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Analysis And Implementation Of Numerical Methods For Solving Ordinary Differential Equations, Muhammad Sohel Rana

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Numerical methods to solve initial value problems of differential equations progressed quite a bit in the last century. We give a brief summary of how useful numerical methods are for ordinary differential equations of first and higher order. In this thesis both computational and theoretical discussion of the application of numerical methods on differential equations takes place. The thesis consists of an investigation of various categories of numerical methods for the solution of ordinary differential equations including the numerical solution of ordinary differential equations from a number of practical fields such as equations arising in population dynamics and astrophysics. It …

Photochemical Generation And Kinetic Studies Of High-Valent Metal-Oxo Intermediates Supported By Corrole And Porphyrin Ligands, Ngo Fung Lee

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

High-valent transition metal-oxo intermediates are of fundamental importance because of their central role as active oxidizing species in enzymatic and synthetic catalytic oxidations. Many transition metal catalysts have been extensively studied as models of the ubiquitous cytochrome P450 enzymes to probe the sophisticated oxygen atom transfer mechanism as well as to invent enzyme-like oxidation catalysts.

In this work, photolysis of highly photo-labile corrole-manganese(IV) bromates or nitrites by visible light was studied in two corrole systems with different electronic environments. The corrole systems under studied include 5,10,15- tris(pentafluorophenyl)corrole (TPFC) and 5,10,15-triphenylcorrole (TPC). As observed in both systems, homolytic cleavage of O-Br …

Nano/Submicro-Structured Iron Cobalt Oxides Based Materials For Energy Storage Application, Hongyan Gao

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Supercapacitors, as promising energy storage devices, have been of interest for their long lifespan compared to secondary batteries, high capacitance and excellent reliability compared to conventional dielectric capacitors. Transition metal oxides can be applied as the electrode materials for pseudocapacitors and offer a much higher specific capacitance. Co3O4 is one of the most investigated transition metal oxides for supercapacitor. Besides simple monometallic oxides, bimetallic transition oxides have recently drawn growing attention in electrochemical energy storage. They present many unique properties such as achievable oxidation states, high electrical conductivities because of the coexistence of two different cations in a single crystal …

Green Cloud - Load Balancing, Load Consolidation Using Vm Migration, Manh Duc Do

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Recently, cloud computing is a new trend emerging in computer technology with a massive demand from the clients. To meet all requirements, a lot of cloud data centers have been constructed since 2008 when Amazon published their cloud service. The rapidly growing data center leads to the consumption of a tremendous amount of energy even cloud computing has better improved in the performance and energy consumption, but cloud data centers still absorb an immense amount of energy. To raise company’s income annually, the cloud providers start considering green cloud concepts which gives an idea about how to optimize CPU’s usage …

Landscape Genetics Of The California Tiger Salamander: Inferences From Multiple Methods, Samantha Gabrielle Thomas

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Landscape genetics is a rapidly growing field of study that compares patterns of gene flow among populations with habitat heterogeneity across a landscape to infer the interaction between dispersal of individuals and their physical environment. Empirical data generated from a landscape genetics study can inform conservation and management strategies, making the field increasing popular. However, concerns have arisen in the literature that the field is expanding faster than the analytic framework that supports it. Multiple methods for generating estimates of the association among habitat types and dispersal (i.e., least-cost paths and resistance surfaces) have been proposed, and there is a …

Epikarst Hydrogeochemical Changes In Telogenetic Karst Systems In South-Central Kentucky, Leah Jackson

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Telogenetic epikarst carbon sourcing and transport processes and the associated hydrogeochemical responses are often complex and dynamic. Among the processes involved in epikarst development is a highly variable storage and flow relationship that is often influenced by the type, rate, and amount of dissolution kinetics involved. Diffusion rates of CO2 in the epikarst zone may drive hydrogeochemical changes that influence carbonate dissolution processes and conduit formation. Most epikarst examinations of these defining factors ignore regional-scale investigations in favor of characterizing more localized processes. This study aims to address that discrepancy through a comparative analysis of two telogenetic epikarst systems under …

Evidence For Late Pliocene Deglacial Megafloods From Giant Sediment Waves In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico, Zexuan Wang

