Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Recoil-Order And Radiative Corrections To The Acorn Experiment, F. E. Wietfeldt, W. A. Byron, B. Collett, M. S. Dewey, T. R. Gentile, F. Glück, M. T. Hassan, G. L. Jones, Alexander Komives, J. S. Nico, E. J. Stephenson

Physics & Astronomy Faculty publications

The aCORN experiment measures the electron-antineutrino correlation 𝑎 coefficient in free neutron decay. We update the previous aCORN results [G. Darius et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 119, 042502 (2017) and M. T. Hassan et al., Phys. Rev. C 103, 045502 (2021)] to include radiative and recoil corrections to first order, and discuss a key issue in the comparison of results from different 𝑎-coefficient experimental methods when these effects are considered. The corrected combined result is ‾𝑎=−0.10779±0.00125⁢(stat)±0.00134⁢(sys), averaged over the full Fermi neutron beta spectrum. The corresponding corrected result for the ratio of weak coupling constants 𝜆=𝐺𝐴/𝐺𝑉 is …

Characterizing Potentially Harmful Environmental Legacy Issues Within A Declining Midwest City: A Street Sediment Study Of Northeastern Terre Haute, Indiana, Katelyn Adams '24, Ken Brown

Senior Research Symposium

Urban settings face unprecedented environmental challenges that include legacy issues as well as emerging pollution problems (e.g., micro-plastics) that continually impact the public health of its communities. Determining the baseline abundances of potentially harmful contaminants in soil, sediment, air, and water is essential to protecting residents. This study examines anthropogenic pollution in street sediments collected from three neighborhoods located in northeast Terre Haute, Indiana. Using stereomicroscopy, SEM/EDS, pXRF analyses, and geospatial analysis (GIS), the goal of this work is to characterize the types of pollutants present and place important constraints on their potential sources.

Stereomicroscopy on nine street sediment samples …

Dating The Ste. Genevieve Limestone In West-Central Indiana Using Sr-Isotope Stratigraphy, Claire Wolfe '24

Senior Research Symposium

A section of Mississippian limestone is exposed in quarry walls at the DePauw Nature Park in Greencastle, Indiana, but its precise age is not known. This research project aimed to date the exposed wall using 87Sr/86Sr isotopic ratios to determine the absolute age. Ten samples of brachiopods and ooids were collected at various levels along the stratigraphic column. Isotope ratios were measured in these samples at ALS Scandinavia using a Neptune Plus MC-ICP-MS. Those ratios were then placed on a LOESS seawater Sr-isotope curve (McArthur, 2020) to determine the absolute age range for each sample. Whereas several samples were contaminated …

Greening The Green: Examining The Resource Use Of Golf Courses With Suggestions On How To Improve Their Sustainability, Kaelan Addison Lestock '24

Honor Scholar Theses

Golf is a journey full of challenges, requiring each player to strive for precision, rather than merely a game of getting a small, dimpled ball in a cup hundreds of yards away in the fewest strokes possible The game is both physical and mental; it tests one’s focus, decision making, and resilience. Those who play competitively rarely feel as though they are competing against another player, instead their opponent is the course. And for those who play recreationally, the game can be a time to reconnect with nature, foster both old and new friendships, or enjoy the pursuit for perfection. …

A Chemical And Historical Analysis Of Beer: Discovering Brewing Styles And Beer Stages, Alexander Taylor '24

Honor Scholar Theses

This interdisciplinary project is designed to explore both the compositional qualities of beer during the brewing process and its impact on society from a cultural, economic, and social viewpoint. Comparing various styles of beer against each other in a historical, societal, and chemical lens allows for a deeper understanding of what creates a beer’s identity, and what makes it different from other styles. Here we analyzed two different styles of beer, a bock lager and a saison ale, in order to determine their chemical composition through their developmental stages to their final product. Based on previously published research and extended …

Visualizing The Standard Deviation Via Revolution Using R/Rstudio, Hieu Nguyen '25, Trung Pham '25, Mamunur Rashid, Jyotirmoy Sarkar

