Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

The Unique Electrochemical Reactivity Of Small Metal Nanoparticles., Rafael A. Masitas

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation describes the factors controlling metal nanoparticle (NP) oxidation, using Au oxidation in Br- and Ag oxidation in acid as model systems. We found that the oxidation potential depends on size, surface charge, and electrode material. Size has a dramatic effect, shifting about 200 mV from > 200 nm diameter down to 4 nm diameter. The shift is more dramatic below 4 nm. 2.3 nm average diameter Au NPs oxidized in the 300-500 mV range and 1.5 nm average diameter Au NPs displayed several sharp peaks from 200 mV to as low as -200 mV. These smallest Au NPs show …

On Properties Of RW-Regular Graphs, Franklina Samani

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

If every vertex in a graph G has the same degree, then the graph is called a regular graph. That is, if deg(v) = r for all vertices in the graph, then it is denoted as an r-regular graph. A graph G is said to be vertex-weighted if all of the vertices are assigned weights. A generalized definition for degree regularity for vertex-weighted graphs can be stated as follows: A vertex-weighted graph is said to be r_w-regular if the sum of the weights in the neighborhood of every vertex is r_w. If all vertices are assigned …

Uptake Of Plutonium On A Novel Thin Film For Use In Spectrometry, William Locklair

All Theses

Trace elemental and isotopic analysis of actinides via Thermal Ionization Mass Spectrometry (TIMS) is often difficult and time consuming due to intensive sample preparation. Polymer thin films show strong potential for rapid concentration of radionuclides from solution that may prove as suitable substrates for TIMS analyses. In this work, a polymer thin film (~180 nm) was coated onto a silicon substrate and utilized for rapid radioanalytical analysis. The polymer is composed of poly(vinyl benzyl chloride) functionalized with triethyl amine (TEA) to produce an anion-exchange site for concentrating anionic actinide complexes (i.e. PuCl62-, Pu(NO3)62-) from solution. In addition, selectively functionalizing “spots” …

How To Start A Movement: Ted Talk Annotated Resource List, Daulton Cowan

Undergraduate Research Award

No abstract provided.

Novel Software Defined Radio Architecture With Graphics Processor Acceleration, Lalith Narasimhan

Dissertations

Wireless has become one of the most pervasive core technologies in the modern world. Demand for faster data rates, improved spectrum efficiency, higher system access capacity, seamless protocol integration, improved security and robustness under varying channel environments has led to the resurgence of programmable software defined radio (SDR) as an alternative to traditional ASIC based radios. Future SDR implementations will need support for multiple standards on platforms with multi-Gb/s connectivity, parallel processing and spectrum sensing capabilities. This dissertation implemented key technologies of importance in addressing these issues namely development of cost effective multi-mode reconfigurable SDR and providing a framework to …

Objective Real-Time Motion Analysis Using Wearable Devices For Post Stroke Rehabilitation, Brandon J. Allen

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

With the growing population of the elderly, there is an increasing need for reliable, inexpensive, and quantifiable clinical measures. This thesis proposes mStroke, a practical, accurate, and mobile health system that remotely measures a stroke patient's proficiency in standard post-stroke therapy activities. The proposed system is delivered as an application (App) running on a hardware system consisting of two bluetooth low energy (BLE) modular sensor devices and an iPad. The system uses accelerometers, gyroscopes, and magnetometers to measure movement during three single-tasked clinical activities: the functional reach test, the NIHSS motor arm test, and the NIHSS motor leg test. The …

The Number Of Zeros Of A Polynomial In A Disk As A Consequence Of Coefficient Inequalities With Multiple Reversals, Derek T. Bryant

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, we explore the effect of restricting the coefficients of polynomials on the bounds for the number of zeros in a given region. The results presented herein build on a body of work, culminating in the generalization of bounds among three classes of polynomials. The hypotheses of monotonicity on each class of polynomials were further subdivided into sections concerning r reversals among the moduli, real parts, and both real and imaginary parts of the coefficients.

Fecal Microbe Contamination In The Otter Creek Watershed, Madison County, Kentucky, Jacob L. Robin, Walter S. Borowski

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

No abstract provided.

