Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Non-Abelian Finite Simple Groups As Homomorphic Images, Sandra Bahena

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The purpose of exploring infinite groups in this thesis was to discover homomorphic images of non-abelian finite simple groups. These infinite groups are semi-direct products known as progenitors. The permutation progenitors studied were: 2^*8 ∶ 2^{2 ∙} A₄, 2^*10 ∶ D₂₀, 2^*4 ∶ C₄, 2^*7 ∶ (7 ∶ 6), 3^*3 ∶ S₃, 2^*15 ∶ ((5 × 3) ∶ 2), and 2^*20 ∶ A₅. When we factored said progenitors by an appropriate number of relations, we produced several original symmetric presentations and constructions …

Examining Biomolecular Interactions And Their Significance In Toxoplasma Gondii Survival And Infection, Grace Wen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Elucidating biomolecular interactions that underlie the cellular processes vital to the survival and infectivity of the parasitic protozoan Toxoplasma gondii is crucial for development of effective prophylactics and therapeutics against this resilient pathogen. In the first two parts of this three-part study, the significance of protein-protein, protein-nucleic acid, and protein-lipid interactions in T. gondii pathogenicity is explored. The first part of the study presents an overview of current knowledge on the topic of liquid-liquid phase separation, which is the condensation of macromolecules driven by multivalent interactions between protein and protein or protein and nucleic acids, and its multifaceted role in …

Investigation Of The Interface Reactions Of Ion Selective Electrode Membranes Using Chromatographic And Spectroscopic Analyses Of Erbium(Iii) Tetraphenylporphyrin, Alexis Rae Miller

MSU Graduate Theses

Ion selective electrodes (ISEs) are analytical sensors that monitor the interactions between an ionophore within a polymeric membrane and ions in various solutions. The sensitivity and selectivity of ISEs is directly related to the chemical components. One type of ionopohore utilized in ISEs are metalloporphyrins. Metalloporphyrins have unique binding characteristics, which make them useful in sensors. The polymeric membranes that are synthesized and used in ISEs consist of a metalloporphyrin complex, polyvinyl chloride, and ortho-nitrophenyl octyl ether. The membrane unique to this project contains erbium (III) tetraphenylporphyrin as the metalloporphyrin ionophore. Various analytical techniques were applied in the investigation …

Elliptic Curves And Their Practical Applications, Henry H. Hayden Iv

MSU Graduate Theses

Finding rational points that satisfy functions known as elliptic curves induces a finitely-generated abelian group. Such functions are powerful tools that were used to solve Fermat's Last Theorem and are used in cryptography to send private keys over public systems. Elliptic curves are also useful in factoring and determining primality.

Spatial Variability Of Nonpoint Source Yields In Ozark Highlands Watersheds Under Historical And Recent Land Use Conditions, Tyler J. Pursley

MSU Graduate Theses

Many of the environmental problems facing communities today stem from historical as well as present land use disturbances related to agriculture, urbanization, and resource extraction. It is important to evaluate a range of land use and soil effects on nonpoint source (NPS) pollution to fully understand land use-water quality relationships. The Ozark Highlands region has undergone significant phases of land use change throughout its settlement history and is actively developing today (2020). This study used nonpoint nitrogen (TN), phosphorus (TP), and sediment (TSS) yields predicted by the US EPA’s Spreadsheet Tool for Estimating Pollutant Loads (STEPL) model to evaluate human …

Identification Of Chemical Structures And Substructures Via Deep Q-Learning And Supervised Learning Of Ftir Spectra, Joshua D. Ellis

MSU Graduate Theses

Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectra of organic compounds can be used to compare and identify compounds. A mid-FTIR spectrum gives absorbance values of a compound over the 400-4000 cm^-1 range. Spectral matching is the process of comparing the spectral signature of two or more compounds and returning a value for the similarity of the compounds based on how closely their spectra match. This process is commonly used to identify an unknown compound by searching for its spectrum’s closes match in a database of known spectra. A major limitation of this process is that it can only be used to identify …

Ground Control Point Assessment For Suas-Based Sfm Photogrammetry, Bailey Dianne Wolf