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Laurentide Ice Sheet outburst floods to the Gulf of Mexico have been mainly documented based on deep-sea cores, especially the megafloods, only during the last several interglacial episodes in the late Pleistocene. The paleoclimatic significance of giant sedimentary structures developed under unconfined Froude-supercritical turbidity currents in subaqueous settings is considerably under-examined. This research extensively documents >20-km-wide and 200-m-thick Plio-Pleistocene giant sediment waves for the first time on the northern Gulf of Mexico continental slope using 3D seismic data, which show waveform morphology in unprecedented detail. The results suggest that such large-scale bedforms were formed under sheet-like unconfined Froudesupercritical turbidity currents …

Shower Atomization, Chirag Ayappa Ravishankar,

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The research will help to design a shower for Dr. Chelson’s shelter, which can control the water flow, pressure and duration of the shower, which optimizes the utilization of water. The showers could be used in drought-hit areas where water is very scarce, as daily sanitation needs are necessary to keep a person safe and healthy without wasting water. The report from, World Health Organization shows that showers consume the most water. A timed shower could help resolve this issue through eliminating the wastage. Eco-friendly environmentalists may also be attracted to the showers, as their main purposes are to save …

Examination Of Leed Certified Building’S Electricity Usage, Nasim Amiri

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The number of buildings seeking LEED certification has been growing steadily over the past few years. In this study, three academic buildings which were designed and built to LEED certification standards were targeted in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Their electricity consumption and cost effectiveness were examined and compared with predesigned LEED efficiency models of those three buildings. This research directly examined cost effectiveness of LEED buildings in terms of electricity usage. Three case studies were completed to find the initial and on-going electricity costs of LEED buildings and to verify the LEED standard results. LEED aspects of these buildings were discussed …

Synthesis,Structure And Properties Of Ruthenium Polypyridyl Metalloligand Based Metal-Organic Frameworks, Mamatha Polapally

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have been extensively studied because of their amazing applications in gas storage, purification, photocatalysis, chemical sensing, and imaging techniques. Ruthenium polypyridyl complexes have been broadly considered as photosensitizers for the conversion of solar energy and photoelectronic materials. With this aspect, we have synthesized three new ruthenium polypyridyl based MOFs ([Ru(H2bpc)Cu(bpc)(Hbpc)2(H2O)]·5H2O (1), [Ru(H2bpc)(Fe(bpc)(Hbpc)2(H2O)2]·6H2O (2) and [Ru(H2bpc)Ni(bpc)(Hbpc)2(H2O)2]·6H2O (3)) from ruthenium(III) chloride, bpc (2,2’- bipyridine-4,4’-dicarboxylic acid) ligand, and 3d M(II) metal ions (M(II)= Cu(II), Fe(II), Ni(II)). These MOFs were synthesized under hydro or solvothermal conditions by using water, ethanol or methanol as solvents. The crystal structures of the new compounds …

One-Step Laser-Induced Hydrogen Generation From Coal Powders In Water, Dovletgeldi Seyitliyev

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This study presents a simple way of obtaining hydrogen gas (H2) from various ranks of coal, coke, and graphite using nanosecond laser pulses. Powder samples of coal and graphite with and without water were irradiated with 1064 nm and 532 nm pulses from an Nd: YAG laser for 45 minutes under air and argon atmospheres. It was observed that 532 nm laser pulses were more effective than 1064 nm pulses in gas generation and both were nonlinearly correlated with respect to the laser energy density. Mainly hydrogen (H2) and carbon monoxide (CO) were observed. The H2 to CO ratio shows …

Measuring Inorganic Carbon Fluxes From Carbonate Mineral Weathering From Large River Basins: The Ohio River Basin, Autumn B. Singer

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Rising atmospheric CO2 concentrations have motivated efforts to better quantify reservoirs and fluxes of Earth’s carbon. Of these fluxes from the atmosphere, one that has received relatively little attention is the atmospheric carbon sink associated with carbonate mineral dissolution. Osterhoudt (2014) and Salley (2016) explored new normalization techniques to improve and standardize a process for measuring this flux over large river basins. The present research extends this work to the 490,600 km2 Ohio River drainage basin and 11 subbasins. The study estimated the DIC flux leaving these basins between October 1, 2013, and September 30, 2014, based on secondary hydrogeochemical, …

