Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Evolved Parameterized Selection For Evolutionary Algorithms, Samuel Nathan Richter

Masters Theses

"Selection functions enable Evolutionary Algorithms (EAs) to apply selection pressure to a population of individuals, by regulating the probability that an individual's genes survive, typically based on fitness. Various conventional fitness based selection functions exist, each providing a unique method of selecting individuals based on their fitness, fitness ranking within the population, and/or various other factors. However, the full space of selection algorithms is only limited by max algorithm size, and each possible selection algorithm is optimal for some EA configuration applied to a particular problem class. Therefore, improved performance is likely to be obtained by tuning an EA's selection …

Characterization Of Chromosomal Translocations In A Group Of Killifish Species By Using Genome-Wide High-Density Snp Mapping Approach, Naznin Sultana Remex

Masters Theses

"The role of chromosomal rearrangements in reproductive isolation and introgression between species is poorly understood. In heterozygous form, rearrangements may directly interrupt meiotic progression leading to partial sterility/subfertility (underdominance) or may suppress local meiotic segregation (recombination suppression). Such unbalanced meiotic segregation may also result in reproductive isolation and play roles as a driving force of speciation. The objective of this study was to gain insight into the pattern of chromosomal rearrangements in two closely related killifish species in the genus Fundulus (F. notatus, and F. olivaceus) by constructing genetic linkage maps using high-resolution single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) …

Predictive Modeling Of Webpage Aesthetics, Ang Chen

Masters Theses

"Aesthetics plays a key role in web design. However, most websites have been developed based on designers' inspirations or preferences. While perceptions of aesthetics are intuitive abilities of humankind, the underlying principles for assessing aesthetics are not well understood. In recent years, machine learning methods have shown promising results in image aesthetic assessment. In this research, we used machine learning methods to study and explore the underlying principles of webpage aesthetics"--Abstract, page iii.

Temporal Changes Of Nutrients Within The Lower Grand River Watershed And Selected Sites, Weston Scott Duley

Masters Theses

"This report presents the results of a study carried out in collaboration with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) to estimate total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) at five USGS monitoring sites within Lower Grand River Watershed (LGRW) and two monitoring sites on the Missouri River. The objective of this study was to quantify temporal changes in TN and TP concentrations and compare those to best management practices (BMPs).

In this study, the approach to the analysis of long-term surface water-quality data by using Weighted Regressions on Time, Discharge and Seasons models …

Geophysical Imaging Beneath Lake Chesterfield, Missouri, James Daniell Hayes

Masters Theses

"Lake Chesterfield in Wildwood, Missouri, has been leaking since construction of the earth-fill dam was completed in 1986, despite numerous mitigation efforts. The mitigation efforts, including the injection of grouting and the emplacement of clay liners, has not solve the leakage problem.

In the current study, geophysical (subsurface imaging) data was acquired across the drained and dry lake bed and along the base of the earth-fill dam to 1) map variable depth to top of bedrock, 2) determine the variable quality of the bedrock to depths on the order of 80 ft., 3) identify any significant karst features beneath the …

Design And Implementation Of Applications Over Delay Tolerant Networks For Disaster And Battlefield Environment, Karthikeyan Sachidanandam

Masters Theses

"In disaster/battlefield applications, there may not be any centralized network that provides a mechanism for different nodes to connect with each other to share important data. In such cases, we can take advantage of an opportunistic network involving a substantial number of mobile devices that can communicate with each other using Bluetooth and Google Nearby Connections API(it uses Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), and Wi-Fi hotspots) when they are close to each other. These devices referred to as nodes form a Delay Tolerant Network (DTN), also known as an opportunistic network. As suggested by its name, DTN can tolerate delays …

Polyxpress+: Using Social Networking To Enhance The User Experience Of An Interactive Location-Based Storytelling Application, Desiree Creel

Master's Theses

There’s no denying the ever increasing presence of social networking in our daily lives. Every day, people share what they are thinking, doing, and experiencing. But even more so, they check their favorite networks to see what the people in their lives are sharing. Social networking has become so prevalent that most applications incorporate it since it keeps users engaged and beckons them back to the application again and again.

