is used for aerial robots that are working cooperatively to complete a task. In certain situations, such as when multiple robots have catastrophic failures, the surviving robots could become isolated so that they never again communicate with another robot. We prove some properties about isolated robots flying in a grid formation, and we present an algorithm that determines how many robots need to fail to isolate at least one robot. Finally, we propose a strategy that eliminates the possibility of isolation altogether.

A Computational Investigation Of Halogen Bonding With Halomethanes And Their Group 14 Analogues, William Kretz

Honors Theses

It is known that halogen bonding is supported by so-called sigma holes on halides that interact with bases, but what are the limits of that interaction? How does the interaction depend on the group to which the halogen atom is bonded? To answer these questions, complexes of the form MH3X---Y (where M=C, Si, Ge, Sn, Pb; X= F, Cl, Br, I and Y are Lewis bases) were optimized and their energetics and relative stability were assessed. The Lewis bases range from NH3 to the more complicated pentafluroropyridine (F-py). Calculations were performed entirely at the MP2(full) level of theory, including frequency …

The Application Of Formyl Group Activation Of Brompyrrole Esters To A Formal Synthesis Of Lycogarubin C, Jon Patteson

Honors Theses

Lycogarubln C is a member of an interesting family of marine natural products, which contains two indole groups appended to a pyrrole scaffold at the 3 and 4 positions. Such compounds are proposed to be biosynthetically related to the important antitumor agent, Staurosporine. Recent work in our lab involving the use of Suzuki cross-coupling reactions of an ortho activated bromoformylpyrrole ester has provided key intermediates for the synthesis of pyrrole natural products and pyrolle-based analogues.

Testing Lepton Nonuniversality In Tau Neutrino Scattering, Hongkai Liu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Recently hints of lepton flavor non-universality emerged in the BaBar and LHCb experiments. In this paper we propose tests of lepton universality in scattering. To parametrize the new physics we adopt an effective Lagrangian approach and consider the neutrino deep inelastic scattering processes tau neutrino+nucleon to tau + X and muon neutrino+nucleon to muon + X where we assume the largest new physics effects are in the tau sector. We also consider an explicit leptoquark model in our calculations. In order to make comparison with the standard model and also in order to cancel out the uncertainty of the parton …

Complex Vector Lattices: Tensor Products And Multilinear Maps, Christopher Michael Schwanke

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, we study completions of Archimedean real vector lattices relative to any nonempty set of continuous positively homogeneous functions defined on Rn. Examples of such completions include square mean closed vector lattices and geometric mean closed vector lattices. These functional completions lead to a vector lattice complexification of any Archimedean real vector lattice. Unlike the vector space complexification of an Archimedean real vector lattice, the vector lattice complexification always results in an Archimedean complex vector lattice. For example, we prove that the vector space complexification of the Fremlin tensor product C(X)⊗C(Y) is not a complex vector lattice when …

Effective Tuning Of Bimetallic Composition Of Gold-Copper Nanomolecules And The Emergence Of Plasmon-Like Feature In Optical Spectra, Asantha Champika Dharmaratne

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Au144-xCux(SR)60 alloy nanomolecules were synthesized and characterized by using ESI-MS to atomic precision. A maximum of 23 copper atoms replace the gold atoms; when the number of copper atoms is higher than eight, a surface plasmon-like peak appears at ∼520 nm. Based on the fundamental, elemental properties of Au and Cu, we predict a mixed atomic ordering and incorporation into the Au12 and Au 42 shells of the proposed icosahedral structured model. Alloy nanomolecules reported here could have potential applications in the field of catalysis and optical sensors.

