Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Slip Pulse And Resonance Of The Kathmandu Basin During The 2015 Gorkha Earthquake, Nepal, John Galetzka, Walter Szeliga

All Faculty Scholarship for the College of the Sciences

Detailed geodetic imaging of earthquake ruptures enhances our understanding of earthquake physics and associated ground shaking. The 25 April 2015 moment magnitude 7.8 earthquake in Gorkha, Nepal was the first large continental megathrust rupture to have occurred beneath a high-rate (5-hertz) Global Positioning System (GPS) network. We used GPS and interferometric synthetic aperture radar data to model the earthquake rupture as a slip pulse ~20 kilometers in width, ~6 seconds in duration, and with a peak sliding velocity of 1.1 meters per second, which propagated toward the Kathmandu basin at ~3.3 kilometers per second over ~140 kilometers. The smooth slip …

Reactions Between Zinc Metallothionein And Carbonic Anhydrase, Tyler B. J. Pinter

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

More than 25% of proteins require metal ion cofactors for structure or function. The interactions between metalloproteins have largely been overlooked, though these interactions ultimately govern metal localization and control metal ion homeostasis. Mammalian metallothionein (MT) is a small, cysteine-rich metalloprotein that binds numerous metal ions per protein strand. Up to seven divalent metals, such as zinc or cadmium, are wrapped into a clustered two-domain structure. This unusually high metal content places MT as an attractive candidate for studying interactions with other metal-binding proteins. This present study investigates the metal transfer reactions between MTs and other metalloproteins, using carbonic anhydrase …

Clustering-Based Personalization, Seyed Nima Mirbakhsh

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Recommendation systems have been the most emerging technology in the last decade as one of the key parts in e-commerce ecosystem. Businesses offer a wide variety of items and contents through different channels such as Internet, Smart TVs, Digital Screens, etc. The number of these items sometimes goes over millions for some businesses. Therefore, users can have trouble finding the products that they are looking for. Recommendation systems address this problem by providing powerful methods which enable users to filter through large information and product space based on their preferences. Moreover, users have different preferences. Thus, businesses can employ recommendation …

Boron-Rich Benzene And Pyrene Derivatives For The Detection Of Thermal Neutrons, Henok A. Yemam, Adam Mahl, Unsal Koldemir, Tyler Remedes, Sean Parkin, Uwe Greife, Alan Sellinger

Chemistry Faculty Publications

A synthetic methodology is developed to generate boron rich aromatic small molecules based on benzene and pyrene moieties for the detection of thermal neutrons. The prepared aromatic compounds have a relatively high boron content up to 7.4 wt%, which is important for application in neutron detection as ¹⁰B (20% of natural abundance boron) has a large neutron induced reaction cross-section. This is demonstrated by preparing blends of the synthesized molecules with fluorescent dopants in poly(vinyltoluene) matrices resulting in comparable scintillation light output and neutron capture as state-of-the art commercial scintillators, but with the advantage of much lower cost. The …

Inverting The Transition-To-Proof Classroom, Robert Talbert

Funded Articles

In this paper, we examine the benefits of employing an inverted or “flipped” class design in a Transition-to-Proof course for second-year mathematics majors. The issues concomitant with such courses, particularly student acquisition of “sociomathematical norms” and self-regulated learning strategies, are discussed along with ways that the inverted classroom can address these issues. Finally, results from the redesign of a Transition-to-Poof class at the author’s university are given and discussed.

Characterization Of Folic Acid And Poly(Amidoamine) Dendrimer Interactions With Folate Binding Protein: A Force-Pulling Study, Pascale R. Leroueil, Stassi Dimaggio, Abigail N. Leistra, Craig D. Blanchette

University Faculty Publications and Creative Works

Atomic force microscopy force-pulling experiments have been used to measure the binding forces between folic acid (FA) conjugated poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimers and folate binding protein (FBP). The generation 5 (G5) PAMAM conjugates contained an average of 2.7, 4.7, and 7.2 FA per dendrimer. The most probable rupture force was measured to be 83, 201, and 189 pN for G5-FA2.7, G5-FA4.7, and G5-FA7.2, respectively. Folic acid blocking experiments for G5-FA7.2reduced the frequency of successful binding events and increased the magnitude of the average rupture force to 274 pN. The force data are interpreted as arising from a network of van der …

