Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Potential Energy Curves And Associated Line Shape Of Alkali-Metal And Noble-Gas Interactions, Larry A. Blank

Theses and Dissertations

Recent interest in optically-pumped alkali laser systems has prompted this study into the binary interaction potentials between species of alkali-metal and rare-gas atoms and the effects of the collision of these species on the alkali-metal atom absorption spectrum. Special attention is placed on the relationship of the interaction potentials and the resulting line shape. The X²Σ⁺_1/2, A²π_1/2, A²π_3/2, and B²Σ⁺_1/2 potential energy curves and associated dipole matrix elements are computed for M+ Ng at the spin-orbit multi-reference configuration interaction level, where M = …

Universal Two-Electron Correlation Operator On Excited States, Bryan Thomas Nichols

Theses and Dissertations

Excited states of chemical systems are extremely important in understanding spectra, chemical phenomena, as well as how a particular compound behaves in reactions. Computationally, excited states are normally very expensive to calculate. The difficulty in calculating these states with wavefunction based methods can be mainly attributed to the calculation of large multi-determinant wavefunctions. One reason to use a complicated multi-determinant wavefunction is to include some of the effects of correlation energy. The quantity of correlation energy can most simply be defined as the reduction in energy caused by any two or more electrons trying to avoid each other. The most …

Methods For Identifying Regions Of Brain Activation Using Fmri Meta-Data, Meredith A. Ray

Theses and Dissertations

Functional neuroimaging is a relatively young discipline within the neurosciences that has led to significant advances in our understanding of the human brain and progress in neuroscientific research related to public health. Accurately identifying activated regions in the brain showing a strong association with an outcome of interest is crucial in terms of disease prediction and prevention. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is the most widely used method for this type of study as it has the ability to measure and identify the location of changes in tissue perfusion, blood oxygenation, and blood volume. In practice, the three-dimensional brain locations …

Toward The Combinatorial Development Of Hydrophobic-Tagged Antifolate-Directed Degradation Of Human Thymidylate Synthase, Daniel J. Menasco

Theses and Dissertations

Direct post-translational control over a protein of interest (POI) can be exploited by manipulating the cells protein quality-control systems responsible for either intracellular turnover through ubiquitination (POI half-life) or repairing and degrading misfolded proteins.1 In an effort to target and degrade a high value POI we selected the enzyme human thymidylate synthase (TS) for post-translational degradation through ligand-directed ubiquitination and hydrophobic tagging. Thymidylate synthase catalyzes the reductive methylation of 2’-deoxyuridine monophosphate (dUMP) to 2’-deoxythymidine monophosphate (dTMP). As the de novo source of dTMP the regulation of intracellular TS is strictly controlled by ubiquitinindependent proteasomal degradation mediated by an internal TS-degron …

Simulation Based Evaluation Of Multiscale Small Area Health Models, Purbasha Dasgupta

Theses and Dissertations

The effects of scale on the analysis of spatial data, often referred to as the modifiable areal unit problem in spatial studies, is one of the issues often encountered in small area health models. These spatial effects of scale are also seen in the areas of disease mapping where data are usually available in counts. Often there is a need to consider the different scales of aggregation that exist within count data, since inferences based on analyses can vary if we change the definition of the unit of analysis. This thesis provides a framework that describes the distribution of relative …

Modeling Mussel Mortality: Investigating The Importance Of Swash And The Potential Implications Of Changing Wave Environments, Shadow Leigh Gulledge

Theses and Dissertations

Rising sea level and increases in temperature are causing biogeographic shifts in intertidal zones and can also lead to shifts in the local vertical zonation of organisms due to changes in body temperature during aerial exposure during low tide. Swash is an important determinant of aerial body temperatures, and vulnerability of intertidal zones to changes in climate could potentially depend on how much and how often animals are cooled by waves. While wave heights (and thus swash) are generally expected to increase with climate change, anthropogenic physical structures, such as breakwaters and wave energy converters, can decrease wave height and …

The Geologic Implications Of The Factors That Affected Relative Sea-Level Positions In South Carolina During The Pleistocene And The Associated Preserved High-Stand Deposits, William Richardson Doar Iii

