Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Analysis Of Reflected Spectral Signatures And Detection Of Geophysical Disturbance Using Hyperspectral Imagery, Forrest Mccoy Hoffman

Masters Theses

Geophysical disturbances resulting from human activities often have significant
consequences for plants and animals, and even for entire ecosystems.Disturbances resulting from petroleum exploration and production activities can have long term impacts on soils, watersheds, rivers and lakes, vegetation, wildlife, and humans. These anthropogenic disturbances are frequently the result of hydrocarbon (oil) or produced water (brine) spills. Brine is usually produced simultaneously with oil or gas. The ability to detect brine spills with remote sensing techniques would be valuable to petroleum companies and industry regulators. The objectives of this research were to 1) determine if brine spills could be detected spectroscopically, …

A Multiple Linear Regression Analysis On Mathematics Placement At The University Of Tennessee, Knoxville, Steven K. Moore

Masters Theses

This paper looks at solving the least squares problem and then using that theory to solve a simple multiple regression analysis for placing students into mathematics courses at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

The first chapter is an introduction and a basic outline of the problem. Chapter 2 outlines the theory behind solving an actual least squares problem for both the general case and for the particular case of nonsingular matrices. Chapter 3 discusses assumptions that must be made when running the analysis.

In chapters 4 and 5 computers are discussed and software output is explained. Finally, Chapter 6 gives …

Slope Stability Analysis Of A Lake Michigan Coastal Bluff, Gregory Carlton Young

Masters Theses

Bluff failure along the Lake Michigan coast can be produced primarily by increased pore pressure from perched water tables above lacustrine clay deposits. To test this theory, a site in Allegan County, Michigan with alternating layers of sand, clay and glacial till was chosen for bluff failure monitoring. Historically, the site experiences sporadic massive failures as opposed to neighboring sites that show more regular and uniform displacements. Four pole and cable monitoring lines were measured bi-weekly from December 2001 to October 2003. Lake levels were low and no erosion of material at the base of the slope occurred. Slumps above …

Synthesis And Characterization Of A Recombinant Thrombin Inhibitor, Joel Lwande

Masters Theses

The final step of the blood coagulation cascade is catalyzed by thrombin, a serine protease. Like most enzyme activities, thrombin activity encounters inhibition from both direct and indirect inhibitors. A new thrombin inhibitor peptide named theromin was recently isolated from the leech Theromyzon tessulatum, and it is the most potent thrombin inhibitor isolated to date. Theromin is made up of 67 amino acid residues, out of which 16 are cysteines engaged in 8-disulfide bridges.

We synthesized the theromin gene and expressed the protein in Eschericia coli. We purified the recombinant protein and carried out thrombin inhibition assays that …

Understanding The Dynamics Of Molecular Solids, Roman Wesolowski

Masters Theses

Superconductors, single-molecule magnets, and spin-ladders materials are at the center of interest in condensed matter science. All of these materials have incredibly important potential applications and their exploration is the key to the future technologies. We carried out various measurements on representative compounds of each group of interest. The main tool for all these projects was optical spectroscopy, varied in each case to apply magnetic field or change temperature. In our magneto-optical measurements of κ-(ET)₂Cu[N(CN)₂]Br and κ-(ET)₂Cu[N(CN)₂]Cl, we sought to understand correlations between intramolecular vibrations and superconductivity. We found several …

A Framework For Downloading Wide-Area Files, Rebecca Lynn Collins

Masters Theses

The challenge of efficiently retrieving files that are broken into segments and replicated across the widearea is of prime importance to wide-area, peer-to-peer, and Grid file systems. Two different algorithms addressing this challenge have been proposed and evaluated. While both have been successful in different performance scenarios, there has been no unifying work that can view both algorithms under a single framework. In this thesis, we define such a framework, where download algorithms are defined in terms of the four dimensions that the client always controls: the number of simultaneous downloads, the degree of work replication, the failover strategy, and …

Low Energy Excitations In Spin Clusters And Molecular Solids, Jason Thomas Haraldsen

Masters Theses

This thesis investigates low energy magnetic and vibrational excitations in molecular solids. Analytical and numerical studies of these two types of excitations, both in idealized systems and in more complicated models that are thought to capture the relevant physics of several materials. The materials considered include molecular magnets and layered organic superconductors and semiconductors. Our results include exact expressions for certain magnetic observables, neutron scattering structure factors for small spin 1/2 clusters, studies of the molecular dynamics of Fe₈Br₈ molecular magnet, the e®ects of symmetry breaking in (DT-TTF)₂Au(mnt)₂ spin ladder candidate, and the importance …

