Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

An Application Of M-Matrices To Preserve Bounded Positive Solutions To The Evolution Equations Of Biofilm Models, Richard S. Landry Jr.

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

In this work, we design a linear, two step implicit finite difference method to approximate the solutions of a biological system that describes the interaction between a microbial colony and a surrounding substrate. Three separate models are analyzed, all of which can be described as systems of partial differential equations (PDE)s with nonlinear diffusion and reaction, where the biological colony grows and decays based on the substrate bioavailability. The systems under investigation are all complex models describing the dynamics of biological films. In view of the difficulties to calculate analytical solutions of the models, we design here a numerical technique …

Underwater Acoustic Signal Analysis Toolkit, Kirk Bienvenu Jr

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This project started early in the summer of 2016 when it became evident there was a need for an effective and efficient signal analysis toolkit for the Littoral Acoustic Demonstration Center Gulf Ecological Monitoring and Modeling (LADC-GEMM) Research Consortium. LADC-GEMM collected underwater acoustic data in the northern Gulf of Mexico during the summer of 2015 using Environmental Acoustic Recording Systems (EARS) buoys. Much of the visualization of data was handled through short scripts and executed through terminal commands, each time requiring the data to be loaded into memory and parameters to be fed through arguments. The vision was to develop …

Hydrodynamic Controls On The Morphodynamic Evolution Of Subaqueous Landforms, Timothy L. Nelson

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The southern Chandeleur Islands are an ideal setting to study shoal evolution given their history of submergence and re-emergence. Here, numerical models shed light on the attendant processes contributing to shoal recovery/reemergence following a destructive storm event. Simulations of a synthetic winter storm along a cross-shore profile using Xbeach shows that convergence of wave-induced sediment transport associated with repeated passage of cold-fronts initiates aggradation, but does not lead to reemergence. A Delft3d model of the entire island chain shows that as these landforms aggrade alongshore processes driven by incident wave refraction on the shoal platform, backbarrier circulation and resulting transport …

Three-Dimensional Nanomaterials For Supercapacitor Applications: From Metal Oxides To Metal Phosphides, Zhi Zheng

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Over the past few years, energy storage devices have received tremendous interest due to the increasing demand for sustainable and renewable energy in modern society. Supercapacitors are considered as one of the most promising energy storage devices because of their high power density and long cycle life. However, low energy density remains as the main shortcoming for supercapacitors. The overall performance of supercapacitors is predominantly determined by the characteristics of the electrodes. Specifically, constructing nanostructured electrode material has been proven as an efficient way to improve the performance by providing large surface area and short ionic and electronic diffusion paths. …

Fabrication And Characterization Of Intricate Nanostructures, Treva T. Brown

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Encapsulation of nanoparticles within hexaniobate nanoscrolls presents interesting advances in the formation of nanocomposites exhibiting unique multi-dimensional properties. Building upon previous successes, facile yet versatile wet-chemical and microwave-irradiation synthetic protocols for the fabrication of a series of hexaniobate composites are presented herein. Solvothermal and, more recently, microwave-assisted methods have been developed that allow for the fabrication of peapod-like structures. During solvothermal treatment, exfoliated hexaniobate nanosheets scroll around highly ordered chains of preformed nanoparticles (NPs) to produce nanopeapods (NPPs). This approach offers versatility and high yields, in addition to the potential for advanced functional device fabrication.

For the characterization of these …

Automated Species Classification Methods For Passive Acoustic Monitoring Of Beaked Whales, John Lebien

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The Littoral Acoustic Demonstration Center has collected passive acoustic monitoring data in the northern Gulf of Mexico since 2001. Recordings were made in 2007 near the Deepwater Horizon oil spill that provide a baseline for an extensive study of regional marine mammal populations in response to the disaster. Animal density estimates can be derived from detections of echolocation signals in the acoustic data. Beaked whales are of particular interest as they remain one of the least understood groups of marine mammals, and relatively few abundance estimates exist. Efficient methods for classifying detected echolocation transients are essential for mining long-term passive …

Mathematical Formulation Of Fusion Energy Magnetohydrodynamics, Nikolaos I. Xiros

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Chapter 1 presents the basic principles of Controlled Thermonuclear Fusion, and the approaches to achieve nuclear fusion on Earth. Furthermore, the basic components of the Tokamak, the reactor which will house the fusion reaction, are analyzed. Finally, the chapter ends with a discussion on how the present thesis is related to the Controlled Thermonuclear Fusion. Chapter 2 introduces briefly the basic concepts of the Electromagnetic and Magnetohydrodynamic theories as well as MHD turbulence. Chapter 3 presents a first glance in OpenFOAM CFD library. Chapter 4 introduces the Orszag-Tang vortex flow, which is a benchmark test case for MHD numerical models. …

