Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Agent Based Terrain Generator: Cruthú, Lawrence L. O'Boyle

Masters Theses

Terrain generation models are applied in different industries and fields of study. Current techniques assist in planning transportation networks, visualizing population migrations, conducting epidemiology research, and training self-driving cars and drones. Many current applications and research models generate complex realistic artifacts, e.g., trees, rivers, coastlines, populations, and even cities. Unfortunately, most of these techniques are described and implemented separately. Techniques do not work together to generate a complete holistic view. This thesis proposes a model, Cruthú (Gaelic for "creation"), that provides a novel platform allowing for complete world generation by integrating existing research and algorithms. The model is inspired by …

A Structural And Stratigraphic Study Of The A-2 Carbonate In Southwest Michigan And Reservoir Characterization Of An A-2 Carbonate Gas Storage Field, Clayton Joupperi

Masters Theses

The Overisel and Salem gas storage fields of southwest Michigan annually store 34 Bcf of natural working gas in the upper dolomitized portion of the Silurian A-2 Carbonate. Porosity and permeability in these fields is thought to be enhanced by fracturing and dolomitization associated with the dissolution and collapse of underlying salt units. This study utilizes wire-line logs from 383 wells to explore the structural and stratigraphic controls on the deposition and diagenesis of the A-2 Carbonate in southwest Michigan. Core and thin sections from 4 wells serve as the primary data for investigating the depositional and diagenetic history of …

Regional Sulfur Isotope Study Of The Vms Deposits In The Penokean Volcanic Belt, Nicholas M. Moleski

Masters Theses

The Penokean Volcanic Belt (PVB), located in northern Wisconsin and Upper Peninsula, Michigan hosts several volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits (VMS) including the well-known deposits of Flambeau and Crandon. The host rocks of the VMS deposits are Paleoproterozoic in age overlying Archean age basement rocks. This study provides δ³⁴S (VCDT) values for the following deposits within the PVB; (1) Eisenbrey, (2) Schoolhouse, (3) Bend, (4) Flambeau, (5) Reef, (6) Horseshoe, and (7) Back Forty, and explains the distribution of δ³⁴S values in the region.

The study reveals tight ranges of δ³⁴S values for each deposit …

Exploring The Impact Of Pretrained Bidirectional Language Models On Protein Secondary Structure Prediction, Dillon G. Daudert

Masters Theses

Protein secondary structure prediction (PSSP) involves determining the local conformations of the peptide backbone in a folded protein, and is often the first step in resolving a protein's global folded structure. Accurate structure prediction has important implications for understanding protein function and de novo protein design, with progress in recent years being driven by the application of deep learning methods such as convolutional and recurrent neural networks. Language models pretrained on large text corpora have been shown to learn useful representations for feature extraction and transfer learning across problem domains in natural language processing, most notably in instances where the …

Mineral And Redox Controls On Soil Carbon Cycling In Seasonally Flooded Soils, Rachelle Lacroix

Masters Theses

Soils contain nearly three times the amount of carbon (C) than the atmosphere, with C turnover times ranging from centuries to millennia. Although wetland soils represent a relatively small portion of the terrestrial landscape, they account for an estimated 20-30% of the global C reservoir. Seasonally flooded soils are likely the most vulnerable wetlands to climate change, as changing temperature and precipitation patterns are expected to alter the timing and duration of flooding. Seasonal variations in soil moisture are recognized as a critical control on soil C stocks and CO₂emissions. However, the relative influence of associated changes in …

Mid-Pliocene To Early Pleistocene Sea Surface And Land Temperature History Of Nw Australia Based On Organic Geochemical Proxies From Site U1463, Rebecca Smith

Masters Theses

Ocean gateways facilitate water circulation between ocean basins, and therefore directly impact thermohaline circulation and global climate. In order to better predict the effects of future climate change, it is critical to constrain past changes in ocean gateway behavior, and corresponding changes in thermohaline circulation, particularly during analogue periods for modern climate change. The Indonesian Throughflow (ITF) is a primary ocean gateway and vital component of the global conveyor that transports water from the Pacific Ocean into the Indian Ocean, however due to a lack of long and continuous sedimentary records from locations under its influence, changes in ITF behavior …

Application And Evaluation Of Lighthouse Technology For Precision Motion Capture, Soumitra Sitole

