Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Using The Sulfur Cycle To Constrain Changes In Seawater Chemistry During The Paleogene, Kara Elizabeth Dennis

Theses - ALL

The sulfur isotopic composition of seawater sulfate (δ34S) has varied significantly throughout the Phanerozoic and is related to variability in Earth’s sulfur and carbon cycles. During the Early Eocene (~55 Ma to 45 Ma) the δ34S composition of seawater sulfate increased from +18‰ to +22‰ and has remained largely invariant over the last 34 Ma. The two principal hypotheses invoked to explain this positive excursion are: (1) a rapid increase in the flux of weathering-derived sulfate and an increase in sulfate concentrations, coupled with a compensatory increase in pyrite burial, or (2) an increase in the pyrite burial flux due …

Integrable Equations With Ermakov-Pinney Nonlinearities And Chiellini Damping, S.C. Mancas, Haret C. Rosu

Publications

We introduce a special type of dissipative Ermakov–Pinney equations of the form v_ζζ+g(v)v_ζ+h(v)=0, where h(v)=h_0(v)+cv^{-3} and the nonlinear dissipation g(v) is based on the corresponding Chiellini integrable Abel equation. When h_0(v) is a linear function, h_0(v)=λ^2v, general solutions are obtained following the Abel equation route. Based on particular solutions, we also provide general solutions containing a factor with the phase of the Milne type. In addition, the same kinds of general solutions are constructed for the cases of higher-order Reid nonlinearities. The Chiellini dissipative function is actually a dissipation-gain function because it can be negative on some intervals. We also …

Transverse Thermoelectric Properties Of Cu/Mg2si And Ni/Mg2si Artificially Anisotropic Materials, David J N Esch

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis the spark plasma sintering process (SPS) was used to press Mg₂Si powder with Ni and Cu slices into alternating layer stacks. These stacks, once cut at an angle, are an artificially anisotropic material. This anisotropy provides transverse thermoelectric properties to the sample. The transverse transport properties were measured along with the individual component transport properties. The SPS process provided malleable samples that gave a power factors of for the Ni/Mg₂Si stack and for the Cu/Mg₂Si stack. These fall short of the theoretical calculations which would give the power factors as .0254 …

A Study Whether Humans Can Produce Free Fatty Acids For Tasting, Emily Bacher

Student Scholarship

A growing concern throughout the world, especially the United States, is the health of our population. According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) performed in 2009-2010, approximately 35% of both men and women in the United States are obese (Flegal, 2012). In 2005, more than 300,000 deaths in the United States were attributed to obesity. However, the World Health Organization listed obesity as one of ten most preventable health risks (Wilborn, 2005).
Why, then, do we as a society struggle so much with our weight? Some, such as Swinburn, believe this trend of obesity can be attributed …

Benzo-Fused Lactams From A Diversity-Oriented Synthesis (Dos) Library As Inhibitors Of Scavenger Receptor Bi (Sr-Bi)-Mediated Lipid Uptake, Chris Dockendorff, Patrick W. Faloon, Jun Pu, Miao Yu, Stephen Johnston, Melissa Bennion, Marsha Penman, Thomas J.F. Nieland, Sivaraman Dandapani, José R. Perez, Benito Munoz, Michelle A. Palmer, Stuart L. Schreiber, Monty Krieger

Chemistry Faculty Research and Publications

We report a new series of 8-membered benzo-fused lactams that inhibit cellular lipid uptake from HDL particles mediated by Scavenger Receptor, Class B, Type I (SR-BI). The series was identified via a high-throughput screen of the National Institutes of Health Molecular Libraries Small Molecule Repository (NIH MLSMR), measuring the transfer of the fluorescent lipid DiI from HDL particles to CHO cells overexpressing SR-BI. The series is part of a previously reported diversity-oriented synthesis (DOS) library prepared via a build-couple-pair approach. Detailed structure–activity relationship (SAR) studies were performed with a selection of the original library, as well as additional analogs prepared …

Unprecedented Study Of The Broadband Emission Of Mrk 421 During Flaring Activity In March 2010, P. T. Reynolds, Et. Al.

