Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Studies Of Periodic And Quasiperiodic Gold Nanohole Arrays And Their Applications, Zhaoliang Yang

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Wavelength to refractive index sensitivity and resonance wavelength position are two very important performance characteristics for nanohole array based surface plasmon resonance sensors while these characteristics are mostly researched on periodic nanohole arrays, instead of quasiperiodic nanohole arrays. This thesis deduces theoretical equations about the wavelength to refractive index sensitivity and resonance wavelength position of quasiperiodic nanohole arrays. Theoretical analysis shows that wavelength to refractive index sensitivity is not associated with geometry pattern, hole size or pitch but with the wavelength. A novel surface plasmon resonance platform is built by transferring gold films patterned with quasiperiodic nanohole arrays to the …

The Why And Where Of Big History: Building A Program, Mojgan Behmand

Office of Academic Affairs

The goals of our First Year Experience program are aligned with our institutional mission, our core values, and the goals of our General Education program. The program is designed to promote:

1. recognition of the personal, communal, and political implications of the Big History story;
2. critical and creative thinking in a manner that awakens curiosity and enhances openness to multiple perspectives; and,
3. development of reading, thinking, and research skills to enhance one’s ability to evaluate and articulate understanding of one’s place in the unfolding universe.

The Lithotectonic Setting And Paragenetic History Of Deposit No.1, Mary River District, North Baffin Island, Sean A. Fulcher

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Baffinland Iron Mines Corporation is currently extracting the highest grade BIF-hosted direct shipping iron ore in the world from their flagship Deposit No.1 on north Baffin Island. This deposit and several other prospects are hosted within the isoclinally folded Mary River Group, a Neoarchean greenstone belt terrane hosting Algoma-type BIF, ultramafics volcaniclastics and sediment. Mary River Group supracrustals are juxtaposed against Mesoarchean basement gneisses due to a regional Transhudson Orogen overprint, forming a regional dome-keel tectonic framework.

Detail mapping and core logging of Deposit No.1 combined with geochemistry and geochronology reveal the footwall rocks, previously interpreted as gneisses, volcanics and …

High Pressure And High Temperature Study Of Magnesiochromite And Its Geophysical Implications, N M Tauhid Belal Khan

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Magnesiochromite (MgCr₂O₄) is commonly found in the Earth’s crust, upper mantle, meteorites, and possibly in lunar crust. Synchrotron X-ray diffraction measurements of MgCr₂O₄ using double-sided laser heating diamond anvil cell showed the dissociation of MgCr₂O₄ to Cr₂O₃+MgO at ~15 GPa and to Mg₂Cr₂O₅+Cr₂O₃ below and above ~1500 K, respectively. At above 20 GPa, only a single phase CaTi₂O₄-type structure of MgCr₂O₄ was observed at 1400-2000 K. Fitting the pressure-volume data …

Identical Circles Touching One Another On The Spherical Polyhedrons Analogous To Archimedean Solids, Harish Chandra Rajpoot Rajpoot Hcr

Harish Chandra Rajpoot H.C. Rajpoot

The formula, derived here by the author H.C. Rajpoot, are applicable on a certain no. of the identical circles touching one another at different points, centered at the identical vertices of a spherical polyhedron analogous to an Archimedean solid for calculating the different parameters such as flat radius & arc radius of each circle, total surface area covered by all the circles, percentage of surface area covered etc. These formula are very useful for tiling, packing the identical circles in different patterns & analyzing the spherical surfaces analogous to all 13 Archimedean solids. Thus also useful in designing & modelling …

Defining The Circumstellar Habitable Zone, Blake Cervetti, Joanna Mccall

DePaul Discoveries

The study of habitable exoplanets is a rapidly expanding field in astronomy. Exoplanets are planets that orbit stars other than our own sun. One of the keys to knowing whether or not an exoplanet is habitable is by studying the circumstellar habitable zone, or CHZ. Over the past several years, the defined limits of the CHZ have become susceptible to change as new parameters and factors are found to affect a planets habitability. There are many factors that affect its habitability, including the composition of the star, the mass of the planet, the planets atmosphere, etc. Our focus is divided …