Masters Theses

This thesis presents the development towards a system that can capture and quantify motion for applications in biomechanical and medical fields demanding precision motion tracking using the lighthouse technology. Commercially known as SteamVR tracking, the lighthouse technology is a motion tracking system developed for virtual reality applications that makes use of patterned infrared light sources to highlight trackers (objects embedded with photodiodes) to obtain their pose or spatial position and orientation. Current motion capture systems such as the camera-based motion capture are expensive and not readily available outside of research labs. This thesis provides a case for low-cost motion capture …

Real-Time Dengue Forecasting In Thailand: A Comparison Of Penalized Regression Approaches Using Internet Search Data, Caroline Kusiak

Masters Theses

Dengue fever affects over 390 million people annually worldwide and is of particu- lar concern in Southeast Asia where it is one of the leading causes of hospitalization. Modeling trends in dengue occurrence can provide valuable information to Public Health officials, however many challenges arise depending on the data available. In Thailand, reporting of dengue cases is often delayed by more than 6 weeks, and a small fraction of cases may not be reported until over 11 months after they occurred. This study shows that incorporating data on Google Search trends can improve dis- ease predictions in settings with severely …

Plants, Parasites, And Pollinators: The Effects Of Medicinal Pollens On A Common Gut Parasite In Bumble Bees, George Locascio

Masters Theses

Declines in several pollinator species are due to a variety of factors, including pathogens. Incorporating pollinator-friendly plant species into wild and agricultural habitats could reduce the stress of pathogens if food sources act medicinally against pathogens. Previous research demonstrated one domesticated sunflower cultivar (Helianthus annuus) can dramatically reduce a gut pathogen (Crithidia bombi) of the common eastern bumble bee, Bombus impatiens. To ascertain the breadth of this medicinal trait, we tested whether pollen from several H. annuus cultivars and four relatives could also reduce C. bombi infections in B. impatiens. We also investigated whether …

Deep Reinforcement Learning For Autonomous Search And Rescue, Juan Gonzalo Cárcamo Zuluaga

Masters Theses

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are becoming more prevalent every day. In addition, advances in battery life and electronic sensors have enabled the development of diverse UAV applications outside their original military domain. For example, Search and Rescue (SAR) operations can benefit greatly from modern UAVs since even the simplest commercial models are equipped with high-resolution cameras and the ability to stream video to a computer or portable device. As a result, autonomous unmanned systems (ground, aquatic, and aerial) have recently been employed for such typical SAR tasks as terrain mapping, task observation, and early supply delivery. However, these systems were …

Use Of Fluorescein Dye For Characterizing Water And Solute Flux Across The Groundwater – Surface Water Interface, Ryan Nicholas Cascarano

Masters Theses

Quantifying groundwater discharge across the sediment—surface water interface remains a challenge due to streambed heterogeneity and the integration of disparate measurements over a continuum of spatial and temporal scales. In this study, mini-piezometers are first used to identify areas of groundwater discharge in lakes and streams, and micro-pulses of fluorescein dye are released at precisely known shallow depths as a conservative tracer. The use of fluorescein dye allows for visual dye detection regardless of light conditions, and measurements of dye concentrations over time using a fluorometer are used to generate high resolution breakthrough curves. Accurate determination of groundwater velocity and …

Computational Study Of The Nature Of Tetrel Bond, Yama Aman

Masters Theses

For more than a hundred years, the type of a chemical bond has been distinguished according to the relative electronegativities of chemical units at the ends of a bond. Whereas, the bond of unequally electronegative on both ends is called a polar covalent or even ionic bond or a non-polar covalent bond in case of both equal. Regardless the type of bonded elements, the whole idea for the bond was believed to be electron driven only. In the 20th century the development of the idea, that not just the electronic relation but specific elements are also able to characterize the …

An Investigation Of Sub-Meter Skill In Stem And Non-Stem Undergraduate Students, Laura A. Tingin

Masters Theses

This study designed a nationally-relevant, valid, and reliable survey that measures STEM and Non-STEM undergraduate student familiarity with sub-meter metric scale and common sub-meter sized science objects. The instrument assesses scalar relationship and scalar magnitude, as explained by Cheek, LaDue, and Shipley (2017). The instrument development was based on an existing Scale of Objects Questionnaire (SOQ) instrument created by Tretter, Jones, Andre, Negishi, & Minogue (2006a) which was modified to be nationally relevant and in an electronic format in two phases: online survey development and undergraduate pilot testing. Online survey development was framed in the tailored design method described by …

