Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Characterization Of The Dimerization Domains On The Mannose-6-Phosphate/Insulin-Like Growth Factor Ii Receptor, Tyler Degener

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

The mannose-6-phosphate/insulin-like growth factor II (M6P/IGF2) receptor is a transmembrane protein known to sequester growth factors from the extracellular matrix. This behavior suggests a mechanism of tumor suppression. Structurally, the receptor’s extracellular region is segmented into 15 homologous repeats, which are divided further into 5 triplet domains, labelled 1-3, 4-6, 7-9, 10-12, and 13-15. What is notable about the triplets is their propensity to form dimers with triplets on a second M6P/IGF2 receptor. In fact, previous studies indicate that this protein functions optimally when dimerized. Thus, the purpose of this experiment is to characterize these domain interactions. Using a urea …

Economic And Strategic Analysis Of America's Wastewater, Jorden Hansen

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

Whether it be tap water from a home or bottled water from a grocery store, clean water is generally accessible in the United States. Unfortunately, this convenience deters people from learning about the complex processes that make this luxury possible.

Awareness of the natural water cycle is widespread, as the simplest version is taught in grade school. It illustrates the flow of water as it changes state (liquid, to solid, to gas) in the environment. Not so commonly known is the urban water cycle which manifests residential daily use with the revolution of water. The urban water cycle is a …

Estimation Of Evapotranspiration And Other Water Budget Factors At Glacier Creek Preserve, Kian Paul Mcintosh

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

A water budget of a watershed consists of the inputs and outputs of water to and from it, including precipitation, change in water storage, surface water flow, and evapotranspiration. Water budget estimates are of high importance as a result of increasing demand due to population growth and other factors. Improving estimate accuracy and precision of evapotranspiration and runoff to streams allows scientists to better determine the true availability of water for human and conservation use. At Glacier Creek Preserve, 6.5% of the incoming precipitation left the preserve as discharge from the stream and 95.9% of the incoming precipitation was lost …

Grounding Size Predictions For Answer Set Programs, Nicholas Hippen

Student Work

Answer set programming is a declarative programming paradigm geared towards solving difficult combinatorial search problems. Logic programs under answer set semantics can typically be written in many different ways while still encoding the same problem. These different versions of the program may result in diverse performances. Unfortunately, it is not always easy to identify which version of the program performs the best, requiring expert knowledge on both answer set processing and the problem domain. More so, the best version to use may even vary depending on the problem instance. One measure that has been shown to correlate with performance is …

Uncovering And Characterizing Splice Variants Associated With Survival In Lung Cancer Patients, Sean West, Sushil Kumar, Surinder K. Batra, Hesham Ali, Dario Ghersi

Interdisciplinary Informatics Faculty Publications

Splice variants have been shown to play an important role in tumor initiation and progression and can serve as novel cancer biomarkers. However, the clinical importance of individual splice variants and the mechanisms by which they can perturb cellular functions are still poorly understood. To address these issues, we developed an efficient and robust computational method to: (1) identify splice variants that are associated with patient survival in a statistically significant manner; and (2) predict rewired protein-protein interactions that may result from altered patterns of expression of such variants. We applied our method to the lung adenocarcinoma dataset from TCGA …

Generation Of Crowd Arrival And Destination Locations/Times In Complex Transit Facilities, Brian Ricks, Andrew Dobson, Athanasios Krontiris, Kostas Bekris, Mubbasir Kapadia, Fred Roberts

Computer Science Faculty Publications

In order to simulate virtual agents in the replica of a real facility across a long time span, a crowd simulation engine needs a list of agent arrival and destination locations and times that reflect those seen in the actual facility. Working together with a major metropolitan transportation authority, we propose a specification that can be used to procedurally generate this information. This specification is both uniquely compact and expressive—compact enough to mirror the mental model of building managers and expressive enough to handle the wide variety of crowds seen in real urban environments. We also propose a procedural algorithm …

Phishing: Message Appraisal And The Exploration Of Fear And Self-Confidence, Deanna House, M. K. Raja