Diagonals Of Tensor Products Of Banach Lattices With Bases., Byunghoon Lee

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation, we investigate diagonals of tensor products of Banach lattices with bases. We first consider questions on the positive tensor products of l_p spaces. We characterize the main diagonals of the positive projective tensor product and the positive injective tensor product of l_p space. Then by using these two main diagonals, we characterize the reflexivity, the property of being Kantorovich - Banach spaces, and the property of being order continuous of n-fold positive projective and positive injective tensor products of l_p spaces. Next, we consider the diagonals of injective tensor product of Banach lattices with bases. Let E …

Electrospun Titanium Dioxide And Silicon Composite Nanofibers For Advanced Lithium Ion Batteries, Kathleen Mccormac

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A unique electrospinning method was implemented to fabricate composite nanofibers for lithium ion battery applications. The composite nanofibers were made of amorphous carbon, rutile phase TiO₂, and cubic phase Si nanoparticles. Sulfur was utilized as a template to form void structures within the TiO₂ nanofiber matrix. This provides the desired space for the Si expansion during the lithiation process. Phase, structure, composition, and morphology of the nanofibers were characterized using Raman spectroscopy, SEM, EDS, TGA, and powder XRD. Carbonized TiO₂ nanofibers showed a low but stable specific capacity. Si Nanoparticles demonstrated an initially high but fast …

Graphs Of Classroom Networks, Rebecca Holliday

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this work, we use the Havel-Hakimi algorithm to visualize data collected from students to investigate classroom networks. The Havel-Hakimi algorithm uses a recursive method to create a simple graph from a graphical degree sequence. In this case, the degree sequence is a representation of the students in a classroom, and we use the number of peers with whom a student studied or collaborated to determine the degree of each. We expand upon the Havel-Hakimi algorithm by coding a program in MATLAB that generates random graphs with the same degree sequence. Then, we run another algorithm to find the isomorphism …

Labeled Trees And Spanning Trees: Computational Discrete Mathematics And Applications, Demet Yalman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, we examine two topics. In the first part, we consider Leech tree which is a tree of order n with positive integer edge weights such that the weighted distances between pairs of vertices are exactly from 1 to n choose 2. Only five Leech trees are known and some non-existence results have been presented through the years. Variations of Leech trees such as the minimal distinct distance trees and modular Leech trees have been considered in recent years. In this thesis, such Leech-type questions on distances between leaves are studied as well as some other labeling questions …

Solutions Of Inequality Constrained Spline Optimization Problems With The Active Set Method, Joshua A. Holloway

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

We solve the problem of finding a near-interpolant curve, subject to constraints, which minimizes the bending energy of the curve. Using B-splines as our tools, we give a brief overview of spline properties and develop several different cases of inequality constrained optimization problems of this type. In particular, we develop the active set method and use it to solve these problems, emphasizing the fact that this algorithm will converge to a solution in finite iterations. Our solution will solve an open problem regarding near-interpolant spline curves. Furthermore, we supplement this with an iterative technique for better choosing data sites so …

Testing Data Vault-Based Data Warehouse, Connard N. Williams

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Data warehouse (DW) projects are undertakings that require integration of disparate sources of data, a well-defined mapping of the source data to the reconciled data, and effective Extract, Transform, and Load (ETL) processes. Owing to the complexity of data warehouse projects, great emphasis must be placed on an agile-based approach with properly developed and executed test plans throughout the various stages of designing, developing, and implementing the data warehouse to mitigate against budget overruns, missed deadlines, low customer satisfaction, and outright project failures. Yet, there are often attempts to test the data warehouse exactly like traditional back-end databases and legacy …

On-Road Remote Sensing Of Automobile Emissions In The Chicago Area: Fall 2014, Gary A. Bishop, Donald H. Stedman

Fuel Efficiency Automobile Test Publications

No abstract provided.

Tillage Study For Corn And Soybean: Comparing Vertical, Deep, And No-Till, E. A. Adee

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

The need for tillage in corn and soybean production in the Kansas River Valley continues to be debated. The soils of the Kansas River Valley are highly variable, with much of the soil sandy to silty loam in texture. These soils tend to be relatively low in organic matter (<2%) and susceptible to wind erosion. Although typically well drained, these soils can develop compaction layers under certain conditions. A tillage study was initiated in the fall of 2011 at the Kansas River Valley Experiment Field near Topeka to compare deep vs. shallow vs. no-till vs. deep tillage in alternate years. Corn and soybean crops are rotated annually. This is intended to be a long-term study to determine if soil characteristics and yields change in response to a history of each tillage system.