Physical Sciences Publications

Context. Because of its proximity, Mrk 421 is one of the best sources on which to study the nature of BL Lac objects. Its proximity allows us to characterize its broadband spectral energy distribution (SED).

Aims. The goal is to better understand the mechanisms responsible for the broadband emission and the temporal evolution of Mrk 421. These mechanisms may also apply to more distant blazars that cannot be studied with the same level of detail.

Methods. A flare occurring in March 2010 was observed for 13 consecutive days (from MJD 55 265 to MJD 55 277) with unprecedented wavelength coverage …

Commutative N-Ary Arithmetic, Aram Bingham

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Motivated by primality and integer factorization, this thesis introduces generalizations of standard binary multiplication to commutative n-ary operations based upon geometric construction and representation. This class of operations are constructed to preserve commutativity and identity so that binary multiplication is included as a special case, in order to preserve relationships with ordinary multiplicative number theory. This leads to a study of their expression in terms of elementary symmetric polynomials, and connections are made to results from the theory of polyadic (n-ary) groups. Higher order operations yield wider factorization and representation possibilities which correspond to reductions in the set of primes …

Two Essays In Financial Economics, Kyle J. Putnam

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The following dissertation contains two distinct empirical essays which contribute to the overall field of Financial Economics. Chapter 1, entitled “The Determinants of Dynamic Dependence: An Analysis of Commodity Futures and Equity Markets,” examines the determinants of the dynamic equity-commodity return correlations between five commodity futures sub-sectors (energy, foods and fibers, grains and oilseeds, livestock, and precious metals) and a value-weighted equity market index (S&P 500). The study utilizes the traditional DCC model, as well as three time-varying copulas: (i) the normal copula, (ii) the student’s t copula, and (iii) the rotated-gumbel copula as dependence measures. Subsequently, the determinants of …

Flux-Tunable Superconducting Transmons For Quantum Information Processing, Matthew Ware

Dissertations - ALL

In this thesis, I describe a series of experiments using flux-tunable transmon qubits for quantum information processing. These qubits are designed with different levels of Josephson junction asymmetry. The first two chapters of this thesis will introduce the reader to superconducting qubits and circuit quantum electrodynamics. I will present experiments using the cQED architecture to implement fast photon swapping between an asymmetric qubit and a superconducting resonator using flux-driven sidebands. This is the first experimental observation of flux-driven sidebands in a superconducting system. This process also allows photon swaps between qubit and resonator to first order in the qubit-resonator coupling …

Combining Dynamic And Static Analysis For Malware Detection, Anusha Damodaran

Master's Projects

Well-designed malware can evade static detection techniques, such as signature scanning. Dynamic analysis strips away one layer of obfuscation and hence such an approach can potentially provide more accurate detection results. However, dynamic analysis is generally more costly than static analysis. In this research, we analyze the effectiveness of using dynamic analysis to enhance the training phase, while using only static techniques in the detection phase. Relative to a fully static approach, the additional overhead is minimal, since training is essentially one-time work.

Sociobot: Twitter For Command And Control Of A Botnet, Ismeet Kaur Makkar

Master's Projects

A botnet is a collection of computers controlled by a botmaster, often used for malicious activity. Social network provides an ideal medium for botnets to spread their reach. In this research, we develop and analyze a botnet that uses Twitter for its command and control channel. We use this botnet to perform a distributed denial of service attack on a web server, and we utilize the biological epidemic models to analyze the spread of the botnet using Twitter.

Software Application And Mobile Optimization, Timothy Yu

Undergraduate University Honors Capstones

Most software applications have yet to be optimized for mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets. Such is the case with Gallaudet University’s enterprise information systems, Bison, the university’s administration system, including all records except for finances and Blackboard, the university’s learning management system. A two-part project addressed this lack of mobile optimization with Bison. The first part was the Residence Life Sticker Project intended to familiarize the developer with Gallaudet’s internal IT systems. It involved developing a web form for the Office of Residence Life to record receipt of ID card stickers, handbooks, and release room consent information. The …

Application Of Machine Learning To Mapping And Simulating Gene Regulatory Networks, Hien-Haw Liow