Student Research

The standard deviation is a commonly used statistical measure to quantify the level of variation present in a set of numbers or in a random variable. Sarkar and Rashid (2016) introduced an interpretation of the population standard deviation as the radius of a cylinder with a volume equivalent to that of the solid of revolution when the 2-D graph of the empirical cumulative distribution function is revolved about the vertical line through the mean. This article demonstrates step-by-step how to use the RevSD package in R/RStudio to visualize the standard deviation of data using this innovative technique. The RevSD package …

An Open Guide To Data Structures And Algorithms, Paul W. Bible, Lucas Moser

Computer Science Faculty publications

This textbook serves as a gentle introduction for undergraduates to theoretical concepts in data structures and algorithms in computer science while providing coverage of practical implementation (coding) issues. The field of computer science (CS) supports a multitude of essential technologies in science, engineering, and communication as a social medium. The varied and interconnected nature of computer technology permeates countless career paths making CS a popular and growing major program. Mastery of the science behind computer science relies on an understanding of the theory of algorithms and data structures. These concepts underlie the fundamental tradeoffs that dictate performance in terms of …

Aroutcrop: An Augmented Reality Mobile Application For Enhancing Geoscience Learning And Comprehension In The Field And Classroom, Benjamin S. Wilkerson, Zachary Wilkerson, M. Scott Wilkerson

Student Research

Most geologists have long recognized the educational value of immersive opportunities and hands-on experiences that teaching geology in the field and using natural rock samples in the classroom offer students. However, these instructional approaches also give rise to distinct logistical and pedagogical challenges. For example, in the field, students sometimes struggle to fully connect concepts, models, and interpretations from classroom lectures with seemingly amorphous masses of rock that they encounter. Or, in the classroom, students may only have limited time for analysis when passing individual hand specimens person-to-person, and may not have access to valuable or fragile samples outside of …

Restoration And Balancing Of A Cross Section Of The Mt. Crandell Duplex, Waterton National Park, Canada, Danielle Sommerman, M. Scott Wilkerson

Student Research

Cross-section balancing provides a useful tool for checking the potential viability of structural interpretations through complexly deformed terranes. Balanced cross sections contain structures that are similar to those observed in outcrop or on seismic profiles in the area, that can be restored to a realistic pre-deformational configuration of faults and undeformed strata where areas are preserved between the deformed and restored states, and whose development from the undeformed state can be described in a kinematically reasonable sequence. Quick-look inspection of cross sections greatly facilitates the balancing process by comparing corresponding hanging wall and footwall features (particularly focusing on ramps and …

Differential Equations In Stock Prediction Analysis, Alan Tuan Le, Mai Le, Sutthirut Charoenphon

Annual Student Research Poster Session

Stock price prediction plays a vital role in financial decision-making and has been an area of extensive research. In this research, we explore the effectiveness of the differential equation of Brownian motion as a method for stock price prediction and compare its performance with two established techniques, ARIMA and XGBoost. Using historical data from Yahoo Finance, we assess the predictive capabilities of these models and analyze their strengths and weaknesses. The findings of this study will shed light on the potential of Brownian motion as a viable approach in financial forecasting and provide valuable insights for investors and researchers in …

Investigating Sucrose And D-Trehalose In Aot Reverse Micelles, Delaney Collier, Bridget L. Gourley

Annual Student Research Poster Session

Reverse micelles are nanosized structures that encapsulate small water pools and allow us to investigate the fundamental interactions of small organic molecules in nanoconfinement. The behavior of small organic molecules, sometimes referred to as osmolytes, differs in bulk solution and confinement. Because reverse micelles are a good model for biological nanoconfinement, investigating osmolytes in reverse micelle systems can help us to better understand the role they play in biological systems. Optical spectroscopy such as UV-Vis, Fluorescence, and Red Edge Excitation (REES) was used to probe the environment of the reverse micelles. Three small organic molecules were studied: a monosaccharide, d-glucose, …

Longboard Classification Using Machine Learning, Tuan (Kevin) Le, Evans Sajtar, Mckenzie Lamb

Annual Student Research Poster Session

There are several techniques a rider can choose from that they can perform being distributed along the long-board ride. This research aims to create a machine-learning model that can efficiently classify these techniques at different periods of time using raw acceleration data. This paper presents the complete workflow of the application. This application involves analytical geometry, multidimensional calculus, and linear algebra and can be used to visualize and normalize time-invariant object paths. This model focuses on displacement data calculated from raw acceleration data and gyro sensor data from a smartphone application called "Physics Toolbox Sensor Suite". We extracted features from …