Seismic Facies Classification Of An Intraslope Minibasin In The Keathley Canyon, Northern Gulf Of Mexico, Lamine Meroudj

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This work examines several volume attributes extracted from 3D seismic data with the goal of seismic facies classification and lithology prediction in intraslope minibasins. The study area is in the Keathley Canyon protraction (KC), within the middle slope of the Northern Gulf of Mexico (GOM). It lays within the tabular salt and minibasins province downdip of the main Pliocene and Pleistocene deltaic depocenters. Interaction between sedimentation and mobile salt substrate lead to the emergence of many stratigraphic patterns in the intraslope minibasins. Interest in subsalt formations left above salt formations poorly logged. Facies classification using Artificial Neural Network (ANN) was …

On The Ramberg-Osgood Stress-Strain Model And Large Deformations Of Cantilever Beams, Ronald J. Giardina Jr

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis the Ramberg-Osgood nonlinear model for describing the behavior of many different materials is investigated. A brief overview of the model as it is currently used in the literature is undertaken and several misunderstandings and possible pitfalls in its application is pointed out, especially as it pertains to more recent approaches to finding solutions involving the model. There is an investigation of the displacement of a cantilever beam under a combined loading consisting of a distributed load across the entire length of the beam and a point load at its end and new solutions to this problem are …

Machine Learning Based Protein Sequence To (Un)Structure Mapping And Interaction Prediction, Sumaiya Iqbal

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Proteins are the fundamental macromolecules within a cell that carry out most of the biological functions. The computational study of protein structure and its functions, using machine learning and data analytics, is elemental in advancing the life-science research due to the fast-growing biological data and the extensive complexities involved in their analyses towards discovering meaningful insights. Mapping of protein’s primary sequence is not only limited to its structure, we extend that to its disordered component known as Intrinsically Disordered Proteins or Regions in proteins (IDPs/IDRs), and hence the involved dynamics, which help us explain complex interaction within a cell that …

Forensic Analysis Of G Suite Collaborative Protocols, Shane Mcculley

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Widespread adoption of cloud services is fundamentally changing the way IT services are delivered and how data is stored. Current forensic tools and techniques have been slow to adapt to new challenges and demands of collecting and analyzing cloud artifacts. Traditional methods focusing only on client data collection are incomplete, as the client may have only a (partial) snapshot and misses cloud-native artifacts that may contain valuable historical information.

In this work, we demonstrate the importance of recovering and analyzing cloud-native artifacts using G Suite as a case study. We develop a tool that extracts and processes the history of …

Lightweight Environment For Cyber Security Education, Vivek Oliparambil Shanmughan

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The use of physical systems and Virtual Machines has become inefficient and expensive for creating tailored, hands-on exercises for providing cyber security training. The main purpose of this project is to directly address these issues faced in cyber security education with the help of Docker containers. Using Docker, a lightweight and automated platform was developed for creating, sharing, and managing hands-on exercises. With the help of orchestration tools, this platform provides a centralized point to monitor and control the systems and exercises with a high degree of automation. In a classroom/lab environment, this infrastructure enables instructors and students not only …

Automatic Forensic Analysis Of Pccc Network Traffic Log, Saranyan Senthivel

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Most SCADA devices have a few built-in self-defence mechanisms and tend to implicitly trust communications received over the network. Therefore, monitoring and forensic analysis of network traffic is a critical prerequisite for building an effective defense around SCADA units. In this thesis work, We provide a comprehensive forensic analysis of network traffic generated by the PCCC(Programmable Controller Communication Commands) protocol and present a prototype tool capable of extracting both updates to programmable logic and crucial configuration information. The results of our analysis shows that more than 30 files are transferred to/from the PLC when downloading/uplloading a ladder logic program using …

Evidence Of Fault Movement During The Holocene In Southern Louisiana: Integrating 3-D Seismic Data With Shallow High Resolution Seismic Data, Joseph P. Frank

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The Baton Rouge fault system of Louisiana is a well-known recently active system consisting of en echelon, east trending, down-to-the-south normal faults across the northeast periphery of the Mississippi River delta plain. Two, industry-donated, 3-D seismic surveys across 860 km² image deep-seated faults below Lake Borgne, along an east strike that parallels previously well mapped segments of the Baton Rouge system. Four major faults (> 6 km fault trace) are imaged within the seismic surveys across the Lake. The industry seismic data were not processed for reliable imaging at depths (m). To bridge the depth gap in seismic, high …