Nanodiamond Extraction At A Potential Impact Location, Joel Kathan

DePaul Discoveries

Meteoritic or cometary impacts create the temperature and pressure conditions necessary to form nanodiamonds (NDs). The presence of extracted NDs from rocks of the time and locations of extinctions, fires, or known environmental changes are commonly used to confirm that a theorized cosmic impact occurred to trigger those events. Samples were obtained from an archeological site described in the Old Testament of the Bible as having been destroyed by the God of the Old Testament.† To see if the historical description of Biblical events might have been triggered by a cometary impact or explosion, an attempt was made to …

Generation And Assessment Of Muscular Mutations In Caenorhabditis Elegans, Katie N. Reget

DePaul Discoveries

A study of egg laying muscular mutations in C. elegans was conducted over a span of ten weeks. Parent (EGL-19) and wild type (N2) were exposed to mutagenesis and integration mutation techniques to generate genetic and physical different mutants. Overall, four genetic, physical and phenotypically unique worms were generated for the process of mutagenesis. The worms used in the process of integration were found to have shortened life spans, reduced size and decrease numbers of progeny.

Predictors Of Money Spent On Drugs In Substance Users, Simona Ciobotaru

DePaul Discoveries

Financial need is a major stressor for individuals who are reentering the community after substance abuse and/or incarceration. Family members and friends make up a great majority the support networks from which reentering people can receive financial support. However, that financial support could possibly contribute to drug use when the individual is actively using. The goal of this study was to further understand the implications of material and financial support specifically being transmitted from family members. This study looks at psychosocial predictors in relation to money spent on drugs in the last 30 days of 270 individuals entering substance abuse …

The Effect Of Hydrogen Peroxide On Leishmania Amazonensis Promastigotes, Debra Eluobaju

DePaul Discoveries

Leishmaniasis is a disease caused by the parasite Leishmania. The disease causes lesions to the skin and face; when visceral it becomes fatal to its host. Leishmanias are transmitted through the female blood-sucking sand fly into its mammalian host, where it infects macrophages. Within the macrophages, Leishmania differentiates from a motile, rod shaped, nonvirulent promastigotes to a non-motile, spherical shaped, virulent amastigotes. Differentiation is due to the high temperature of the mammalian host body, in addition to the low pH of the macrophage. In vitro, the cells are differentiated in Graces medium (pH 5.3) at 33◦C. I investigated whether …

Knowledge Of Clinical Measures And Healthcare Adherence In Young Gay And Bisexual Men Living With Hiv/Aids, Harry A. Persaud, Douglas Bruce

DePaul Discoveries

Knowledge of HIV/AIDS test results and adherence to healthcare interventions are two important outcomes that reflect proper HIV/AIDS management. This study aimed to determine which demographic and HIV acceptance measures were significantly associated with health literacy and adherence indicators in young MSM. 200 HIV/AIDS positive young MSM completed computer based surveys regarding demographics, HIV/AIDS health literacy indicators, and HIV/AIDS acceptance measures. It was found that young African American MSM, in comparison to young white MSM, had lower odds of knowing both viral load and CD4 measures; health literacy indicators. Further, participants who had a high school diploma were found to …

The Effects Of Environmental Factors On Bromeliad Invertebrate Biodiversity, Maya E. Navarro

DePaul Discoveries

Bromeliaceae is a family of Neotropical plants that retain water between leaves of a rosette arrangement. Each water-retaining tank is referred to as a phytotelma. This particular system is important to consider in the understanding of biodiversity because it creates an ecosystem of its own, providing a habitat for many invertebrates and larvae. In this study, the relationship between environmental factors such as water quality and the biodiversity of invertebrates in epiphytic bromeliads was examined in two different settings. Sample sizes of ten bromeliads were taken from the primary and secondary forests of the Las Cruces Biological Station in Coto …

Effects Of Temperature On The Crystal Structure Of Lithium-Lanthanum Zirconate, Mir Iqbal

DePaul Discoveries

ABSTRACT Lithium-lanthanum zirconate (LLZ) can potentially be used as a solid electrolyte in lithium-metal batteries. Li-metal batteries offer superior charge capacities and higher energy densi-ties compared to currently used Li-ion batteries. Lithium is highly reactive, which can be dangerous in consumer electronics, but a layer of LLZ electrolyte inserted alongside the Li-metal electrode greatly stabilizes its reactivity. The cubic phase structure of LLZ (Li₇La₃Zr₂O₁₂) has the highest conductivity of its crystalline phases, making it the most promising crystal form of LLZ for this application. Samples of LLZ were doped with different amounts …

Measuring Rates Of Atmospheric Phosphorus Deposition Into A Fresh Water Wetland, Cassandra Shah

DePaul Discoveries

No abstract provided.

