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William & Mary

2016

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Articles 1 - 30 of 146

Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Suspended Sediment Size Distribution In A Numerical Sediment Transport Model For A Partially-Mixed Estaury, Danielle Tarpley, Courtney Harris, Carl Friedrichs Dec 2016

Suspended Sediment Size Distribution In A Numerical Sediment Transport Model For A Partially-Mixed Estaury, Danielle Tarpley, Courtney Harris, Carl Friedrichs

Presentations

Particle settling velocity impacts the transport of suspended sediment to the first order but fine-grained material like muds tend to form loosely bound aggregates (flocs) whose settling velocity can vary widely. Properties of flocculated sediment such as settling velocity and particle density are difficult to predict because they change in response to several factors including salinity, suspended sediment concentration, turbulent mixing, and organic content. Knowledge of the mechanisms governing flocculation of cohesive sediment is rapidly expanding; especially in response to recent technical advances. As the understanding of particle dynamics progresses, numerical models describing flocculation and break-up are being developed with …

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Influence Of A Suite Of Environmentally Relevant Conditions On Pbt Leaching From, And Sorption To, Marine Microplastic Debris, Robert C. Hale, Da Chen Dec 2016

Influence Of A Suite Of Environmentally Relevant Conditions On Pbt Leaching From, And Sorption To, Marine Microplastic Debris, Robert C. Hale, Da Chen

Reports

Synthetic polymers (plastics) enter marine environments from terrestrial and marine-based sources. The manner of release, the plastic’s composition/properties and ambient marine conditions determine debris fate and its impacts on living resources. It was long assumed that all plastics were persistent and inert, possessing negligible potential for chemical impacts. However, in reality, commercial polymers exhibit a range of potentials for interactions. Persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic (PBT) chemicals are lipophilic and may concentrate from ambient waters by orders of magnitude on polymer surfaces (Teuten et al., 2007). The type of polymer affects the degree of PBT sorption. Indeed, plastics have been found …

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2015 Chesapeake Bay Sav Coverage, Sav Data Administrator, Virginia Institute Of Marine Science Dec 2016

2015 Chesapeake Bay Sav Coverage, Sav Data Administrator, Virginia Institute Of Marine Science

Data

Abstract: The 2015 Chesapeake Bay SAV Coverage was mapped from 1:24,000 black and white aerial photography and digital multispectral imagery with a 25cm GSD to assess water quality in the Bay. Each area of SAV was interpreted from the rectified photography and classified into one of four density classes by the percentage of cover. The SAV beds were entered into an SDE GIS fetaure class using the quality control procedures documented below. The dataset contains all SAV areas that were identified from the areas flown. Some areas that are presumed to contain no SAV were not flown. Some small beds, …

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Net Primary Productivity Estimates And Environmental Variables In The Arctic Ocean; An Assessment Of Coupled Physical-Biogeochemical Models, Younjoo J. Lee, Patrica A. Matrai, Marjorie A.M. Friedrichs, Et Al Dec 2016

Net Primary Productivity Estimates And Environmental Variables In The Arctic Ocean; An Assessment Of Coupled Physical-Biogeochemical Models, Younjoo J. Lee, Patrica A. Matrai, Marjorie A.M. Friedrichs, Et Al

VIMS Articles

The relative skill of 21 regional and global biogeochemical models was assessed in terms of how well the models reproduced observed net primary productivity (NPP) and environmental variables such as nitrate concentration (NO (sub 3) ), mixed layer depth (MLD), euphotic layer depth (Z (sub eu) ), and sea ice concentration, by comparing results against a newly updated, quality-controlled in situ NPP database for the Arctic Ocean (1959-2011). The models broadly captured the spatial features of integrated NPP (iNPP) on a pan-Arctic scale. Most models underestimated iNPP by varying degrees in spite of overestimating surface NO (sub 3) , MLD, …

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Town Of Colonial Beach State Of The Beach Data Summary Report, Donna A. Milligan, C. Scott Hardaway Jr., Christine A. Wilcox Dec 2016

Town Of Colonial Beach State Of The Beach Data Summary Report, Donna A. Milligan, C. Scott Hardaway Jr., Christine A. Wilcox

Reports

The Town of Colonial Beach occupies a peninsula between the Potomac River and Monroe Bay (Figure 1). Approximately 2.5 miles of the shoreline is publicly-owned. Two areas on the Potomac River have been enhanced as recreational beaches for swimming and sunbathing. Central Beach extends about 1,650 feet south of the Town Pier and is the main recreational beach. North Central Beach extends about 1,450 feet north of the Town Pier Colonial Avenue. Castlewood Beach is south of Central Beach near the entrance to Monroe Bay. It has about 1,150 feet of sandy beach.