Preparedness Of Hospitals In The Republic Of Ireland For An Influenza Pandemic, An Infection Control Perspective, Mary Reidy, Fiona Ryan, Dervla Hogan, Seán Lacey, Claire Buckley

Department of Mathematics Publications

When an influenza pandemic occurs most of the population is susceptible and attack rates can range as high as 40–50 %. The most important failure in pandemic planning is the lack of standards or guidelines regarding what it means to be ‘prepared’. The aim of this study was to assess the preparedness of acute hospitals in the Republic of Ireland for an influenza pandemic from an infection control perspective.

Usability Of Error Messages For Introductory Students, Paul A. Schliep

Scholarly Horizons: University of Minnesota, Morris Undergraduate Journal

Error messages are an important tool programmers use to help find and fix mistakes or issues in their code. When an error message is unhelpful, it can be difficult to find the issue and may impose additional challenges in learning the language and concepts. Error messages are especially critical for introductory programmers in understanding problems with their code. Unfortunately, not all error messages in programming are beneficial for novice programmers. This paper discusses the general usability of error messages for introductory programmers, analyses of error messages in compilers and DrRacket, and two methodologies intended to improve error handling.

Infotainment Interface Design For Automobiles, Ian R. Buck

Scholarly Horizons: University of Minnesota, Morris Undergraduate Journal

In an increasingly connected, mobile world, situations where users do not interact with their digital lives are becoming few and far between. This can be a problem in situations that demand a user's attention for their safety. Driving is one such situation, and it is doubly important because a significant portion of the western population drives on a daily basis. Researchers have tested different interface designs with the goal of finding one that demands the least cognitive load while still allowing the user to perform the desired task efficiently. In this paper interfaces incorporating auditory cues, voice dictation, and air …

Multiscale Modeling, Simulations, And Experiments Of Coating Growth On Nanofibers. Part I. Sputtering, A. Buldum, I. Busuladzic, C. B. Clemons, L. H, Dill, K. L. Kreider, G. W. Young, Edward A. Evans, G. Zhang, S. I. Hariharan, W. Kiefer

S. I. Hariharan

This paper is Part I of an integrated experimental/modeling investigation of a procedure to coat nanofibers and core-clad nanostructures with thin-film materials using plasma-enhanced physical vapor deposition. In the experimental effort, electrospun polymer nanofibers are coated with aluminum under varying operating conditions to observe changes in the coating morphology. This procedure begins with the sputtering of the coating material from a target. This paper focuses on the sputtering process and transport of the sputtered material through the reactor. The interrelationships among the processing factors for the sputtering and transport are investigated from a detailed modeling approach that describes the salient …

A Notched Coupon Approach For Tensile Testing Of Braided Composites, Lee W. Kohlman, Justin L. Bail, Gary D. Roberts, Jonathan A. Salem, Richard E. Martin, Wieslaw K. Binienda

Wieslaw K. Binienda

A notched coupon geometry was evaluated as a method for tensile testing of 2D triaxial braid composites. Edge initiated shear failure has been observed in transverse tension tests using straight-sided coupons based on ASTM D3039. The notched coupon was designed to reduce the effects of edge initiated failure and produce the desired tensile failure. A limited set of tests were performed with partial pressurization of tubes to determine the transverse tensile strength in the absence of edge initiated failure. The transverse strength measured with the notched coupons was considerably higher than the straight-sided coupons, comparable to the tube results, and …

Classical Dynamics Of The Abelian Higgs Model From The Critical Point And Beyond, Garyfallia C. Katsimiga, F. K. Diakonos, X. N. Maintas

Physics Faculty Research & Creative Works

We present two different families of solutions of the U(1)-Higgs model in a (1. +. 1) dimensional setting leading to a localization of the gauge field. First we consider a uniform background (the usual vacuum), which corresponds to the fully higgsed-superconducting phase. Then we study the case of a non-uniform background in the form of a domain wall which could be relevantly close to the critical point of the associated spontaneous symmetry breaking. For both cases we obtain approximate analytical nodeless and nodal solutions for the gauge field resulting as bound states of an effective Pöschl-Teller potential created by the …