PolyXpress is an interactive, location-based storytelling mobile application that functions as a platform for creating and experiencing stories. Written as a research project at California Polytechnic State University, it allows …

Preparing For A Changing Climate: The State Of Adaptation Planning In Maine’S Coastal Communities, Eileen Sylvan Johnson, Esperanza Stancioff, Tora Johnson, Sarena Sabine, Haley Maurice, Claire Reboussin

Maine Policy Review

Climate change is having a range of impacts on Maine’s coastal communities, impacts that will be further exacerbated by increased coastal flooding, storm events, and a warming Gulf of Maine. To better understand the status of adaptation planning by Maine coastal communities, we conducted a survey and in-depth interviews with decision makers from coastal communities. We found that communities are addressing the effects of climate change and have moved towards specific implementation strategies. Adaptation planning to date includes incorporation of climate change impacts in comprehensive planning and addressing impacts on roads, culverts, and waterfront infrastructure. Respondents indicated the need for …

Therapeutic Delivery Technology And Its Economic Impact, Paul E. Savas Jr.

Senior Honors Theses

Therapeutic delivery technology is a current area of high interest in both university and industrial settings. These technologies are being developed in order to deliver therapeutic agents, such as genes, proteins, and drugs, to patients more efficiently. Nanoscale delivery vehicles have proven to be useful for these applications; these vehicles may either be naturally produced or chemically synthesized. The physical properties of these nanomaterials must be characterized correctly using instrumentation that evaluates their size, morphology, and potential for agglomeration. These technologies represent a high-growth economic area that fosters entrepreneurship and innovation. Because of this innovative spirit, research and economic interest …

The Isotopic Composition Of Meteoric Water Along Altitudinal Transects In The Tian Shan Of Central Asia, John Bershaw, Alex R. Lechler

Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The Tian Shan in Central Asia are a unique mountain range in that they are in the world's most continental location. Seasonal precipitation in the northern Tian Shan is segregated into distinct elevation bands where high elevations receive precipitation primarily during summer and low elevations to the north receive precipitation primarily during the late winter and spring. In this study, we sampled stream water along multiple altitudinal transects to determine the effect unique seasonal patterns of precipitation have on the isotopic composition of surface water. Our results suggest that the northern Tian Shan exhibits an isotopic lapse rate for waters …

Investigation Of Narrow Bipolar Events In Mississippi Thunderstorms, Sampath Asiri Bandara

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the first part of the study FA and Log-RF data were used to examine low-altitude (<8.0 km) negative NBEs (NNBEs) to see how many -CG flashes were initiated by NNBEs. Out of 686 -CG flashes only 33 (5%) flashes were initiated by an NNBE. These NNBEs occurred at an average altitude of 6.2 km had average amplitude (range-normalized amplitude to 100 km) of 0.4 V/m and had average VHF (Log-RF) power of 130 W. Since the low-altitude NNBEs were substantially weaker than positive NBEs that initiate intracloud (IC) flashes it is hypothesized that -CG flashes are easier to initiate than IC flashes. The second part of the study investigated the properties of 201 positive NBEs (+NBEs). The +NBEs were classified in two ways: into Types A-D [Karunarathne et al. 2015] and into three different groups: Isolated Not-isolated and IC flash-initiator or INBE [Wu et al. 2014]. The average VHF (Log-RF) power of NBEs within the A-D categories were 1.9 4 9.8 and 13.2 kW respectively while the powers for the Isolated Not-isolated and INBE categories were 10.1 4 and 10.1 kW respectively. The third study considered 34 NBEs that occurred close in space and time to each other: 13 pairs of NBEs one group of three +NBEs and one group of five +NBEs. The NBEs were overlaid on radar data of the parent thunderstorms. The data indicate that the individual NBEs in each group initiated in separate intense electric field regions of small extent rather than in a single large-scale electric field region. This dissertation investigates Narrow Bipolar Events (NBEs) which are a type of short-duration (10- 30 µs) lightning discharge. The study primarily used data from NBEs collected in 2016 at seven sensor sites within 50 km of Oxford Mississippi USA. Each sensor site had three electromagnetic antennas called Fast Antenna (FA) dE⁄dt and Log-RF with bandwidths of 0-2.5 MHz 0-1.0 MHz and 186-192 MHz respectively. NBEs are often isolated from other lightning events in thunderclouds but they sometimes initiate negative cloud-to-ground (-CG) and intracloud (IC) lightning flashes or they can occur during these flashes.