An Economic Regression Model To Predict Market Movements, Timothy A. Smith, Andrew Hawkins

Publications

In finance, multiple linear regression models are frequently used to determine the value of an asset based on its underlying traits. We built a regression model to predict the value of the S&P 500 based on economic indicators of gross domestic product, money supply, produce price and consumer price indices. Correlation between the error in this regression model and the S&P’s volatility index (VIX) provides an efficient way to predict when large changes in the price of the S&P 500 may occur. As the true value of the S&P 500 deviates from the predicted value, obtained by the regression model, …

Review: A Short Introduction To De Branges-Rovnyak Spaces, Stephan Ramon Garcia

Pomona Faculty Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

An Enantiodivergent Synthesis Of CΑ-Methyl Nipecotic Acid Analogues From δ-Lactam Derivatives Obtained Through A Highly Stereoselective Cyclization Strategy, Souvik Banerjee, Emily R. Vogel, Daniel Hinton, Michael Sterling, Douglas S. Masterson

Faculty Publications

A stereoselective and enantiodivergent strategy for the construction of δ-lactams is described. The strategy utilizes chiral malonic esters prepared from enantiomerically enriched mono esters of disubstituted malonic acid. A cyclization occurs with the selective displacement of a substituted benzyl alcohol as the leaving group. The resulting δ-lactams are then converted into nipecotic acid analogues using straightforward transformations. The resulting nipecotic acid analogues proved capable organocatalysts in Mannich reactions.

Time Distortion In Bierce's "One Of The Missing" And Uroshevic's "Ракописот Од Китаб-Ан" ("The Manuscript From Kitab-An"), Kalina Maleska

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

In her article "Time Distortion in Bierce's 'One of the Missing' and Uroshevic's 'Ракописот од Китаб-Ан' ('The Manuscript from Kitab-An')" Kalina Maleska examines the relationship between literature and astronomy in the context of time. The two stories share several common elements: they explore the possible manipulations of time in unexpected and extraordinary ways and come close to certain scientific explorations of time. For "One of the Missing," Albert Einstein's theory of relativity provides an interesting foundation for understanding Bierce's treatment of time. For The Manuscript of Kitab-An, the speculations of time travel starting from the Einstein-Rosen concept of the black …

Paris Talks: Engage With The Environment, Juliet Pinto

Sea Level Rise Collection

No abstract provided.

Biogeography And Conservation Of Tidal Marsh Bird Communities Across A Changing Landscape, Maureen D. Correll

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Given the current mass extinction crisis and continued fragmentation of resources worldwide, the outlook is dire for global biodiversity. Rising global temperature, sea levels, and storm frequency all create environmental conditions that can drive change in species abundance and distribution across a landscape. Those species reliant upon a single type of habitat and resource for survival, termed “specialists”, are particularly vulnerable to change due to their inability to utilize a variety of resources well. As a result, specialism is now considered one of the dominant factors determining extinction of species. In this dissertation I explore the effects of disturbance on …

Hydrodynamic Modeling Of The Green Bay Of Lake Michigan Using The Environmental Fluid Dynamics Code, Paula Estefania Cedillo

Theses and Dissertations

In this project we created a hydrodynamic model of the Lower Green Bay of Lake Michigan in Wisconsin, United States using the Visual Environmental Fluid Dynamics Code (EFDC). The model includes four tributary rivers to Lower Green Bay as well as the open boundary flow conditions at Chambers Island. This case study is used to: 1) compare the results obtained with a previous study of Lower Green Bay to validate the creation of the model 2) examine the hydrodynamics of the bay, and 3) create a framework for future studies at Lower Green Bay. The Geographic Information used to build …

Arylboronates As H2o2 Or Photo-Inducible Dna Cross-Linking Agents: Design, Synthesis, Mechanism, And Anticancer Activity, Yibin Wang

Theses and Dissertations

Interest in the development of cancer therapies with improved selectivity and reduced host toxicity has been growing. In this thesis, we designed and synthesized a series of novel non-toxic arylboronic ester and biarylboronic ester derivatives that can be activated by hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) to induce DNA interstrand cross-link formation. The mechanism of DNA cross-linking induced by these arylboronates involves generation of phenol intermediates 1 followed by departure of leaving group (L) leading to quinone methides (QMs) 2, which directly cross-link DNA via alkylation. The QM formation is the rate-determining step for DNA cross-linking. The activity and selectivity of these compounds …

Compression Bodies And Their Boundary Hyperbolic Structures, Vinh Xuan Dang

Theses and Dissertations

We study hyperbolic structures on the compression body C with genus 2 positive boundary and genus 1 negative boundary. We consider individual hyperbolic structures as well as special regions in the space of all such hyperbolic structures. We use some properties of the boundary hyperbolic structures on C to establish an interesting property of cusp shapes of tunnel number one manifolds. This extends a result of Nimershiem in [26] to the class of tunnel number one manifolds. We also establish convergence results on the geometry of compression bodies. This extends the work of Ito in [13] from the punctured-torus case …