Detection Of Baryonic Acoustic Oscillations In The Matter Power Spectrum, Spencer Everett, Ian Johnson, Jon Murphy, Mary Tarpley

DePaul Discoveries

Using the spectra of 22,923 high-redshift quasars from the Baryon Oscillation Spectrosocpic Survey (BOSS) subset of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), the authors detect evidence of the primordial baryonic acoustic oscillations (BAOs) in the matter power spectrum. The detection further endorses the currently accepted Lambda-CDM model of cosmology based upon the existence of dark energy (Lambda) and cold dark matter (CDM). Additionally, the use of the continuous wavelet transform to calculate the power spectrum has many advantages over traditional Fourier methods and independently corroborates previous detections.

A High-Altitude Balloon Platform For Determining Regional Uptake Of Carbon Dioxide Over Agricultural Landscapes, Angela M. Bouche

DePaul Discoveries

Interactions between the biosphere and atmosphere are an important part of the global carbon cycle, and quantifying the carbon dioxide exchanges between them is helpful in predicting the uptake of carbon dioxide from anthropogenic sources by the biosphere in the future. In the Midwestern United States, agricultural systems cover a large part of the landscape, so understanding their role in influencing the global carbon budget is crucial as anthropogenic sources of carbon dioxide grow larger. Carbon dioxide exchanges can be measured by eddy covariance at the ecosystem level (bottom-up approach) or regionally by inversion techniques (top-down approach). Here we describe …

Diol-Mediated Versus Water-Mediated Proton Transfer Reactions, Angela Moses

DePaul Discoveries

The triple-proton-transfer reactions of 8H-1,8-naphthyridin-2-one (8H-naph) have been investigated by employing different ab initio quantum mechanical methods. The proton transfer reactions studied were facilitated through an adjacent 1,3-propanediol molecule or two adjacent water molecules. Identical proton transfer reactions were studied using a model system of 8H-naph to investigate the validity of computational approaches that use model systems to study more complex systems. The solvent effects on the structures were investigated for comparison to the initial gas phase calculations. The potential energy, reaction force, and work profiles were studied along the intrinsic reaction coordinate to monitor the developing proton transfer reactions.

Do Oaks With A Provenance Related To Warmer Climates Emit More Isoprene?, Elizabeth Carter

DePaul Discoveries

The hydrocarbon isoprene plays an important role in atmospheric chemistry, particularly in regards to air pollution and climate change. It is important to know why certain plant species emit isoprene and what factors affect its production in order to predict future air quality. Past research has indicated that isoprene aids in coping with heat stress, so it was hypothesized that source latitude (a proxy for climate) would significantly impact isoprene production by oaks grown in a common location. Twelve bur oaks collected from a latitudinal range (30-45˚) and raised at the Morton Arboretum were assayed for their isoprene emission rate …

The Neutron Time-Of-Flight Cross Section Program At The University Of Kentucky - Adventures In Analysis Ii, J. R. Vanhoy, S. F. Hicks, B. C. Combs, B. P. Crider, A. J. French, E. A. Garza, S. L. Henderson, T. J. Howard, S. H. Liu, S. Nigam, R. L. Pecha, E. E. Peters, Francisco M. Prados-Estévez, Marcus T. Mcellistrem, B. J. Rice, T. J. Ross, Z. C. Santonil, L. C. Sidwell, J. L. Steves, Steven W. Yates

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Elastic and inelastic neutron differential cross sections are measured at the University of Kentucky Accelerator Laboratory (www.pa.uky.edu/accelerator/) at incident energies in the fast neutron region. The laboratorys facilities and instrumentation will be described and our measurement and analysis procedures outlined. Many corrections are required for neutron scattering experiments and the analysis utilizes information from many other cross section data sets and model calculations. Exploring and understanding the limitations of the foundational information and procedures are important for controlling the accuracy of the cross section results. We are examining the limitations in neutron detection efficiency, the normalization of (n,n′ …