Application And Refinement Of Molecular Ecology Techniques For Amphibian Conservation, Stephanie Marie Burgess

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Wildlife conservation has become increasingly difficult due to habitat loss habitat fragmentation and land use change. Thus conservationists have embraced advances in molecular ecology such as landscape genetics and microbial bioinformatics that employ genetic techniques to further understand the relationship between individuals and their environment. In landscape genetics model inferences can be used to identify features that facilitate or resist gene flow providing a framework for anticipating the impacts of land use changes on a species’ ability to disperse. However the factors that affect the transferability of landscape genetics inferences are poorly understood and little is known about the effect …

Probing Atypical Noncovalent Interactions Using Electronic Structure Theory, Katelyn Mae Dreux

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Some of the most important topics in modern chemistry involve noncovalent interactions in a variety of ways, from pharmacological processes to materials design. Due to the comparatively weak nature of these interactions, they can be difficult to investigate experimentally. Beyond what might be considered the ‘typical’ noncovalent interactions such as hydrogen bonding or London dispersion, there are less well known noncovalent interactions such as coordinate covalent, dihydrogen, and nonconventional hydrogen bonding, which have been the focus of much of this research. Through the use of electronic structure theory, fundamental information about the structure, energetics, and molecular properties of noncovalently bound …

Projected Sea Level Rise And The Conservation Ecology Of The Micronesian Megapode (Megapodius Laperouse Senex) In Palau, Micronesia, Paul M. Radley

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Climate change has been a subject of numerous studies. While findings suggest that most biological taxa will be affected by its manifestations, aspects of a species life history may increase its susceptibility to climate change. Given their reliance on environmental sources of heat to incubate their eggs, I examined the vulnerability to climate change of the avian family Megapodiidae. I also assessed habitat use, susceptibility to sea level rise, and the effect of introduced rats and tourist presence, as added stressors to climate change, on the Micronesian Megapode (Megapodius

laperouse senex) in Palau.

Based on available literature, I …

The Security Layer, Mark Thomas O'Neill

Theses and Dissertations

Transport Layer Security (TLS) is a vital component to the security ecosystem and the most popular security protocol used on the Internet today. Despite the strengths of the protocol, numerous vulnerabilities result from its improper use in practice. Some of these vulnerabilities arise from weaknesses in authentication, from the rigidity of the trusted authority system to the complexities of client certificates. Others result from the misuse of TLS by developers, who misuse complicated TLS libraries, improperly validate server certificates, employ outdated cipher suites, or deploy other features insecurely. To make matters worse, system administrators and users are powerless to fix …

Quadratic Reciprocity: Proofs And Applications, Awatef Noweafa Almuteri

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The law of quadratic reciprocity is an important result in number theory. The purpose of this thesis is to present several proofs as well as applications of the law of quadratic reciprocity. I will present three proofs of the quadratic reciprocity. We begin with a proof that depends on Gauss's lemma and Eisenstein's lemma. We then describe another proof due to Eisentein using the $n$th roots of unity. Then we provide a modern proof published in 1991 by Rousseau. In the second part of the thesis, we present two applications of quadratic reciprocity. These include special cases of Dirichlet's theorem …

Electrochemical Studies Involving Co2 Reduction With Rhenium-Based Catalysts And For Guanosine Monophosphate Oxidation, Kayla A. Milano

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The following chapter of this thesis will cover the oxidation of guanine monophosphate (GMP). GMP has been linked to numerous conditions when it is oxidized or damaged. There have been two oxidation pathways suggested in association to the oxidation of GMP: EPT and MS-EPT. The ideal conditions for GMP’s oxidation is still be studied and collected. The study focuses on the acetate versus phosphate buffer, varying base concentration in phosphate buffer, and the varying concentration of ruthenium complex, a redox mediator.

