Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

The Creation Of A Video Review Guide For The Free-Response Section Of The Advanced Placement Calculus Exam, Jeffrey Brown

Honors Theses

The Creation of a Video Review Guide for the Free-Response Section of the Advanced Placement Calculus Exam follows the creation of a resource to help students prepare for the College Board’s Advanced Placement Calculus Exam. This project originated out of the authors personal experiences in preparing for this exam. The goal of the project was to create an accessible resource that reviews content, provides insights into the Advanced Placement exam, and creates successful habits in student responses. This paper, chronologically, details the development of the resource and a reflection on the final product and future uses.

Pedagogical Moves As Characteristics Of One Instructor’S Instrumental Orchestrations With Tinkerplots And The Ti-73 Explorer: A Case Study, James L. Kratky

Dissertations

Those supporting contemporary reform efforts for mathematics education in the United States have called for increased use of technologies to support student-centered learning of mathematical concepts and skills. There is a need for more research and professional development to support teachers in transitioning their instruction to better meet the goals of such reform efforts.

Instrumental approaches to conceptualizing technology use in mathematics education, arising out of the theoretical and empirical work in France and other European nations, show promise for use to frame studies on school mathematics in the United States. Instrumental genesis is used to describe the bidirectional and …

Crystallography And Magnetism Of Magnetocalorically Important Ni-Mn-X Based Heusler Alloys, Amila S. B. Madiligama

Dissertations

Ni-Mn-X Heusler alloys, demonstrating strong coupling between crystalline structure and magnetic state, were studied. They undergo field-induced, first-order transformations from a low symmetry martensite to a high-symmetry austenitic phase around room temperature. The substantial difference between the entropies of the two phases results in a large adiabatic temperature change, called “Giant Magnetocaloric Effect (GMCE)”. Consequently, these alloys are promising refrigerants for near-room temperature cooling systems. This magnetic cooling is an energy-efficient and eco-friendly technology.

Crystalline structures and magnetic states of these alloys, which determine their magnetocaloric performances, highly depend on their composition. To examine new paths to optimize their magnetocaloric …

Preparation Of Aminoalcohols And Their Application For The Synthesis Of Heterocycles And As Potential Sensors For Nerve Agents, David L. Sellers

Dissertations

Oxazoles and oxazolines are important heterocyclic scaffolds commonly used in pharmaceuticals and optoelectronic materials. Traditionally these heterocyclic compounds are prepared by condensation methodology that suffers from poor reactivity when using electron deficient or sterically crowded reaction partners. Condensation methods also exhibit low tolerance of many functional groups as the reactions typically use strong acids and high temperatures. This dissertation describes an alternate strategy for the formation of these compounds by employing an epoxide opening followed by oxidation to form these heterocyclic compounds.

Epoxide opening reactions with primary aliphatic, allylic, and benzylic amines, aminolysis reactions, often achieve high yields regardless of …

Pore Characterizations And Distributions Within Niagaran – Lower Salina Reef Complex Reservoirs In The Silurian Northern Niagaran Pinnacle Reef Trend, Michigan Basin, Agam Arief Suhaimi

Masters Theses

The Northern Niagaran Pinnacle Reef Trend (NNPRT) has generated significant oil and gas production in Michigan. The best reservoir rock in the Reef Trend reservoirs are from porous and permeable dolomite of the Guelph Dolomite. Low-to-non reservoir limestone occurs interstratified with reservoir dolomite in many locations. This study utilizes available cores data, thin section Petrographic Image Analysis (PIA), Mercury Injection Capillary Pressure (MICP) and a newly developed Niagaran Reef depositional model (Rine, 2015) to characterize the distribution of pore geometry within each dolomitized Niagaran Reef Complex (Brown Niagaran – Lower Salina Group) reservoir facies and lithofacies. This study shows that …

Stratigraphy Of The Upper Devonian-Lower Mississippian Michigan Basin: Review And Revision With An Emphasis On The Ellsworth Petroleum System, Bryan J. Currie

Masters Theses

Compression associated with the formation of the Transcontinental Arch and the Acadian Mountains initiated subsidence in the Michigan Basin and lead to a depositional switch in the Michigan Basin from an oxic shallow-water carbonate platform (Traverse Group and Squaw Bay Limestone) to a deep anaerobic sea floor and the beginning of Upper Devonian Antrim Shale. The vertical distribution of the different Upper Devonian-Lower Mississippian formations and members demonstrates large scale cycles of anaerobic-dysaerobic transitions attributed fluctuations in sea-level, different rates of subsidence and sediment influx triggered by different orogenic events to.