An Introduction To The Veritas Observatory, Alexander Biddle, Ian Kuhl, Jingze (Justin) Zhou, Avery Archer

Annual Student Research Poster Session

Located at the base of Mount Hopkins, Arizona, at an elevation of approximately 4200 feet, the Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System (VERITAS) is a ground-based gamma ray observatory containing four Cherenkov telescopes designed to detect very high energy gamma rays with energies ranging from 100GeV to 10TeV using the Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Technique. In April 2007, VERITAS began successful operations with all four telescopes. As of today, over 15 years of data has been taken by the VERITAS array, stored in an archive of data, and used for a wide variety of research, publications, PhD theses, and conventions …

Analysis Of The Crab Nebula And Pulsar, Alexander Biddle, Ian Kuhl, Jingze (Justin) Zhou, Avery Archer

Annual Student Research Poster Session

Although the Crab Nebula is well understood, the Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System (VERITAS) still regularly observes the Crab's highest energy emissions. These emissions are used to calibrate the telescopes, further, document the system, and investigate the validity of physical models. Our research this summer is geared to analyze data from 2018-2022 to add to an ongoing research project investigating the long term variability of the Crab Nebula’s emission.

Investigating Rare Genetic Variants Of Unknown Significance In Ldha, Animesh Dali, Brennan Jensen, Olivia Lockette, Duyen Nguyen

Annual Student Research Poster Session

The exponential expansion and advancement of genetic sequencing has revealed the molecular basis of many genetic diseases. However, many genetic mutations are still classified as variants of unknown significance (VUS). Our lab focused on eleven missense variants in Lactate Dehydrogenase A (LDHA), an enzyme vital in anaerobic respiration. The intent with our research is to produce data on the kinetic functionality of wild type LDHA and compare this to its mutants of unknown significance. This data, supplemented with the structural information of the mutants can help reduce the ambiguity in the diagnosis of genetic disorders involving the LDHA enzyme. Currently, …

Emotion-Aware Music Recommendation, Hieu Tran, Tuan Le, Anh Do, Tram Vu, Steven Bogaerts, Brian T. Howard

Computer Science Faculty publications

It is common to listen to songs that match one's mood. Thus, an AI music recommendation system that is aware of the user's emotions is likely to provide a superior user experience to one that is unaware. In this paper, we present an emotion-aware music recommendation system. Multiple models are discussed and evaluated for affect identification from a live image of the user. We propose two models: DRViT, which applies dynamic routing to vision transformers, and InvNet50, which uses involution. All considered models are trained and evaluated on the AffectNet dataset. Each model outputs the user's estimated valence and arousal …

Investigating The Effects Of The Sugar Alcohol Osmolytes Glycerol And Erythritol In Aot Reverse Micelles, Animesh Dali '24, Bridget Gourley

Student Research

Water is a polar molecule that participates in hydrogen bonding and proton transfer. Geometric confinement and water’s interactions with osmolytes (small water soluble compounds) affect the ability of water molecules to hydrogen bond and transfer charges. Study of this behaviour of water with different osmolytes in controlled environments will help us develop predictive models. In our study, we have prepared Sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl)sulfosuccinate (AOT) reverse micelles (RM) in 2,2,4-Trimethylpentane (Isooctane). Our principle osmolytes were the straight chain sugar alcohols glycerol and erythritol. Study of water-osmolyte behaviour in the small and confined pool of a reverse micelle allows us examine the difference …

Understanding Mitochondrial Dysfunction In Neurodegenerative Diseases Using Novel Neuron Cell Models, Amy Apfelbaum, Anthony Grillo Phd, Raghav Dutta Phd, Alaa Hassan

Annual Student Research Poster Session

This past summer I worked Dr. Anthony Grillo’s lab under my mentors Raghav Dutta and Alaa Hassan at the University of Cincinnati. The Grillo Lab is focused on understanding the mechanisms of mitochondrial complex 1 dysfunction in neurodegenerative diseases. It has been shown that an early feature of neurodegeneration is complex 1 dysfunction; we were trying to determine if this is a cause or an effect of these diseases. This summer, we focused on identifying different types of neuron subtypes in brain tissue samples, isolating primary neurons by first identifying and visualizing the types of brain cells present in brain …