Surface Runoff Characteristics From Claypan Soil In Southeastern Kansas Receiving Different Plant Nutrient Sources And Tillage, D. W. Sweeney, Philip Barnes, Gary Pierzynski

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

Preliminary results show that two-year average total nitrogen (N) runoff losses and ortho-phosphorus (P) and total P runoff losses in the second year were greater with N-based turkey litter/no-till applications than P-based turkey litter or fertilizer-only applications. Incorporation of turkey litter applied based on N requirements resulted in N and P losses that did not differ from losses from P-based or fertilizer-only treatments. Chemical and statistical analyses of third-year samples will allow for final results and interpretation.

Vitis Gene Expression Profiling Using Mixed Models, Yin Yin

MSU Graduate Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to analyze gene expression in grapevine under different treatments using a mixed linear statistical model. The experiment involves two Vitis species (V. vinifera Cabernet sauvignon and V. aestivalis Norton) and applies two different treatments to them (inoculation with Erysiphe necator conidiospores and mock inoculation). There are three biological replicates measured at each of the following six assigned time points: 0, 4, 8, 12, 24, and 48 hours. By setting up split-plot model for the data, statistical hypotheses concerning gene expressions, especially gene expressions in terms of treatment effect, are tested. The result of the …

Comparison Of Agency And Volunteer Stream Assessments Using Macroinvertebrate Assemblages, David William Petry

Masters Theses

Professional stream assessments can be both time and cost intensive. Many states have developed citizen science programs in an effort to provide reliable data to supplement agency assessments. To test how two of these protocols and their conclusions compare, I sampled 16 sites in seven streams within east central Illinois using techniques from two different organizations: Illinois RiverWatch and Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. Overall, spring RiverWatch, fall RiverWatch, and fall IEPA sampling all produced unique results and conclusions. Compared to fall IEPA assessments, spring RiverWatch was affected by differences in both sampling protocol and season. RiverWatch sampling in fall reduced …

Derivatization And Separation Of Natural Estrogens (Estrone, 17Β-Estradiol, And Estriol) Using Gas Chromatography With Flame Ionization Detection (Gc-Fid), Dena L. Guptill

Masters Theses

A major cause of concern for estrogens found in the environment is that even at very low concentrations (10-100 ng/L) they can have a negative effect on aquatic ecosystems by disrupting endocrine systems. Due to the increasing importance of monitoring the levels of estrogens in the environment, a detection method was developed to identify and quantify three natural estrogens (estrone, 17β-estradiol and estriol) using gas chromatography with flame ionization detection (GC-FID). In addition, the efficacy of two derivatizing agents, N,O-bis(trimethylsilyl) acetamide (BSTA) and N,O-bis(trimethylsilyl)trifluoroacetamide (BSTFA), was evaluated. The GC detector (FID) was most responsive with E3, followed by E1 and …

Investigation Of Β-Cyclodextrin's Ability In Differentiating Chiral Guest Molecules And Synthesis Of 1,6-Diphenyl-2,4-Hexadiene-1,6-Dione, Guang Yang

Masters Theses

This research work comprised two projects. The first one mainly focused on the synthesis of 12 alanine derivatives and analysis of their interactions with β-cyclodextrin through ¹H NMR titration. And the other project was an investigation of the conjugation effect of alkynones in its addition reactions with tributyltin hydride.

The synthesis of the alanine derivatives involved methyl esterification of alanine and then the substitution of an NH hydrogen with a benzoyl group. A total of 4 different substitution groups, labeled as the "A" groups, were introduced on the para-position of the benzoyl's phenyl group. Since alanine has one chiral …

Effects Of Treated Wastewater Effluent On Microbial Community Structure In A Natural Receiving Aquatic System, Matthew D. Hladilek

Masters Theses

Despite our dependency on treatment facilities to condition wastewater for eventual release to the environment, our knowledge regarding the effects of treated water on the local watershed is extremely limited. Responses of these lotic systems to the treated wastewater effluent have been traditionally investigated by examining the benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages and community structure; however, these studies do not address the microbial diversity of the water systems. In the present study, planktonic and benthic bacterial community structure were examined at fourteen sites (from 60 m upstream to 12,100 m downstream) and at two time points along an aquatic system receiving treated …

A Simpler Route To Building Photochromic Cinnamaldehyde Semicarbazones, Byron R. Ebbert