Novel Methods For Identification Of Posttranslational Lipid Modified Proteins By Mass Spectrometry, Ruchika P. Bhawal

Chemistry & Biochemistry Dissertations

Study of posttranslational modifications (PTMs) is very important for developing potential new drugs for the treatment of several diseases. Posttranslational lipid modifications are major PTMs which help proteins to anchor to cell membranes and facilitate protein-protein interactions. There are several kinds of lipid modifications of proteins. The major lipid modifications are palmitoylation, myristoylation and prenylation. Prenylation are of two types - farnesylation and geranylgeranylation. These modifications are involved with several human cancers and genetic diseases. Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS), a disease which causes premature aging for children is the product of prenylation. Understanding the mechanism of prenylation and their substrates …

Determination Of Total And D-Amino Acid Content In Mice Brain Tissue By Achiral-Chiral Heart-Cutting Two-Dimensional Liquid Chromatography: Diagnostic And Clinical Relevance And A Comparison Between Non-Perfused And Perfused Tissue, Curran Parpia

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses

A heart-cutting two dimensional liquid chromatographic method for the quantification of free amino acid enantiomers from mouse brain tissue is demonstrated. Evidence to support the occurrence of D-amino acids in significant concentrations in physiological samples has spurred studies toward the elucidation of their importance and function. In this work, the level and regional distribution of select amino acids were determined by achiral-chiral LC/LC. Additionally, the effect of tissue perfusion on these levels was investigated. The free amino acid extracts were analyzed as their 9-fluorenylmethyloxycarbonyl derivatives and separated in the reverse phase mode on superficially porous C18. In the second dimension, …

Synthesis Of Modified Ribose Spin-Label, Ke-Wei Chang

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses

Transfer ribonucleic acids (tRNAs) from all organisms contain modified nucleosides, which are derived from four different nucleosides. Research has indicated that tRNA modifications affect translation and various metabolic pathways. Among these modifications, some of them need more than one enzyme to produce specific nucleosides. Researchers are interested in investigating the fundamental mechanisms and function of post-transcriptional modifying enzymes. A number of these enzymes are metal-dependent, such as MiaB and MiaE. MiaE enzyme (2-methylthio-N6-isopentenyl-adenosine(37)-tRNA monooxygenase) stereospecifically hydroxylates an adeonosine derivative at the 37th position of tRNA, ms2i6A37, to complete the hypermodification of 2-methylthio-N6-(4-hydroxyisopentenyl)-adenosine (ms2io6A37). Several studies showed that the ms2io6A37 modification …

Theoretical Prediction Of Materials For Efficient Conversion Of Solar Energy, Pranab Sarker

Physics Dissertations

Our present work represents a systematic theoretical and computational research to find an affordable material for solar energy application using density functional theory (DFT) and post-DFT such as DFT+U and DFT-HSE06. Here, we predict a new photovoltaic material (CuSnW2O8) and a new photocatalyst (ZnSnW2O8). In addition, a new method for predicting the higher power conversion efficiency (PCE) optimized growth conditions will be presented. It is well known that all physical properties are calculated once crystal structure is known. However, knowing crystal structure is extremely challenging and to date, there is no success has been claimed in the case of a …

Stressors And Strategies For Managing Urban Water Scarcity: Perspectives From The Field, Vivek Shandas, Rosa Lehman, Kelli L. Larson, Jeremy Bunn, Heejun Chang

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

Largely because water resource planning in the U.S. has been separated from land-use planning, opportunities for explicitly linking planning policies to water availability remain unexamined. The pressing need for better coordination between land-use planning and water management is amplified by changes in the global climate, which will place even greater importance on managing water supplies and demands than in the past. By surveying land and water managers in two urbanizing regions of the western United States—Portland, Oregon and Phoenix Arizona—we assessed the extent to which their perspectives regarding municipal water resource management align or differ. We specifically focus on characterizing …

Coordinated Persuasion With Dynamic Group Formation For Collaborative Elderly Care, Budhitama Subagdja, Ah-Hwee Tan

