Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Modeling Longitudinal Change In Cervical Length Across Pregnancy, Hope M. Wolf, Shawn J. Latendresse, Jerome F. Strauss Iii, Timothy P. York

Graduate Research Posters

Introduction: A short cervix (cervical length < 25 mm) in the mid-trimester (18 to 24 weeks) of pregnancy is a powerful predictor of spontaneous preterm delivery (gestational age at delivery < 37 weeks). Although the biological mechanisms of cervical remodeling have been the subject of extensive investigation, very little is known about the rate of change in cervical length over the course of a pregnancy, or the extent to which rapid cervical shortening increases maternal risk for spontaneous preterm delivery.

Methods: A cohort of 5,160 unique women carrying 5,971 singleton pregnancies provided two or more measurements of cervical length during pregnancy. Cervical length was measured in millimeters using a transvaginal 12-3 MHz ultrasound endocavity probe (SuperSonic Imagine). Maternal characteristics, including relevant medical history and birth outcome data, were collected for each participant. Gestational age at delivery was measured from the first day of each woman’s last menstrual period and confirmed by ultrasound. Repeated measurements of cervical length during pregnancy were modeled as a longitudinal, multilevel growth curve in MPlus. A three-level variance structure was …

Collisions Or Adsorption: An Electrochemical Random Walk Decides, Junaid U. Ahmed, Julio C. Alvarez

Graduate Research Posters

Current-time recordings of toluene microdroplets emulsified in water and containing 20 mM Ferrocene (Fc), show multiple electrochemical peaks from oxidation of Fc on disk microelectrodes (5μm-diameter). The average droplet diameter (~0.7 μm) determined from area integration of the peaks was close to Dynamic Light Scattering measurements (~1 μm). Random walk simulations were performed deriving equations to simulate droplet electrolysis using the diffusion and thermal velocity expressions established by Einstein. The simulations show that multiple droplet-electrode collisions, lasting ~0.11 μs each, occur before a droplet wanders away. Updating the Fc-concentration at every collision shows that a droplet only oxidizes ~0.58 % …

Activity Of Saccharomyces Cerevisiae By Single Entity Electrochemistry, John Lutkenhaus

Graduate Research Posters

According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, antibiotics decrease in effectiveness as bacteria gain resistance for previously treatable illnesses. Currently, antibiotic susceptibility is typically carried out via the Kirby-Bauer method. Even with automation, this process requires two incubation periods so a less time-consuming technique is desirable. Single entity electrochemistry (SEE) detects changes in current when collisions of individual particles at an ultramicroelectrode (UME) are linked with an electrochemical event. Our group has obtained step-like and spike-like responses of Saccharomyces cerevisiae at the UME surface as a result of adsorption and desorption, respectively. This response is due to the …

Mental Health And The Covid-19 Pandemic: Analysis Of Twitter Discourse, Omar El-Gayar, Abdullah Wahbeh, Tareq Nasralah, Ahmed El Noshokaty, Mohammad A. Al-Ramahi

Computer Information Systems Faculty Publications

This study analyzed Twitter discourse to understand the association of the COVID-19 pandemic with mental health. The study compared tweets’ volume over time, tweets’ volume per mental health category, emotions, and the top hashtags on mental health before and after November 2019, the month on which the first COVID-19 case was reported. We analyzed a total of 273 million English tweets on mental health collected from 56 million unique users. Results and analysis showed a significant shift in trend for the volume of tweets on mental health over time. There was also a notable increase in the volume of tweets …

Σ-Ary, Minnesota State University Moorhead, Mathematics Department

Math Department Newsletters

No abstract provided.

A Van Der Corput Type Lemma For Oscillatory Integrals With Holder Amplitudes And Its Applications, Hussain Al-Qassem, Leslie C. Cheng, Yibiao Pan

Mathematics Faculty Research and Scholarship

We prove a decay estimate for oscillatory integrals with \linebreak H\"older amplitudes and polynomial phases. The estimate allows us to answer certain questions concerning the uniform boundedness of oscillatory singular integrals on various spaces.