Maximal Clique Enumeration And Related Tools For Microarray Data Analysis, Nicole E. Baldwin

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the utility of exact maximal clique enumeration in DNA microarray analysis, to analyze and improve upon existing exact maximal clique enumeration algorithms, and to develop new clique-based algorithms to assist in the analysis as indicated during the course of the study. As a first test, microarray data sets comprised of pre-classified human lung tissue samples were obtained through the Critical Assessment of Microarray Data Analysis (CAMDA) conference. A combination of exact maximal clique enumeration and approximate dominating set was used to attempt to classify the samples.

In another test, maximal clique enumeration …

Crown Reductions And Decompositions: Theoretical Results And Practical Methods, William Henry Suters, Iii

Masters Theses

Two kernelization schemes for the vertex cover problem, an NP-hard problem in graph theory, are compared. The first, crown reduction, is based on the identification of a graph structure called a crown and is relatively new while the second, LP-kernelization has been used for some time. A proof of the crown reduction algorithm is presented, the algorithm is implemented and theorems are proven concerning its performance. Experiments are conducted comparing the performance of crown reduction and LP- kernelization on real world biological graphs. Next, theorems are presented that provide a logical connection between the crown structure and LP-kernelization. Finally, an …

Probabilistic Suffix Models For Windows Application Behavior Profiling: Framework And Initial Results, Geoffrey Alan Mazeroff

Masters Theses

Developing statistical/structural models of code execution behavior is of considerable practical importance. This thesis describes a framework for employing probabilistic suffix models as a means of constructing behavior profiles from code-traces of Windows XP applications. Emphasis is placed on the inference and use of probabilistic suffix trees and automata with new contributions in the area of auxiliary symbol distributions. An initial real-time classification system is discussed and preliminary results of detecting known benign and viral applications are presented.

Joint Size Estimation Using Joint Traces On Borehole Walls, Christopher James Heiny

Masters Theses

One approach to characterizing subsurface joint populations is to assume
surface joint patterns are representative of joints at depth. Yet, many times, either the analogous surface joints are unexposed, or absent because surface rocks did not experience the same deformation history. The alternative of direct subsurface characterization has been limited by joints not being resolvable in seismic data and borehole data not yielding fracture size. The present approach uses the subsurface geometry of joint/borehole intersections to estimate mean joint size (mean joint length and width) and aspect ratio (joint length to width ratio), and presents a new method for determining …

Ellipsometric Measurement Of Swelling Properties Associated With Ph Responsive Hydrogels In Solution, James F. Patton

Masters Theses

Previous investigations have demonstrated that aqueous solutions containing hydrogels using 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (2-HEMA) as one of the monomer components swell reversibly under variable conditions of pH, temperature, and ionic strength, based upon weight gain ratios. A more unique approach will be employed to measure swelling properties associated with pH responsive hydrogels in buffered solutions, namely ellipsometry. Traditionally ellipsometry has been used to measure thickness of materials on a nanoscale dimension under ambient conditions. Finally, more novel approaches of employing hydrogel swelling response properties will be investigated; including response to glucose and enzyme loading schemes. The goal of our project will …

A Clustering Method Based On Nonnegative Matrix Factorization For Text Mining, Farial Shahnaz

Masters Theses

This study presents a methodology for automatically identifying and clustering semantic features or topics in a heterogeneous text collection. The methodology involves encoding the text data using a low rank nonnegative matrix factorization algorithm to retain natural data nonnegativity, thereby eliminating the need to use subtractive basis vector and encoding calculations present in other techniques such as principal component analysis for semantic feature abstraction. Existing techniques for nonnegative matrix factorization are reviewed and a new hybrid technique for nonnegative matrix factorization is proposed. Performance evaluations of the proposed method is conducted on a few benchmark text collections used in standard …

Finding Functional Gene Relationships Using The Semantic Gene Organizer (Sgo), Kevin Erich Heinrich

Masters Theses

Understanding functional gene relationships is a major challenge in bioninformatics and computational biology. Currently, many approaches extract gene relationships via term co-occurrence models from the biomedical literature. Unfortunately, however, many genes that are experimentally identified to be related have not been previously studied together. As a result, many automated models fail to help researchers understand the nature of the relationships. In this work, the particular schema used tomine genomic data is called Latent
Semantic Indexing (LSI). LSI performs a singular-value decomposition (SVD) to produce a low-rank approximation of the data set. Effectively, it allows queries to be interpreted in a …

Mathematical Representations Of The Architecture Of Graphical User Interfaces, Eric Freeman Mann

Masters Theses

This text is an introduction to mathematical representations of graphical user interfaces, GUIs. Vectors are employed as a means to represent the state of a GUI and the user interaction with a GUI. These representations form a model of the behavior of a GUI over time. The usefulness of the model in testing and developing well-behaved GUIs is discussed and demonstrated by example.