Mountain Pine Beetles Use Volatile Cues To Locate Host Limber Pine And Avoid Non-Host Great Basin Bristlecone Pine, Curtis A. Gray, Justin B. Runyon, Michael J. Jenkins, Andrew D. Giunta

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

The tree-killing mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins) is an important disturbance agent of western North American forests and recent outbreaks have affected tens of millions of hectares of trees. Most western North American pines (Pinus spp.) are hosts and are successfully attacked by mountain pine beetles whereas a handful of pine species are not suitable hosts and are rarely attacked. How pioneering females locate host trees is not well understood, with prevailing theory involving random landings and/or visual cues. Here we show that female mountain pine beetles orient toward volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from host limber pine (Pinus flexilis …

Hydrogeologic Investigation Of A Pumice Aquifer, Fremont/Winema National Forest, Oregon, Jonathan Michael Weatherford

Dissertations and Theses

The middle Holocene cataclysmic eruption of Mount Mazama blanketed Walker Rim, in south central Oregon, with 270 cm to 300 cm of pumice, causing capture of surface water systems by groundwater, stream relocation, and the formation of biologically diverse fens and seasonal wetlands. The pumice aquifer at Round Meadow, an 8.6 km² basin, hosts both a fen and seasonally ponded wetlands. The Round Meadow watershed lies within a closed basin between the upper Klamath and Deschutes river basins. As the highest meadow at Walker Rim, it is a relatively well-constrained system to study the effects of hydrological disruption.

A …

Biocompatible Flavone-Based Fluorogenic Probes For Quick Wash-Free Mitochondria! Imaging In Living Cells, Bin Liu, Mickey Shah, Ge Zhang, Qin Liu, Yi Pang

Ge Zhang

Mitochondria, vital organelles existing in almost all eukaryotic cells, play a crucial role in energy metabolism and apoptosis of aerobic organisms. In this work, we report two new flavone-based fluorescent probes, MC-Mito1 and MC-Mito2, for monitoring mitochondria in living cells. These two probes exhibit remarkably low toxicity, good cell permeability, and high specificity; these probes complement the existing library of mitochondrial imaging agents. The new dyes give nearly no background fluorescence, and their application does not require tedious postwashing after cell staining. The appreciable tolerance of MC-Mito2 encourages a broader range of biological applications for understanding the cell degeneration and …

A Single Molecular Probe For Multi-Analyte (Cr3+, Al3+ And Fe3+) Detection In Aqueous Medium And Its Biological Application, Junfeng Wang, Yingbo Li, Nikul Patel, Ge Zhang, Demin Zhou, Yi Pang

Ge Zhang

An ESIPT based fluorescent sensor 1 was developed, which could selectively detect and differentiate trivalent metal ions Cr3+, Al3+ and Fe3+ in aqueous medium. The cell imaging experiments confirmed that 1 can be used for monitoring intracellular Cr3+ and Al3+ levels in living cells.

On The Brink: The Melting Of Earth’S Polar Ice Caps, Stephanie Kelley

Kaleidoscope

Research indicates that earth’s polar ice caps are melting at a faster rate than ever before, a product of continued global warming. Unfortunately, side effects of this melting may negatively impact the lives of humans who dwell on this planet. Consequences may include: a significant loss of albedo, a considerable rise in sea levels, damage to aquatic ecosystems, and/or an ice age resulting from the shutdown of major oceanic currents. Although the situation is not yet imminent and the causes not yet pinpointed, the present outlook is too grim to ignore.