Texture Classification Using Angular And Radial Bins In Transformed Domain, Arun D. Kulkarni, Aavash Sthapit, Ashim Sedhain, Bishrut Bhattarai, Saurav Panthee

Computer Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Texture is generally recognized as fundamental to perceptions. There is no precise definition or characterization available in practice. Texture recognition has many applications in areas such as medical image analysis, remote sensing, and robotic vision. Various approaches such as statistical, structural, and spectral have been suggested in the literature. In this paper we propose a method for texture feature extraction. We transform the image into a two-dimensional Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) and extract features using the ring and wedge bins in the DCT plane. These features are based on texture properties such as coarseness, smoothness, graininess, and directivity of the …

Evaluating Grasping Visualizations And Control Modes In A Vr Game, Alex Adkins, Lorraine Lin, Aline Normoyle, Ryan Canales, Yuting Ye, Sophie Jörg

Computer Science Faculty Research and Scholarship

A primary goal of the Virtual Reality(VR) community is to build fully immersive and presence-inducing environments with seamless and natural interactions. To reach this goal, researchers are investigating how to best directly use our hands to interact with a virtual environment using hand tracking. Most studies in this field require participants to perform repetitive tasks. In this article, we investigate if results of such studies translate into a real application and game-like experience. We designed a virtual escape room in which participants interact with various objects to gather clues and complete puzzles. In a between-subjects study, we examine the effects …

An Authoring Tool To Provide Group And Crowd Animation Using Natural Language Scripts, Guido Mainardi, Aline Normoyle, Vinícius Cassol, Norman Badler, Soraia Raupp Musse

Computer Science Faculty Research and Scholarship

Virtual environments have become ubiquitous, expanding beyond games into the domains of architecture, engineering, psychology, education, and archaeology. Furthermore, virtual humans can further enhance these environments when they provide compelling and coherent behaviors. In this paper, we present a scripting language based on simple, plain English commands. Our system assists people without game and animation expertise to populate large environments and complex scenarios. To validate our approach, we develop a prototype using Unreal Engine 4 and author a variety of indoor and outdoor agent simulations. Furthermore, we test our prototype with both experienced and inexperienced users, creating scenarios for a …

Big Data Management In The Shipping Industry : Examining Strengths Vs Weaknesses And Highlighting Relevant Business Opportunities, Dimitrios Dalaklis, Georgios Vaitsos, Nikitas Nikitakos, Dimitrios Papachristos, Angelo Dalaklis, Esslam Hassan

Conference Papers

History testifies that there is a dialectic relationship between humans and technology. Especially during the last couple of decades, the shipping industry has benefitted from a very extended number of advanced technology innovations. Today, all systems supporting the conduct of navigation and the various information technology (IT) applications related to ship management activities are heavily reliant upon (almost) real-time information to safely/effectively fulfil their allocated tasks. As a result, truly vast quantities of data -which are often described as “Big Data” in the wider literature- are created and the issue of how to effectively manage all the associated information is …

About Automorphisms Of Some Finite Groups, Sarah Emery

West Chester University Master’s Theses

This thesis gives an introduction to some topics from group theory, with a focus on automorphism groups of finite groups. Chapter one introduces the basic definitions and properties of groups and subgroups. In chapter two, the different classifications of functions between groups are defined and some properties thereof are given. Here we define automorphisms which are the focus of the paper. Chapters three and four deal with permutation groups and Sylow theorems respectively, and are discussions of some important groups, subgroups, and theorems pertaining thereto. The topics of these chapters help with our discussion of automorphism groups in the final …

West Chester University Zero Waste Atlas Campus Assessment 2021, Alex Freid, Grace Bowden, Andrew James

WCU Campus Sustainability Initiatives

In Spring 2021, West Chester University’s Office of Sustainability hired the Post- Landfill Action Network (PLAN) to support two Sustainability Peer Educators, Grace Bowden ‘21 and Andrew James ‘21, to conduct a holistic assessment of the University’s waste management system. WCU’s Climate Action Plan includes a goal of achieving zero waste (as defined by 90% diversion from landfills and incinerators), with no defined timeline for achievement. The plan also outlines a number of key next steps in working towards that goal, many of which have yet to be achieved as outlined in this report. WCU remains committed to reduce waste …

On The Equivalence Between Weak Bmo And The Space Of Derivatives Of The Zygmund Class, Eddy Kwessi

Mathematics Faculty Research

In this paper, we will discuss the space of functions of weak bounded mean oscillation. In particular, we will show that this space is the dual space of the special atom space, whose dual space was already known to be the space of derivative of functions (in the sense of distribution) belonging to the Zygmund class of functions. We show, in particular, that this proves that the Hardy space H¹ strictly contains the special atom space.