Graphene-Based ‘Hybrids’ As High-Performance Electrodes With Tailored Interfaces For Alternative Energy Applications: Synthesis, Structure And Electrochemical Properties, Mayme Marie Van Meveren

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Technological progress is determined to a great extent by developments of novel materials from new combinations of known substances with different dimensionality and functionality. We investigate the development of 3D ‘hybrid’ nanomaterials by utilizing graphene based systems coupled with transition metal oxides (e.g. manganese oxides MnO2 and Mn3O4). This lays the groundwork for high performance electrochemical electrodes for alternative energy owing to their higher specific capacitance, wide operational window and stability through charge-discharge cycling, environmental benignity, cost effective, easily processed, and reproducible in a larger scale.

Thus far, very few people have investigated the potential of combining carbon sheets that …

An Expedited, Regiospecific Para-Bromination Of Activated Aryls, Kathryn E. Dudley

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Electrophilic Aromatic Substitution (EAS) is one of the most frequently used aryl substitution methods. Aside from the fact that most EAS reactions require an acid and an oxidizer to proceed, the reactions involving activated aryls typically produce a mixture of ortho- and para- products as well as an ortho-/para- disubstituted product. Regiospecificity in aromatic substitution is key in the production of many compounds in a variety of disciplines. Since EAS is one of the most often used substitution methods, it is extremely important to develop an efficient method for regiospecific substitutions. Previous research developed a method of ortho-substitution by using …

Synoptic Atmospheric Conditions, Land Cover, And Equivalent Temperature Variations In Kentucky, Dorothy Yemaa Na-Yemeh

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Research has demonstrated that equivalent temperature (T_E), which incorporates both the surface air temperature (T) and moist heat content associated with atmospheric moisture, is a better indicator of overall heat content. This thesis follows up on a study that used T_E to determine the impacts of land use/land cover and air masses on the atmospheric heat content over Kentucky during the growing season (April-September). The study, which used data from the Kentucky Mesonet, reveals that moist weather types dominate the growing season and, as expected, differences between T and T_E are smaller under dry atmospheric conditions …

Detection And Quantitation Of Tetracycline Antibiotics In Agricultural Swine Wastes, Ali Jamal Abdulrheem

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The spread of tetracyclines through agricultural systems is causing the present bacteria to develop antibiotic resistance. The spread of this bacteria, as well as the tetracycline antibiotics in the environment is dangerous because these antibiotics pose health hazards for humans. The overuse of antibiotics, which are added to livestock feed, results in the antibiotics being released into the environment via animal feces. In this research, we have attempted to design an analytical method to isolate antibiotics from agricultural wastes with subsequent detection using liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry (LC-MS). The antibiotics investigated in this study were tetracycline, chlortetracycline, and oxytetracycline. …

Quantitative River Profile Analysis To Investigate Exhumation Of The Siwalik Foreland Basin, Nepalese Himalaya, Indu Bhattarai

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The Nepalese Himalaya, one of the most active regions within the Himalayan Mountain belt, is characterized by a thick succession of Miocene age Siwalik sedimentary rocks deposited at its foreland basin. To date, much of its tectonic evolution, including exhumation in the Nepalese Siwalik, is poorly understood. This study of a quantitative analysis of the bedrock river parameters should provide crucial information regarding tectonic activities in the area. The study investigated geomorphic parameters of river longitudinal profiles from 54 watersheds within the Siwalik section of the Nepalese Himalaya, for the first time. A total of 140 bedrock rivers from these …

Characterizing South American Mesoscale Convective Complexes Using Isotope Hydrology, Kyle J. Hogancamp

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Mesoscale convective complexes (MCCs) over subtropical South America contribute an average annual volume of precipitation equal to approximately seven km3 and occur with an average regularity in the region, with more than 30 per warm season. Isotopic characteristics of precipitation, such as δ2H and δ18O values, provide information that can be used to identify unique processes and sources related to precipitation events. The largest database of isotope characteristics of precipitation within the region is the Global Network of Isotopes in Precipitation (GNIP), which provides varying temporal resolution data from stations around the world, including subtropical South America.