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores, proposes, and examines methods of applying modernmachine learning and Bayesian statistics in the quantitative and qualitative modeling of gene regulatory networks using high-throughput gene expression data. A semi-parametric Bayesian model based on random forest is developed to infer quantitative aspects of gene regulation relations; a parametric model is developed to predict geneexpression levels solely from genotype information. Simulation of network behavior is shown to complement regression analysis greatly in capturing the dynamics of gene regulatory networks. Finally, as an application and extension of novel approaches in gene expression analysis, new methods of discovering topological structure of gene …

Incompatibility Of Diophantine Equations Arising From The Strong Factorial Conjecture, Brady Jacob Rocks

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Strong Factorial conjecture was recently formulated by Arno van den Essen and Eric Edo. The problem is motivated by several outstanding problems including the Jacobian, Image, and Vanishing conjectures. In this defense, we discuss how the conjecture can be reformulated in terms of systems of integer polynomials and we present several special cases in which the conjecture holds.

Light-Harvesting, Redox Control, And Biomimicry Of The Photosynthetic Antennas Of Green Sulfur Bacteria, Gregory Scott Orf

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The green sulfur bacteria (class Chlorobea) are obligately anaerobic photoautotrophic prokaryotes. Members of this bacterial class are found in anoxic, sulfur- or iron-rich environments such as hydrothermal vents and hot springs. These bacteria are champions of lowlight adaptation, with some species being able to thrive photosynthetically on less than eight photons hr-1 per pigment. We have studied the two photosynthetic antenna complexes from these organisms that are responsible for light capture: the chlorosome and the Fenna-Matthews-Olson (FMO) protein.

In regards to the chlorosome, we studied, using steady-state and time-resolved spectroscopic methods, the effect of incorporation of an expected, but as-yet-undiscovered-in-nature, …

Methane Occurrence In Domestic Wells Overlying The Marcellus Shale, Kayla Christian

Theses - ALL

This study explores whether spatial parameters (e.g. landscape position, distance to nearest gas well, geologic unit of water extraction) corresponded with the spatial distribution of methane concentrations in domestic drinking water wells overlying the Marcellus Shale in New York State, where unconventional shale gas extraction is currently banned. Domestic groundwater wells (n=204) were sampled across five counties (Broome, Chemung, Chenango, Steuben, and Tioga) in New York from 2012-2014. Based on analysis of water from homeowner wells sampled in 2013 the majority of samples (77%) had low concentrations of methane (< 0.1 mg/L), and only 5% of wells (n=7) had actionable levels of methane (> 10 mg/L), in the absence of shale gas production. Dissolved …

Nonparametric Bayesian Quantile Regression Via Dirichlet Process Mixture Models, Chao Chang

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

We propose new nonparametric Bayesian approaches to quantile regression using

Dirichlet process mixture (DPM) models. All the existing quantile regression methods

based on DPMs require the kernel density to satisfy the quantile constraint, hence the

kernel densities are themselves usually in the form of mixtures. One innovation of our

approaches is that we impose no constraint on the kernel, thus a wide range of densities

can be chosen as the kernels of the DPM model. The quantile constraint is satisfied by a

post-processing of the DPM by a suitable location shift. As a result, our proposed models

use simpler kernels …

Measurement Of The Membrane Electric Field And The Swimming Behavior Of Chlamydomonas Reinhardtii: Experiments And Analytical Modeling, Gulmammad Mammadov

Dissertations - ALL

The green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii has evolutionarily developed a range of receptors to detect light, chemical, or mechanical stimuli for its survival. It employs its two cilia, identified as cis and trans with respect to its photoreceptor-containing eye, to achieve appropriate behavioral responses. The sensory signals are relayed to the dynein motors in the cilia through complex networks of signal transduction pathways that have yet to be fully characterized. The first part of this work is an experimental study of one such signal transduction pathways, the membrane electric field. In the study, an experimental method is developed to monitor the …

Topics In Supersymmetry: Implications For Cosmology And Non-Perturbative Studies On A Spacetime Lattice, Richard Anthony Galvez