Beta Invariant And Variations Of Chain Theorems For Matroids, Sooyeon Lee

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The beta invariant of a matroid was introduced by Crapo in 1967. We first find the lower bound of the beta invariant of 3-connected matroids with rank r and the matroids which attain the lower bound. Second we characterize the matroids with beta invariant 5 and 6. For binary matroids we characterize matroids with beta invariant 7. These results extend earlier work of Oxley. Lastly we partially answer an open question of chromatic uniqueness of wheels and prove a splitting formula for the beta invariant of generalized parallel connection of two matroids. Tutte's Wheel-and-Whirl theorem and Seymour's Splitter theorem give …

Inhibition Of Hsv-1 Binding By Egcg-Stearate, Valerie Paschalis

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) is the causative agent of oral herpes, and is able to establish lifelong latent infection along with painful, recurring symptoms. Epigallocatechin-3- gallate (EGCG) is the most abundant polyphenol derived from green tea (Camellia sinensis), whose anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-cancer, and antiviral properties have been widely studied. Although EGCG is not chemically stable and has poor hydrophobicity, lipophilic derivatives of EGCG have shown increased stability as well as increased antiviral efficacy against HSV. Previous studies have demonstrated that EGCG stearate (EGCG-S), a derivative of EGCG esterified at the 4’ position with stearic acid, is able to …

Least Action Principle Applied To A Non-Linear Damped Pendulum, Katherine Rhodes

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The principle of least action is a variational principle that states an object will always take the path of least action as compared to any other conceivable path. This principle can be used to derive the equations of motion of many systems, and therefore provides a unifying equation that has been applied in many fields of physics and mathematics. Hamilton’s formulation of the principle of least action typically only accounts for conservative forces, but can be reformulated to include non-conservative forces such as friction. However, it can be shown that with large values of damping, the object will no longer …

Fabrication And In-Situ Cross-Linking Of Carboxylic Acid-Functionalized Poly(Ester Amide) Scaffolds For Tissue Engineering, Kai Cao, Derek S. Flegg, Shigang Lin, Francois Lagugne-Labarthet, Kibret Mequanint, Elizabeth Gillies

Chemistry Publications

Three-dimensional (3D) scaffolds are important tools for tissue engineering, and should ideally provide both biochemical cues and biomechanical support for cells. Poly(ester amide)s (PEAs) have emerged as promising materials for the preparation of tissue engineering scaffolds and the pendant side chains of residues such as ʟ-lysine and ʟ-aspartic acid can provide sites for the conjugation of biochemical signals. However, it has been challenging to combine scaffold morphological stability with the presentation of reactive groups on PEA scaffolds. We describe here a new approach involving the functionalization of a ʟ-lysine-containing PEA with maleic anhydride to simultaneously introduce cross-linkable alkenes and carboxylic …

Analysis Of Lte Network Rf Performance In A Dense Urban Environment, Nicholas Krawczeniuk

Honors College Theses

No abstract provided.

An Explainable Autoencoder For Collaborative Filtering Recommendation, Pegah Sagheb Haghighi, Olurotimi Seton, Olfa Nasraoui

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Autoencoders are a common building block of Deep Learning architectures, where they are mainly used for representation learning. They have also been successfully used in Collaborative Filtering (CF) recommender systems to predict missing ratings. Unfortunately, like all black box machine learning models, they are unable to explain their outputs. Hence, while predictions from an Autoencoderbased recommender system might be accurate, it might not be clear to the user why a recommendation was generated. In this work, we design an explainable recommendation system using an Autoencoder model whose predictions can be explained using the neighborhood based explanation style. Our preliminary work …

Glauconite Formation In Late Eocene Odp Site 696 Sediment In West Antarctica, Abbey States

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Antarctic sediment cores collected during Leg 113 of the Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) provide important paleoclimatic evidence over the Eocene-Oligocene transition (EOT) – a period of global cooling from greenhouse to icehouse approximately 34 million years ago. The cores, collected thirty years ago, offer new research opportunities with the application of an updated age model for the EOT in West Antarctica (Houben et al., 2013). The core from ODP Site 696 in the Weddell Sea contains a complete EOT record, with a remarkably green stratum attributed to glauconite dated to the late Eocene. The sediment composition, clay mineralogy, and geochemistry …