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Analysis Of Drift Effects On The Tokamak Power Scrape-Off Width Using Solps-Iter, E. T. Meier, R. J. Goldston, E. G. Kaveeva, M. A. Makowski, Saskia Mordijck, V. A. Rozhansky, I. Yu Senichenkov, S. P. Voskoboynikov Dec 2016

Analysis Of Drift Effects On The Tokamak Power Scrape-Off Width Using Solps-Iter, E. T. Meier, R. J. Goldston, E. G. Kaveeva, M. A. Makowski, Saskia Mordijck, V. A. Rozhansky, I. Yu Senichenkov, S. P. Voskoboynikov

Arts & Sciences Articles

SOLPS-ITER, a comprehensive 2D scrape-off layer modeling package, is used to examine the physical mechanisms that set the scrape-off width (lambda(q)) for inter-ELM power exhaust. Guided by Goldston's heuristic drift (HD) model, which shows remarkable quantitative agreement with experimental data, this research examines drift effects on lambda(q) in a DIII-D H-mode magnetic equilibrium. As a numerical expedient, a low target recycling coefficient of 0.9 is used in the simulations, resulting in outer target plasma that is sheath limited instead of conduction limited as in the experiment. Scrape-off layer (SOL) particle diffusivity (D-SOL) is scanned from 1 to 0.1 m(2) s(-1). …

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Fractal Floc Size, Density, Settling Velocity, And Implications For Water Clarity In Partially Mixed-Estuaries: The Role Of Small, Organic-Rich Particles, Kelsey Fall, Carl Friedrichs, Grace M. Massey, Jessie Turner Nov 2016

Fractal Floc Size, Density, Settling Velocity, And Implications For Water Clarity In Partially Mixed-Estuaries: The Role Of Small, Organic-Rich Particles, Kelsey Fall, Carl Friedrichs, Grace M. Massey, Jessie Turner

Presentations

Typical near-surface estuarine particles are not single solid particles, but clusters of inorganic and organic particles and water, called flocs. Floc properties that influence water clarity (such as size, composition, density and settling velocity) are challenging to observe in-situ, so their influence on the optical properties of the system is not well understood. The preliminary results presented here are part of a larger effort utilizing a combination of particle imaging equipment, water sampling, and optical instrumentation to measure important floc properties, to investigate the influence of organic particles and local hydrodynamics on those properties, and to evaluate the influence of …

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Ac Zeeman Force With Ultracold Atoms, Charles Fancher Nov 2016

Ac Zeeman Force With Ultracold Atoms, Charles Fancher

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Ultracold atom experiments use a gas of neutral atoms with temperatures less than 100 µK above absolute zero and offer unmatched experimental control of quantum states and coherence, which has allowed ultracold atom-based measurements to be some of the most precise to date. While ultracold atom experiments can control almost all atomic degrees of freedom, spin-dependent trapping and spatial manipulation has remained difficult if not inaccessible. We are developing a method of spin-dependent trapping and spatial manipulation for ultracold neutral atoms using the AC Zeeman force produced by a microwave magnetic near-field gradient generated by an atom chip. We measure …

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Physical Properties Of Traditional And Water-Miscible Oil Paints As Assessed By Single-Sided Nmr, Nicholas Anthony Sanchez Udell Nov 2016

Physical Properties Of Traditional And Water-Miscible Oil Paints As Assessed By Single-Sided Nmr, Nicholas Anthony Sanchez Udell

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Single-sided NMR has been demonstrated as a useful technique for the inexpensive and non-invasive study of cultural heritage objects, including numerous different painting and paint samples. The relatively recent invention of water-miscible oil paints – a new form of environmentally friendly oil paint that can be thinned and cleaned by water – provides a need for analysis of the physical properties of the cured paint films. Single-sided NMR offers an excellent analytical tool to study the structural effects of the emulsifying agent present in water-miscible oil paints on the paint linoxyn network by measuring the transverse (T2) relaxation times for …

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An Improved Measurement Of The Muon Neutrino Charged Current Quasi-Elastic Cross-Section On Hydrocarbon At Minerva, Dun Zhang Nov 2016

An Improved Measurement Of The Muon Neutrino Charged Current Quasi-Elastic Cross-Section On Hydrocarbon At Minerva, Dun Zhang