Information Systems and Quantitative Analysis Faculty Publications

Phishing attacks have threatened the security of both home users and organizations in recent years. Phishing uses social engineering to fraudulently obtain information that is confidential or sensitive. Individuals are targeted to take action by clicking on a link and providing information. This research explores fear arousal and self-confidence in subjects confronted by phishing attacks. The study collected data from multiple sources (including an attempted phishing attack). The survey results indicated that when individuals had a high level of fear arousal related to providing login credentials they had a decreased intention to respond to a phishing attack. Self-confidence did not …

Molecular Modeling Studies On The Binding Mode Of The Pd-1/Pd-L1 Complex Inhibitors, Suliman Almahmoud, Haizhen A. Zhong

Chemistry Faculty Publications

The programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1)/programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) is an immune checkpoint (ICP) overexpressed in various types of tumors; thus, it has been considered as an important target for cancer therapy. To determine important residues for ligand binding, we applied molecular docking studies to PD-1/PD-L1 complex inhibitors against the PD-L1 protein. Our data revealed that the residues Tyr56, Asp122, and Lys124 play critical roles in ligand binding to the PD-L1 protein and they could be used to design ligands that are active against the PD-1/PD-L1 complex. The formation of H-bonds with Arg125 of the PD-L1 protein …

Structural Bot Detection In Social Networks, Lale Madahali

Interdisciplinary Informatics Faculty Proceedings & Presentations

Social network platforms are a major part of toady’s life. They are usually used for entertainment, news, advertisements, and branding for businesses and individuals alike. However, use of automated accounts, also known as bots, pollute this environment and avoid having a reliable clean online world. In this work, I address the problem of detecting bots in online social networks.

The Effect Of Conversational Agent Skill On User Behavior During Deception, Ryan M. Schuetzler, G. Mark Grimes, Justin Scott Giboney

Information Systems and Quantitative Analysis Faculty Publications

Conversational agents (CAs) are an integral component of many personal and business interactions. Many recent advancements in CA technology have attempted to make these interactions more natural and human-like. However, it is currently unclear how human-like traits in a CA impact the way users respond to questions from the CA. In some applications where CAs may be used, detecting deception is important. Design elements that make CA interactions more human-like may induce undesired strategic behaviors from human deceivers to mask their deception. To better understand this interaction, this research investigates the effect of conversational skill—that is, the ability of the …

Two Dimensional Search Algorithms For Linear Programming, Fabio Torres Vitor

Mathematics Faculty Publications

Linear programming is one of the most important classes of optimization problems. These mathematical models have been used by academics and practitioners to solve numerous real world applications. Quickly solving linear programs impacts decision makers from both the public and private sectors. Substantial research has been performed to solve this class of problems faster, and the vast majority of the solution techniques can be categorized as one dimensional search algorithms. That is, these methods successively move from one solution to another solution by solving a one dimensional subspace linear program at each iteration. This dissertation proposes novel algorithms that move …

Using The Solo Taxonomy To Understand Subgoal Labels Effect In Cs1, Adrienne Decker, Lauren E. Margulieux, Briana B. Morrison

Computer Science Faculty Proceedings & Presentations

This work extends previous research on subgoal labeled instructions by examining their effect across a semester-long, Java-based CS1 course. Across four quizzes, students were asked to explain in plain English the process that they would use to solve a programming problem. In this mixed methods study, we used the SOLO taxonomy to categorize student responses about problem-solving processes and compare students who learned with subgoal labels to those who did not. The use of the SOLO taxonomy classification allows us to look deeper than the mere correctness of answers to focus on the quality of the answers produced in terms …

The Rise Of Citizen Science In Health And Biomedical Research, Andrea Wiggins, John Wilbanks

Information Systems and Quantitative Analysis Faculty Publications

Citizen science models of public participation in scientific research represent a growing area of opportunity for health and biomedical research, as well as new impetus for more collaborative forms of engagement in large-scale research. However, this also surfaces a variety of ethical issues that both fall outside of and build upon the standard human subjects concerns in bioethics. This article provides background on citizen science, examples of current projects in the field, and discussion of established and emerging ethical issues for citizen science in health and biomedical research.