The regional understanding and the distribution of the different …

Some Nonparametric Ordered Restricted Inference Problems In The Context Of A Statistical Education Study, Bradford M. Dykes

Dissertations

Over the past 10 years, the Department of Statistics at Western Michigan University has developed a question generating system that can be used for creating multiple forms of exams, quizzes and homework for online and face-to-face use. This system can also be used to provide students with a form of instantaneous feedback. With the goal of analyzing how different levels of feedback in an online learning environment impacts students' performance on assignments, this study presents data collected on two semesters of students enrolled in three different meeting types (strictly online, typical face-to-face, and honors face-to-face) of an introductory Statistics course. …

An R-Matrix, Quantum Defect Theory Approach To The Photoionization Of Molecular Nitrogen, Gaetan L. Vangyseghem

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Understanding College Students’ Exam Process In A General Chemistry Course, Angela Willson

Masters Theses

The main way most college chemistry courses assess what a student has learned is through a summative exam. After introductory science courses, such as general chemistry, many students cite poor teaching and disappointing grades in these courses as a reason for dropping out of STEM programs. There has been a lack of qualitative research on students’ experiences of the complete process of taking an exam from start to finish, or the exam process, which includes preparing for an exam, taking an exam, receiving feedback, and responding to feedback after the exam has been graded.

My goal in this exploratory study …

Resolving Classes And Resolvable Spaces In Rational Homotopy Theory, Timothy L. Clark

Dissertations

A class of topological spaces is called a resolving class if it is closed under weak equivalences and homotopy limits. Letting R(A) denote the smallest resolving class containing a space A, we say X is A-resolvable if X is in R(A), which induces a partial order on spaces. These concepts are dual to the well-studied notions of closed class and cellular space, where the induced partial order is known as the Dror Farjoun Cellular Lattice. Progress has been made toward illuminating the structure of the Cellular Lattice. For example: Chachólski, Parent, and Stanley have shown that it …

Chromatic Connectivity Of Graphs, Elliot Laforge

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

N-Terminal Domains Of Copper Atpases In Plasmodium Falciparum, Dictyostelium Dicsoideum, Human Atp7b And A Chimera Of Atox1 With Metal Binding Domain Four Of Atp7b, Javan Kilango Kisaka

Dissertations

Copper transporting ATPases (Cu-ATPases) are essential for mediating copper uptake, maintaining cellular copper levels and prevention of accumulation of toxic copper. The most studied copper ATPases are the Menkes and Wilson proteins in eukaryotes, CopA and CopB found in bacteria. The precise interaction of the metal binding domains with their copper donor, the association of each metal binding domain within the N-terminal portion of the protein, how they communicate with each other, and the eventual metal ion translocation across the membrane, is little known. The variation in number of the cytosolic metal binding domains may also offer clues on the …

Statistical Methodology For Data With Multiple Limits Of Detection, Robert M. Flikkema

Dissertations

Limitations of instruments used to collect continuous data sometimes lead to obtaining observations lower than a limit of detection. These observations are known as nondetects. They could be zeroes, or positive numbers, but they are too small to be recorded by a measuring device. Nondetects frequently occur in environmental data. Trace amounts of chemicals can exist in soil or groundwater and are undetectable by a machine reading. These observations pose a problem to researchers since the true values are unknown.

Simulations in the literature have led to inconsistent conclusions regarding what estimation technique to use with nondetect data when estimating …

Audio Software (Vst Plugin) Development With Practical Application, Zachary Hummel

Honors Theses

Audio engineers around the world routinely utilize small pieces of software, known as “plugins,” to help shape the sound of the media they are working with. These plugins are inserted into a digital audio workstation (DAW) and contain digital signal processing (DSP) algorithms that can affect audio in a number of ways limited only by the creativity of the software developer. Common implementations of plugins include equalizers, compressors and limiters, gain, phase rotation or polarity inversion algorithms, reverb and delay, and emulation of the non-linearities of analog audio equipment. The intent of this thesis project is to design and produce …

Effects Of Creatine, Leucine, And Ethanol On Glial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor In C2c12 Skeletal Muscle Cells, Daniel Waters

Honors Theses

Glial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (GDNF) is a protein expressed throughout the mammalian nervous system that serves several protective functions. Originally discovered in the brain, where it supports the survival of dopaminergic neurons, GDNF has since been shown to be expressed in skeletal muscle and is vital for the maintenance of motor neurons. The relationship between muscle hypertrophy, and GDNF is not well understood. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between hypertrophy and GDNF by inducing hypertrophy in C2C12 skeletal muscle cells using leucine and creatine, inhibiting hypertrophy using ethanol and measuring GDNF content. As measured …

Software Improvements To Parint, A Parallel Integration Software Package, Lawrence Cuneaz

Honors Theses

The best software is easy to configure and compile, is expandable and is well tested. Development of the ParInt software package for parallel integration stopped a number of years ago. When handed the software, parts of the package no longer configured or compiled consistently. Furthermore it relied on one random number generator and had no functional testing. The team tuned the auto configuration so that the program would configure and build on current systems, created expandable functionality to add new random number generators and created two functional test packs. Now ParInt can be developed with confidence knowing that it compiles …

Extent Of Capillary Rise In Sands And Silts, Rachel Lynn Salim

Masters Theses

The values reported in literature for the height of capillary rise in fine sands, silts, and clays are contradictory. Most of the values were based on mathematical models, which used estimated rather than measured input data. This work measured capillary rise values in laboratory experiments in fine-grained sands and silts.

