Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Case Studies Of Alberta Clipper Systems And The Impacts On Winter Weather Road Maintenance, Cameron Wunderlin

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Winter weather can cause profound impacts to a variety of economic sectors in the mid-latitudes. In the Great Plains of North America, one sector that is highly impacted by winter weather is road transportation. The burdens to road transportation caused by winter weather have led to the adoption of a Maintenance Decision Support System (MDSS) by the Nebraska Department of Transportation (NDOT). Using both observational and numerical weather model data, NDOT-MDSS generates both winter weather forecasts and winter road maintenance recommendations. Little is known about how well NDOT-MDSS is forecasting conditions for different winter weather events. Using a case study …

Detecting Sars-Cov-2 3clpro Expression And Activity Using A Polyclonal Antiserum And A Luciferase-Based Biosensor, Amornrat O’Brien, Da-Yuan Chen, Matthew Hackbart, Brianna J. Close, Timothy O'Brien, Mohsan Saeed, Susan C. Baker

Mathematics and Statistics: Faculty Publications and Other Works

The need to stem the current outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 responsible for COVID-19 is driving the search for inhibitors that will block coronavirus replication and pathogenesis. The coronavirus 3C-like protease (3CLpro) encoded in the replicase polyprotein is an attractive target for antiviral drug development because protease activity is required for generating a functional replication complex. Reagents that can be used to screen for protease inhibitors and for identifying the replicase products of SARS-CoV-2 are urgently needed. Here we describe a luminescence-based biosensor assay for evaluating small molecule inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro/main protease. We also document that a polyclonal rabbit antiserum developed …

Squigonometry, Andrew Hatfield, Riley Klette, Christopher Moore, Beth Warden

Mathematics

Trigonometry is the study of circular functions - functions defined on the unit circle where distances are measured with respect to the Euclidean norm. In our research, we develop a parallel theory of trigonometric and inverse trigonometric functions for the p-norm. This is called squigonometry because the resulting functions are defined on a squircle. This approach leads to new transcendental periods, formulas, and identities. It also extends to exponential, hyperbolic, and logarithmic functions in the p-norm.

Eas 201: Nature Of New York, Cuny School Of Professional Studies

Open Educational Resources

Provides an introduction to ecological reasoning through study of New York City’s geologic origins and transformations over time: natural and man-made environments, cultural history, biological diversity, habitats, and invasive species. Lectures, discussion, virtual labs and field experiences show how various elements have combined over time to form the current urban metropolis. Students will formulate testable hypothesis, collect and analyze field data, create well-developed laboratory reports.

Eas 250: Oceanography, Cuny School Of Professional Studies

Open Educational Resources

Oceanography is an interdisciplinary field studying the processes and interrelationships of geology, chemistry, geography, geophysics, meteorology, and biology. This course focuses on how scientific processes and scientific understanding are applied to questions such as: Which factors control life in the ocean? How do we know what we know about the ocean? What's at the bottom of the ocean? How does the water in the ocean move? How are human activities and climate change altering the ocean? Oceanographic data is used to understand the ocean and its interactions with the rest of the planet.

This course is based in part upon …

Quan 201: Quantitative Reasoning And Society, Cuny School Of Professional Studies

Open Educational Resources

An interdisciplinary introduction to the ways in which data can be used to enhance thinking and decision-making capacities, including using simple statistical techniques, creating visual representations of quantitative data, deriving accurate conclusions from quantitative data, and using data effectively in analyses and arguments. Assignments build capacity to evaluate and write clearly about quantitative evidence using methods for analyzing and communicating about data that do not require complex mathematics.

Technological Tethereds: Potential Impact Of Untrustworthy Artificial Intelligence In Criminal Justice Risk Assessment Instruments, Sonia M. Gipson Rankin

Faculty Scholarship

Issues of racial inequality and violence are front and center in today’s society, as are issues surrounding artificial intelligence (AI). This Article, written by a law professor who is also a computer scientist, takes a deep dive into understanding how and why hacked and rogue AI creates unlawful and unfair outcomes, particularly for persons of color.