Geostatistical And Hydrochemical Trends In The Upper Passaic River Basin : Impact Of Road Deicing Application, Connor Evan Firor

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Sodium chloride deicing salts have been used to remove snow and ice from roadways in the Northern United States since the early 1900s. Road deicing reduces accident rates, road delays, and improve road accessibility. While it is known that the use of road deicers is beneficial, road salts have also been shown to affect surface water and groundwater quality. This study conducted major ion concentration analyses on groundwater samples collected by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) for the Upper Passaic River Basin (UPRB). Results show that the contribution of chloride to total dissolved solids increased significantly by 2010. Trend …

The Impact Of Deicing Materials On The Middle And Lower Passaic River Basins, New Jersey : A Geostatistical And Hydrochemical Analysis, Peter Joseph Soriano

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Regression analyses of major ion concentration, and specific conductance were compared on a decadal basis from field data of the 1960s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s to find if there is a statistically significant increase in calcium, chloride, and sodium compared to other major groundwater ions in the Middle and Lower Passaic River Basins. Time series graphical analyses, bivariate coefficient relationships, statistical prediction interval evaluations, and multivariate analyses were used to determine the significance of the individual ion concentration trends. Through ArcGIS, bedrock geochemistry was examined in correlation with well locations, ion concentrations, and road placements. GIS was used to …

Assimilating Mathematical Thinking To The Learning Of Shadows, Taheeda Shwana Street-Conaway

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This study focuses on a teaching experiment with 33 six-graders in a Kearny public school in Hudson County, New Jersey, during the 2017-2018 academic year. More specifically, this study explored a) the types of tasks and tools that can be used to develop students’ covariational and correspondence reasoning in learning about shadows and b) the nature of students’ reasoning about covariation and correspondence relationships as students engage in the use of tools and tasks. The results showed that the simulation and the tasks I designed had the students engaged in the learning process. Students were able to reason about the …

Analysis And Optimization Of Chassis Movements In Transportation Networks With Centralized Chassis Processing Facilities, Timothy Martin Vanderbeek

CGU Theses & Dissertations

This work studies the concept of “Centralized Processing of Chassis,” and its potential impact on port drayage efficiency. The concept revolves around an off-dock terminal (or several off-dock terminals), referred to as Chassis Processing Facilities (CPFs). A CPF is located close to the port, where trucks will go to exchange chassis, thereby reducing traffic at the marine terminals and resulting in reduced travel times and reduced congestion. This work is divided into two major studies: one at the strategic planning level, and one at the operational level for individual trucking companies.

In the first study, an analytical framework for modeling …

Qoe Driven Multimedia Service Schemes In Wireless Networks Resource Allocation: Evolution From Optimization, Game Theory, To Economics, Shuan He

CGU Theses & Dissertations

In order to deal with the Quality of Experience (QoE) improvement issue in the wireless networks services. In this dissertation we first investigated the Device to Device (D2D) relaying approach in the conventional Base Station (BS) to User Equipment (UE) two entities multimedia service system. In this part, the Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) technology will be implemented in the D2D communication. Furthermore, factors such as the multimedia content distribution (i.e., Quad-tree fractal image compression method), the power allocation strategy, and modulation size are jointly considered to improve the QoE performance and energy efficiency. In addition, the emerging Non-Orthogonal Multiple …

Anthocyanin Stability In Food Products Made With Freeze-Dried Blueberry Powder, Samantha R. Findley, Luke Howard

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

This study evaluated the stability of anthocyanins in six blueberry products (gummy, graham bar, oatmeal bar, rice krispy bar, ice pop and juice) prepared with freeze-dried wild blueberry powder during processing and over eight weeks storage. Total anthocyanins were determined by HPLC before processing and at day 0 and 2, 4, 6, and 8 weeks of storage. Thermal processing of gummy and graham bar products resulted in losses of anthocyanins (50 and 31%, respectively). An eight-week storage time also resulted in a decrease in anthocyanins (7 to 51%) in products stored at ambient temperature. The ice pop, which was stored …