Investigation Of Non-Lethal Electric Shock On American Crows As A Predator Aversion Treatment For Reducing Depredation On California Least Tern Eggs, Vanessa Nicole Velasco

LMU/LLS Theses and Dissertations

The response of American crows (Corvus brachyrhynchos) to electrified eggs at the Venice Beach California least tern nesting colony was monitored throughout the 2014 season. Game cameras were deployed beside the artificial nests to record crow behavior towards the electrified eggs. Conditioned crows were defined as crows that were present within1 foot of the electrified eggs and unconditioned crows were considered crows that were present within 1 foot of the eggs. The number of conditioned crows observed in the video clips significantly differed from a homogenous distribution using a chi-square test (p

A Comparison Of The Bioaccumulation Potential Of Mercury And Polychlorinated Biphenyls In Goldfish (Carassius Auratus), Jiajia Li, Ken G. Drouillard, Brian Braunfireun, Douglass G. Haffner

Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research Publications

Both mercury (Hg) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) demonstrate food web biomagnification in aquatic ecosystems, yet their toxicokinetics have not been simultaneously contrasted within a common fish species. This study quantifies uptake and elimination rates of Hg and PCBs in goldfish. Fish were exposed to contaminated food containing PCBs and Hg to determine dietary chemical assimilation efficiencies (AEs) and elimination coefficients (k_tot). To test first-order kinetics, three exposure regimes were established by varying the proportion of contaminated fish incorporated into the food. Dietary AEs were 98 ± 10, 75 ± 12, and 40 ± 9% for MeHg, THg, and …

U.S. Drought Monitor, September 1, 2015, Anthony Artusa

United States Agricultural Commodities in Drought Archive

Drought map of U.S. for September 1, 2015 (9/1/15) plus: U.S. crop areas experiencing drought (map), Approximate percentage of crop located in drought, by state (bar graph), Percent of crop area located in drought, past 52 weeks (line graph) for: Corn, Soybeans, Hay, Cattle, Winter wheat.

Evaluating Sub-Lethal Effects Of Orchard-Applied Pyrethroids Using Video-Tracking Software To Quantify Honey Bee Behaviors, Erin M. Ingram, Julie Augustin, Marion D. Ellis, Blair Siegfried

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Managed honey bee, Apis mellifera L., colonies are contracted to pollinate fruit and nut orchards improving crop quality and yield. Colonies placed in orchards are potentially exposed to pyrethroid insecticides used for broad-spectrum pest control. Pyrethroids have been reported to pose minimal risk to bees due to their low application rates in the field and putative repellent properties. This repellency is believed to alter foraging behavior with the benefit of preventing bees from encountering a lethal dose in the field. However, sub-lethal exposure to pyrethroids may adversely impact bee behavior potentially resulting in social dysfunction or disruption of foraging.

This …

A Gene-Based Association Method For Mapping Traits Using Reference Transcriptome Data, Eric R. Gamazon, Heather Wheeler, Kaanan P. Shah, Sahar V. Mozaffari, Keston Aquino-Michaels, Robert J. Carroll, Anne E. Eyler, Joshua C. Denny, Gtex Consortium, Dan L. Nicolae, Nancy J. Cox, Hae Kyung Im

Bioinformatics Faculty Publications

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified thousands of variants robustly associated with complex traits. However, the biological mechanisms underlying these associations are, in general, not well understood. We propose a gene-based association method called PrediXcan that directly tests the molecular mechanisms through which genetic variation affects phenotype. The approach estimates the component of gene expression determined by an individual’s genetic profile and correlates ‘imputed’ gene expression with the phenotype under investigation to identify genes involved in the etiology of the phenotype. Genetically regulated gene expression is estimated using whole-genome tissue-dependent prediction models trained with reference transcriptome data sets. PrediXcan enjoys …

Orbital Simulations On The Deflection Of Near Earth Objects By Directed Energy, Qicheng Zhang, Kevin J. Walsh, Carl Melis, Gary Hughes, Philip Lubin

Statistics

Laser ablation of a Near Earth Object (NEO) on a collision course with Earth produces a cloud of ejecta which exerts a thrust on the asteroid, deflecting it from its original trajectory. The DE-STAR system provides such a thrust by illuminating an Earth-targeting asteroid or comet from afar with a stand-off system consisting of a large phased-array laser in Earth orbit. A much smaller version of the same system called DE-STARLITE travels alongside the target, operating in a stand-on mode, slowly deflecting it over a long period. Such a stand-on system would also permit directing the thrust in any desired …

Rfid Microscope Lab, Patricia Carranza

Computer Engineering

The RFID Microscope Lab is a new exhibit created for the San Luis Obispo Children's Museum. The goal of the project is to create a modern, interactive exhibit that will teach children about different natural specimens through the use of technology. A computer, custom software, and RFID technology, will be used to display facts, microscopic images, and short videos of ten different specimens.