A Study On Modelling Spatial-Temporal Human Mobility Patterns For Improving Personalized Weather Warning, Yue Xu

Masters Theses

Understanding human mobility patterns is important for severe weather warning since these patterns can help identify where people are in time and in space when flash floods, tornados, high winds and hurricanes are occurring or are predicted to occur. A GIS (Geographic Information Science) data model was proposed to describe the spatial-temporal human activity. Based on this model, a metric was designed to represent the spatial-temporal activity intensity of human mobility, and an index was generated to quantitatively describe the change in human activities. By analyzing high-resolution human mobility data, the paper verified that human daily mobility patterns could be …

Watershed-Scale Modeling For Water Resource Sustainability In The Tuul River Basin Of Mongolia, Javzansuren Norvanchig

Masters Theses

Water scarcity is a prevalent issue all over the world. Growing water abstractions combined with uncertain effects of climate increase competition for scarce water resources worldwide, especially in arid and semiarid regions. It is crucial to assess and manage available water resources to ensure its sustainability. There is a need for integrated water management at a watershed scale. Watershed models are a useful tool to support sustainable water management and investigate effects of hydrologic responses at various scales under climate change conditions and to simulate effects of the management decisions. This study aims to assess the sustainability of water resources …

Streamwise Flow-Induced Oscillations Of Bluff Bodies - The Influence Of Symmetry Breaking, Tyler Gurian

Masters Theses

The influence of symmetry breaking on the flow induced oscillations of bluff bodies in the steamwise direction is studied. First, a series of experiments is conducted on a one-degree-of-freedom circular cylinder allowed to exhibit pure translational motion in the streamwise direction over a range of reduced velocities, 1.4 < U* < 4.4, corresponding to a Reynolds number range of 970 < Re < 3370. Two distinct regions of displacements were observed in reduced velocity ranges of 1.6 < U* < 2.5 and 2.75 < U* < 3.85. Measured force coefficients in the drag and lift direction were examined, along with the wake visualization, through the range of reduced velocities, to infer the resulting wake modes. A new Alternating Symmetric (AS) mode was found. This transition from symmetric to AS shedding occurred near the end of the first region of response. Similar tests were run with a square prism in the parameter space of 2.4 < U* < 5.8 and 757 < Re < 1900 over angles of incidence of 0° ≤ α ≤ 45°. A distinct region of lock-in is observed for α = 0°, 2.5°, 5°, 7.5° over 3.2 < U* < 5.4 for α = 0°, and decreasing with increasing α. The wake structures were found to be roughly symmetric for α = 0°, but transitioned towards asymmetry …

Regression Analysis For Ordinal Outcomes In Matched Study Design: Applications To Alzheimer's Disease Studies, Elizabeth Austin

Masters Theses

Alzheimer's Disease (AD) affects nearly 5.4 million Americans as of 2016 and is the most common form of dementia. The disease is characterized by the presence of neurofibrillary tangles and amyloid plaques [1]. The amount of plaques are measured by Braak stage, post-mortem. It is known that AD is positively associated with hypercholesterolemia [16]. As statins are the most widely used cholesterol-lowering drug, there may be associations between statin use and AD. We hypothesize that those who use statins, specifically lipophilic statins, are more likely to have a low Braak stage in post-mortem analysis.

In order to address this hypothesis, …

Spatio-Temporal Variability Of Precipitation And Drought In The State Of Arizona, Usa, Samuel Nimako Nyarkoh

Masters Theses

As a result of climate change, several dry regions continue to get drier as precipitation amounts decline. This decline impact water resources and hinder economic development. Understanding the variability of precipitation and drought through climatic, agricultural and hydrological studies is therefore critical to decision makers and stakeholders in developing proactive measures that promotes economic development.