Black Americans are disproportionally featured in criminal justice, and their stories are obfuscated. The seemingly endless back-to-back murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery, and heartbreakingly countless others have finally shaken the United States from its slumbering journey towards intentional criminal justice …

Coastal Windstorms Create Unsteady, Unpredictable Storm Surges In A Fluvial Maine Estuary, Preston Spicer, Pascal Matte, Kimberly Huguenard, Laura N. Rickard

Civil Engineering Faculty Scholarship

Storm surges create coastal flooding that can be damaging to life and property. In estuaries with significant river influence (fluvial), it is possible for tides, storm surge, and river discharge to interact and enhance surges relative to the immediate coast. These tide-surge-river interactions were previously identified in a fluvial Maine estuary as higher frequency (>four cycles per day) oscillations to storm surge which were proposed to be incited by enhanced friction and resonance during certain windstorm events (Spicer et al. 2019). The relative contributions to tide-surge-river interaction from atmospheric forcing variables (wind, barometric pressure, and externally generated surge) remains …

Examining Middle School Students' Methods Of Justification, Leslie Reyes- Hernandez

Mathematics

Researching students’ thinking is imperative to improving the education system throughout the world. From extensive research, it is noted that students are unaccustomed and struggle with providing valid mathematical justifications (e.g. Inglis & Alcock 2012). The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM, 2000) and Common Core State Standards of Mathematics (CCSSM, 2010) suggest that students should have several opportunities to construct mathematical arguments across all grade levels. To take a closer look at this educational phenomenon, we prompt fifth to eighth-grade students with nine mathematical tasks. Within our research, we focus on tasks based on number properties, algebraic thinking, …

Circulation, Volume 26, No.2, Center For Coastal Physical Oceanography, Old Dominion University

CCPO Circulation

Spring 2021 issue of CCPO Circulation featuring the article, "Reconciling Models and Everyday Life," by Pierre St-Laurent.

A Direct Method For Modeling And Simulations Of Elliptic And Parabolic Interface Problems, Kumudu Gamage, Yan Peng

College of Sciences Posters

Interface problems have many applications in fluid dynamics, molecular biology, electromagnetism, material science, heat distribution in engines, and hyperthermia treatment of cancer. Mathematically, interface problems commonly lead to partial differential equations (PDE) whose in- put data are discontinuous or singular across the interfaces in the solution domain. Many standard numerical methods designed for smooth solutions poorly work for interface problems as solutions of the interface problems are mostly non-smoothness or discontinuous. Moving interface problems depends on the accuracy of the gradient of the solution at the interface. Therefore, it became essential to derive a method for interface problems that gives …

Alexandrium In The Arctic: Are Harmful Algae Spreading As The Arctic Warms?, Sveinn Einarsson, Kate Lowry, Robert Pickart, Karin Ashjian, P. Dreux Chappell

College of Sciences Posters

Alexandrium tamerense is a well-studied dinoflagellate known for its ability to produce the neurotoxin that causes paralytic shellfish poisoning. Until 1970 Alexandrium tamerense was only found in Europe, North America, and Japan but has been increasingly found all over the globe. Alexandrium is characteristically found in temperate and subtropical regions and as the Arctic warms, there is considerable concern that it may be expanding into the Arctic. We found Alexandrium tamerense during a research expedition to the Alaskan Beaufort Sea shelf to study upwelling. Upwelling events are known to support seasonal blooms of phytoplankton, which are important primary producers at …

Building Climate Resilient Communities: Living Within The Earth’S Carrying Capacity, Gordon Mcbean, Paul Kovacs, James Voogt, Greg Kopp, Sophie Guilbault

Geography & Environment Publications

This Knowledge Synthesis examines how Canadian communities can proactively advance climate resilience to effectively reduce the risk from climate change impacts.