“No-Spin” States And Low-Lying Structures In 130Xe And 136Xe, T. J. Ross, E. E. Peters, Anagha Chakraborty, B. P. Crider, Ajay Kumar, S. H. Liu, Marcus T. Mcellistrem, Francisco M. Prados-Estévez, J. R. Vanhoy, Steven W. Yates

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Inelastic neutron scattering on solid ¹³⁰XeF₂ and ¹³⁶XeF₂ targets was utilized to populate excited levels in ¹³⁰Xe and ¹³⁶Xe. When calculating nuclear matrix elements vital to the understanding of double-beta decay, it is important to have a clear understanding of the low-lying level structure of both the parent and daughter nucleus. Of particular relevance to double-beta decay searches are the assignments of 0⁺ states. We show here that in the case of ¹³⁰Xe there are several discrepancies in the adopted level structure. We found that one previous 0⁺ candidate level (1590 …

Power Maximization Of A Three-Phase Hydrokinetic Turbine, Matthew Carleson

Senior Theses

As Earth`s expendable resources dwindle, the need for alternative, renewable energy sources grows. Out of this need, an old favorite source is rising in popularity: small water turbines. Water-driven turbines first began as a means for turning mills and eventually evolved into massive dams that can power whole regions. This project focused on the construction of, and testing the properties of, a small pico-hydro power turbine. By using compressed air to drive the turbine, a representation of the peak power output was measured, serving as a basis for determining the value of pico-power systems in regards to the world`s current …

Studies Of 54,56Fe Neutron Scattering Cross Sections, S. F. Hicks, J. R. Vanhoy, A. J. French, S. L. Henderson, T. J. Howard, R. L. Pecha, Z. C. Santonil, B. P. Crider, S. Liu, Marcus T. Mcellistrem, E. E. Peters, Francisco M. Prados-Estévez, T. J. Ross, Steven W. Yates

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Elastic and inelastic neutron scattering differential cross sections and γ-ray production cross sections have been measured on ^54,56Fe at several incident energies in the fast neutron region between 1.5 and 4.7 MeV. All measurements were completed at the University of Kentucky Accelerator Laboratory (UKAL) using a 7-MV Model CN Van de Graaff accelerator, along with the neutron production and neutron and γ-ray detection systems located there. The facilities at UKAL allow the investigation of both elastic and inelastic scattering with nearly mono-energetic incident neutrons. Time-of-flight techniques were used to detect the scattered neutrons for the differential cross section measurements. …

Modeling The Geographic Spread Of Rabies In China, Jing Chen, Lan Zou, Shigui Ruan

Mathematics Faculty Articles

Abstract

In order to investigate how the movement of dogs affects the geographically inter-provincial spread of rabies in Mainland China, we propose a multi-patch model to describe the transmission dynamics of rabies between dogs and humans, in which each province is regarded as a patch. In each patch the submodel consists of susceptible, exposed, infectious, and vaccinated subpopulations of both dogs and humans and describes the spread of rabies among dogs and from infectious dogs to humans. The existence of the disease-free equilibrium is discussed, the basic reproduction number is calculated, and the effect of moving rates of dogs between …

Table Of Contents (2015), Association Of Christians In The Mathematical Sciences

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2015

Twentieth Conference of the Association of Christians in the Mathematical Sciences

A Study Of Mixing In A Magnetohydrodynamic (Mhd) Microfluidic Cell By Numerical Simulations, Fangping Yuan, Kakkattukuzhy M. Isaac

Collaborative Research: Actively Controllable Microfluidics with Film-Confined Redox-Magnetohydrodynamics -- Video and Data

No abstract provided.

Dipole Strength Distributions From Higs Experiments, V. Werner, N. Cooper, P. M. Goddard, P. Humby, R. S. Ilieva, G. Rusev, J. Beller, C. Bernards, B. P. Crider, J. Isaak, J. H. Kelley, E. Kwan, B. Löher, E. E. Peters, N. Pietralla, C. Romig, D. Savran, M. Scheck, A. P. Tonchev, W. Tornow, Steven W. Yates, M. Zweidinger