A Consistent Estimator Of Nontrivial Stationary Solutions Of Dynamic Neural Fields, Eddy Kwessi

Mathematics Faculty Research

Dynamics of neural fields are tools used in neurosciences to understand the activities generated by large ensembles of neurons. They are also used in networks analysis and neuroinformatics in particular to model a continuum of neural networks. They are mathematical models that describe the average behavior of these congregations of neurons, which are often in large numbers, even in small cortexes of the brain. Therefore, change of average activity (potential, connectivity, firing rate, etc.) are described using systems of partial different equations. In their continuous or discrete forms, these systems have a rich array of properties, among which is the …

A Continuous-Time Mathematical Model And Discrete Approximations For The Aggregation Of Β-Amyloid, A. S. Ackleh, Saber Elaydi, G. Livadiotis, A. Veprauskas

Mathematics Faculty Research

Alzheimer's disease is a degenerative disorder characterized by the loss of synapses and neurons from the brain, as well as the accumulation of amyloid-based neuritic plaques. While it remains a matter of contention whether β-amyloid causes the neurodegeneration, β-amyloid aggregation is associated with the disease progression. Therefore, gaining a clearer understanding of this aggregation may help to better understand the disease. We develop a continuous-time model for β-amyloid aggregation using concepts from chemical kinetics and population dynamics. We show the model conserves mass and establish conditions for the existence and stability of equilibria. We also develop two …

Wastewater Treatment Plant’S Effectiveness At Treating Fecal Coliforms On The Lower Kanawha River, Christina Elaine Whitt

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The treatment of household waste and water via wastewater treatment plants is an extremely important process that helps to keep humans and animals healthy and safe (Environmental Protection Agency, 2019). With so many ways to treat wastewater, it is difficult to know which treats most effectively. Most treatment is done through the introduction of air which serves to evenly distribute oxygen for aerobic biodegradation in the wastewater. The effectiveness of the treatment is directly related to the process upon which air is introduced. The different ways of injecting air into the treatment process makes a significant difference in treatment outcome. …

The U-Net-Based Active Learning Framework For Enhancing Cancer Immunotherapy, Vishwanshi Joshi

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the world. According to the U.S. Breast Cancer Statistics, about 281,000 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed in 2021 (Smith et al., 2019). The death rate of breast cancer is higher than any other cancer type. Early detection and treatment of breast cancer have been challenging over the last few decades. Meanwhile, deep learning algorithms using Convolutional Neural Networks to segment images have achieved considerable success in recent years. These algorithms have continued to assist in exploring the quantitative measurement of cancer cells in the tumor microenvironment. …

On Hamilton Cycle Decompositions Of Complete Multipartite Graphs Which Are Both Cyclic And Symmetric, Fatima A. Akinola

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Let G be a graph with v vertices. A Hamilton cycle of a graph is a collection of edges which create a cycle using every vertex. A Hamilton cycle decomposition is cyclic if the set of cycle is invariant under a full length permutation of the vertex set. We say a decomposition is symmetric if all the cycles are invariant under an appropriate power of the full length permutation. Such decompositions are known to exist for complete graphs and families of other graphs. In this work, we show the existence of cyclic n-symmetric Hamilton cycle decompositions of a family …

The Effects Of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals On Plants, Christian Mathew Pridemore

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are a diverse group of chemicals which can have a detrimental effect on human health, affecting any physiological body system sensitive to hormonal changes. Human exposure to EDCs is inevitable due to their prevalence in modern living; EDCs are integral compounds found in everyday items with which humans interact and ingest. These, along with other indirect avenues leading to EDC exposure, pose a threat to both human health and to the health of wildlife and agricultural environments. Studies on the effects of EDCs on plants can be substantially informative and necessary for progress towards solving the …