A Whole Genome Phylogeny Using Truncated Pivoted Qr Decomposition, Shakhina Abdimajidovna Pulatova

Masters Theses

The increasing availability of whole genome sequences in public databases has stimulated the development of new methods to automatically compare and categorize genes and species. Recently developed methods based on the singular value decomposition (SVD) allow for the simultaneous identification and definition of well concerved motifs and gene families using very large whole genome datasets. In contrast, this work discusses the use of a truncated pivoted QR factorization as a scalable alternative to the SVD for comparing whole genomes in a phylogenetic context. This algorithm computes the R factor of the decomposition without forming the Q factor or altering the …

A Study Of Hidden Markov Model, Yang Liu

Masters Theses

The purpose of this thesis is fourfold: Introduce the definition of Hidden Markov Model. Present three problems about HMM that must be solved for the model to be useful in real-world application. Cover the solution of the three basic problems; explain some algorithms in detail as well as the mathematical proof. And finally, give some examples to show how these algorithms work.

Productivity Analysis And Use Of Sequence-Based Specification In A Web-Development Environment, Carla Renee Sparks

Masters Theses

This study evaluates the productivity of a software team in a web-development company and assesses the effects of the sequence-based specifications process on productivity and software accuracy in this environment. This study compares two software projects completed at GoTrain Corporation in 2001 and 2002. GoTrain is an application service provider and delivers environmental, safety and health (ES&H) training courses to a variety of clients through an Internet-based learning management system (LMS), called the Academy.

GoTrain was established in 1999 through the merger of two small companies – a training services organization and a web design group. Because neither of the …

The Effect Of A 6-Week Strength And Balance Training Program On Navicular Drop And Proprioception In Excessive Pronated Foot, Ryoko Suzuki

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of a 6-week strength and balance training program on navicular drop and proprioception in subjects with excessive pronated feet. Eleven subjects who exhibited excessive pronated feet from student population participated in this study. Navicular drop test was used to assess the subtalar joint motion. The Biodex Stability System was used to determine balance using three indices; (1) overall stability index (OSI), (2) the anterior-posterior stability index (APSI), and (3) the medial-lateral stability index (MLSI). In a randomized order, the subjects were tested balancing on each foot at the two different …

Fractured Branched Circle Packings On The Plane, James Russell Ashe

Masters Theses

William Thurston first proposed that real circles could be used to approximate the underlying infinitesimal circles of conformal maps in 1985. Inspired pioneers developed Circle Packing into a very rich and deep field that can be used as a method for constructing discrete conformal maps of surfaces on different types of geometries. Offering the advantages of a computational method that lends itself to experimentation and the easy creation of visual models, Circle Packing has proven itself as valuable new tool in approaching both old and new problems.

In particular, Circle Packing has been used to make discrete analogues of continuous …

Spectroscopy Using Short-Path Surface Plasmon Dispersion, Philip Ryan Boudreaux

Masters Theses

A miniature surface-plasmon based spectrometer is presented for both the near zone and the far zone. In the near zone four different experiments have been completed with this system. It will be shown that with 632, 614, 543, and 440 nm incident lasers upon the system there is good agreement between experimental and theoretical transmission spectra. This system is shown to provide transmission spectra of different broad band-pass, glass filters across the visible wavelength range with high stray-light rejection at low resolution. These spectra are compared to those taken with a commercial spectrophotometer. Spectra of solutions of the laser dye …

Modeling The Cascade Of Reactions In Visual Transduction, Philip Torry Patton

Masters Theses

Phototransduction in the process by which light energy is transferred to an electrical potential by photoreceptors in the eye. Recently, Hamer et al proposed a mechanism for the cascade of reactions that occurs when a rhodopsin molecule on the surface of a disc in the rod photoreceptor becomes activated. From these reactions, one can derive a system of ordinary differential equations to simulate phototransduction.