Theses and Dissertations

This work utilizes the current understanding of South Carolina geology to provide a stratigraphic review of the late-Pliocene and Pleistocene marine deposits. Almost two centuries of recorded geological study includes geomorphic and stratigraphic units that were described, proposed, revised, abandoned, and revived. Along with the history of the age assignments, changes in geological time scales, and the changes in the understanding of geological concepts, this review is necessary because two concurrent and conflicting stratigraphies exist for late-Pliocene and Pleistocene marine sediments that record multiple sea-level transgressions that were more often destructive than constructive. The result, when tested against existing geological …

Analysis Of Hurricane Preparedness Levels And Evacuation Intent For South Carolina Coastal Residents, Wesley Chad Seigler

Theses and Dissertations

Many communities across the nation, especially those in coastal areas, are experiencing extensive growth and expansion. This growth and the associated need for additional infrastructure, goods and services, and basic human needs often place people and the things they value in harm’s way due to the threat of a natural disaster. In order to properly prepare and mitigate disaster impacts, individuals and communities must view disasters as events that will likely occur at least once during their lifetime rather than simply outside possibilities. Residents of coastal communities must prepare for potential impacts from hurricanes and resulting storm surges and must …

Measurement Of Polarization Observables PZ, PSZ, And PCZ In Double-Pion Photoproduction Off The Proton, Yuqing Mao

Theses and Dissertations

Meson production from excited nucleons is important in the study of baryon resonances and pion photoproduction is attracting much attention. To date a rather large amount of unpolarized cross-section measurements have been reported for both single- and double-pion photoproduction. However, polarization observables provide complementary information as they probe different combinations of transition amplitudes. The database for polarization observables remains quite sparse. Double-pion photoproduction have been studied in Hall B at Jefferson Lab with linearly polarized tagged photon beams incident on longitudinally polarized protons. The experiment covered center-of-mass energies between 1.4 GeV and 2.3 GeV. The target was a FROzen Spin …

Climate-Induced Changes In The Germination Phenology Of Boechera Stricta, Samuel Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

Climate change is having demonstrable, worldwide impacts on ecological systems in ways that have modified aspects of organism behavior. Plant phenologies have responded to warmer temperatures in a variety of ways that may have implications for long-term species survival. How germination phenology changes in response to warmer climate is a largely unexplored question yet the ability of a plant to advance or delay germination in unfavorable conditions is critical for survival. Knowing the relative success and timing of germination under different climate regimes is important in understanding whether species can keep pace with the rate of climate change via migration …

Surface Functionalization Of Inorganic Substrates With Polymeric Ligands Using Raft Polymerization, Anand Viswanath

Theses and Dissertations

This work focused on using polymers to modify the surface of various inorganic substrates, ranging from TiO2, ITO, CDSe and CdS nanostructures to micron sized silica particles. The synthesis of the polymers using the RAFT technique and the characterization of the functionalized substrates were analyzed in detail to provide insights into their use for various applications. In the first part of this work, novel phosphate based RAFT agents and phosphate containing polymers, including poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), poly(glycidyl methacrylate) (PGMA) and poly(dimethyl siloxane) (PDMS) were synthesized. Alkyne functionalized PGMA was used to click to ITO surfaces in a grafting-to method, and …

Temporal Constraints On Holocene Initiation And Termination Of Mound Development At An Episodic Gas Hydrate And Cold Seep System, Woolsey Mound, Northern Gulf Of Mexico, Nathan Robinson

Theses and Dissertations

Woolsey Mound is a thermogenic gas hydrate and cold seep system in the deepwater (900m) Gulf of Mexico. A set of sub-bottom seismic profiles acquired at MC-118 Woolsey Mound provide decimeter-scale vertical resolution of the upper ~50m of the subsurface throughout the lease block. Integration of these data with radiocarbon, lithostratigraphic, and biostratigraphic data from shallow gravity cores provides the basis for detailed interpretation of the mound evolution within the last 12,000 years. Uniform sedimentation during the Last Glacial Maximum and following changes in sediment distribution over MC-118 suggests modern mound activity did not begin until at least ~12ka. Development …