Collisional Methods With Applications To Charged Particle Beams, Afnan Al Marzouk

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Accurate and efficient computational methods are essential to study the dynamics of charged particle beams. Most of the available numerical methods in beam physics are based on the collisionless model which is sufficient for applications that does not depend on Coulomb collisions of the simultaneously interacting particles. However, the development of collisional numerical methods has become greatly important in recent years for applications where collisions play an important role such as the electron cooling of high energy hadron beams. While collisional methods can provide very accurate simulations, their algorithms are very complex, and they face efficiency challenges. In this work, …

Application Of The Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation To Develop A Management Plan In The Chittagong Hill Tracts Region Of Bangladesh, Nira Rahman

Theses

Land degradation from soil erosion is a major issue in hilly areas of tropical regions such as the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) of Bangladesh. The combination of an elevated topography, high-intensity storms that are further exacerbated by the impacts of climate change, and farming practices increase the susceptibility of the region to soil erosion. The Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) was developed in the mid-latitude dry climate zone of the United States during the 1990s to assist soil conservationists in implementing farming strategies that would address soil loss. Since then, researchers employed remote sensing and geographic information systems (GIS) …

Artisanal Mining Impacts In Urbanized Semi-Arid Environments: Lessons From Historic Arsenic Mining Near San Diego, California, James A. Wright

Theses

Anomalously elevated arsenic concentrations occur at an abandoned artisanal mine site in an open space recreational park in urban San Diego County, California. Although mining at the site ceased 100 years ago little to no remediation efforts took place leaving shafts, adits, waste piles and derelict infrastructure accessible by inquisitive hikers and adventurers frequenting Black Mountain Open Space Park. This study evaluates the geochemical mechanisms of As transport downgradient from the mine and examines the contribution of both climate and urbanization on the restriction of As mobility. Sediment As concentrations reach 2,320 mg/kg (483 times background crustal concentrations; n=73) along …

Asymmetry In Mie Scattering By A Homogeneous Sphere, Samuel Hanna

Honors Program Theses

Azimuthal asymmetry is present in the Mie scattering pattern of light scattered by a homogeneous sphere within a uniform medium. This asymmetry is predicted by Mie theory, which describes such scattering mathematically using solutions to Maxwell's equations. This thesis shows that the asymmetry in Mie scattering patterns is related to the polarization of the light incident on the scatterer. This relationship is reflected in the mathematics of Mie theory. Furthermore, this thesis demonstrates empirically that the polarization of the incident light is related to the asymmetry in Mie scattering patterns. Mie scattering by single polystyrene beads was recorded using an …

Comparing Interrelated Stress Measures To Differentiate Acute And Chronic Stress In Urban Freshwater Turtles, Katherine Caldwell

Honors Program Theses

As urban areas grow in size and number, there are increasing impacts on the wildlife. While some species adapt, others cannot thrive in these conditions. Stress is the biological response to a stimulus that threatens homeostasis, which can be used to understand the condition of an individual. While acute stress is beneficial for survival, chronic stress can lead to deleterious impacts. A majority of turtles can be classified as declining in number or endangered, yet there is little understanding of their physiological stress response. This study examined how various stress measures—including corticosterone (CORT) in plasma, nails and leeches, metabolic measures, …

Global Connectivity Of Southern Ocean Ecosystems, Eugene J. Murphy, Nadine M. Johnston, Eileen E. Hofmann, Richard A. Phillips, Jennifer A. Jackson, Andrew J. Constable, Sian F. Henley, Jessica Melbourne-Thomas, Rowan Trebilco, Rachel D. Cavanagh, Geraint A. Tarling, Ryan A. Saunders, David K.A. Barnes, Daniel P. Costa, Stuart P. Corney, Ceridwen I. Fraser, Juan Höfer, Kevin A. Hughes, Chester J. Sands, Sally E. Thorpe, Philip N. Trathan, José C. Xavier