This study therefore uses dataset from 55 Meteorological stations containing 110-year (1900-2010) monthly precipitation data and a series of spatial and temporal tests to investigate the spatial and temporal patterns of precipitation and drought as well as the effects of local factors such as topography …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Fluorescent Nanojars, Vageesha Warnajith Liyana Gunawardana

Masters Theses

Self-assembly is a powerful tool utilized by synthetic chemists to create large, intricate structures for a variety of applications such as drug delivery, adaptable materials and electronics. In contrast to stepwise synthesis, this process allows the formation of intricate molecular architectures starting from synthetically rudimentary building blocks. Nanojars are class of self-assembling, cyclic copper(II) pyrazolate coordination compounds that encapsulate oxoanions with negative two or three charge. The strong anion binding characteristics of nanojars have potential towards developing novel tools for detecting biologically and environmentally relevant anions such as carbonate, sulfate and phosphate.

This work addresses the design and synthesis of …

Application Of Handheld Ed-Xrf For High-Resolution Chemostratigraphy In Texturally Homogeneous Carbonate Mudstones: Salina A-1 Carbonate (Silurian), Michigan Basin, Matthew A. Hemenway

Masters Theses

Handheld energy dispersive x-ray fluorescence spectrometry (ED-XRF) is routinely used to observe elemental variability in fine-grained siliciclastics but has been applied rarely in fine-grained carbonates. Here, ED-XRF chemostratigraphy is utilized in the texturally homogenous, mudstones of the Silurian A-1 Carbonate (A-1C), Michigan Basin. Previous studies on the A-1C focused on the stratigraphic relationship with the underlying Niagaran reefs, so little is known about the geological variability in the basin center. In this study, high-resolution elemental data from nine cores were integrated with petrographic and mineralogical observations to evaluate two hypotheses: (1) Texturally homogeneous, basin-center mudstones in the A-1C have spatially …

Peer Attention Modeling With Head Pose Trajectory Tracking Using Temporal Thermal Maps, Corey Michael Johnson

Masters Theses

Human head pose trajectories can represent a wealth of implicit information such as areas of attention, body language, potential future actions, and more. This signal is of high value for use in Human-Robot teams due to the implicit information encoded within it. Although team-based tasks require both explicit and implicit communication among peers, large team sizes, noisy environments, distance, and mission urgency can inhibit the frequency and quality of explicit communication. The goal for this thesis is to improve the capabilities of Human-Robot teams by making use of implicit communication. In support of this goal, the following hypotheses are investigated: …

Synthesis And Evaluation Of Acetylcholine Molecularly Imprinted Polymers, Nathaniel Donald Thiemann

Masters Theses

Polymers imprinted with acetylcholine during synthesis were prepared in order to evaluate their potential for implementation as a novel recognition element in acetylcholine biosensors. Biosensors, such as the glucose monitor, are used to rapidly detect and quantify a target analyte. Acetylcholine biosensors have already been produced using enzymatic recognition elements, but they are currently expensive and plagued by short viability. Molecularly imprinted polymers are not only cheap and durable, but have also been successfully used as a recognition element in biosensors for other analytes. Therefore, computational tools were used to rationally design acetylcholine molecularly imprinted polymers. Three chemicals, itaconic acid, …

Mapping Bedrock Topography Of The Portage And Schoolcraft Nw 7.5’ Quadrangles, Kalamazoo Co. Mi, Using The Hvsr Passive Seismic Method, Benjamin B. Seiderman

Masters Theses

This study utilizes the Horizontal to Vertical Spectral Ratio (HVSR) technique to map bedrock topography in the Portage and Schoolcraft NW quadrangles, Kalamazoo Co., MI, looking for buried bedrock valleys. Glacial sediment-landform assemblages dominate the study area, due to multiple advances of the Laurentide Ice Sheet (LIS). Tunnel valleys, which are one type of buried valley, are eroded by subglacial meltwater and commonly filled with the coarser varieties of glacial outwash, making them potential aquifers. The HVSR technique measures the ratio of horizontal to vertical ground motion, excited by ambient seismic noise, resulting in a peak at the resonance frequency. …

A Survey Of Security And Privacy In Mobile Cloud Computing, Bhuvaneswari Rayapuri

Masters Theses

Cloud Computing is an emerging technology that provides shared processing resources and data to computers and other devices on demand. On the other hand, Mobile Computing allows transmission of data, voice and video. From these two there emerges a new concept Mobile Cloud Computing which not only overcomes the problems of Mobile Computing but also integrates Cloud Computing into Mobile Environments to overcome obstacles related to Performance, Security and Environment. This paper also provides a decent description on Security and Privacy, its related problems, threats and challenges. This paper first provides details on survey of Mobile Cloud Computing, then it …

Organocatalyzed Synthesis Of Epoxides From Chalcones Utilizing Amino Acids, Sabrina N. Kegeler

Masters Theses

The epoxide functional group is important throughout the chemical and pharmaceutical industries, as well as in nature. In the chemical industry, epoxides are present in resins and fragrances. In the pharmaceutical industry, epoxide-containing compounds are used as intermediates in the manufacturing of drugs. In nature, many natural products contain epoxide groups and are used for medicinal purposes, and for models to create synthetic molecules.