Dissertations - ALL

Moduli fields, scalar fields which parametrize different vacuum states of a given theory, are commonly predicted to exist within compactifications of UV complete theories, and in particular those theories exhibiting supersymmetry. But if such theories' dynamics are present during the inflationary phase of the universe and thereafter, what are the implications for cosmology and the evolution of the universe? In this thesis a review is presented on generic consequences of the presence of these scalar fields during inflation and the post-inflationary era of the universe. An unexpected consequence arises in the study of dark matter production, where a deviation from …

Looking Beyond The Standard Model From The Lattice, Aarti Veernala

Dissertations - ALL

The overall motivation behind the work undertaken in this thesis, is to gain a deeper insight into the dynamics responsible for the Higgs mechanism. In particular we use lattice gauge theory techniques, to understand the inherent symmetry breaking patterns of three specific BSM (beyond the standard model) theories. The first model (in chapter 3) describes the spontaneous symmetry breaking pattern in a two dimensional, eight supercharge supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory. We discuss the mechanism responsible for the said symmetry breaking and show evidence for a possible light Goldstino-the fermionic analogue of a massless goldstone boson. In chapter 4, we study the …

A Mathematical Foundation Of The Quantum-Classical Correspondence, Nina Culver

Honors Program Theses and Projects

In this thesis we explore the mathematical foundations that unite physics at a quantum scale, quantum mechanics, with a macroscopic scale, classical mechanics. We seek to understand the mathematical motivation behind the quantum-classical correspondence and how it unites two seemingly different theories of the physical world. We show how this correspondence binds the Hamiltonian theory of classical physics to the Hilbert space theory in quantum mechanics, and establish a way to translate between classical observables and quantum operators, using the Fourier transform. These approaches to “quantizing” a physical state can be applied generally to a wide variety of observable quantities …

Lower Thermospheric Response To Atmospheric Gravity Waves Induced By The 2011 Tohoku Tsunami, Yonghui Yu, Zhiyu Yan, Michael P. Hickey Ph.D.

Publications

Previous GPS observations have revealed that while ionospheric TIDs were seen propagating in all directions away from the 2011 Tohoku earthquake epicenter, the total electron content (TEC) fluctuations associated with the subsequent tsunami were largest for waves propagating toward the northwest of the epicenter. Ionospheric motions observed approximately 10min after the earthquake were attributed to fast acoustic waves directly produced by the earthquake. Waves that first appeared about 40 min after the tsunami onset in TEC measurements were attributed to atmospheric gravity waves. In this paper, we conjecture that the remarkably different responses observed for the eastward and westward propagating …

New Dion-Jacobson And Ruddlesden- Popper Layered Perovskites Prepared By Topochemical Methods, Dariush Montasserasadi

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Layered perovskites can be classified in three major groups: Dion-Jacobson AA′_n-1B_nO_3n+1, Ruddlesden-Popper A₂A′_n-1B_nO_3n+1,and Aurivillius phase (Bi₂O₂)A′_n-1B_nO_3n+1. (A: Alkali metal, Alkali-earth metal; A′: Lanthanides and Bi; B: Ti, Nb, Ta; n: thickness of slabs). For more than two decades researchers have shown much interest in this series because of their magnetic and electrical properties. Tuning synthesis parameters such as temperature, time, and host structure can be used to direct such properties. Low temperature synthetic methods (topochemical methods) allow …

Surface-Engineered Magnetic Nanoparticles For Sample Preparation And Analysis Of Proteins And Peptides, Parisa Pirani

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Sample preparation as an essential step in mass spectrometry-based analysis, plays a critical role in proteomics studies. Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) have been widely used in protein and peptide sample preparation due to their magnetic properties, biocompatibility, easy synthesis and surface functionalization. MNPs loaded with analyte or analyte modification reagent can be easily separated from the reaction medium by an externally applied magnetic field. The small size of MNPs provides high analyte loading and extraction capacity. Additionally, MNP can be decorated with different functional groups to achieve selective modification or extraction of analyte. In this study we have utilized silica coated …

Kinematic Modeling Of The Determinants Of Diastolic Function, Leonid Shmuylovich

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Multiple modalities are routinely used in clinical cardiology to determine cardiovascular function, and many of the indexes derived from these modalities are causally interconnected. A correlative approach to cardiovascular function however, where indexes are correlated to disease presence and progression, fails to fully capitalize on the information content of the indexes.

