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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Review Of Current Reactive Force Field Potentials For Use In Simulating The Atomic Layer Deposition Of Alumina On Aluminum, Devon T. Romine Jan 2022

Review Of Current Reactive Force Field Potentials For Use In Simulating The Atomic Layer Deposition Of Alumina On Aluminum, Devon T. Romine

MSU Graduate Theses

Alumina has recently garnered quite a bit of attention for use as a tunnel barrier in Josephson tunnel junctions. The quality of the metal oxide layer in the Josephson tunnel junction is a key factor in its effectiveness. To optimize the deposition method of alumina, we need a deep understanding of the large-scale surface interactions that cannot be reached using ab initio molecular dynamics. In this study, I have compared two existing reactive force field (ReaxFF) parameters to determine their abilities to model the atomic layer deposition (ALD) of alumina on an aluminum surface. ReaxFF molecular dynamics was chosen because …


Structural, Electrical And Optical Properties Of Copper Oxide Phase Mixture: An Active Layer Of Solar Cell, Rifat Ara Shams Jan 2022

Structural, Electrical And Optical Properties Of Copper Oxide Phase Mixture: An Active Layer Of Solar Cell, Rifat Ara Shams

MSU Graduate Theses

Both CuO and Cu2O have been well studied and implemented individually as an active layer of a solar cell from early age of manufacturing. A mixture of these two-phase contents at different ratios can bring variance in absorbance which can present new and diverse aspect in solar cell fabrication with added efficiency. Previous works were successful to vary the phase mixture, and the nanostructures provided very high absorption co-efficient but poor optical response on electrical conductivity. The goal of this research is to find out the optimum parameter for the phase mixture of copper oxide with high absorption coefficient as …


The Synthesis And Characterization Of Pb(Ii) Cyanoximates, Patricia Mcdaniel Jan 2022

The Synthesis And Characterization Of Pb(Ii) Cyanoximates, Patricia Mcdaniel

MSU Graduate Theses

A new series of Pb(II) cyanoximates were synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis (C, H, N, S), IR spectroscopy, thermal analysis, and X-ray crystallography. The goal was to synthesize compounds with a PbL2 (L= selected known chelating cyanoximes) composition for use as potential new non-linear optical (NLO) materials, specifically second harmonic generators (SHG), which must belong to non-centrosymmetric space groups. A desktop procedure using Pb2+ is chosen due to its typically active 6s2 lone pair of electrons, which are known to distort central polyhedra. A 1:2 ratio of Pb(II) to ligand were used to synthesize bulk products …


Dot Product Bounds In Galois Rings, David Lee Crosby Jan 2022

Dot Product Bounds In Galois Rings, David Lee Crosby

MSU Graduate Theses

We consider the Erdős Distance Conjecture in the context of dot products in Galois rings and prove results for single dot products and pairs of dot products.


Characterization Of Nanoparticles Using Inductively-Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry, Jabez D. Campbell Jan 2022

Characterization Of Nanoparticles Using Inductively-Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry, Jabez D. Campbell

MSU Graduate Theses

Nanomaterials are a relatively new class of materials that have many applications which span a wide host of fields from medical products to consumer products. The possible compositions and forms of nanomaterials are just as varied as the applications. Therefore, a versatile characterization method is needed for researchers and regulators alike to ensure nanomaterials are properly used. Single Particle Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (SP-ICP-MS) is a functional method that could fill the characterization need in the nanomaterial research field. Using data from both SP-ICP-MS tests and data from literature established characterization methods, the viability of making SP-ICP-MS the standard …


Largemouth Bass In The Upper Mississippi River: An Evaluation Of Management Strategies And Understanding Potential Factors Influencing Dynamic Rate Functions, Kylie Beth Sterling Jan 2022

Largemouth Bass In The Upper Mississippi River: An Evaluation Of Management Strategies And Understanding Potential Factors Influencing Dynamic Rate Functions, Kylie Beth Sterling

MSU Graduate Theses

The Upper Mississippi River (UMR) supports ecologically and economically important commercial and recreational fisheries. One recreational fishery in the UMR is the Largemouth Bass fishery. Recreational fisheries can be effectively managed using information on population dynamics, though little is known about Largemouth Bass population dynamics in large river ecosystems. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to 1) evaluate recruitment, growth, and mortality of three Largemouth Bass populations in the UMR, specifically within Pools 4, 8, and 13, and 2) to use those estimates of recruitment, growth and mortality to inform exploitation models to evaluate best management practices for each …


On The Chromatic Numbers Of Subgroup Lattices, Jacob C. Miles Jan 2022

On The Chromatic Numbers Of Subgroup Lattices, Jacob C. Miles

MSU Graduate Theses

In this thesis we investigate the chromatic number of the Hasse diagram of a subgroup lattice. We combine results of Bollobás and Tůma to show that there exist infnite groups whose subgroup lattices have arbitarily high chromatic numbers. We show that fnite supersolvable groups have bipartite subgroup lattices but that CLT and non-solvable groups may not have bipartite subgroup lattices. Lastly, we give a preliminary argument suggesting that there are an infnite number of non-solvable groups whose subgroup lattices are bipartite.