Design And Pilot Testing Of Subgoal Labeled Worked Examples For Five Core Concepts In Cs1, Lauren E. Margulieux, Briana B. Morrison, Adrienne Decker

Computer Science Faculty Publications

Subgoal learning has improved student problem-solving performance in programming, but it has been tested for only oneto-two hours of instruction at a time. Our work pioneers implementing subgoal learning throughout an entire introductory programming course. In this paper we discuss the protocol that we used to identify subgoals for core programming procedures, present the subgoal labels created for the course, and outline the subgoal-labeled instructional materials that were designed for a Java-based course. To examine the effect of subgoal labeled materials on student performance in the course, we compared quiz and exam grades between students who learned using subgoal labels …

Assay Of Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine Hydrochloride) Utilizing Isocratic Reversed Phase High Performance Liquid Chromatography, Ronald Bartzatt, Purnima Gajmer, Mai Han Cassandra Nguyen, Alexndra My-Hanh Tran

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Aims: To demonstrate an analysis for vitamin B6 from commercial aqueous nutritional drinks and solid tablets, utilizing isocratic conditions with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and UV detection at 290 nm. Study Design: Vitamin B6 in the form of pyridoxine hydrochloride is assayed by HPLC from various samples. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Chemistry, Durham Science Center, University of Nebraska, Omaha Nebraska from May to August 2016. Methodology: Utilizing a reversed-phase C-18 column with eluent solvent (19% ethanol, 77% water, 4% acetic acid), the samples were prepared in sample solvent (19% ethanol, 81% distilled water). Detection of vitamin …

Conformational Studies Of Glucose Transporter 1 (Glut1) As An Anticancer Drug Target, Suliman Almahmoud, Xiaofang Wang, Jonathan L. Vennerstrom, Haizhen A. Zhong

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Glucose transporter 1 (GLUT1) is a facilitative glucose transporter overexpressed in various types of tumors; thus, it has been considered as an important target for cancer therapy. GLUT1 works through conformational switching from an outward-open (OOP) to an inward-open (IOP) conformation passing through an occluded conformation. It is critical to determine which conformation is preferred by bound ligands because the success of structure-based drug design depends on the appropriate starting conformation of the target protein. To find out the most favorable GLUT 1 conformation for ligand binding, we ran systemic molecular docking studies for different conformations of GLUT1 using known …

Weighted Composition Operators On The Hilbert Hardy Space Of A Half-Plane, Valentin Matache

Mathematics Faculty Publications

Operators of type f→ψf∘ϕ acting on function spaces are called weighted composition operators. If the weight function ψ is the constant function 1, then they are called composition operators. We consider weighted composition operators acting on the Hilbert Hardy space of a half-plane and study compactness, boundedness, invertibility, normality and spectral properties of such operators.

Examining Electrochemical Properties Of O-Quinone And Sulfur Adducts Using Bisphenol A-3,4-Quinone Platform, Barbara Mullen

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

o-Quinones are toxic electrophiles that can disrupt cellular macromolecules. Whether endogenous or xenobiotic, o-quinones are reactive compounds that are difficult to isolate. This work uses the o-quinone of bisphenol(BPA), bisphenol A-3,4-quinone(BPAQ), which can be efficiently synthesized and isolated, to study the electrochemical properties of o-quinones and their sulfur adducts in order to understand their metabolic fate. Cyclic voltammetry and equilibrium analysis were used to determine the relative oxidation potential of the BPA catechol and adducts, formed by reacting glutathione(GSH) and N-acetylcysteine(NAC) with BPAQ. BPAQ-sulfur adducts with 5-position substitution displayed lower oxidation potentials when compared to the …