Masters Theses

Photochromic semicarbazones are an interesting group of compounds that show potential in a broad range of applications, including as a more environmentally friendly replacement for photochromic metal complex compounds. Previous work has shown the feasibility to synthesize photochromic cinnamaldehyde semicarbazones (CSCs) from a benzaldehyde and a protected acetaldehyde Wittig reagent. A new, quicker, and cheaper approach to constructing these CSCs from crotonaldehyde was explored in this research. A three reaction sequence would convert crotonaldehyde to a CSC; first, an allylic bromination of the semicarbazone with N-bromosuccinimide (NBS); second, an Arbuzov reaction to prepare the semicarbazone phosphonate; and finally a condensation …

Fe Protein-Independent Substrate Reduction By Nitrogenase Mofe Protein Variants, Karamatullah Danyal, Andrew J. Rasmussen, Stephen M. Keable, Boyd S. Inglet, Studipta Shaw, Oleg A. Zadvornyy, Simon Duval, Dennis R. Dean, Simone Raugei, John W. Peters, Lance C. Seefeldt

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Publications

The reduction of substrates catalyzed by nitrogenase normally requires nucleotide-dependent Fe protein delivery of electrons to the MoFe protein, which contains the active site FeMo cofactor. Here, it is reported that independent substitution of three amino acids (β- 98Tyr→His, α-64Tyr→His, and β-99Phe→His) located between the P cluster and FeMo cofactor within the MoFe protein endows it with the ability to reduce protons to H2, azide to ammonia, and hydrazine to ammonia without the need for Fe protein or ATP. Instead, electrons can be provided by the low-potential reductant polyaminocarboxylate-ligated Eu(II) (Em values of −1.1 to −0.84 V vs the normal …

Impact Of Detergent On The Biophysical Properties And Immune Response Of The Ipadb Fusion Protein, A Candidate Subunit Vaccine Against Shigella Spp., X. Chen, S. P. Choudhari, F. J. Martinez-Becerra, J. H. Kim, N. E. Dickenson, R. T. Toth, S. B. Joshi, J. C. Greenwood, J. D. Clements, W. D. Picking, C. R. Middaugh, W. L. Picking

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Shigella spp. are causative agents of bacillary dysentery, a human illness with high global morbidity levels, particularly among elderly and infant populations. Shigella infects via the fecal-oral route, and its virulence is dependent upon a type III secretion system (T3SS). Two components of the exposed needle tip complex of the Shigella T3SS, invasion plasmid antigen D (IpaD) and IpaB, have been identified as broadly protective antigens in the mouse lethal pneumonia model. A recombinant fusion protein (DB fusion) was created by joining the coding sequences of IpaD and IpaB. The DB fusion is coexpressed with IpaB's cognate chaperone, IpgC, for …

Electrodeposited Cobalt-Phosphorous-Derived Films As Competent Bifunctional Catalysts For Overall Water Splitting, Nan Jiang, Bo You, Meili Sheng, Yujie Sun

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Publications

One of the challenges to realize large-scale water splitting is the lack of active and low-cost electrocatalysts for its two half reactions: H2 and O2 evolution reactions (HER and OER). Herein, we report that cobalt-phosphorous-derived films (Co-P) can act as bifunctional catalysts for overall water splitting. The as-prepared Co-P films exhibited remarkable catalytic performance for both HER and OER in alkaline media, with a current density of 10 mAcm¢2 at overpotentials of ¢94 mV for HER and 345 mV for OER and Tafel slopes of 42 and 47 mV/dec, respectively. They can be employed as catalysts on both anode and …

Introduction Effort, Climate Matching And Species Traits As Predictors Of Global Establishment Success In Non-Native Reptiles, Peter J. Mahoney, Karen H. Beard, Andrew M. Durso, Aimee G. Tallian, Arin Lexine Long, Ryan J. Kindermann, Nicole E. Nolan, Daniel Kinka, Harrison E. Mohn

Biology Faculty Publications

Non-native reptiles are often detrimental to native communities and ecosystems and can be extremely difficult to manage once established. Thus, there is considerable interest in predicting the likelihood of establishment of nonnative reptiles. We assessed three hypotheses describing possible factors contributing to the successful establishment of introduced reptiles in an effort to better identify potential invaders.