MSU Graduate Theses

The use of small Unmanned Aerial Systems (sUAS) in combination with Structure from Motion (SfM) photogrammetry is an evolving tool for geoscientists. SfM photogrammetry allows for rapid acquisition of the data that is required to create orthophotos and Digital Surface Models (DSMs) for a variety of field applications. Ground Control Points (GCPs) are used to reconstruct the DSM and evaluate the accuracy of aerial imagery collected from sUAS. When acquiring data for SfM photogrammetry, GCPs are required for spatial referencing. However, questions remain open regarding the effect of methodological techniques on the precision and accuracy of the resulting DSMs. This …

Investigation Into Bacterial Impairment Of Greene And Polk County Water Systems, John C. Kincaid

MSU Graduate Theses

Bacterial impairment of water systems is a major issue facing mankind. Bacteria that are introduced into a system have the potential to cause harmful diseases to wildlife and humans. In Greene and Polk counties, many water systems have become bacterially impaired over the years. Despite this, little is known about the contamination of known harmful bacteria in this region. To address this issue, I investigated the presence of known human pathogens across water systems in these two counties, many of which have displayed high levels of E. coli and fecal indicator microorganisms over many years. I used a high-throughput sequencing …

Modeling Of Argon Bombardment And Densification Of Low Temperature Organic Precursors Using Reactive Md Simulations And Machine Learning, Kwabena Asante-Boahen

MSU Graduate Theses

In this study, an important aspect of the synthesis process for a-BxC:Hy was systematically modeled by utilizing the Reactive Molecular Dynamics (MD) in modeling the argon bombardment from the orthocarborane molecules as the precursor. The MD simulations are used to assess the dynamics associated with the free radicals that result from the ion bombardment. By applying the Data Mining/Machine Learning analysis into the datasets generated from the large reactive MD simulations, I was able to identify and quality the kinetics of these radicals. Overall, this approach allows for a better understanding of the overall mechanism at the atomistic level of …

Long-Term Hydrological Impacts Of Historical Logging On Recent Hydro-Geomorphic Conditions, Big Barren Creek Watershed, Mark Twain National Forest, Shoukat Ahmed

MSU Graduate Theses

Despite their important role of headwater watersheds as a buffer for upland soil and vegetation disturbances, there has been little research about the effects of historical logging practices on present-day watershed hydrology and channel form. Middle Big Barren Creek (MBBC) watershed (48 km2 ) drains Mark Twain National Forest in the Ozark Highlands and was heavily logged from 1880 to 1920, reducing native shortleaf pine forest by 90%. Additionally, the frequency of intense rainfall events has increased in the region over the past 30 years. In this study, field surveys and hydrologic/hydraulic modeling were used to evaluate the historical timber …

Historical Changes Of Channel Width In A Headwater Stream System, Mark Twain National Forest, Missouri, Sierra N. Casagrand

MSU Graduate Theses

It is well known that watershed disturbances due to land clearing and agricultural settlement during the early 1800s changed the hydrology and geomorphology of stream systems in the Midwestern USA. However, little is known about the impacts of historical logging on stream systems in forested watersheds. This study evaluates channel width measurements from 38 General Land Office (GLO) surveys completed in 1821, aerial photographs from the 1930’s to present, and LiDAR imagery from 2016/17 to evaluate changes in channel morphology in Big Barren Creek in Mark Twain National Forest in the Ozarks Highlands of southeast Missouri. The area was heavily …

Transport Properties Of Binary And Doped Diborides, Alin Babu Niraula

MSU Graduate Theses

A systematic computational study to evaluate the electronic structures and transport properties including resistivity, thermal conductivity of several binary diborides (ZrB2 , TiB2 , TaB2 , CrB2 , and AlB2 ) and the ZrB2 alloyed with Cr, Al, Ti and Ta has been performed. Due to the p-d hybridization, the characteristic pseudo gap at the Fermi energy level (Ef) from the density of states (DOS) is presence in the DOS of both ZrB2 and TiB2 in contrast to those of TaB2 and CrB2 with only a partial occupation on the anti-bonding states. AlB2 is also similarly shown the presence of …

Predicting Severity Of Traumatic Brain Injury: A Residual Learning Model From Magnetic Resonance Images, Dacosta Yeboah