Two uniform sands with grains 0.35--0.7 mm in diameter and 0.3-0.6 mm in diameter, silt with an average grain size below 40 microns, and 0.35--0.7 mm sand coated with a water-repellant spray were carefully packed into two-inch diameter glass columns. These columns were placed into clear plastic tanks with water …

Geochemical And Petrological Characterizations Of Peridotite And Related Rocks In Marquette County, Michigan, Andrew Lloyd Sasso

Masters Theses

This study characterizes the following rock units in Marquette County, Michigan in terms of geochemistry and petrology: (1) Presque Isle Peridotite, (2) Deer Lake Peridotite, (3) Yellowdog Peridotite, and (4) Black Rock Point Gabbro. Analyses were conducted to determine if any petrological or geochemical relationships exist between these units, and to assess the potential of these units to host magmatic sulfide deposits.

The generated data and chosen geotectonic proxies indicate that Black Rock Point Gabbro and Deer Lake Peridotite crystallized from unrelated magmas, probably during the formation of the Great Lakes Tectonic Zone (2.7-1.85 Ga). No evidence was found which …

Evaluation Of An Alternative Natural Surfactant For Non Aqueous Phase Liquid Remediation, Brian A. Beach

Masters Theses

Applications of surfactant technology in the environmental remediation industry can greatly enhance the success of non-aqueous phase liquid (NAPL) remediation. Saponins derived from the bark of the Quillaja soapbark tree were evaluated as an alternative natural surfactant. Properties including the critical micelle concentration, emulsion kinetics and the solubilization enhancement of sixteen PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) were measured. The critical micelle concentration (CMC) for Quillaja saponin was found to be 60 mg/L. Soil contaminated with NAPL from a former manufactured gas plant was used to evaluate saponin’s ability to enhance the solubilization of PAHs commonly found in NAPL. Although solubilization enhancement …

Characterizing Groundwater Recharge And Streamflow Using Stable Isotopes Of Oxygen And Hydrogen, Chanse M. Ford

Masters Theses

Potential changes to climate and precipitation patterns from anthropogenic influences like global climate change could have an impact on Michigan’s groundwater resources. Indirectly this could have an effect on Michigan’s surface waters as well, since groundwater and surface waters are intimately linked to form one system.

This investigation utilized stable isotopes of oxygen and hydrogen found in precipitation, groundwater and surface waters to better understand the contribution of different types of precipitation to recharge of a shallow aquifer in Manistee National Forest, MI. The study also examines the contribution of this shallow groundwater to streamflow in the nearby White River. …

Geochemical And Petrological Studies On The Origin Of Nickel-Copper Sulfide Mineralization At The Eagle Lntrusion In Marquette County, Michigan, Benjamin Davis Hinks

Masters Theses

The Eagle magmatic intrusion is located in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in Marquette County. It hosts a high grade magmatic nickel-copper sulfide ore deposit. Country rocks surrounding the Eagle intrusion are metamorphosed slate and greywacke of the Proterozoic Michigamme Formation and Archean granite-gneiss. The aim of this thesis is to characterize the magmatic sulfide mineral deposit at Eagle and to establish its relationship to the surrounding host rocks of the Baraga Basin area.

The Eagle East intrusion is located 600 meters east of the Eagle intrusion. These two intrusions are similar in composition and sulfide mineralization. Sulfide textural domains …

Stable Isotope Investigations Of Two Components Of The Cryosphere: Snow And Icicle Formation, Thomas C. Brubaker

Masters Theses

Understanding the processes that govern the cryosphere is necessary to understand the water budget within an area that receives significant winter precipitation. This research investigates two components of the cryosphere, namely snow and icicle formation, through the application of the stable isotopes of oxygen and hydrogen.

Stable isotope measurements from precipitation collected throughout the winter of 2013-2014 are presented. The measured isotope values are in discord with known isotope effects. This discrepancy hints at a previously unexplored atmospheric phenomenon, where the enriched oxygen isotope signature of atmospheric ozone was incorporated, via photochemical reactions, into water vapor which subsequently fell as …

Application Of Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry For Ionic Liquids And Their Biodegradation Products, Sepideh Rahbarirad

Masters Theses

Ionic liquids (ILs) are organic salts with unique physico-chemical properties and are used as green alternatives to volatile organic solvents. ESI-MS is a sensitive technique to detect these stable, permanent ions. My research focused on (1) Identification of biodegradation products of ionic liquids and (2) Multiplexed tandem MS by modulation of ionization efficiency.