CCPO Publications

Southern Ocean ecosystems are globally important. Processes in the Antarctic atmosphere, cryosphere, and the Southern Ocean directly influence global atmospheric and oceanic systems. Southern Ocean biogeochemistry has also been shown to have global importance. In contrast, ocean ecological processes are often seen as largely separate from the rest of the global system. In this paper, we consider the degree of ecological connectivity at different trophic levels, linking Southern Ocean ecosystems with the global ocean, and their importance not only for the regional ecosystem but also the wider Earth system. We also consider the human system connections, including the role of …

An Examination Of Limiting Factors Of Chrysemys Picta Bellii (Western Painted Turtles) In The Lower Willamette River Basin, Oregon, James P. Holley

Environmental Science and Management Professional Master's Project Reports

Oregon’s two native freshwater turtle species, Chrysemys picta bellii (Western painted turtle) and Actinemys marmorata (Northwestern pond turtle), have seen significantly reduced population sizes since the founding of Portland in 1845, with estimates of up to 90% for A. marmorata. This project examined turtle nesting activity at 25 sites across a range of turtle populations and habitats around the Lower Willamette River Basin. All discovered turtle nesting activity was found in areas of high solar exposure. We found 93% of over 400 nest attempts to have been depredated across the 25 sites, well above most other reported rates. At …

Admittance Modeling For Elastic Thickness Across The Mars Crustal Dichotomy Boundary, Aspen Davis

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

We use a Bouguer mass-sheet approximation for spectral admittance and correlation modeling to estimate elastic thickness, crustal thickness, crustal density, and load density across the Mars crustal dichotomy boundary near the landing site of NASA’s InSight Lander. We derive and constrain the parameter ranges using RMS misfit between the observed and theoretical admittance and their error bars. Spherical cap windows of 15° (900 km) radius are used to study 15 locations in the Northern Lowlands, the Southern Highlands and near and on the boundary which suggest distinct, but not sharp, difference in lithospheric properties. Elastic thickness estimates range generally between …

An Analysis Of C/C++ Datasets For Machine Learning-Assisted Software Vulnerability Detection, Daniel Grahn, Junjie Zhang

Computer Science and Engineering Faculty Publications

As machine learning-assisted vulnerability detection research matures, it is critical to understand the datasets being used by existing papers. In this paper, we explore 7 C/C++ datasets and evaluate their suitability for machine learning-assisted vulnerability detection. We also present a new dataset, named Wild C, containing over 10.3 million individual opensource C/C++ files – a sufficiently large sample to be reasonably considered representative of typical C/C++ code. To facilitate comparison, we tokenize all of the datasets and perform the analysis at this level. We make three primary contributions. First, while all the datasets differ from our Wild C dataset, some …

Biofilm And Cell Adhesion Strength On Dental Implant Surfaces Via The Laser Spallation Technique, James D. Boyd, Arnold J. Stromberg, Craig S. Miller, Martha E. Grady

Statistics Faculty Publications

OBJECTIVE: The aims of this study are to quantify the adhesion strength differential between an oral bacterial biofilm and an osteoblast-like cell monolayer to a dental implant-simulant surface and develop a metric that quantifies the biocompatible effect of implant surfaces on bacterial and cell adhesion.

METHODS: High-amplitude short-duration stress waves generated by laser pulse absorption are used to spall bacteria and cells from titanium substrates. By carefully controlling laser fluence and calibration of laser fluence with applied stress, the adhesion difference between Streptococcus mutans biofilms and MG 63 osteoblast-like cell monolayers on smooth and rough titanium substrates is obtained. The …

Characterizing The Geomagnetic Field At High Southern Latitudes: Evidence From The Antarctic Peninsula, Joseph Biasi, Joseph Kirschvink, Roger Fu

Other Staff Materials

Due to a dearth of data from high-latitude paleomagnetic sites, it is not currently clear if the geocentric axial dipole (GAD) hypothesis accurately describes the long-term behavior of the geomagnetic field at high latitudes. Here we present new paleomagnetic and paleointensity data from the James Ross Island (JRI) volcanic group, located on the Antarctic Peninsula. This data set addresses a notable lack of data from the 60°–70°S latitude bin and includes 251 samples from 31 sites, spanning 0.99–6.8 Ma in age. We also include positive fold, conglomerate, and baked contact tests. Paleointensity data from three methods (Thellier- Thellier, pseudo-Thellier, and …