Our synthesis reveals that some communities have prepared high level adaptation plans, but very few have a detailed implementation strategy with established funding frameworks. Most actions to build community resilience in Canada are unplanned and take place in recovery following an extreme loss event. Indigenous communities are at the forefront of climate change adaptation in Canada. Self-determination and adaptive capacity building through community-led risk assessments, planning, and disaster recovery organizations, while addressing the broader context of reconciliation gaps and …

Distances To Galactic X-Ray Binaries With Gaia Dr2, R. M. Arnason, H. Papei, P. Barmby, A. Bahramian, M. D. Gorski

Physics and Astronomy Publications

Precise and accurate measurements of distances to Galactic X-ray binaries (XRBs) reduce uncertainties in the determination of XRB physical parameters. We have cross-matched the XRB catalogues of Liu, van Paradijs & van den Heuvel to the results of Gaia Data Release 2. We identify 86 XRBs with a Gaia candidate counterpart, of which 32 are low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs) and 54 are high-mass X-ray binaries (HMXBs). Distances to Gaia candidate counterparts are, on average, consistent with those measured by Hipparcos and radio parallaxes. When compared to distances measured by Gaia candidate counterparts, distances measured using Type I X-ray bursts are …

On The Observational Difference Between The Accretion Disk-Corona Connections Among Super- And Sub-Eddington Accreting Active Galactic Nuclei, Hezhen Liu, B. Luo, W. N. Brandt, Michael S. Brotherton, Sarah C. Gallagher, Q. Ni, Ohad Shemmer, J. D. Timlin

Physics and Astronomy Publications

We present a systematic X-ray and multiwavelength study of a sample of 47 active galactic nuclei (AGNs) with reverberation mapping measurements. This sample includes 21 super-Eddington accreting AGNs and 26 sub-Eddington accreting AGNs. Using high-state observations with simultaneous X-ray and UV/optical measurements, we investigate whether super-Eddington accreting AGNs exhibit different accretion disk-corona connections compared to sub-Eddington accreting AGNs. We find tight correlations between the X-ray-to-UV/optical spectral slope parameter (α OX) and the monochromatic luminosity at 2500 Å (L 2500Å) for both the super- and sub-Eddington subsamples. The best-fit α OX-L 2500Å relations are consistent overall, indicating that super-Eddington accreting AGNs …

Determining Emic Wave Vector Properties Through Multi-Point Measurements: The Wave Curl Analysis, S. K. Vines, B. J. Anderson, R. C. Allen, R. E. Denton, M. J. Engebretson, J. R. Johnson, S. Toledo-Redondo, J. H. Lee, D. L. Turner, R. E. Ergun, R. J. Strangeway, C. T. Russell, H. Wei, R. B. Torbert, S. A. Fuselier, B. L. Giles, J. L. Burch

Faculty Authored Articles

Electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves play important roles in particle loss processes in the magnetosphere. Determining the evolution of EMIC waves as they propagate and how this evolution affects wave-particle interactions requires accurate knowledge of the wave vector, k. We present a technique using the curl of the wave magnetic field to determine k observationally, enabled by the unique configuration and instrumentation of the Magnetospheric MultiScale (MMS) spacecraft. The wave curl analysis is demonstrated for synthetic arbitrary electromagnetic waves with varying properties typical of observed EMIC waves. The method is also applied to an EMIC wave interval observed by MMS …

An Application Of Lakota Ethics To The Contemporary American Waste Crisis, Erika Marchant

Student Research

In this paper, I discuss the unethical nature of modern American waste systems and individual practices, focusing on the benefits of adopting elements of indigenous land care ethics. Specifically, I discuss the opportunities for sustainable improvement found in the Lakota perspective of humans’ relationship with the land, such as the frugality epitomized in their hunting, harvesting, and material culture. Lakotan environmental consciousness is ultimately owing to the centrality of their spiritual convictions and traditions, which are, of course, not replicable in the non-indigenous Western context; although we will certainly never be able to understand nor internalize the heart of Lakota …

Conversational A.I.: Predicting Future Response Sentiment In One-On-One Dialogue, Josephine Bahr