These ODEs are solved numerically using forward Euler’s method. The products of this cascade are then used to predict the drop in photocurrent that occurs. A kinetic Monte Carlo simulation with the Gillespie algorithm is implemented …

Metal Ion Imprinted Polymers For Biomolecular Recognition, Len A. Harris

Masters Theses

Protein recognition by HPLC, based on histidine residues, was achieved by incorporating a copper chelating ligand covalently bonded to a polystyrene/divinyl benzene substrate, into column packing. The metal ion was bonded to the substrate in two ways: randomly, where the copper was bound to the ligand after the substrate polymerization and imprinted, where the copper was bound to the ligand before the substrate polymerization. The effect of this templating was measured by protein separation parameters of the resulting HPLC chromatographs. The hypothesis of this thesis is the imprinted substrate will have a higher copper content, and with coppers affinity toward …

Resonant And Non-Resonant Inelastic X-Ray Scattering Of Copper Phthalocyanine, Michelle Deleene Tuel-Benckendorf

Masters Theses

With the ever-changing demands of technology and the desire to use new materials to replace the old, researchers have the job to not only find alternative materials, but also understand their properties. There continues to be extensive research in the properties of organic semiconductors, for use in many microelectronic applications. There is very little known about the excitation properties of these materials. For my research, I have chosen to study the electronic excitations of copper phthalocyanine (CuPc), one specific organic semiconductor. To do this, we used resonant and non-resonant inelastic x-ray scattering to measure the evolution of excitations as a …

Synthetic Studies On Anticancer Compounds: The Tylophorinines, Conrad Gracjan Kaczmarek

Masters Theses

This thesis describes synthetic studies in the area of alkaloid chemistry, specifically, potent anticancer compounds: the tylophorinines.

Tylophorinine is a naturally occurring compound found in the Monarch butterfly and plants of the genus Tylophora. Described here is a concise methodology for stereoselective synthesis of this compound, and analogs, starting from simple, naturally occurring compounds. The synthetic strategy represents a simplification in synthesizing tylophorinines, and would allow numerous other tylophorinines with similar chemical structure to be conveniently synthesized in an analogous fashion.

Further, the tylophorinines are convenient compounds for determining where a cancer cell may be most effectively attacked. Numerous …

An Applied Statistical Reliability Analysis Of The Internal Bond Of Medium Density Fiberboard, David Joseph Edwards

Masters Theses

The forest products industry has seen tremendous growth in recent years and has a huge impact on the economies of many countries. For example, in the state of Maine in 1997, the forest products industry accounted for 9 billion U.S. dollars for that year. In the state of Tennessee, for example in 2000, this figure was 22 billion U.S. dollars for that year. It has, therefore, become more important in this industry to focus on production higher quality products. Statistical reliability methods, among other techniques, have been employed to help monitor and improve the quality of forest products. With such …

Studies Of Reversible Inhibition, Irreversible Inhibition And Activation Of Alkaline Phosphatase By Capillary Electrophoresis, Angela Randall Whisnant

Masters Theses

Reversible inhibition, irreversible inhibition, and activation of calf intestinal alkaline phosphatase (EC 3.1.3.1) have been studied by capillary electrophoresis. The capillary electrophoretic enzyme-inhibitor assays were performed by electrophoretically mixing zones of inhibitor and enzyme in a substrate-filled capillary. Enzyme inhibition was indicated by a decrease in product formation detected in the capillary by laser-induced fluorescence. Reversible enzyme inhibitors could be quantified by Michaelis-Menten treatment of the electrophoretic data. Reversible, competitive inhibition of alkaline phosphatase by sodium vanadate and sodium arsenate has been examined. The calculated K_i value for the capillary electrophoretic enzyme-inhibitor assays was 2.1 µM for sodium vanadate …

Software Reconfigurability For Heterogeneous Robot Cooperation, Maureen Chandra

Masters Theses

Previous work in multi-robot cooperation has aimed at gaining autonomy and fault tolerance in the robot team. Most attempt to accomplish this by dynamically assigning roles or tasks to the robots and pre-designing the solution for heterogeneous robot teams with known sensing capabilities. However, pre-designed solutions fail when changes occur in the robot team composition or in the available environmental sensors at run-time. Automated solution design is thus needed to accomplish autonomy and fault tolerance in multi-agent systems. Very little work has been done in automating robot solutions at run-time due to the difficulty of adapting to many unexpected events …

Electron Transfer In Phosphido-Bridged Complexes, Pradeep N. Perera

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Practical Approach To Incorporating Maple Into The Finite Mathematics Course: 3 Modules And 8 Case Studies, Jonica Helene Craft-Mcbride

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.