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Neutrino interactions in the detectors of long baseline oscillation experiments are analyzed to determine the neutrino flavor and energy spectrum, allowing the neutrino mass ordering and mixing parameters to be determined. For neutrino interactions below the pion production threshold, the dominant reaction is charged current quasi-elastic (CCQE) scattering. Oscillation experiments are made of heavy nuclei so the QE process occurs on nucleons that are embedded in the nuclear environment. Predictions of the QE cross-section suffer from significant uncertainties due to our understanding of that nuclear environment and the way it is probed by the weak interaction. I have developed a …

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Studies Of Respiratory Rhythm Generation Maintained In Organotypic Slice Cultures, Wiktor Samuel Phillips Nov 2016

Studies Of Respiratory Rhythm Generation Maintained In Organotypic Slice Cultures, Wiktor Samuel Phillips

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Breathing is an important rhythmic motor behavior whose underlying neural mechanisms can be studied in vitro. The study of breathing rhythms in vitro has depended upon reduced preparations of the brainstem that both retain respiratory-active neuronal populations and spontaneously generate respiratory-related motor output from cranial and spinal motor nerves. Brainstem-spinal cord en bloc preparations and transverse medullary slices of the brainstem have greatly improved the ability of researchers to experimentally access and thus characterize interneurons important in respiratory rhythmogenesis. These existing in vitro preparations are, however, not without their limitations. For example, the window of time within which experiments may …

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Rethinking Privacy And Security Mechanisms In Online Social Networks, Xin Ruan Nov 2016

Rethinking Privacy And Security Mechanisms In Online Social Networks, Xin Ruan

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

With billions of users, Online Social Networks(OSNs) are amongst the largest scale communication applications on the Internet. OSNs enable users to easily access news from local and worldwide, as well as share information publicly and interact with friends. On the negative side, OSNs are also abused by spammers to distribute ads or malicious information, such as scams, fraud, and even manipulate public political opinions. Having achieved significant commercial success with large amount of user information, OSNs do treat the security and privacy of their users seriously and provide several mechanisms to reinforce their account security and information privacy. However, the …

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Electron Neutrino Appearance In The Nova Experiment, Ji Liu Nov 2016

Electron Neutrino Appearance In The Nova Experiment, Ji Liu

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

The NuMI off-Axis $\nu_e$ Appearance (NO$\nu$A) experiment is a long baseline, off-axis neutrino oscillation experiment. It is designed to search for oscillations of $\nu_\mu$ to $\nu_e$ by comparing measurements of the NuMI beam composition in two detectors. These two detectors are functionally identical, nearly fully-active liquid-scintillator tracking calorimeters and located at two points along the beam line to observe the neutrinos. The Near Detector (ND), situated \unit[1]{km} away from the proton target at Fermilab, measures neutrinos prior to oscillation. Then the Far Detector (FD), located 810 km away at Ash River, Minnesota, measures the neutrinos after they have traveled and …

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Street-Level Inundation Modeling Of Hurricanes Matthew And Hermine And Emerging Flood Monitoring Methods In Hampton Roads, Jon Derek Loftis, H. V. Wang, D R. Forrest Nov 2016

Street-Level Inundation Modeling Of Hurricanes Matthew And Hermine And Emerging Flood Monitoring Methods In Hampton Roads, Jon Derek Loftis, H. V. Wang, D R. Forrest

Presentations

No abstract provided.

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Prince George County Shoreline Management Plan, C. Scott Hardaway Jr., Donna A. Milligan, Christine A. Wilcox, Marcia Berman, Tamia Rudnicky, Karinna Nunez, Sharon A. Killeen Nov 2016

Prince George County Shoreline Management Plan, C. Scott Hardaway Jr., Donna A. Milligan, Christine A. Wilcox, Marcia Berman, Tamia Rudnicky, Karinna Nunez, Sharon A. Killeen

Reports

Much of Prince George County’s shoreline is suitable for a “Living Shoreline” approach to shoreline management. The Commonwealth of Virginia has adopted policy stating that Living Shorelines are the preferred alternative for erosion control along tidal waters in Virginia (http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi‐bin/legp504.exe?111+ful+CHAP0885+pdf). The policy defines a Living Shoreline as …”a shoreline management practice that provides erosion control and water quality benefits; protects, restores or enhances natural shoreline habitat; and maintains coastal processes through the strategic placement of plants, stone, sand fill, and other structural and organic materials.” The key to effective implementation of this policy at the local level is understanding what …