Using this database, …

Discrete Fractional Hermite-Hadamard Inequality, Aykut Arslan

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This thesis is comprised of three main parts: The Hermite-Hadamard inequality on discrete time scales, the fractional Hermite-Hadamard inequality, and Karush-Kuhn- Tucker conditions on higher dimensional discrete domains. In the first part of the thesis, Chapters 2 & 3, we define a convex function on a special time scale T where all the time points are not uniformly distributed on a time line. With the use of the substitution rules of integration we prove the Hermite-Hadamard inequality for convex functions defined on T. In the fourth chapter, we introduce fractional order Hermite-Hadamard inequality and characterize convexity in terms of this …

Synthesis, Characterization, And Properties Of Graphene-Based Hybrids With Cobalt Oxides For Electrochemical Energy Storage And Electrocatalytic Glucose Sensing, Sara C. Botero Carrizosa

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

A library of graphene-based hybrid materials was synthesized as novel hybrid electrochemical electrodes for electrochemical energy conversion and storage devices and electrocatalytical sensing namely enzymeless glucose sensing. The materials used were supercapacitive graphene-family nanomaterials (multilayer graphene-MLG; graphene oxide-GO, chemically reduced GO-rGO and electrochemical reduced GOErGO) and pseudocapacitive nanostructured transition metal oxides including cobalt oxide polymorphs (CoO and Co3O4) and cobalt nanoparticles (CoNP). These were combined through physisorption, electrodeposition, and hydrothermal syntheses approaches. This project was carried out to enhance electrochemical performance and to develop electrocatalytic platforms by tailoring structural properties and desired interfaces. Particularly, electrodeposition and hydrothermal synthesis facilitate chemically-bridged …

Tio2/Pdms Buoyant Photocatalyst For Water Remediation And Cu‑Rbs Organic/Inorganic Hybrid For Thermoelectric Applications, John R. Bertram

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Two novel materials have been developed: TiO2/poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) beads as buoyant photocatalyst materials for water remediation, and copper rhodamine‑B silane (Cu‑RBS) as an n ‑type organic/inorganic hybrid for thermoelectric applications. The approach to incorporate TiO2 into low‑density PDMS beads addresses many of the challenges traditionally encountered when creating buoyant photocatalysts, an area which is crucial for wide‑spread remediation of water resources, including natural bodies of water. The performance and reusability of the buoyant photocatalyst materials, demonstrated by using methylene blue as a model degradation target, is strong enough for environmental application. The use of a kinetic model and the introduction …

Stability Of Linear Difference Systems In Discrete And Fractional Calculus, Aynur Er

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The main purpose of this thesis is to define the stability of a system of linear difference equations of the form,

∇y(t) = Ay(t),

and to analyze the stability theory for such a system using the eigenvalues of the corresponding matrix A in nabla discrete calculus and nabla fractional discrete calculus. Discrete exponential functions and the Putzer algorithms are studied to examine the stability theorem.

This thesis consists of five chapters and is organized as follows. In the first chapter, the Gamma function and its properties are studied. Additionally, basic definitions, properties and some main theorem of discrete calculus are …

Regiospecific P-Bromination Of Activated Aromatic Systems – Greener Approach, Elnaz Jalali

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The halogenated derivatives of heterocyclic compounds (haloarenes) are highly utilized in many fields of chemistry, including drug discovery, medicinal, and material chemistry. There are a variety of ways to functionalize an aromatic system and introduce halogen substituent into the ring. However, electrophilic aromatic substitution (EAS) has been the focus of growing attention, particularly for electronrich substrates.

Electrophilic aromatic bromination protocols are one of the most important electrophilic aromatic substitution reactions. However, preparation of bromoarenes classically recommends the use of highly oxidative agents along with utilizing various metal catalysts in a halogenated solvent. The corrosive and toxic nature of these reagents …

Synthesis, Kinetic And Catalytic Studies Of Manganese Complexes With Corrole And Porphyrin Ligands, Haleh Jeddi

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

High-valent transition metal-oxo intermediates play a significant role in the catalytic cycle of the ubiquitous cytochrome P450 enzymes and in biomimetic catalytic systems. In this work, manganese(III) porphyrin and corrole systems (2) were synthesized and characterized by UV-vis absorbance and 1H-NMR, matching literaturereported spectroscopic data. Manganese(V)-oxo corroles (3) and a manganese(IV)-oxo porphyrin (4) were successfully generated by chemical oxidation using mchloroperoxybenzoic acid (m-CPBA), and their oxidation reactions with organic reductants were comparatively investigated. Results from single-turnover kinetic studies indicate that in the tris(pentafluorophenyl)corrole system (3a), the active oxidizing intermediate differs in different solvents. The active oxidizing intermediate in acetonitrile is …