Causal quantitative modeling of cardiovascular physiology on the other hand offers a predictive rather than accommodative approach to cardiovascular function determination. In this work we apply a kinematic modeling approach to understanding diastolic function. We discuss novel insights related to the physiological determinants of diastolic function, and define novel …

Neural Processing In The Three Layer Turtle Visual Cortex, Jeffrey Steven Pobst

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis we investigate neural processing in turtle visual cortex. To this end, we characterize the nature of both spontaneous, ongoing neural activity as well as activity evoked by visual stimulation. Data are collected from whole brain eye-attached preparations, recording with extracellular and intracellular electrodes. We investigate the activity of action potentials as well as the slower local field potential activity.

To investigate response properties, we explore spatial properties of receptive fields, temporal properties of spontaneous and evoked activity, response adaptation, and correlations between different types of activity as well as between activity recorded in different regions.

To study …

Regularity Of The Bergman Projection On Variants Of The Hartogs Triangle, Liwei Chen

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Bergman projection is the orthogonal projection from the space of square integrable functions onto the space of square integrable holomorphic functions on a domain. Initially, the projection is defined on the L2 space, but its behavior on other function spaces, e.g. Lp, Sobolev and Holder spaces, is of considerable interest.

In this dissertation, we focus on the Hartogs triangle which is a classical source of counterexamples in several complex variables, and generalize it to higher dimensions. We investigate the Lp mapping properties of the weighted Bergman projections on these Hartogs domains. As applications, we obtain the Lp regularity of …

Photometric Investigations Of Lunar Landing Sites And Silicic Regions Using Lro Narrow Angle Camera Images, Ryan Nicole Watkins

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The reflectance properties of a planetary surface are related to the physical and compositional properties of that body. Photometry is a powerful method for determining differences in composition and regolith structure, and photometric data from orbital images coupled with soil sample data can greatly enhance our understanding of the regolith properties of our nearest neighbor, the Moon. At the time of writing, the United States has no operating missions on the Moon and no future plans to send robots or humans to study our nearest neighbor, so we must rely on remote sensing data to provide us with information about …

Synthesis, Structure, Spectroscopy, And Reactivity Of Azapentadienyl-Ruthenium-Phosphine Complexes, Meghan Leigh Stouffer

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on the systematic synthesis of ¬bis-azapentadienyl-ruthenium-phosphine complexes. The synthetic approach involves the treatment of Cl2Ru(PPh3)3 with potassium tert-butylazapentadienide reagent. The reactivity of this parent compound with other 2e- donor ligands is investigated. These resultant complexes' reactivity with triflic acid is also studied.

Treatment of Cl2Ru(PPh3)3 with potassium tert-butylazapentadienide produces [(1,2,3-η3)-5-tert-butylazapentadienyl]2Ru(PPh3)2 (1). Compound 1 undergoes single substitution of one of the triphenylphosphines when treated with PMe3, dmpe, P(OMe)3, CNCMe3, CO, and PEt3 at room temperature, resulting in [(1,2,3-η3)-5-tert-butylazapentadienyl]2Ru(PPh3)(L) (2, L = PMe3; 3, L= dmpe; 4, L = P(OMe)3; 5, L = CNCMe3; 6, L = CO; 7, …

Wavelet Factorization And Related Polynomials, David Meyer

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Our goal is exploring and better understanding factorizations of polyphase matrices for finite impulse response (FIR) filters. In particular, we focus on nearest neighbor factorizations discussed by Wickerhauser and Zhu that allow for efficient implementation of the discrete wavelet transform (DWT) for the algorithms of Daubechies and Sweldens and Mallat. Nearest neighbor lifting is a specific form of the general lifting scheme that improves the lifting algorithm by optimizing the number of efficient memory accesses. Nearest neighbor lifting factorizations are typically generated by implementing the Euclidean algorithm for Laurent polynomials, which introduces multiple choices of factorizations of a polyphase matrix …