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Developmental, Physiological, And Transcriptomic Analyses Of Neurons Involved In The Generation Of Mammalian Breathing, Andrew Kottick Oct 2016

Developmental, Physiological, And Transcriptomic Analyses Of Neurons Involved In The Generation Of Mammalian Breathing, Andrew Kottick

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Breathing is a rhythmic motor behavior with obvious physiological importance: breathing movements are essential for respiration, which sustains homeostasis and life itself in a wide array of animals including humans and all mammals. The breathing rhythm is produced by interneurons of the brainstem preBötzinger complex (preBötC) whose progenitors express the transcription factor Dbx1. However, the cellular and synaptic neural mechanisms underlying respiratory rhythmogenesis remain unclear. The first chapter of this dissertation examines a Dbx1 transgenic mouse line often exploited to study the neural control of breathing. It emphasizes the cellular fate of progenitors that express Dbx1 at different times during …

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Matrix Results And Techniques In Quantum Information Science And Related Topics, Diane Christine Pelejo Oct 2016

Matrix Results And Techniques In Quantum Information Science And Related Topics, Diane Christine Pelejo

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

In this dissertation, we present several matrix-related problems and results motivated by quantum information theory. Some background material of quantum information science will be discussed in chapter 1, while chapter 7 gives a summary of results and concluding remarks. In chapter 2, we look at $2^n\times 2^n$ unitary matrices, which describe operations on a closed $n$-qubit system. We define a set of simple quantum gates, called controlled single qubit gates, and their associated operational cost. We then present a recurrence scheme to decompose a general $2^n\times 2^n$ unitary matrix to the product of no more than $2^{n-1}(2^n-1)$ single qubit gates …

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Fractal Floc Size, Settling Velocity And Implications For Water Clarity In Partially Mixed-Estuaries: The Role Of Small, Organic-Rich Particles, Kelsey Fall, Carl Friedrichs, Grace M. Cartwright, D.G. Bowers Oct 2016

Fractal Floc Size, Settling Velocity And Implications For Water Clarity In Partially Mixed-Estuaries: The Role Of Small, Organic-Rich Particles, Kelsey Fall, Carl Friedrichs, Grace M. Cartwright, D.G. Bowers

Presentations

Observations and analysis presented here suggest that properties of suspended particulate matter (SPM) in the water column of partially mixed estuaries, including floc size and settling velocity, are strongly related to the relative concentrations of inorganic versus organic matter in suspension. In regions with high inorganic SPM concentrations, addition of organic matter tends to increase the median size and settling velocity of flocs, removing both organic and inorganic SPM from the water column and enhancing water clarity relative to that in the absence of organics. In contrast, in regions with lower inorganic SPM concentration, suspended organic matter appears to decrease …

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Assessing Ecological And Economic Effects Of Derelict Fishing Gear: A Guiding Framework, Christopher F.G. Jeffrey, Kirk J. Havens, H. Ward Slacum Jr., Donna Marie Bilkovic, Danielle Zaveta, Andrew M. Scheld, Sean Willard, John D. Evans Oct 2016

Assessing Ecological And Economic Effects Of Derelict Fishing Gear: A Guiding Framework, Christopher F.G. Jeffrey, Kirk J. Havens, H. Ward Slacum Jr., Donna Marie Bilkovic, Danielle Zaveta, Andrew M. Scheld, Sean Willard, John D. Evans

Reports

Developing standardized protocols to assess the ecological and socio-economic effects of marine debris – especially, derelict fishing gear – is critical for the protection of natural resources and for evaluating policies and programs designed to reduce and remove debris. This document outlines a Derelict Fishing Gear Assessment Framework to guide the development and implementation of derelict gear assessment, management and mitigation. The framework draws from techniques and protocols developed to assess derelict crab traps effects in the Chesapeake Bay and on past derelict gear assessments either conducted by or known to the framework authors. However, this framework is generalized and …

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Ecological And Economic Effects Of Derelict Fishing Gear In The Chesapeake Bay 2015/2016 Final Assessment Report, Donna M. Bilkovic, H. Ward Slacum Jr., Kirk J. Havens, Danielle Zaveta, Christopher F.G. Jeffrey, Andrew M. Scheld, David Stanhope, Kory Angstadt, John D. Evans Oct 2016