2021 Academic Exhibition

This project focuses on mathematical applications for one-on-one texting conversations. Welcome to the realm of conversational A.I. (artificial intelligence), a field that also studies the commonly-known predictive text. Instead of suggesting words, however, this project will make predictions in text sentiment. Text sentiment models detect emotion in natural written language. With the development of models that can tag present emotions, this project looks to further apply the field of text sentiment. If a model exists to tag present emotion, then perhaps the tags can be used to predict future emotion. This project specifically applies this question to texting conversations between …

Through The Eye Of The Beholder: Student Teaching In Kentucky During A Pandemic, Brittany Stidham, Kimberely Nettleton, Sandra Riegle

2021 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations

Student teaching is the capstone of student teaching preparation. The Covid-19 pandemic has changed many aspects of student teaching; and students have had to adapt to a new way of both learning and teaching. As the world turned upside down, student teachers were expected to interact with their students and provide instruction. The pandemic caused student teachers to develop new ways to engage lessons and hold conversations in a virtual environment. This pilot study examines the ways in which a small group of student teachers in eastern Kentucky internalized their experience.

Evidence Based Evaluation Of A Ventilator Management Clinical Practice Protocol, Kyle Mills, Michelle Mcclave

2021 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations

Nursing care and management of mechanically ventilated patients requires specific care elements to be achieved in order for optimal patient outcomes. The ventilator management policy guides nursing care for this select group of patients. The ventilator management policy of a rural community acute healthcare facility was evaluated for evidence-base and validity using the AGREE GRS rating scale. The evaluation process included interview of the director of the inpatient unit responsible for care of ventilator patients, as well as review of the most current evidence-based practice protocols. Evaluation results indicate the facility’s policy met the needs of the patients, and incorporated …

A Portable Analyzer For Rapid And Sensitive Protein Detection By Ac Electrokinetics Capacitive Sensing, Allie Skaggs, Cheng Cheng

2021 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations

Capacitive bioparticle detection is a promising method for point-of-care diagnosis. There are a wide range of applications for such a device: diagnostics, pharmacology, and medical science. The end goal of this project is to develop a portable capacitive sensing platform for rapid and sensitive bioparticles detection. When bioparticles bind to receptors located on the surface of the electrode there would be a change in the interfacial capacitance, which indicate the presence of the bioparticle. The ADuCM355 – a precision analog microcontroller with a chemical sensor interface – is being used to perform biased electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). An AC potential …

Catalogue Of Lichen Species In The Rowan County Sphagnum Swamp, Rowan County, Kentucky, Deanna Kidd, Allen Risk

2021 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations

Rowan County Sphagnum Swamp is one of the best remaining examples of a bottomland swamp forest left in the Knobs region of Kentucky. Bottomland swamp forests are characterized by soil with a high percentage of organic matter above clay and Devonian shale. This arrangement leads to standing water much of the year and a strongly acidic soil. Common tree species in the Rowan County Sphagnum Swamp include Acer rubrum (red maple), Quercus palustris (pin oak), Liquidambar styraciflua (sweet gum), Nyssa sylvatica (sour gum) and Betula nigra (river birch). Bottomland swamp forests used to be more common, but have dwindled due …

Growth Performance Of Weaned Angus Bulls Housed In A Compost Bedded Pack Barn, Anna Meyers, Courtney Branham, Flint Harrelson, Patricia Harrelson

2021 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations

Compost-bedded pack barns (CBP) are a typical facility utilized in dairy cattle operations across the United States. Their popularity is the result of improved animal welfare and reduced costs. The crossover of CBP into the beef cattle industry is new and the benefits and downfalls are not yet explored. Through a grant from NRCS, a CBP was built at the Derrickson Agricultural Complex in 2019-2020. In fall of 2020, the pack was established by mixing manure and sawdust shavings to start the aerobic composting process and weaned bulls were given access to the barn in November 2020. The objective of …

Identification Of Kentucky Land Snail Species, Tessa Whalen, Allen Risk

2021 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations

Land snails are members of the Phylum Mollusca and the Class Gastropoda. The importance of land snails to their native ecosystems has been greatly underestimated and understudied. For example, land snails play a huge role in the cycling of micronutrients in their ecosystems, they are active in the dispersal of plant seeds and fungal spores, and they have been shown to be bioindicators for vertebrates of conservation concern. They also contribute to the ecosystem by leaving their shells behind when they die, which is then used as a source of calcium carbonate by many species, and used in the formation …