One approach to epoxide synthesis involves the use of an alkene precursor, a base, and an oxidizing agent. This is where my investigations began. The first step was to optimize the epoxidation reaction, examining substrate scope, …

Geochemical And Petrological Investigation Of The Prospective Ni-Cu-Pge Mineralization At The Echo Lake Intrusion In The Upper Peninsula Of Michigan, Usa, Alexander J. Koerber

Masters Theses

The Echo Lake Intrusion is located in Houghton and Ontonagon counties in the Upper Peninsula (UP) of Michigan. The intrusion is approximately 200 m below the surface and covers approximately 18 km2 in lateral extent. It is associated with the magmatic activities of a 1.1 Ga geologic event called the Midcontinent Rift. The rift is responsible for the formation of Ni-Cu ± PGE deposits in the Lake Superior Region. Based on its association with the Midcontinent Rift and a Cu and PGE enriched layer, the Echo Lake intrusion is identified as a prospect for an economic magmatic sulfide deposit.

The …

Determinants Of Household Water Use In The City Of Kalamazoo, Michigan: The Role Of Climate And Socioeconomic Factors, Danielle Molenaar

Masters Theses

Located in the Great Lakes Watershed, the City of Kalamazoo can be considered “water rich”. Therefore, the area has been absent from water use studies. Water use studies are beneficial in all locations; as they can aid city planners, water resource managers, and utility companies. This study examines how household monthly water use in the City of Kalamazoo is impacted by both climate and socioeconomic variables over the period 2006-2016. Household level data were aggregated into census tracts to obtain monthly tract averages for the eleven-year period. Ordinary least squares regression (OLS) was used to determine which variables impact the …

Geologic Mapping Of The Bronson North And Bronson South 7.5-Minute Quadrangles, Branch County, Michigan, Karl John Backhaus

Masters Theses

This study contributes to a better understanding of the glacial history of southwest Michigan through detailed surficial geologic and bedrock topography mapping within the Bronson North and Bronson South Quadrangles in Branch County, Michigan. This project was supported during the summer of 2017 by the USGS EDMAP program in conjunction with the Michigan Geological Survey. Hand-auger borings, grain size analysis tests, passive seismic depth-to-bedrock measurements, and ground penetrating radar transects were collected for this study. There are 350 feet of bedrock relief from west to east across the quadrangles, including a bedrock cuesta of Mississippian Coldwater Shale. This cuesta underlies …

Interannual Variations Of Snowfall In The Lower Peninsula Of Michigan And Impacts Of Local And Remote Meteorological Conditions, Nirjala Koirala

Masters Theses

Inter-annual variation of snowfall and its relation to climate indices will help clarify and improve the prediction of total snowfall in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan (LPM). This study examines the trend and variability of annual snowfall (November- March) using 8 homogeneous weather stations in the LPM. The statistical relationship between snowfall and air temperature, Sea Surface Temperature (SST), North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) and Maximum Ice Coverage(MIC) of Lake Michigan is calculated. The long-term trend in the snowfall data set from 1950 to 2015 is removed before any statistical correlation analysis is conducted. My analysis suggests …

Mapping Sandbars In The Connecticut River Watershed Through Aerial Images For Floodplain Conservation, Bogumila Backiel

Masters Theses

Active geomorphic features of rivers like sandbars provide habitat for endangered and threatened riparian plant and animal species. However, human development has altered flow and sediment regimes, thus impairing formation of sandbars and islands. Large scale mapping of the fluvial geomorphology in river ecosystems like the Connecticut River is are necessary to understand the dynamics of these features and preserve habitat. Orthophotographs from 2012 from United States Department of Agriculture's Farm Service Agency (FSA), National Agriculture Imagery Program (NAIP) were used to develop a model in ArcGIS Pro to identify fluvial geomorphic features in the Connecticut River and 12 of …