MSU Graduate Theses

One of the most significant frontiers for computational scientists is the engineering of human healthcare delivery based on intelligent analysis of health data. In a variety of neurological disorders such as Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), neuro-imaging information plays a crucial role in the decision-making regarding patient care and as a potential prognostic marker for outcome. TBI is a heterogeneous neurological disorder. Due to the economic burdens of the disorder, sorting out this heterogeneity could provide more insights and better understanding of TBI recovery trajectories, thus improving overall diagnosis and treatment options. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is a non-invasive technique that …

Analysis Of Gravity For The Crustal Structure Of Nepal Himalaya, Kapil Prasad Phuyal

MSU Graduate Theses

Nepal Himalaya is situated in the central portion of the seismically active Himalayan Orogenic Belt, which is geologically segmented by four major mega fault structures: Main Frontal Thrust (MFT), Main Boundary Thrust (MBT), Main Central Thrust (MCT), and the South Tibetan Detachment System (STDS). The MFT, MBT, and MCT are part of the basal decollement Main Himalayan Thrust (MHT) which accommodates the convergence between the Indian and Eurasian Plate. The 2015 Gorkha Earthquake occurred within the MHT system, MHT system itself had been seismically locked since the 1934 Nepal-Bihar Earthquake, complicating the geometry depth of MHT. Available land and airborne …

Physiological, Biochemical, And Metabolic Responses Of Wheat (Triticum Aestivum) Exposed To Perfluorooctanesulfonic Acid (Pfos), Polycarp Chidiebere Ofoegbu

MSU Graduate Theses

The effects of perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) on agricultural plants is a serious environmental concern that needs to be addressed. PFOS is a member of a class of organic chemical compounds known as per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). These compounds are utility chemicals in household, commercial, and industrial items, but have become environmental contaminants of global concern. Full lifecycle and short-term exposure studies of wheat grown in soil amended with 0, 25, and 50 mg/kg PFOS were conducted to assess the impacts of PFOS on wheat. PFOS uptake analysis, physiological assays, elemental analysis, and metabolomics were carried out in the full …

Assessing The Prevalance Of Joint-Controlled Mass Wasting In The Southern Appalachian Mountains, U.S.A., Madeline Konopinski

MSU Graduate Theses

Landslides are common hazards that produce devastating effects worldwide. Within the United States, the Appalachian Mountains are identified as an area of moderate to high susceptibility and incidence for landslides (Mirus et al., 2020; Wieczorek and Morgan, 2008). Given the presence of active seismic zones (eastern Tennessee and Giles County seismic zones) and variable rainfall due to seasonal storms (hurricanes) throughout the Appalachians, ancient earthquake activity or intense rainfall may trigger mass wasting events. Regional bedrock joints may further control the susceptibility of landslides to develop in specific locations during trigger events by providing a pre-existing weakness in the substrate. …

Expression, Purification And Characterization Of The Human Cytochrome P450 Enzyme 4x1 (Cyp4x1) Using Substrate Binding Affinity, Metabolic Assays And Protein Crystallization, Olusegun Adeolu Idowu

MSU Graduate Theses

The human cytochrome P450 enzyme 4X1 (CYP4X1) is among the “orphan” cytochrome P450 meaning there is much unknown about its structure, biological function, and regulation in literature study. Scientific work on this protein has primarily been on identifying its physiological functions and expression sites. A recent study found 2 substrates (arachidonic acid and anandamide) catalyzed by the enzyme. Expression in humans appears to be primarily in the brain, prostate, lungs, and neurovascular systems and research has linked the protein as a potential chemotherapy target in brain cancer. So far, only a few inhibitors have been identified. The goal …

Characterization Of Lamellar Liquid Crystal Emulsifiers In Topical Creams Containing A Novel Solvent, Melinda Joanna Sutton

MSU Graduate Theses

Diethylene glycol monoethyl ether (DEGEE) is a promising solvent component in topical cream formulations due to its superior solubilizing abilities with certain active pharmaceutical ingredients. One of the goals of this study is to characterize the effects of pH on the physical and chemical stabilities of topical cream formulations containing particularly high concentrations of DEGEE by characterizing a full topical pH profile of 3.5 – 9.0. The second goal is to evaluate the presence, amount, and characteristics of lyotropic liquid crystals (LLCs), molecularly structured in a lamellar phase, in a model cream emulsion utilizing polarized light microscopy (PLM). The presence …