Grant Anon Minigames Extension, Justin Robbins

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

The Grant Anon system was designed to be a casualized version of the real-time strategy genre, a genre usually known for its difficulty and competitiveness because of Starcraft II, the most popular game in the genre. Grant Anon was designed as part of a capstone project, and this report details the extension that was created to add an additional element designed to make it easier for any player to enjoy Grant Anon: minigames. These minigames serve to reduce the skill needed to participate effectively in Grant Anon. This is accomplished by providing an alternative means of gaining an advantage over …

Cooperative Signaling Behavior: Signals For Open Source Project Health, Georg John Peter Link

Information Systems and Quantitative Analysis Theses, Dissertations, and Student Creative Activity

The core contribution is a critique of signaling theory from investigating cooperative signaling behavior in the context of organizational engagement with open source projects. Open source projects display signals of project health which are used by organizations. Projects and organizations engage in cooperative signaling behavior when they work together to create signals. Signaling theory is critiqued in the cooperative context of organizational engagements with open source projects by describing how cooperative signaling behavior occurs in three processes: identifying, evaluating, and filtering new signals. The contribution is informed through engaged field research and interviews, which are presented as a thick description …

Expanding Controllability Of Hybrid Recommender Systems: From Positive To Negative Relevance, Behnam Rahdari, Chun-Hua Tsai, Peter Brusilovsky

Information Systems and Quantitative Analysis Faculty Proceedings & Presentations

A hybrid recommender system fuses multiple data sources, usually with static and nonadjustable weightings, to deliver recommendations. One limitation of this approach is the problem to match user preference in all situations. In this paper, we present two user-controllable hybrid recommender interfaces, which offer a set of sliders to dynamically tune the impact of different sources of relevance on the final ranking. Two user studies were performed to design and evaluate the proposed interfaces.

Processing Narratives By Means Of Action Languages, Craig Olson

Computer Science Theses, Dissertations, and Student Creative Activity

In this work we design a narrative understanding system Text2ALM that can be used in Question Answering domains. System Text2ALM utilizes an action language 𝒜ℒℳ to perform inferences on complex interactions of events described in narratives. The methodology that Text2ALM follows in its implementation was originally outlined by Yuliya Lierler, Daniela Inclezan, and Michael Gelfond in 2017 via a manual process, and this work serves as a proof of concept in a large-scale environment. Our system automates the conversion of a narrative to an 𝒜ℒℳ model containing facts about the narrative. We make use of the VerbNet lexicon that we …

A Communication Architecture For Crowd Management In Emergency And Disruptive Scenarios, Alfredo J. Perez, Sherali Zeadally

Computer Science Faculty Publications

Crowd management aims to develop support infrastructures that can effectively manage crowds at any time. In emergency and disruptive scenarios this concept can minimize the risk to human life and to the infrastructure. We propose the Communication Architecture for Crowd Management (CACROM), which can support crowd management under emergency and disruptive scenarios. We identify, describe, and discuss the various components of the proposed architecture, and we briefly discuss open challenges in the design of crowd management systems for emergency and disruptive scenarios.

A Formal Approach To Circle Formation In Multi-Agent Systems, Rui Yang

Computer Science Graduate Research Workshop

No abstract provided.

Conflict Resolution Using Α-Shapes For Distributed Robotic Sampling Of Ambient Phenomena In Initially Unknown Environments, Brad Woosley

Computer Science Graduate Research Workshop

No abstract provided.

Implementation Of Fast Hydraulic Erosion Simulation And Visualization On Gpu, Brian Hawkins

Computer Science Graduate Research Workshop

No abstract provided.

Dynamic Lazy Grounding In Answer Set Programming, Brian Hodges

Computer Science Graduate Research Workshop

No abstract provided.

Automatic Program Rewriting For Non-Ground Answer Set Programs, Nicholas Hippen

Computer Science Graduate Research Workshop

No abstract provided.

Automated Tool Support For Security Bug Repair In Mobile Applications, Larry Singleton

Computer Science Graduate Research Workshop

No abstract provided.

Tool Support For Recurring Code Change Inspection With Deep Learning, Krishna Teja Ayinala

Computer Science Graduate Research Workshop

No abstract provided.