Remote Sensing Satellite Image Acquisition Planning: Framework, Methods And Application, Shufan Liu

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores the theories and methods of satellite remote sensing image acquisition planning within a spatial temporal context. For many time sensitive applications, such as disaster emergency response, timely acquisition of critical information is the key to intelligent and effective decision making. Remote sensing plays an important role in information collection for these time sensitive applications. Imagery collected from hundreds of remote sensing satellite sensors offer accurate, frequent and almost instantaneous data covering the Earth in a relatively short time. However, determining which satellite sensors can provide an appropriated kind of imageries during a restricted collection window for the …

Cationic Metallocene-Containing Polymers: From Synthesis To Applications, Jiuyang Zhang

Theses and Dissertations

Metallopolymers, with the combination of metals and polymeric framworks, have attracted a lot of attention during the past decades. The development of metallopolymers has been largely driven by the desire to combine the synthetic efficiency and versatility of an organic polymer framework with the unique redox, responsive and catalytic properties of inorganic metals. Among different kinds of metallopolymers, metallocene-containing polymers， have been widely utilized for applications ranging from electrochemical sensors to templates for advanced inorganic catalysts to battery materials, due to their unique physicochemical properties. In the first part of my thesis, we showed controlled/living polymerization strategies to prepare well-defined …

Semiparametric Regression Analysis Of Bivariate Interval-Censored Data, Naichen Wang

Theses and Dissertations

Survival analysis is a long-lasting and popular research area and has numerous applications in all fields such as social science, engineering, economics, industry, and public health. Interval-censored data are a special type of survival data, in which the survival time of interest is never exactly observed but is known to fall within some observed interval. Interval-censored data arise commonly in real-life studies, in which subjects are examined at periodical or irregular follow-up visits. In this dissertation, we develop efficient statistical approaches for regression analysis of bivariate intervalcensored data, in which the two survival times of interest are correlated and both …

The Structure And Ferroelectric Properties Of Iron-Doped Lead Titanate, Michael Bartlein

Theses and Dissertations

Multiferroics are a class of poorly understood, but technologically important materials. Lead(II) titanate (PbTiO$_3$) is a known perovskite ferroelectric. By doping PbTiO$_3$ with Fe$^{3+}$ at the Ti site, we produce the multiferroic PbTi$_{1-x}$Fe$_x$O$_3$ (PTFO). Using selected area electron diffraction on a transmission electron microscope, the structure of PTFO is investigated. Of particular interest is identifying the cubic-to-tetragonal transition at the Curie temperature. As the concentration of Fe increases, the crystal becomes more cubic and experiences a lower transition temperature. I also establish a procedure for preparing bulk PTFO samples for ferroelectric testing and present preliminary results establishing ferroelectricity in these …

A Markov Model For Baseball With Applications, Daniel Joseph Ursin

Theses and Dissertations

In this work we confirm a Markov chain model of baseball for 2013 Major League Baseball batting data. We describe the transition matrices for individual player data and their use in generating single and nine-inning run distributions for a given lineup. The run distribution is used to calculate the expected number of runs produced by a lineup over nine innings. We discuss batting order optimization heuristics to avoid computation of distributions for the 9! = 362, 880 distinct lineups for 9 players. Finally, we describe an implementation of the algorithms and review their performance against actual game data.

Design And Implementation Of A Near-Field Scanning Optical Module For Inverted Microscopes, Taher Ababneh

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation describes the design and implementation of a home-built near-field scanning optical microscope (NSOM) module for inverted microscopes. In this design, the NSOM module is built atop an inverted fluorescence microscope. This is particularly well suited for applications in which the normal imaging modes of the inverted microscope are still required to locate and study the sample before performing NSOM experiments. This module is used as a near-field instrument for nanostructure investigation of various samples including plane-ruled reflection gratings, AFM calibration standards, nanospheres and gold nanoparticles. In addition, we will demonstrate the ability to achieve nanometer-scale surface modification of …

Use Of Secure Messaging By United States Veterans And Significant Others, Claudia S. Derman

Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

USE OF SECURE MESSAGING BY UNITED STATES VETERANS AND SIGNIFICANT OTHERS

By

Claudia S. Derman

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 2014

Under the Supervision of Professor Karen H. Morin, PhD, RN, ANEF, FAAN

The purpose of this study was to describe the topics discussed using secure messaging (SM), the pattern of use of SM, and whether the themes discussed and/or the pattern of use varied based on gender and age of the SM user. Secure messaging is an example of a technology that focuses on patient-centered communication. Secure messaging allows patients to communicate with their clinicians using the Internet and …

Phosphorus Recycling By Profunda Quagga Mussels In Lake Michigan, Caroline Mosley

Theses and Dissertations

Quagga mussels (Dreissena rostiformis bugensis) act as ecosystem engineers in the southern basin of Lake Michigan, altering physical habitats and biogeochemical processes. Adapted to cold and oligotrophic conditions, profunda quagga mussels thrive on the soft substrate of deeper depths. At a 55 m site (10,000 mussels m-2) offshore from Milwaukee, WI, profunda mussel biomass (g m-2) was 1/3 of biomass (g m-2) measured at a 10 m comparison site (5,000 mussels m-2). Higher densities but less biomass is due to profunda mussels having less tissue for a given length and the population per m2 comprising of mostly small mussels ( …

Api Usage Verification Through Dataflow Analysis, Kenneth Baptiste Tapsoba

Theses and Dissertations

Using APIs in a program is often difficult because of the incomplete documentation and the shortage of available examples. To cope with that, we have seen the increase of API checking tools that provide efficient suggestions for API usage. However, most of those checking tools use a pattern-based analysis to determine errors such as misuse of API calls. In this thesis, we introduce a different analysis technique that relies on explicit API state transitions for the analysis of the program. We adopt a static dataflow analysis framework from SOOT to inspect state transitions at each program point.

An Analysis Of Co2-Driven Cold-Water Geysers In Green River, Utah And Chimayo, New Mexico, Zachary T. Watson

Theses and Dissertations

The eruption periodicity, CO2 bubble volume fraction, eruption velocity, flash depth and mass emission of CO2 were determined from multiple wellbore CO2-driven cold-water geysers (Crystal and Tenmile geysers, in Utah and Chimayó geyser in New Mexico). Utilizing a suite of temporal water sample datasets from multiple field trips to Crystal geyser, systematic and repeated trends in effluent water chemistry have been revealed. Crystal geyser has a four part eruption cycle composed of a minor eruption period (mEP), major eruption period (MEP), aftershock eruption period (Ae) and recharge (R). Tenmile geyser has a four part eruption cycle composed of MEP, drainage …

Spatial Dimensions Of Tower Karst And Cockpit Karst: A Case Study Of Guilin, China, Wei Huang

Theses and Dissertations

Tower karst (fenglin) and cockpit karst (fengcong) are two globally important representative styles of tropical karst. Previously proposed sequential and parallel development models are preliminary, and geomorphological studies to date do not provide enough satisfactory evidence to delineate the spatial and temporal relation between the two landscapes. This unclear interpretation of tower-cockpit relationships not only obscures understanding of the process-form dynamics of these tropical karst landforms, but also confuses their definition. Moreover, previous technological limitations, as well as the fragmental nature of the karst landscapes, has limited incorporation of geologic and other data into broad geospatial frameworks based on geographic …

Evaluation And Forecast Of Energy Consumption In Different Sectors Of The United States Using Artificial Neural Networks, Arash Kialashaki

Theses and Dissertations

The United States is a country which consumes a vast amount of energy. In order to keep the development of the United States sustainable (diverse and productive over the time) energy planning should be carried out comprehensively and precisely. This dissertation presents a specific mathematical modeling approach towards energy demand modeling of the United States and forecast future energy demand. To generate more detailed and accurate results, this dissertation investigates the energy demand of each sector separately using the analysis of trend for unique set of independent parameters which affect the energy demand in that sector.