Test Of Scientific Literacy Skills (Tosls) Indicates Limited Scientific Thinking Gains As A Result Of Science And Mathematics General Education, Pamela M. Propsom, William M. Tobin, Jacqueline R. Roberts

Interdisciplinary Faculty Scholarship

A number of instruments designed to measure scientific literacy exist, but none has been used to assess improvements in undergraduates’ scientific thinking over their college career. This study utilized the Test of Scientific Literacy Skills (TOSLS) in a longitudinal fashion to measure scientific thinking gains of over 800 students from matriculation to graduation at a small liberal arts college. We found the TOSLS to be a useful assessment instrument. Our results indicated rather small benefits of science general education overall, though there were larger improvements for some demographic groups (i.e., women, first-generation college students). STEM majors showed much greater development …

Early Detection Of Sars-Cov-2 Variants Through Dynamic Co-Mutation Network Surveillance, Paul W. Bible, Qiang Huang, Huining Qiu, Yong Huang, Fangfang Zheng, Jing Gu, Jian Sun, Yuantao Hao, Yu Liu

Computer Science Faculty publications

Background: Precise public health and clinical interventions for the COVID-19 pandemic has spurred a global rush on SARS-CoV-2 variant tracking, but current approaches to variant tracking are challenged by the flood of viral genome sequences leading to a loss of timeliness, accuracy, and reliability. Here, we devised a new co-mutation network framework, aiming to tackle these difficulties in variant surveillance.

Methods: To avoid simultaneous input and modeling of the whole large-scale data, we dynamically investigate the nucleotide covarying pattern of weekly sequences. The community detection algorithm is applied to a co-occurring genomic alteration network constructed from mutation corpora of weekly …

A Chromosome-Scale Genome Sequence Of Sudangrass (Sorghum Sudanense) Highlights The Genome Evolution And Regulation Of Dhurrin Biosynthesis, Paul W. Bible, Jieqin Li, Wenmiao Tu, Jian Zheng, Peng Jin, Yanlong Liu, Junli Du, Jiacheng Zheng, Yi-Hong Wang, Qiuwen Zhan

Computer Science Faculty publications

Sudangrass [ Sorghum sudanense (Piper) Stapf] is a hybrid between grain sorghum and its wild relative S. bicolor ssp. verticilliflorum and is grown as a forage crop due to its high biomass production and low dhurrin content compared to sorghum. In this study, we sequenced the sudangrass genome and showed that the assembled genome was 715.95 Mb with 35,243 protein-coding genes. Phylogenetic analysis with whole genome proteomes demonstrated that the sudangrass genome was more similar to US commercial sorghums than to its wild relatives and cultivated sorghums from Africa. We confirmed that at seedling stage, sudangrass accessions contained significantly lower …

Fill And Dump Measurement Of The Neutron Lifetime Using An Asymmetric Magneto-Gravitational Trap, Alexander Komives, Et Al.

Physics & Astronomy Faculty publications

The past two decades have yielded several new measurements and reanalysis of older measurements of the neutron lifetime. These have led to a 4.4 standard deviation discrepancy between the most precise measurements of the neutron decay rate producing protons in cold neutron beams and the most precise lifetime measured in neutron storage experiments. Measurements using different techniques are important for investigating whether there are unidentified systematic effects in any of the measurements. In this paper we report a new measurement using the Los Alamos asymmetric magneto-gravitational trap where the surviving neutrons are counted external to the trap using the fill …

Medical Racism: Comparing Prenatal Care Across Races In The United States, Rubina Cheema

Student Research

Prenatal care describes any care a woman receives during her pregnancy. It is intended to keep both the mother and the child healthy and also to reduce the risk of complications during and after birth. This care is especially important for women with high-risk factors so that doctors and nurses are able to monitor their health and the health of their baby during the duration of their pregnancy. For prenatal care to be most effective, it is imperative to begin prenatal care within the first trimester of a woman's pregnancy. However, in the United States, medical racism creates a major …

Examining The Impact Of Covid-19 On The Education And Development Of American Students, Riley Fortin '25