Microwave-Assisted Topochemical Manipulation Of Layered Oxide Perovskites: From Inorganic Layered Oxides To Inorganic-Organic Hybrid Perovskites And Functionalized Metal-Oxide Nanosheets, Sara Akbarian-Tefaghi

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Developing new materials with desired properties is a vital component of emerging technologies. Functional hybrid compounds make an important class of advanced materials that let us synergistically utilize the key features of the organic and inorganic counterparts in a single composite, providing a very strong tool to develop new materials with ”engineered” properties. The research presented here, summarizes efforts in the development of facile and efficient methods for the fabrication of three- and two-dimensional inorganic-organic hybrids based on layered oxide perovskites. Microwave radiation was exploited to rapidly fabricate and modify new and known materials. Despite the extensive utilization of microwaves …

Growth Laws For Sub-Delta Crevasses In The Mississippi River Delta: Observations And Modeling, Tara A. Yocum

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

In this study we assessed growth laws of sub-delta crevasses in the Mississippi River delta plain, experimental laboratory deltas, and compared them to previously studied river dominated large deltas worldwide. Metrics for channel and delta geometry for each system were obtained using a combination of geospatial tools, bathymetric datasets, sediment size, and hydrodynamic observations. Most crevasses and experimental deltas appear to obey delta growth laws suggesting that they exhibit planform metrics similar to larger deltas. However, some channels within each system, exhibit outlier behavior (e.g. asymmetric growth) where channel length is much larger than channel width. Hydrodynamic observations and morphodynamic …

Measuring Presence In A Police Use Of Force Simulation, Dharmesh Rajendra Desai

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

We have designed a simulation that can be used to train police officers. Digital simulations are more cost-effective than a human role play. Use of force decisions are complex and made quickly, so there is a need for better training and innovative methods. Using this simulation, we are measuring the degree of presence that a human experience in a virtual environment. More presence implies better training. Participants are divided into two groups in which one group performs the experiment using a screen, keyboard, and mouse, and another uses virtual reality controls. In this experiment, we use subjective measurements and physiological …

Overwash Controls On Barrier Island Morphodynamics During Storms, Joshua H. Alarcon

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Overwash, shoreface retreat, and barrier migration are common processes occurring in transgressive barrier island systems, the scale of which is exacerbated by sea level rise, subsidence and the frequency and magnitude of tropical and extratropical storms. Barrier morphology also clearly plays a key role in determining a morphological response to these processes. Using a hydrodynamic and sediment transport model (MIKE21) and selected barrier island and shoreface templates, informed by deltaic and coastal plain systems in the northern Gulf of Mexico, I performed simulations to determine barrier morphology in response to storms. A low dune with a gentle shoreface slope, characteristic …

Malware Analysis And Privacy Policy Enforcement Techniques For Android Applications, Aisha Ibrahim Ali-Gombe

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The rapid increase in mobile malware and deployment of over-privileged applications over the years has been of great concern to the security community. Encroaching on user’s privacy, mobile applications (apps) increasingly exploit various sensitive data on mobile devices. The information gathered by these applications is sufficient to uniquely and accurately profile users and can cause tremendous personal and financial damage.

On Android specifically, the security and privacy holes in the operating system and framework code has created a whole new dynamic for malware and privacy exploitation. This research work seeks to develop novel analysis techniques that monitor Android applications for …

Tidal Creek Equilibrium: Barataria Bay, Bryan Carter

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Louisiana’s wetlands are losing land in response to sea level changes, anthropogenic influences and natural marine processes. Historical satellite image analysis reveals that between 2005 and 2015, fifteen tidal creeks in Barataria Bay, Louisiana eroded at the rate of 1.80 m/yr (± 1.98 m), and the open water area behind these creeks enlarged at the rate of 530.00 m²/yr (± 204.80 m²). This research revealed that selected tidal creeks within the estuary have cross-sectional areas larger (2639% larger) than established ocean-inlet equilibrium models would predict. This work suggests that tidal prism to tidal creek cross-sectional area …

Predicting User Choices In Interactive Narratives Using Indexter's Pairwise Event Salience Hypothesis, Rachelyn Farrell

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Indexter is a plan-based model of narrative that incorporates cognitive scientific theories about the salience—or prominence in memory—of narrative events. A pair of Indexter events can share up to five indices with one another: protagonist, time, space, causality, and intentionality. The pairwise event salience hypothesis states that when a past event shares one or more of these indices with the most recently narrated event, that past event is more salient, or easier to recall, than an event which shares none of them. In this study we demonstrate that we can predict user choices based on …

Studies Directed Towards The Iridium Catalyzed Synthesis Of New Carbon-Nitrogen Bonds., Maria Lindsay

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Amines are ubiquitous in nature and serve a variety of functions in living organisms. Because of this fact amines are of great biological and pharmaceutical interest. The iridium catalyst (pentamethylcyclopentadienyl) iridium dichloride dimer ([Cp*IrCl₂]₂) has been used in a number of ways to synthesize new carbon-nitrogen bonds. These studies were directed toward the development of a method for the iridium catalyzed N-alkylation of alpha-amino acid esters as well as the development of a strategy for synthesis of the natural product 275A.