Chemistry Faculty Publications

A series of photon scattering experiments has been performed on the double-beta decay partners ⁷⁶Ge and ⁷⁶Se, in order to investigate their dipole response up to the neutron separation threshold. Gamma-ray beams from bremsstrahlung at the S-DALINAC and from Compton-backscattering at HIGS have been used to measure absolute cross sections and parities of dipole excited states, respectively. The HIGS data allows for indirect measurement of averaged branching ratios, which leads to significant corrections in the observed excitation cross sections. Results are compared to statistical calculations, to test photon strength functions and the Axel-Brink hypothesis

Inelastic Neutron Scattering Studies Of 76Ge And 76Se: Relevance To Elevance To Neutrinoless Double-Β Decay, B. P. Crider, E. E. Peters, T. J. Ross, Marcus T. Mcellistrem, Francisco M. Prados-Estévez, J. M. Allmond, J. R. Vanhoy, Steven W. Yates

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Inelastic neutron scattering measurements were performed at the University of Kentucky Accelerator Laboratory on enriched ⁷⁶Ge and ⁷⁶Se scattering samples. From measurements at incident neutron energies from 2.0 to 4.0 MeV, many new levels were identified and characterized in each nucleus; level lifetimes, transition probabilities, multipole mixing ratios, and other properties were determined. In addition, γ-ray cross sections for the ⁷⁶Ge(n,n′γ) reaction were measured at neutron energies up to 5.0 MeV, with the goal of determining the cross sections of γ rays in 2040-keV region, which corresponds to the region of interest in the neutrinoless double β …

Descant And Β-Delayed Neutron Measurements At Triumf, V. Bildstein, P. E. Garrett, S. F. Ashley, G. C. Ball, L. Bianco, D. Bandyopadhyay, J. Bangay, B. P. Crider, G. Demand, G. Deng, I. Dillman, A. Finlay, A. B. Garnsworthy, G. Hackman, B. Hadinia, R. Krücken, K. G. Leach, J-P. Martin, Marcus T. Mcellistrem, C. J. Pearson, E. E. Peters, Francisco M. Prados-Estévez, A. Radich, F. Sarazin, C. Sumithrarachchi, C. E. Svensson, J. R. Vanhoy, J. Wong, Steven W. Yates

Chemistry Faculty Publications

The DESCANT array (Deuterated Scintillator Array for Neutron Tagging) consists of up to 70 detectors, each filled with approximately 2 liters of deuterated benzene. This scintillator material o_ers pulse-shape discrimination (PSD) capabilities to distinguish between neutrons and γ-rays interacting with the scintillator material. In addition, the anisotropic nature of n – d scattering allows for the determination of the neutron energy spectrum directly from the pulse height spectrum, complementing the traditional time-of-flight (ToF) information. DESCANT can be coupled either to the TIGRESS (TRIUMF-ISAC Gamma-Ray Escape …

Inelastic Neutron Scattering Studies Of 132,134Xe: Elucidating Structure In A Transitional Region And Possible Interferences For 0vββ Searches, E. E. Peters, T. J. Ross, B. P. Crider, S. F. Ashley, Anagha Chakraborty, M. D. Hennek, Ajay Kumar, S. H. Liu, Marcus T. Mcellistrem, Francisco M. Prados-Estévez, J. S. Thrasher, Steven W. Yates

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Highly enriched (> 99.9%) ¹³²Xe and ¹³⁴Xe gases were converted to solid ¹³²XeF₂ and ¹³⁴XeF₂ and were used as scattering samples for inelastic neutron scattering measurements at the University of Kentucky Accelerator Laboratory (UKAL). Lifetimes of levels up to 3.5MeV in excitation energy in these xenon isotopes were measured using the Doppler-shift attenuation method, allowing the determination of reduced transition probabilities. Gamma rays corresponding to new transitions and levels have been observed. In particular, tentative new excited 0⁺ states and associated decays have been examined in an effort to elucidate the structure of …

Why Do Protein Structures Recur?, Rebecca G. Leong

Dartmouth College Undergraduate Theses

Protein tertiary structures exhibit an observable degeneracy in nature. This paper examines the connection between a protein motif's abundance in nature and its designability as measured by in silico methods. After generating a set of protein structures, we evaluated each structure's abundance in nature, ratio of possible contacts (contact degree) and in silico designability. Our results showed that any two or these metrics are moderately correlated. Together abundance and contact degree produced the strongest correlation with in silico designability. Our results suggest that abundance is indeed an indicator of designability. Furthermore, abundance and contact degree appear to correlate with some …