Synthesis And Characterization Of Antimony Cyanoximates For Microbiological Studies, Seth Adu Amankrah Jan 2022

Synthesis And Characterization Of Antimony Cyanoximates For Microbiological Studies, Seth Adu Amankrah

MSU Graduate Theses

Antibiotic-resistant pathogenic microorganisms (such as MRSA and alike) represent a real and significant threat to the health and wellbeing of the general population. The search for new compounds of non-antibiotic nature that act as antimicrobial agents is an important task with obvious practical applications in the biomedical field. Metal-based coordination and organometallic compounds that demonstrate antimicrobial activity was found to exhibit a completely different mode of action compared to antibiotics. That suggests the absence of the mechanism of developing tolerance to these types of compounds at least for 30 - 40 years. Thus, there are numerous organotin (IV), silver (I), …


Mining-Contaminated Sediment And Metal Storage In Channel Deposits In Turkey Creek, Tri-State Mining District, Missouri And Kansas, Max Quinn Hillermann Jan 2022

Mining-Contaminated Sediment And Metal Storage In Channel Deposits In Turkey Creek, Tri-State Mining District, Missouri And Kansas, Max Quinn Hillermann

MSU Graduate Theses

The Joplin subdistrict, within the Tri-State Mining District (TSMD), was a major producer of lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn) ore between the 1880s to 1920s. Metalliferous mining wastes are still stored in the channel deposits of local streams raising environmental and health concerns. This study quantifies the volume, sediment size, and metal concentrations in channel bed, bar, bench, and chute deposits to quantify the spatial variability of contaminated sediment storage in Turkey Creek (119 km2). Sample reaches (n=14) contained metal concentrations elevated above the Tri-State Mining District specific probable effects concentration at every site with mean concentrations in …


Geology Of The Porter Gap 7.5–Minute Quadrangle, Alabama, And Stretched Pebble Analysis Within The Western Blue Ridge Of The Southern Appalachians, Tessa Mills Jan 2022

Geology Of The Porter Gap 7.5–Minute Quadrangle, Alabama, And Stretched Pebble Analysis Within The Western Blue Ridge Of The Southern Appalachians, Tessa Mills

MSU Graduate Theses

The Porter Gap 7.5–minute quadrangle in eastern Alabama contains portions of the undifferentiated sedimentary Knox Group of the Valley and Ridge province, the metamorphic Talladega Group of the western Blue Ridge, and the metamorphic Ashland Supergroup of the eastern Blue Ridge. Three major faults separate the rock units, including the Talladega-Cartersville fault, the Hillabee thrust fault, and the Hollins Line fault. Deformation and metamorphism of rocks within the Talladega Group occurred during the middle to late Mississippian (~334–320 Ma) recorded by stretched pebbles within the Cheaha Quartzite member of the Lay Dam Formation. Stretched pebbles within the Cheaha Quartzite have …


Study Of Electrical And Magnetic Properties Of Ni/Nio Nanocomposite Thin Film, Bishwajite Karmakar Jan 2022

Study Of Electrical And Magnetic Properties Of Ni/Nio Nanocomposite Thin Film, Bishwajite Karmakar

MSU Graduate Theses

In this thesis, detailed magnetic and electrical transport properties of composite thin films consisting of antiferromagnetic NiO, and ferromagnetic Ni have been studied. Highly oriented NiO thin films were grown on sapphire (0001) substrate using pulsed laser deposition with varying growth parameters such as oxygen pressure of the chamber and the substrate temperature. To obtain various percentage mixtures of Ni and NiO by means of introducing point defects (oxygen vacancies) into the NiO crystal structure, the as-grown films were annealed in forming gas (Ar:96% and H2:4%) at a fixed temperature of 600C and varying annealing time (0.5h to 6h). X-ray …


Downstream Dispersal Of Fine Tailings, Chat And Metals In Channel Sediment Of Big River, Old Lead Belt, Southeast Missouri, Jennifer Pace Witt Jan 2022

Downstream Dispersal Of Fine Tailings, Chat And Metals In Channel Sediment Of Big River, Old Lead Belt, Southeast Missouri, Jennifer Pace Witt

MSU Graduate Theses

In St. François County, Missouri, compromised above-ground tailings piles and containment ponds from historical mining activities in the Old Lead Belt released considerable amounts of dolomitic, Pb- and Zn-contaminated waste sediments to the Big River, contributing to significant downstream floodplain and channel sediment contamination. Previous studies have documented the effects of heavy metals on Big River biota and water quality, as well as benthic habitat disruption resulting from the influx of small sediments. Few have considered the effects and future contamination risk of the coarse waste sediments (2-16 mm in diameter), locally called “chat”, which retain high Pb and Zn …