Quantitative Sampling Of Ant Populations In Rowan County As A Measure Of Biodiversity In Rowan County Woodlands, Amber Schifano, Anna Grace Ehr, Maiyuki Druen, Charles Lydeard, Sean O'Keefe

2021 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations

Biodiversity is an important metric used for conservation efforts and ecological assessments. Biodiversity is defined as the measure of taxonomic diversity within an area. Several groups of organisms have been used as surrogates to assess overall biodiversity for an area, for example plants, mammals, birds, beetles, etc. Ants represent another surrogate taxon for assessing biodiversity because ants are found in many types of habitats, fulfill a variety of ecological roles, are diverse, and are numerous. Leaf-litter samples were collected from three wooded sites in Rowan County: Eagle Lake, Stoney Cove, and Rodburn Hollow between the months of August and October …

Fall And Rise: Changes In The Fish Community Of Triplett Creek Following Restoration Of A Channelized Reach, Austin Spradlin, Jonathan Eisenhour, David Eisenhour

2021 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations

In the early 1970s, Triplett Creek in Morehead, Kentucky, was straightened, deepened, and widened, resulting in a rather homogenous aquatic habitat, varying little in depth, flow, and substrate. In summer of 2018, a section of the stream was “restored” in order to alleviate the bank instability and flooding problems created by the 1970s channelization, restore the health of its aquatic community, and improve recreational opportunities. Our goal was to examine changes in the fish population resulting from the extensive changes to the channel and substrate during the restoration. We studied the fish populations at four sites (two sites in the …

Listen To Your Heart: Promoting Traditional Music In The Schools Of Appalachia, Cera Clark, Joy Gritton

2021 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations

Appalachian culture has many distinguishing features, one of those being the traditional music that has endured generations. Fostering traditional music in the region’s schools could help keep that heritage alive. While there are multiple programs that have worked to promote traditional music in Appalachia’s public schools, many systems have found the cost of visiting artists, instruments, and field trips out of reach with increasing budget cuts. The past year presented additional problems, as many schools have been forced to turn to alternative delivery systems for education that rely heavily on technology. Organizing a series of instructional videos, featuring local instructors …

College Students' Understanding Of Analog Time Keeping And Rotational Directionality, Katelyn Collins, Wilson Gonzalez-Espada

2021 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations

Although time-telling using analog clocks is a topic covered in KY math standards in 1st and 2nd grades, and most older adults assume that everyone can read analog clocks, recent media reports and personal anecdotes have indicated that an ever-increasing proportion of young people struggle to correctly read them because most timing devices they are exposed to are digital. Although the personal and academic consequences of not mastering this skill are unknown, it is important to document the extent of this issue at a college level. Of particular interest to the researchers is the description of rotational direction as clockwise …

Increasing Student Engagement In Introductory Physics Hybrid Classes, Breanna Epperson, Kent Price

2021 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations

The demand for online instruction is on the rise. In a classroom setting, research shows that student interactions are important for overcoming common misconceptions, but it is challenging to achieve the same level of engagement in an online setting. To try to improve online interactions in a hybrid physics class at Morehead State University, the Fall 2020 online class was required to post a total of three times about a closed, multiple choice, conceptual physics question in each assignment while following certain criteria. In the Spring of 2021, the discussion format was kept the same, but was moved to a …

Backyard Bio Security: How Social Media Bridges The Gap Between Urban Chicken Farmers, Carrie Sorrell, Morgan Getchell

2021 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations

Urban chicken farming, defined as the practice of keeping a small flock of chickens in an urban or suburban setting for the purpose of this study, has increased in popularity in recent years. The purpose of this study is to examine how well-equipped urban chicken farmers are to care for their chickens, where they get information from, and how they judge that information to be credible. Specifically, the research looks at two diseases, Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) and Virulent Newcastle disease, and whether these urban farmers know about the diseases and can deal with them appropriately based on the …