Ecological And Economic Effects Of Derelict Fishing Gear In The Chesapeake Bay 2015/2016 Final Assessment Report, Donna M. Bilkovic, H. Ward Slacum Jr., Kirk J. Havens, Danielle Zaveta, Christopher F.G. Jeffrey, Andrew M. Scheld, David Stanhope, Kory Angstadt, John D. Evans

Reports

Derelict fishing gear represents a major challenge to marine resource management: whether through deliberate abandonment or through accidental loss, derelict traps in particular have significant negative effects both economic (e.g., reduced fishery harvest from ghost fishing and gear competition that leads to the reduced efficiency of active gear) and ecological (e.g., degraded habitats and marine food webs and crab and bycatch mortality). Throughout the Chesapeake Bay, commercial harvest of hard-shelled blue crabs is a major fishing activity: every year sees the deployment of several hundred thousand blue crab traps (known locally as crab “pots”) across the Bay, of which an …

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In Situ Differentiation Among Suspended Primary Particles, Resilient Pellets And Flocs Of Similar Size Using A Particle Image Camera System (Pics) In A Muddy Estuary, Grace M. Massey, Kelsey Fall, Carl Friedrichs, S.J. Smith Oct 2016

In Situ Differentiation Among Suspended Primary Particles, Resilient Pellets And Flocs Of Similar Size Using A Particle Image Camera System (Pics) In A Muddy Estuary, Grace M. Massey, Kelsey Fall, Carl Friedrichs, S.J. Smith

Presentations

No abstract provided.

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Relationships Among Estuarine Floc Size, Optical Properties, Organic Content, And Settling Velocity: Insights Gained From Combining Lisst And A Particle Imaging Camera System, Kelsey Fall, Carl Friedrichs, Grace M. Cartwright, D.G. Bowers Oct 2016

Relationships Among Estuarine Floc Size, Optical Properties, Organic Content, And Settling Velocity: Insights Gained From Combining Lisst And A Particle Imaging Camera System, Kelsey Fall, Carl Friedrichs, Grace M. Cartwright, D.G. Bowers

Presentations

No abstract provided.

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Evaluation Of The Potential Impact On Flow And Sediment Transport From Proposed James River Crossings, Yinglong J. Zhang, Harry V. Wang, Zhuo Liu, Mac Sisson, Jian Shen Oct 2016

Evaluation Of The Potential Impact On Flow And Sediment Transport From Proposed James River Crossings, Yinglong J. Zhang, Harry V. Wang, Zhuo Liu, Mac Sisson, Jian Shen

Reports

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the potential impact on flow and sedimentation potential due to the proposed new crossings on the lower James River by VDOT. This project was built upon previous effort in the same area (Boon et al. 1999); the latter used VIMS’ 3D Hydrodynamic-Sedimentation Model (HYSED) to study the impact of the bridge-tunnel infrastructure on the physical characteristics (including tides, currents, circulation, salinity and sedimentation) under the existing and alternative scenarios. Due to various limitations at that time, smaller bridge pilings were not resolved but instead parameterized. In this update study, we used an …

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Workload Interleaving With Performance Guarantees In Data Centers, Feng Yan Oct 2016

Workload Interleaving With Performance Guarantees In Data Centers, Feng Yan

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

In the era of global, large scale data centers residing in clouds, many applications and users share the same pool of resources for the purposes of reducing energy and operating costs, and of improving availability and reliability. Along with the above benefits, resource sharing also introduces performance challenges: when multiple workloads access the same resources concurrently, contention may occur and introduce delays in the performance of individual workloads. Providing performance isolation to individual workloads needs effective management methodologies. The challenges of deriving effective management methodologies lie in finding accurate, robust, compact metrics and models to drive algorithms that can meet …

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Study Of Variations Of The Dynamics Of The Metal-Insulator Transition Of Thin Films Of Vanadium Dioxide With An Ultra-Fast Laser, Elizabeth Lee Radue Oct 2016

Study Of Variations Of The Dynamics Of The Metal-Insulator Transition Of Thin Films Of Vanadium Dioxide With An Ultra-Fast Laser, Elizabeth Lee Radue

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Vanadium dioxide is an intensely studied material, since it goes through an insulator-metal transition at a critical temperature just above room temperature at 340~K. The dramatic change in conductivity and the easily accessible transition temperature makes it an attractive material for novel technologies. Thin films of VO2 have a reversible transition without any significant degradation in contrast, and depending on the microstructure of the films, the properties of the transition are tunable. In this work, I study the dynamics of the insulator-transition in thin films grown on different substrates using a pump-probe configuration. The energy needed to trigger the transition, …