Student Research

After the COVID-19 pandemic, the vast majority of American children have fallen behind on core subjects due to the ultimate ineffectiveness of remote learning. This study attempts to discover the degree to which children have fallen behind through the trends in the National Association of Educational Procurement’s two most recent testing years. A database accessed from Google has been analyzed, filtered by state and visualized in tables in order to indicate any possible trends as a result of remote learning brought on by the pandemic. By looking at data in seven different states across the country, there is a notable …

Sexual And Reproductive Health Disparities For Lgbtq+ Patients, Lauren Del Rosario

Student Research

As of 2022, 7.1% of Americans identify as LGBTQ. Members of the LGBTQ+ community in the United States experience greater health disparities than their heterosexual counterparts due to structural inequity: in addition to having minority status within the United States, there is a lack of education and research about LGBTQ+ health-related issues as well as restrictive policies that limit access to health care and other health benefits. As a result, the LGBTQ+ community is more prone to developing certain conditions, have less access to health care, and have worse health outcomes. However, LGBTQ+ visibility has increased dramatically within the last …

Polarization, Media Bias, And General Opinion, Knole Ihle '25

Student Research

This article researches the relationship between three different spheres of influence: party identification, issue selection process in media, and the following changes in public opinion. This relationship was examined through a random sample of news organizations based on a specific issue. The number of articles was then documented for each newspaper and measured against the articles produced apropos to that issue in the previous year. The discrepancy in articles produced is then compared to the succeeding policy shift to determine whether or not there is a correlation between these two relationships. Regarding the relationship between Ukraine-Russia War media and proceeding …

Evidence-Based Study: The Effect Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On Post-Secondary Enrollment And Chosen Fields Of Study, Hannah Fields '25

Student Research

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States in March of 2020 derailed educational systems at all levels. Specifically, at the post-secondary level, the pandemic sent many students online or forced them to take a fifth year to complete their degrees. As a result, post-secondary enrollment rates are likely to have dropped to reflect these changing post-COVID views surrounding education. Additionally, changing viewpoints about the essentiality of certain jobs and roles changed the chosen fields of study of these same students. Data for this study was collected by way of a short-scale meta-analysis, and enrollment rates were split …

A New Model For The Segmentation, Propagation And Linkage Of The Tan-Lu Fault Zone, East Asia, Chengming Li, Changhou Zhang, Tim D. Cope

Geology and Environmental Geoscience Faculty Publications

The Tan-Lu fault zone (TLF) is a major strike-slip fault with a long and complex history in East Asia, whose evolution provides a new perspective on the formation of large-scale faults (>1000 km long). Fault displacement analysis, geological mapping and U-Pb LA-ICP-MS dating have been performed to understand the evolution of the TLF. Along-strike displacement variation reveals that the TLF consists of two kinematically independent segments, the northern and southern TLF, with opposite long-term propagation directions. Structural and geochronological studies in the eastern Yanshan belt, located around the linkage area of the southern and northern TLF, indicate that NNE-trending …

Mathematical Musings On The External Anatomy Of The Novel Coronavirus. Part 4: Models Of N-Cov, Jyotirmoy Sarkar, Mamunur Rashid

Mathematics Faculty Publications

What is the shape of the novel coronavirus (n-CoV) which has turned our world upside down? Even though under a microscope, it looks dull, unattractive, and even disgusting, creative artists have attributed to it bright colors, made it look pretty, and depicted it as a thing of beauty. What can a mathematician contribute to this effort? We take a purist’s point of view by imposing on it a quasi-symmetry and then deriving some consequences. In an idealistic world, far removed from reality but still constrained by the rules of mathematics, anyone can enjoy this ethereal beauty of the mind’s creation, …

Linking Historical Redlining Maps To Present‐Day Environmental Hazards In St. Louis, Margaret Keller, Kenneth Brown

Annual Student Research Poster Session

Many of America’s cities were mapped by the Home Owners Loan Corporation (HOLC). This practice led to structurally racist housing policies and practices, namely redlining. The practice of redlining directed both public and private capital to native‐born, white families and away from Black, Latinx, and immigrant families that lived in these areas. While redlining is illegal today due to the Fair Housing Act of 1968, its impact is still evident in the structure of many U.S. cities including St. Louis (Hillier 2015). Today, redlined areas are particularly susceptible to environmental injustices because laws, regulations, governmental programs, and policies inadequately protect …