Studies, have demonstrated that ILs are toxic to the environment, which makes their biodegradability an important consideration. In this work, metabolites generated during the biodegradation of 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride (BMIM), a degradation resistant and commonly used ionic liquid, are identified using high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS).

Multiplexed …

Slug Tests In Unconfined Aquifers, Rozkar Izzaddin Ismael

Masters Theses

This research presents a hydraulic conductivity (K) analysis of unconfined aquifers using slug tests. Slug tests are used to determine in situ aquifer hydraulic conductivity more quickly and economically than by a pump test. This study examines how to best conduct a slug test using a physical slug. Different common slug test analysis methods are compared, including Bouwer and Rice (1976), Hvorslev (1951), Dagan (1978) and Kansas Geological Survey (KGS, 1994). Questions that motivated this study include: Which methods are better for performing and analyzing slug tests? Does the size of the physical slug affect the results? Do large initial …

Differentiating Saginaw From Huron-Erie Lce Lobe Meltwater Deposits In South Central Michigan Using Longitudinal Profiles, Grain Size Analysis, And Lithology, Nathan R. Erber

Masters Theses

The Saginaw and Huron-Erie lobes of the Laurentide Ice Sheet had a significant impact on the landscape of south-central Michigan after the Late Glacial Maximum. During the advances and retreats of these lobes, a complicated network of meltwater channels developed. Two goals of this study are: 1) to use sand-grain lithology, grain-size analysis, and longitudinal profiles to determine if a difference exists between Saginaw lobe and Huron-Erie lobe meltwater deposits; and 2) to determine if a large meltwater sluiceway containing the modern St. Joseph River had a source of meltwater and outwash from the Huron-Erie lobe. Two cores from drumlinized …

Environmental Applications Of Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry, Wisam Abdulabbas Flayyih Al Isawi

Masters Theses

Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and liquid chromatographymass spectrometry (LC-MS) are powerful analytical techniques that combine the separation power in a stationary phase with the detection power of mass spectrometry. GCMS and LC-MS have gained dominant positions in identifying and quantifying different analyte species due to their high selectivity, high sensitivity, and high reproducibility.

My research utilizes the analytical power of LC-MS and GC-MS to address two environmental issues: 1) Identification of biodegradation products of the ionic liquid 1- butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride (BMIMCl) by an activated sludge microbial community using LC-MS and 2) identification and quantification of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in …

Bivariate Negative Binomial Hurdle With Random Spatial Effects, Robert Mcnutt

Dissertations

Count data with excess zeros widely occur in ecology, epidemiology, marketing, and many other disciplines. Mixture distributions consisting of a point mass at zero and a separate discrete distribution are often employed in regression models to account for excessive zero observations in the data. While Poisson models are very popular for count data, Negative Binomial models provide greater flexibility due to their ability to account for overdispersion.

This research focuses on developing a method for analyzing bivariate count data with excess zeros collected over a lattice. A bivariate Zero-Inflated Negative Binomial Hurdle (ZINBH) regression model with spatial random effects is …

Empirical Evaluation Of Different Features Of Design In Confirmatory Factor Analysis, Deyab Almaleki

Dissertations

Factor analysis (FA) is the study of variance within a group. Within-subject variance (WSV) is affected by multiple features in a study context, such as: the study experimental design (ED) and sampling design (SD), thus anything that influences or changes variance may affect the conclusions related to FA.

The aim of this study was to provide empirical evaluation of the influence of different aspects of ED and SD on WSV in the context of FA in terms of model precision and model estimate stability. Four Monte Carlo population correlation matrices were hypothesized based on different communality magnitudes (high, moderate, low, …

Lnfluence Of Persulfate On Solidification/Stabilization Characteristics Of Iss Treatment, Jeffrey M. Hudson

Masters Theses

Two environmental remediation technologies that lend themselves well to being combined in a single application are In Situ Chemical Oxidation (ISCO) using activated persulfate (PS), and In Situ Stabilization (ISS). Persulfate can be activated by increasing the pH to 10.5 and/or increasing temperatures to 30ºC. Many common ISS amendments increase temperature to 30°C and/or pH to 10.5 when in contact with soil water. Laboratory experiments were conducted with various soils to determine the ability of eight ISS amendments to activate persulfate. All eight ISS amendments activated persulfate. This work also showed that the relative contribution of heat vs. alkaline activation …