Chemical And Thermal Influence On Intermediate Magma Storage Conditions: Volcán Ollagüe, Chile-Bolivia, Central Andes, Drew Allen Laviada-Garmon Jan 2022

Chemical And Thermal Influence On Intermediate Magma Storage Conditions: Volcán Ollagüe, Chile-Bolivia, Central Andes, Drew Allen Laviada-Garmon

MSU Graduate Theses

Continental arc volcanoes are the single best portrayal of the evolution of recycled earth material stemming from subduction, one of the most important and foundational phenomena in global tectonics. Understanding the genesis of intermediate-composition magmas produced at arc volcanoes is a difficult process making them a focal point for investigation. Geochemical investigation of zircon and plagioclase mineral phases erupted from continental arcs can provide insight into magma process, generation, storage conditions, timescales and differentiation of sub-volcanic plumbing systems prior to eruption events. The Central Volcanic Zone is a prime example of continental arc volcanism through subduction, and is host to …


Applications Of A Combined Approach Of Kinetic Monte Carlo Simulations And Machine Learning To Model Atomic Layer Deposition (Ald) Of Metal Oxides, Emily Justus Jan 2022

Applications Of A Combined Approach Of Kinetic Monte Carlo Simulations And Machine Learning To Model Atomic Layer Deposition (Ald) Of Metal Oxides, Emily Justus

MSU Graduate Theses

Metal-oxides such as ZnO or Al2O3 synthesized through Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) have been of great research interest as the candidate materials for ultra-thin tunnel barriers. In this study, I have applied a 3D on-lattice Kinetic Monte Carlo (kMC) code developed by Timo Weckman’s group to simulate the growth mechanisms of the tunnel barrier layer and to evaluate the role of various experimentally relevant factors in the ALD processes. I have systematically studied the effect of parameters such as the chamber pressure temperature, pulse, and purge times. The database generated from the kMC simulations was subsequently used …


Geology Of The Jacksonville 7.5 Minute Quadrangle And U–Pb And (U–Th)/He Reveal Sediment Routing And Uplift In The Southern Appalachian Valley And Ridge Province, Derek L. Spurgeon Jan 2022

Geology Of The Jacksonville 7.5 Minute Quadrangle And U–Pb And (U–Th)/He Reveal Sediment Routing And Uplift In The Southern Appalachian Valley And Ridge Province, Derek L. Spurgeon

MSU Graduate Theses

The southern Appalachian Mountains have experienced multiple deformation events having undergone two full Wilson cycles. The foreland Valley and Ridge province is composed of sedimentary Paleozoic rock that range in age from earliest Cambrian to Middle Pennsylvanian. This sedimentary basin was intensely folded and faulted during the collision of Gondwana during the Middle to Late Carboniferous Period. From previous geologic structural mapping that has taken place, some large-scale structures in the Valley and Ridge Province seem to be out of sequence. To better understand the relationships in these structures, geologic mapping in high detail at the 1:24,000 scale coupled with …


Investigation Into Karst Of Southwest Missouri Using Electrical Resistivity, Donald Zachary Wormington Jan 2022

Investigation Into Karst Of Southwest Missouri Using Electrical Resistivity, Donald Zachary Wormington

MSU Graduate Theses

Nixa, Missouri is located on the southwestern edge of the Ozark Dome which has a karst geomorphological environment. Near surface geophysical methods can be used in determining the location and nature of karst features such as caves and sinkholes. Electrical resistivity methods have been shown to be among the most useful methods in deciphering sinkholes and caves. To investigate a known cave and related sinkholes and faults within Mississippian carbonates south of Nixa, Missouri, a series of two-dimensional electrical resistivity profiles were collected using the dipole-dipole and Schlumberger arrays. Terrain data was collected to include in modeling. The data were …


Synthesis And Characterization Of Chitosan Derivatives Intended For Gene Delivery Applications, Alex M. Mcmullen Jan 2022

Synthesis And Characterization Of Chitosan Derivatives Intended For Gene Delivery Applications, Alex M. Mcmullen

MSU Graduate Theses

Chitosan has been studied as a non-viral vector capable of efficient gene delivery due to its favorable properties such as biodegradability, biocompatibility, and is non-toxic to mammalian cells. Incorporating electrostatic interactions in non-viral vectors enhance the vector permeability. This work focuses on two parts. Firstly, cationic chitosan derivatives were synthesized using quarternary ammonium and phosphonium groups. This was achieved by coupling carboxylic acid ligands with these quarternary groups to chitosan through an amide bond. The carboxylic acid ligands were synthesized from 4-methylbenzoic acid and either triethyl phosphine or triethyl amine. The ligand was then attached to chitosan through an amide …