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Ageing in place demands a new paradigm of inhouse caregiving allowing many aspects of daily lives to be tackled by smart appliances and technologies. The important challenges include the effective provision of recommendations by multiple parties of caregiver constituting changes of the user’s behavior. In this multiagent environment, interdependencies between agents become major issues to tackle. This paper presents an approach of dynamic group formation for autonomous caregiving agents to collaborate in recommending different aspects of well-being. The approach supports the agents to regulate the timing of their recommendations, prevent conflicting messages, and cooperate to make more effective persuasions. A …

Lossy Projective Hashing And Its Applications, Haiyang Xue, Yamin Liu, Xianhui Lu, Bao Li

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

In this paper, we introduce a primitive called lossy projective hashing. It is unknown before whether smooth projective hashing (Cramer-Shoup, Eurocrypt’02) can be constructed from dual projective hashing (Wee, Eurocrypt’12). The lossy projective hashing builds a bridge between dual projective hashing and smooth projective hashing. We give instantiations of lossy projective hashing from DDH, DCR, QR and general subgroup membership assumptions (including 2k-th residue, p-subgroup and higher residue assumptions). We also show how to construct lossy encryption and fully IND secure deterministic public key encryption from lossy projective hashing. – We give a construction of lossy projective hashing via dual …

Nonlinear Partial Differential Equations, Their Solutions, And Properties, Prasanna Bandara

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Although valuable understanding of real-world phenomena can be gained experimentally, it is often the case that experimental investigations can be found to be limited by financial, ethical or other constraints making such an approach impractical or, in some cases, even impossible. To nevertheless understand and make predictions of the natural world around us, countless processes encountered in the physical and biological sciences, engineering, economics and medicine can be efficiently described by means of mathematical models written in terms of ordinary or/and partial differential equations or their systems. Fundamental questions that arise in the modeling process need care that relies on …

The Classical Theory Of Rearrangements, Monica Josue Agana

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

One type of conditionally convergent series that has long been considered by mathematicians is the Alternating Harmonic Series and its sum under various types of rearrangements. The purpose of this thesis is to introduce results from the classical theory of rearrangements dating back to the 19th and early 20th century. We will look at results by mathematicians such as Ohm, Riemann, Schlömilch, Pringsheim, and Sierpiński. In addition, we show examples of each classical result by applying the Alternating Harmonic Series under the different types of rearrangements, and also introducing theorems by Lévy and Steinitz, and Wilczyński which are modern extensions …

Natural Degradation Of Earthworks, Trenches, Walls And Moats, Northern Thailand, Spencer H. Wood, Layle R. Wood, Alan D. Ziegler

Geosciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

“………..structures of this kind are hidden away securely under the thick overgrowth: thus does nature preserve what man would surely destroy” (from Sumet Jumsai, 1970)

We investigate the geometry, age, and history of several enigmatic northern Thailand earthwork entrenchments that are mostly located on hills and could not have held water to form moats. The earthworks are either oval or rectangular in map view; and they typically encircle 0.3-to-1-km² areas that do not have potsherd debris indicative of former towns. Most trenches are 3-5 m deep with inner walls 4.5-8 m high. Some encircling earthworks are concentric double trenches …

Lower Bound For Ranks Of Invariant Forms, Harm Derksen, Zach Teitler

Mathematics Faculty Publications and Presentations

We give a lower bound for the Waring rank and cactus rank of forms that are invariant under an action of a connected algebraic group. We use this to improve the Ranestad-Schreyer-Shafiei lower bounds for the Waring ranks and cactus ranks of determinants of generic matrices, Pfaffians of generic skew-symmetric matrices, and determinants of generic symmetric matrices.

College Students' Perceptions Of Sustainability: A Regional Survey, Michael Myung Jeong, Younghan Jung, Dan Daehyun Koo

Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

Understanding college students’ perception of sustainability is paramount as today’s students will soon be driving our economy and taking on the responsibility of maintaining a sustainable society. This study conducted a survey of college students attending two regional universities in the United States to capture their current experience levels, expectations, and perceptions with regard to various aspects of sustainability utilizing a questionnaire consisting of structured questions about sustainability knowledge/familiarity levels, green product purchase behavior, attitude-behavior relationship, and sustainability education. The results reveal useful insights into the students’ views on these topics and the demographic data collected were further analyzed to …

Nebraska's Public Access Hunting Program: Hunter Preferences And Usage Final Report, Lisa Pennisi, Mark E. Burbach, Namyun Kil, Muhammed Imran Kahn, Andrew J. Tyre

Conservation and Survey Division

No abstract provided.