Geology Of The Clairmont Springs 7.5-Minute Quadrangle And Geochronology Of The Alabama Blue Ridge, Adelie Ionescu

MSU Graduate Theses

The Alabama Blue Ridge (USA) of the southern Appalachians contains metamorphic rocks and structures associated with island arc accretion and continent-continent collision that record the Acadian and Alleghenian orogenies. The western Blue Ridge is underlain by Cambrian to Mississippian, clastic and carbonate, low-grade, greenschist facies metamorphic Talladega belt that formed outboard from the Alabama promontory or along the Laurentian margin. The eastern Blue Ridge contains the Neoproterozoic to Paleozoic, lithologically diverse, high grade, middle to upper amphibolite facies Ashland Supergroup. Geologic mapping of the Clairmont Springs 7.5- minute quadrangle unveils tectonic relationships between the eastern and western Blue Ridge and …

Stimuli Responsive Dye-Containing Peg-Pla Block Copolymer Micelles And Computationally Assisted Design Of A Stapled Peptide Bundle, Tyler L. Odom

MSU Graduate Theses

In this thesis, I report the preparation and characterization of dye-containing PEG-b-PLA block copolymer micelles and the computational design of a novel coiled-coil peptide bundle. The PEG-b-PLA micelles encapsulate hydrophobic molecules into their core and have strong potential as nanocontainers or delivery vesicles. In theory, these internalized molecules can be released upon exposure to mechanical forces that disrupt the micellar structures. This force-responsive nature is one of the inherent properties of micellar systems. However, there is a stark lack of research that utilize this property in applications. Along those lines, I have studied the behavior of …

Take The Lead: Toward A Virtual Video Dance Partner, Ty Farris

Master's Theses

My work focuses on taking a single person as input and predicting the intentional movement of one dance partner based on the other dance partner's movement. Human pose estimation has been applied to dance and computer vision, but many existing applications focus on a single individual or multiple individuals performing. Currently there are very few works that focus specifically on dance couples combined with pose prediction. This thesis is applicable to the entertainment and gaming industry by training people to dance with a virtual dance partner.

Many existing interactive or virtual dance partners require a motion capture system, multiple cameras …

Climate And Transportation Policy Sequencing In California And Quebec, Sonya Ziaja, Mark Purdon, Julie Witcover, Colin Murphy, Mark Winfield, Genevieve Giuliano, Charles Séguin, Colleen Kaiser, Jacques Papy, Lewis Fulton

All Faculty Scholarship

We compare flexible low-carbon regulations in the transportation sector and their interaction and sequencing with greenhouse gas emissions trading systems in California and Quebec. As momentum builds for greater climate action, it is necessary to better understand how carbon markets and other low-carbon transportation policies influence one another. First, we demonstrate that emissions trading between California and Quebec has been asymmetric, with linking having little influence on carbon prices from California's perspective but leading to a considerable cost reduction from the point of view of Quebec. Second, we present evidence that Quebec has replicated many of California's low-carbon transportation policies …

Power System Stability Assessment With Supervised Machine Learning, Mirka Mandich

Masters Theses

Power system stability assessment has become an important area of research due to the increased penetration of photovoltaics (PV) in modern power systems. This work explores how supervised machine learning can be used to assess power system stability for the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) service region as part of the Data-driven Security Assessment for the Multi-Timescale Integrated Dynamics and Scheduling for Solar (MIDAS) project. Data-driven methods offer to improve power flow scheduling through machine learning prediction, enabling better energy resource management and reducing demand on real-time time-domain simulations. Frequency, transient, and small signal stability datasets were created using the …

Experimental Alteration Of Venusian Surface Basalts In A Hybrid Co2-So2 Atmosphere, Robert B. Reid