In solving a forecast …

An Optimization Method For Estimating Joint Parameters Of The Hip And Knee, Ben Tesch

Theses and Dissertations

Biomechanics, generally speaking, concerns the application of engineeringprinciples to the study of living things. This work is concerned withhuman movement analysis, a subfield of biomechanics, where the methodsof classical mechanics are applied to human movement. This field hascontributed to the general understanding of human movement, and itstechniques are used in the diagnosis and treatment of disease. Centralto the field is the process of measuring human movement. Since classicalmechanics deals with the motion of rigid bodies, and ideal measurementsystem would be able to accurately record the exact pose --- combinedposition and orientation --- of the bones. The techniques that reachthis ideal …

Evaluating The Surface Layer Wind Profile In The Wrf, Robert Stephen James

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis is to investigate how the surface vertical wind profile responds to different planetary boundary layer schemes in computer models. Local surface roughness is one of the elements represented in these schemes, and is used when interpolating winds down from the lowest model level to the surface, so this needs to be accurately represented in the model. Computer models rely on one bulk estimate of surface roughness for a given grid point, despite the complexity of surrounding terrain. Data for this research was gathered from local surface observations and computer simulations, which looked at two different …

Fault-Controlled Advective, Diffusive, And Eruptive Co2 Leakage From Natural Reservoirs In The Colorado Plateau, East-Central Utah, Na-Hyun Jung

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated a natural analogue for CO2 leakage near Green River, Utah, aiming to understand the influence of various factors on CO2 leakage and to reliably predict underground CO2 behavior after injection for geologic CO2 sequestration. Advective, diffusive, and eruptive characteristics of CO2 leakage were assessed via a soil CO2 flux survey and numerical modeling. The field results show anomalous CO2 fluxes (> 10 g m-2 d-1) along the faults, particularly adjacent to CO2-driven cold springs and geysers (e.g., 36,259 g m-2 d-1 at Crystal Geyser), ancient travertines (e.g., 5,917 g m-2 d-1), joint zones in sandstone (e.g., 120 …

Analyzing State Attempts At Implementing The Common Core State Standards For High School Geometry: Case Studies Of Utah And New York, Edward Steltenpohl

Theses and Dissertations

This study analyzes two state attempts at aligning curricula to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in secondary school geometry. The education departments of Utah and New York have approved curricula aimed at aligning to the Common Core State Standards: the Mathematics Vision Project (MVP) and EngageNY (ENY) respectively. This study measures the extent to which those curricula align with the content demands of the relevant Common Core Standards. The results indicate that, while the two curricula vary in structure and assumptions about learners, each one aligns well with the Common Core State Standards in secondary school geometry. We conclude …

Modification Of Pyrimidine And Purine Nucleotides By "Click" Chemistry: Design, Synthesis And Properties Study, Mohammad Mojibul Haque

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation consists of three main parts, totaling five chapters, and focuses on developing novel nucleosides via "click" chemistry and studying their potential biological

properties. Chapter three describes the synthesis and properties of coumarin-modified fluorescent DNAs. Coumarin-modified 2'-deoxythymidine was synthesizedvia "click" chemistry and incorporated into oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs) which induce photoreversible interstrand cross-link (ICL) upon 350/254 nm photoirradiation. The irradiation at 350 nminduces DNA cross-linking with ODNs containing coumarin. The cross-linked DNA products formed from coumarin are not fluorescent. Further investigation showed that coumarin moiety undergoes the (2π+2π) photocycloaddition with 2'-deoxythymidine (dT), 2'-deoxycytidine (dC), and to a much lower extent, 2'-deoxyadenine …

Contractible N-Manifolds And The Double N-Space Property, Pete Sparks

Theses and Dissertations

We are interested in contractible n-manifolds M which decompose or split as M = A union B where A,B, and A intersect B are all homeomorphic to Euclidean n-space or A,B, and A intersect B are all homeomorphic to the n-dimensional unit ball. We introduce a 4-manifold M containing a spine which splits as A union B with A,B, and A intersect B all collapsible which in turn implies M splits as the union of two 4-balls whose intersection is also a 4-ball. From M we obtain a countably infinite collection of distinct 4-manifolds all of which split this way. …