We have optimized a method for the N-alkylation for alpha-amino acid esters. Using this …

Development Of Luminescent Quantum Dot-Enabled Nano- And Microplatforms For Multiplex Detection Of Biomarkers, Kristen S. Williams

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Luminescent semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) are extensively researched for use in biological applications. They have unique optical and physical properties that make them excellent candidates to replace conventional organic dyes for cellular labeling, multiplexing, nucleic acid detection, and as generalized probes. The primary focus of this dissertation was to utilize quantum dots for improvement in immunoassays. Specifically, atherosclerosis biomarkers were detected simultaneously in an effort to demonstrate advances in early detection diagnostics.

Quantum dot-antibody bioconjugates were prepared by encapsulation into mesoporous silica and functionalized with thiol and amine groups to enable bioconjugation. Functionalization of the mesoporous silica quantum dot composites …

Design, Synthesis And Glioblastoma Activity Of 1,3-Diazinane Based Aryl Amides And Benzo Fused Heterocycles, Rebecca Hron

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The development of novel targeted therapeutics for the treatment of cancer remains difficult due to the complex nature of the disease itself as well as the challenges associated with the synthesis of these therapeutics. Impediments to the discovery of novel drug candidates include lack of available starting materials and access to well-developed syntheses which are both convenient and economically feasible. Semicarbazides, for instance, are a critical synthon for the manufacture of numerous biologically important molecules. Historically, convenient methods for the synthesis of semicarbazides and their derivatives did not exist. Recently, a facile and efficient method for the preparation of semicarbazides …

Paleohydrology And Paleoecology Of The Neogene Siwalik Rocks, Nepalese Himalaya Using Multi-Proxy Lipid Biomarker Isotopic Study, Prabhat Chandra Neupane

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This study deploys compound-specific multi-proxy isotopic study of lipid biomarkers to understand Neogene climatic and ecological variabilities in the Himalayan foreland. The investigation of compound-specific carbon and hydrogen isotopes along with glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraether (GDGT) is the first of its kind for the Nepalese Siwalik. A total of 49 mudstone (and some paleosol) samples were collected from the paleomagnetically age-constrained Siwalik strata in the Surai Khola and Karnali River sections.

δ¹³C results suggest a domination of C₃ trees between 12 and 8.5 Ma, and a stepwise expansion of C₄ grasses starting gradually at 8.5 Ma …

Towards Real-Time Volatile Memory Forensics: Frameworks, Methods, And Analysis, Joseph T. Sylve

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Memory forensics (or memory analysis) is a relatively new approach to digital forensics that deals exclusively with the acquisition and analysis of volatile system memory. Because each function performed by an operating system must utilize system memory, analysis of this memory can often lead to a treasure trove of useful information for forensic analysts and incident responders. Today’s forensic investigators are often subject to large case backlogs, and incident responders must be able to quickly identify the source and cause of security breaches. In both these cases time is a critical factor. Unfortunately, today’s memory analysis tools can take many …

Development Of Peer Instruction Material For A Cybersecurity Curriculum, William Johnson

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Cybersecurity classes focus on building practical skills alongside the development of the open mindset that is essential to tackle the dynamic cybersecurity landscape. Unfortunately, traditional lecture-style teaching is insufficient for this task. Peer instruction is a non-traditional, active learning approach that has proven to be effective in computer science courses. The challenge in adopting peer instruction is the development of conceptual questions. This thesis presents a methodology for developing peer instruction questions for cybersecurity courses, consisting of four stages: concept identification, concept trigger, question presentation, and development. The thesis analyzes 279 questions developed over two years for three cybersecurity courses: …

Design And Fabrication Of Nanostructures For The Enhancement Of Photovoltaic Devices, Richard M. Prevost Iii

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

In 2012 the net world electricity generation was 21.56 trillion kilowatt hours. Photovoltaics only accounted for only 0.1 trillion kilowatt hours, less than 1 % of the total power. Recently there has been a push to convert more energy production to renewable sources. In recent years a great deal of interest has been shown for dye sensitized solar cells. These devices use inexpensive materials and have reported efficiencies approaching 12% in the lab. Here methods have been studied to improve upon these, and other, devices. Different approaches for the addition of gold nanoparticles to TiO₂ films were studied. These …