Aucanquilcha Volcanic Cluster Magma Evolution And Magma Plumbing System Architecture During The Gordo Stage (6-4 Ma), Kasey Lynn Buckley Jan 2022

Aucanquilcha Volcanic Cluster Magma Evolution And Magma Plumbing System Architecture During The Gordo Stage (6-4 Ma), Kasey Lynn Buckley

MSU Graduate Theses

Aucanquilcha Volcanic Cluster (AVC) is an 11 m.y. volcanic system in the central Andes that is evolving over four distinct stages of activity. Stages include the Aloncha (11-8 Ma), Gordo (6-4 Ma), Polán (4-2 Ma), and Aucanquilcha (Ma) stages. The AVC evolved from a series of magmatic underpinnings during the Aloncha Stage to a larger zone of melting, assimilation, storage, and homogenization (MASH) by the Polán Stage. The transition from smaller underpinnings to MASH zones began during the Gordo Stage. At ~5-2 Ma the AVC reached thermal maturity before beginning its volcanic death during the Aucanquilcha Stage. This study focuses …


U-Pb Apatite Chronometry Of Intrusions In An Accretionary Metamorphic Belt In Western Idaho, Usa, Colleen Grace Rankin Jan 2022

U-Pb Apatite Chronometry Of Intrusions In An Accretionary Metamorphic Belt In Western Idaho, Usa, Colleen Grace Rankin

MSU Graduate Theses

The Salmon River suture zone in west-central Idaho, USA records the tectonic processes where island arcs, similar to modern-day Japan, were accreted to the North American continent in the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods (160-90 million years ago). This suture zone contains metamorphic rocks that were buried deep within the crust at depths of 20 kilometers or more and have subsequently been brought to the surface. The exhuming processes responsible for the metamorphic rocks in the Salmon River suture zone remains unclear. Two competing hypotheses have been proposed to explain the transport of the rocks from the Salmon River suture zone …


Decomposition And Macroinvertebrate Shredder Colonization Of Autumnal Shed Sycamore Leaves In Mining-Contaminated Streams, Leslie Marie Hatch Jan 2022

Decomposition And Macroinvertebrate Shredder Colonization Of Autumnal Shed Sycamore Leaves In Mining-Contaminated Streams, Leslie Marie Hatch

MSU Graduate Theses

Leaf decomposition in streams is an important ecological function facilitated by bacteria, fungi, and macroinvertebrates. Metal contamination can decrease leaf decomposition rates and reduce macroinvertebrate abundance and diversity. In the current study, I focused on mining-contamination in well-buffered streams in two different Missouri mining districts with varying extents of mining contamination, Big River and Pierson Creek. I measured decomposition rates of sycamore leaves, and abundance and diversity of macroinvertebrate shredders in leaf pack experiments with a full-factorial design to determine the effects of metal contamination of leaves and stream substrates. Comparisons were made between leaf packs upstream and downstream of …


Disequilibrium Melting Of The Continental Crust During Emplacement Of The Mt. Princeton Batholith, Central Colorado Volcanic Field, Loren A. Bohannon Jan 2022

Disequilibrium Melting Of The Continental Crust During Emplacement Of The Mt. Princeton Batholith, Central Colorado Volcanic Field, Loren A. Bohannon

MSU Graduate Theses

Assimilation and crystallization are difficult to constrain at magmatic boundaries, including the interactions of magma with the surrounding country rock. The assumption of the relationship between a magma and what it is intruding upon is relegated to homogenous bodies or epizonal plutons. Realistically, wall rock influences chemical heterogeneity and isotopic variance at the outcrop scale and changes depending on distance from the magma-wall rock interface. Here, we present a case study of the 35 Ma Mt. Princeton Batholith and the host Precambrian rocks of the Central Colorado Volcanic Field. We assess chemical heterogeneity by whole rock and mineral trace element …


Optimizing The Fluorescent Quantum Yield Of Carbon Dots, Megan B. Prado Jan 2022

Optimizing The Fluorescent Quantum Yield Of Carbon Dots, Megan B. Prado

MSU Graduate Theses

Carbon dots (CDs) are a subclass of carbon nanomaterials that exhibit unique properties of fluorescence, photostability, low toxicity, and biocompatibility. These unique properties have enabled numerous applications including biosensing, heavy-metal detection, and pH-sensing, among others. Their optical properties can be modified via doping to produce increasingly fluorescent CDs after appropriate purification. Herein, doped CDs were synthesized in four bottom-up methods for comparison using sucrose or citric acid as carbon precursors. Varying hetero-atom dopants (N, S, B) were used in differing molar ratios. The pH-dependent fluorescence and fluorescent quantum yield (QY) were measured for each sample. Characterization was conducted using Fourier-Transform …