Bioinformatics Approaches To Single-Cell Analysis In Developmental Biology, Dicle Yalcin, Zeynep M. Hakguder, Hasan H. Otu

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Faculty Publications

Individual cells within the same population show various degrees of heterogeneity, which may be better handled with single-cell analysis to address biological and clinical questions. Single-cell analysis is especially important in developmental biology as subtle spatial and temporal differences in cells have significant associations with cell fate decisions during differentiation and with the description of a particular state of a cell exhibiting an aberrant phenotype. Biotechnological advances, especially in the area of microfluidics, have led to a robust, massively parallel and multi-dimensional capturing, sorting, and lysis of single-cells and amplification of related macromolecules, which have enabled the use of imaging …

Heirloom: A Piper's Orchard Abecadarian, Shin Yu Pai

The Goose

Poetry by Shin Yu Pai

A Mechanism For Biologically Induced Iodine Emissions From Sea Ice, A. Saiz-Lopez, Christopher S. Blaszczak-Boxe, L. J. Carpenter

Publications and Research

Ground- and satellite-based measurements have reported high concentrations of iodine monoxide (IO) in coastal Antarctica. The sources of such a large iodine burden in the coastal Antarctic atmosphere remain unknown.We propose a mechanism for iodine release from sea ice based on the premise that micro-algae are the primary source of iodine emissions in this environment. The emissions are triggered by the biological production of iodide (I�) and hypoiodous acid (HOI) from micro-algae (contained within and underneath sea ice) and their diffusion through sea-ice brine channels, ultimately accumulating in a thin brine layer (BL) on the surface of sea ice. Prior …

Per-Contact Infectivity Of Hcv Associated With Injection Exposures In A Prospective Cohort Of Young Injection Drug Users In San Francisco, Ca (Ufo Study), Yuridia Leyva

Mathematics & Statistics ETDs

Sharing needles and ancillary injection drug equipment places injection drug users (IDU) at risk for Hepatitis C Virus (HCV), a highly infectious blood-borne virus. A limited number of studies have analyzed the per-contact infectivity of HCV associated with the use of previously-used needles, but per-contact infectivity of ancillary injecting equipment has not been previously investigated. Our goal is to estimate the per-contact infectivity of HCV associated with (1) injecting with another person's previously-used needle, classified as receptive needle sharing (RNS), and (2) using another person's previously-used ancillary injecting equipment, such as cookers to melt drugs and cottons to strain impurities …

Case Studies Of The Hot Dog-Fold And Acyl-Adenylate-Forming Superfamilies: Characterizing The Importance Of Functional Divergence In Cellular Metabolism, Lucas Zimney

Chemistry and Chemical Biology ETDs

Some of the biggest contributors to cellular respiration (and cellular metabolism in general) are acyl-CoA derivatives, a subclass of biological thioesters. Known to function in a variety of pathways, the regulation of their formation and breakdown are critical, carried about by acyl-CoA synthetases and thioesterases, respectively. The work reported within this dissertation will focus on functional divergence within two enzyme superfamilies -- the hot dog-fold and acyl-adenylate-forming superfamilies — and can be broken down into two main parts. Part one will look at tracking the functional divergence within the hot dog-fold superfamily thioesterases. A highly evolved thioesterase, flK, has been …

Mining Public Databases For Discovery Of Structure And Function Within The Hotdog-Fold Thioesterase And Had Phosphatase Enzyme Families, Sarah Toews Keating

Chemistry and Chemical Biology ETDs

For my doctoral work, I have developed strategies to mine public databases for data that can be used to infer structural and functional information for the hotdog-fold and HADSF superfamilies. For the hotdog-fold superfamily, I used curated and automatically applied annotations of structure, taxonomic lineage, function, and subfamily membership from the UniProtKB, gene context and taxonomic information from the NCBI, and the results of several in-depth explorations of subfamily/function and structural class membership. Based on the distribution of the aforementioned annotations mapped onto a sequence similarity network (SSN), I applied structural assignments to sequences and/or specific function/subfamily assignments to ~143,000 …