Environmentally Friendly Synthesis Of Transition Metalorganic Hybrid Nanocomposites, Aubrey N. Penn

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Research on metal nanoparticles (MNPs) synthesis and their applications for optoelectronic devices has been a recent interest in the fields of nanoscience and nanotechnology Photovoltaics are one of such systems in which MNPs have shown to be quite useful, due to unique physical, optical, magnetic, and electronic properties, including the metal nanoparticles synthesized in this research.

Owing to the challenges with the most common physical and chemical methods of preparing MNPs, including the use of high temperatures, toxic reducing agents, and environmentally hazardous organic solvents, there is a critical need for a benign synthesis procedure for MNPs. In this work, …

A Proposed Frequency-Based Feature Selection Method For Cancer Classification, Yi Pan

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Feature selection method is becoming an essential procedure in data preprocessing step. The feature selection problem can affect the efficiency and accuracy of classification models. Therefore, it also relates to whether a classification model can have a reliable performance. In this study, we compared an original feature selection method and a proposed frequency-based feature selection method with four classification models and three filter-based ranking techniques using a cancer dataset. The proposed method was implemented in WEKA which is an open source software. The performance is evaluated by two evaluation methods: Recall and Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC). Finally, we found the …

Assessing Seasonal And Spatial Variability In The Hydrogeochemistry Of Glacial Meltwater In Iceland, Anisha Tuladhar

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

A detailed comparative geochemical characterization of three different types of Iceland glacial systems was conducted during June, August, and October, 2016. The study was carried out at a total of 11 outlet glacier rivers flowing from the icecaps Vatnajökull, Eyjafjallajökull, and Mýrdalsjökull. A total of 75 grab samples were collected (25 for each sampling period). The hydrogeochemical variations of Icelandic glacial meltwater are influenced by volcanic activity, temporal changes, and geographical location, which differed between the sampling sites within the glaciers and icecaps. Lower pH range, and comparatively higher and variable specific conductivity, SO4, S and F is linked to …

The Effects Of Carrier Ligands On Cisplatin Binding To Cysteine And Methionine, Adam C.R Smith

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

We have reacted several derivatives of the anticancer drug cisplatin with N-acetyl-Lcysteine (N-AcCys) and N-acetyl-L-methionine (N-AcMet), which are two of the primary amino acid targets of platinum. NMR spectroscopy was used to monitor the reactions and determine the effect the different ligands would have on the platinum reactivity. Several of the platinum compounds were tested at pH of 4 and 7, and with platinum:amino acid ratios of 1:1, 2:1 and 1:2. Competition reactions between cysteine and methionine were done to confirm which would react with the platinum compound first. [Pt(dien)(NO3)]+ reacts faster with methionine than with cysteine at both pH …

Effects Of Binding Affinity Between Bovine Serum Albumin And Platinum Drugs, Nathan Puckett

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Platinum complex drugs such as cisplatin have been used as highly successful chemotherapy drugs since the 1970s. We are interested in how the ligands attached to cisplatin analogs influences their reactivity with biologically relevant targets along with time and amount. For this study, reactions were conducted to determine the reactivity between different platinum compounds and the protein bovine serum albumin. Various platinum compounds with different ligands were reacted in varying amounts with albumin in ammonium acetate buffer for either 1 hour, 4 hours, or 24 hours. Each reaction was quenched after the designated reaction time by dialysis and the platinum …

Loop Numbers Of Knots And Links, Van Anh Pham

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This thesis introduces a new quantity called loop number, and shows the conditions in which loop numbers become knot invariants. For a given knot diagram D, one can traverse the knot diagram and count the number of loops created by the traversal. The number of loops recorded depends on the starting point in the diagram D and on the traversal direction. Looking at the minimum or maximum number of loops over all starting points and directions, one can define two positive integers as loop numbers of the diagram D. In this thesis, the conditions under which these loop numbers become …