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Security Supports For Cyber-Physical System And Its Communication Networks, Zhengrui Qin Oct 2016

Security Supports For Cyber-Physical System And Its Communication Networks, Zhengrui Qin

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

A cyber-physical system (CPS) is a sensing and communication platform that features tight integration and combination of computation, networking, and physical processes. In such a system, embedded computers and networks monitor and control the physical processes through a feedback loop, in which physical processes affect computations and vice versa. In recent years, CPS has caught much attention in many different aspects of research, such as security and privacy. In this dissertation, we focus on supporting security in CPS and its communication networks. First, we investigate the electric power system, which is an important CPS in modern society. as crucial and …

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Synthesis, Structure And Optical Memory Properties Of Copper (I) Thiocyanate Networks With Aromatic Amines, Diimines And Alkyl Sulfides, Gerardo Ayala Oct 2016

Synthesis, Structure And Optical Memory Properties Of Copper (I) Thiocyanate Networks With Aromatic Amines, Diimines And Alkyl Sulfides, Gerardo Ayala

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

A series of CuSCN compounds were synthesized. Ligands included the alkyl sulfides methyl sulfide (Me2S), ethyl sulfide (Et2S), isopropyl sulfide (Pri2S) and tetrahydrothiophene (THT); diimine ligands pyrazine (Pyz), 2,3-dimethylpyrazine (2,3- Me2Pyz), 2,5-dimethylpyrazine (2,5-Me2Pyz), 2-aminopyrazine (2-NH2Pyz) and 2- methoxypyrazine (2-MeOPyz); two-ring diimines quinoxaline (Qox), quinazoline (Qnz), phthalazine (Ptz); and 3-halopyridines 3-chloropyridine (3-ClPy), 3-bromopyridine (3- BrPy), 3-iodopyridine (3-IPy). Crystal structures were solved for twelve products. With the exception of one Cu(II) compound, all could be classified in the common motifs of chains, ladders or sheets. Alkyl sulfides formed either 1:2 (CuSCN)L2 1-D chains (L = Me2S, 1a and THT, 4) or 1:1 …

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A Measurement Of The Parity-Violating Asymmetry In Aluminum And Its Contribution To A Measurement Of The Proton's Weak Charge, Joshua Allen Magee Oct 2016

A Measurement Of The Parity-Violating Asymmetry In Aluminum And Its Contribution To A Measurement Of The Proton's Weak Charge, Joshua Allen Magee

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

The Qweak experiment, which ran at the Thomas Je↵erson National Accelerator Facility, made a precision measurement of the proton’s weak charge, Q_p^W . The weak charge is extracted via a measurement of the parity-violating asymmetry in elastic electron-proton scattering from hydrogen at low momentum transfer (Q^2=0.025 GeV^2). This result is directly related to the electroweak mixing angle, sin2 (theta_W ), a fundamental parameter in the Standard Model of particle physics. This provides a precision test sensitive to new, as yet unknown, fundamental physics. This dissertation focuses on two central corrections to the Qweak measurement: the target window contribution and sub-percent …

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The Impact Of Surface Normals On Appearance, Kathleen Dorothy Moore Oct 2016

The Impact Of Surface Normals On Appearance, Kathleen Dorothy Moore

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

The appearance of an object is the result of complex light interaction with the object. Beyond the basic interplay between incident light and the object's material, a multitude of physical events occur between this illumination and the microgeometry at the point of incidence, and also beneath the surface. A given object, made as smooth and opaque as possible, will have a completely different appearance if either one of these attributes - amount of surface mesostructure (small-scale surface orientation) or translucency - is altered. Indeed, while they are not always readily perceptible, the small-scale features of an object are as important …

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Enhancing The Sensing Capabilities Of Mobile And Embedded Systems, Daniel George Graham Oct 2016

Enhancing The Sensing Capabilities Of Mobile And Embedded Systems, Daniel George Graham

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

In this work, we aim to develop new sensors and sensing platforms that facilitate the development of new mobile and embedded devices. Mobile and embedded devices have become an integral part of our everyday lives and the sensing capabilities of these devices have improved throughout the years. Developing new and innovative sensors and sensing platforms will provide the building blocks for developing new sensing systems. In an effort to facilitate these innovations we have developed two new in-air sonar sensors and a new reconfigurable sensing platform. The first in-air sonar sensor is designed for ranging applications and uses the phone's …

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