Masters Theses

Venus’ surface and interior dynamics remain largely unconstrained, due in great part to the major obstacles imposed by its 470°C, 90 bars surface conditions and its thick, opaque atmosphere. Orbiter-based thermal emission data provide an opportunity to characterize the Venus surface. However, interpretations of such spectra critically depend on understanding interactions between the planet’s surface basaltic rocks and its caustic, SO₂-bearing CO₂ atmosphere. Several studies, using remote sensing, thermodynamic modeling, and laboratory experiments have placed constraints on alteration mineralogies and rates. Yet constraint with respect to SO₂-mediated reactions with basalts of contrasting compositions remains incomplete. …

Dissolved Organic Carbon And The Potential Role To Stream Acidity In The Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Jason R. Brown

Masters Theses

A substantial societal shift towards environmental awareness has focused research efforts on the impacts of pollution on natural landscapes. Improvements to pollutant regulations and technology have resulted in sizeable reductions of atmospheric deposition of anthropogenic acids, especially nitrates and sulfates, which has altered the role of these ions in the environment. As such, understandings of environmental chemistry dynamics have required regular updating.

Through the National Park Service Vital Signs monitoring program, increases in precipitation pH observed in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GRSM) has been attributed to the reduction of inorganic acid concentrations. Unfortunately, these improvements have not been uniformly …

Calculation And Modeling Of The Neutron’S Magnetic Moment, Abhyuday Sharda

Masters Theses

This thesis presents the current state of neutron magnetic moment calcu- lations. It details the development of calculations through history. It also delves into an experiment measuring the neutron magnetic moment. It ex- plores other methods by which calculations can be improved to get a better/ more accurate number. The conclusion is that there are still a lot of areas unexplored in context of the calculation of neutron magnetic moment and areas relevant to be worked upon are detailed.

A Biological Assessment Of Oyster Restoration Mats Throughout The Indian River Lagoon: Changes In Community Composition And Filtration Capacity Of Living Docks, Morgan Katherine Gilligan

Theses and Dissertations

Like many estuaries worldwide, the Indian River Lagoon (IRL), has seen a decline in resources and overall water quality due to human activities. There is a growing interest in implementing ecological engineering methods to restore water quality. One such method is the construction and deployment of oyster restoration mats on dock pilings, known as the Living Docks program. This community driven program was founded at Florida Tech with the goal of promoting the growth of filter feeding benthic organisms to improve local water quality. Since 2013, twelve docks have been deployed in the central IRL, spanning from Cape Canaveral (28º …

Innovative Computational Methods For Pharmaceutical Problem Solving A Review Part I: The Drug Development Process, Heather R. Campbell, Robert A. Lodder

Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Publications

Computational methods have provided pharmaceutical scientists and engineers a means to go beyond what's possible with experimental testing alone. Providing a means to study active pharmaceutical ingredients (API), excipients, and drug interactions at or near-atomic levels. This paper provides a review of this and other innovative computational methods used for solving pharmaceutical problems throughout the drug development process. Part one of two this paper will emphasize the role of computational methods and game theory in solving pharmaceutical challenges.

Understanding Potential Climate Change Impacts On Water Resources Within A Fractured Rock Watershed In Northern Togo, Mahawa-Essa Mabossani Akara

Dissertations

More than 72% of sub-Saharan Africa land surface is comprised of hard rock with fractured rock aquifers supplying water to an estimated 25% of the rural population. Given low porosity and storativity, fractured rock aquifers are particularly vulnerable to stresses such as projected population growth and climate variability. General circulation models of sub-Saharan Africa predict increases in temperature and in occurrences of extreme precipitation trends, such as flooding and drought. Adaptation strategies that promote optimal uses of water resources have emerged, although, most focus exclusively on surface water resources. This project investigates the potential impact of climate change on surface …

Node-Wise Localization Of Graph Neural Networks, Zemin Liu, Yuan Fang, Chenghao Liu, Steven C.H. Hoi

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Graph neural networks (GNNs) emerge as a powerful family of representation learning models on graphs. To derive node representations, they utilize a global model that recursively aggregates information from the neighboring nodes. However, different nodes reside at different parts of the graph in different local contexts, making their distributions vary across the graph. Ideally, how a node receives its neighborhood information should be a function of its local context, to diverge from the global GNN model shared by all nodes. To utilize node locality without overfitting, we propose a node-wise localization of GNNs by accounting for both global and local …