Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Perspectives On Water Resources Risk, Policy, And Stewardship, Anne Marie Lausier

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Water management approaches have historically optimized water for human use and placed lower emphasis on the relationship between ecosystems and humans. Despite efforts to balance human and ecosystem needs, existing management approaches tend to prioritize some needs, knowledges, and values over others. Natural and anthropogenic changes pose challenges to water governance institutions due to policy inflexibility, and may lead to ecosystem degradation, water stress, and conflict among water users. This work seeks to redress these shortcomings through three scholarly contributions. First, a conceptual framework for Water Resources Stewardship is developed in support of equitable and adaptive solutions under changing conditions. …

Luminescence Antenna Behavior In Lanthanide Complexes And Luminescence Sensing In Group 11 Iodides, Francis Barnes

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis luminescent materials are studied. The luminescent materials studied are lanthanide complexes and group 11 iodide sensing abilities. Emission intensity of the lanthanide complexes through direct excitation of the lanthanide ion are relatively weak. To overcome this, three unique organic ligands were utilized to synthesize lanthanide nitrate complexes in which higher emission intensity can be observed via the antenna effect. Increased emission intensity resulted for Eu^III and Tb^III complexes for each ligand except triphenylphosphane oxide (only the Tb^III complex demonstrated increased emission intensity). Latva’s empirical rule allows for the antenna effect to occur, in which …

Topics In Three-Dimensional Imaging, Source Localization And Super-Resolution, Zhixian Yu

Physics & Astronomy ETDs

The realization that twisted light beams with helical phasefronts could carry orbital angular momentum (OAM) that is in excess of the photon's spin angular momentum (SAM) has spawned various important applications. One example is the design of novel imaging systems that achieve three-dimensional (3D) imaging in a single snapshot via the rotation of point spread function (PSF).

Based on a scalar-field analysis, a particular simple version of rotating PSF imagery, which was proposed by my advisor Dr. Prasad, furnishes a practical approach to perform 3D source localization using a spiral phase mask that generates a combination of Bessel vortex beams. …

Using Wind And Hydro Power To Sustain The Off-Grid Power Supply For A 50' Cruising Sailboat, Keisha Meyer, Torrey J. Wagner, Jada Williams

Faculty Publications

Cruising sailboats operate with a power requirement modest enough to operate mostly or completely on renewable energy technology sources. Cruisers without renewable energy systems use the vessel’s diesel engine to charge the boat’s batteries; if the systems are operated at anchor, this dramatically decreases the time before the engine needs major overhaul. System users estimate a diesel engine can run approximately 8,000 hours underway before needing major overhaul, whereas operating 500 hours at anchor produces similar wear and tear on engine pistons. Although renewable energy systems have a high initial capital cost, these systems can provide the vessel’s electrical system …

Lanthanum-Based Perovskites As An Effective Electrocatalyst For Water Splitting And Energy Storage Applications, Xavier Martinez

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Recent changes in global weather patterns have accented the need a shift from fossil fuels to a cleaner energy option. As part of an overall plan, hydrogen production for fuel cells offer substantial power without carbon emissions. Overall water splitting, with the aid of a low cost electrocatalyst could prove to be an abundant green fuel source. Utilizing readily available transition metals, three perovskite nanostructures were studied as a multifunctional material for hydrogen production as well as an energy storage material. LaCoO₃ (LCO), LaFeO₃ (LFO)_, and LaMnO₃ (LMO) were synthesized and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) …

Effects Of Forest Management On Densities And Nest Survival Of Breeding Birds In Upland Hardwood Ecosystems, Michael Barnes

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Over the past 50 years, significant declines in 47% of Neotropical migrant bird species have been documented in North America. Declines are most likely due to the loss and fragmentation of breeding, wintering, and stopover habitat mainly caused by agriculture and urban development. This loss of critical habitat results in population sinks that need to be maintained by immigration from a population source found in continuously forested landscapes. However, in landscapes harvested for timber, forest management practices alter the landscape and as a result, affect breeding bird abundances and nest success. The objective of our study was to determine the …

Building Of Mira’S Ghost Cleansing Services, Ashley Vargas

Honors College Theses

In this thesis, I built a PC game called Mira’s Cleansing Services. It is a sidescroller game that follows the story of a female exorcist for-hire who is also a high school student. Using ABC Scrum, a modified version of Scrum for game development, I developed the game using Game Maker. Additionally, I created all the art and music in different software. Because of time constraints and because I was working alone, I only developed the first level of the game. However, I plan to continue developing the game after this semester to eventually complete and publish it. My ultimate …

Assessing Code Obfuscation Of Metamorphic Javascript, Kaushik Murli

Master's Projects

Metamorphic malware is one of the biggest and most ubiquitous threats in the digital world. It can be used to morph the structure of the target code without changing the underlying functionality of the code, thus making it very difficult to detect using signature-based detection and heuristic analysis. The focus of this project is to analyze Metamorphic JavaScript malware and techniques that can be used to mutate the code in JavaScript. To assess the capabilities of the metamorphic engine, we performed experiments to visualize the degree of code morphing. Further, this project discusses potential methods that have been used to …

Environmental Fate And Impact Assessment Of Thiobencarb Application In California Rice Fields Using Ricewq, Ruoyu Wang

Ruoyu Wang

Jual Penghilang Bintik Kecil Kasar Sepeti Kutil Di Kepala Penis, Alif Nur

Alif Nur

Low-Cost 8mm/Super 8 Film Digitization Using A Canon 9000f Ii Flatbed Scanner And Photoshop: A Case Study, Kenneth Eckert

Journal of Contemporary Archival Studies

For some fifty years, 8mm/Super 8 movie film was a widespread format for home movies and amateur hobbyists; yet the films and projection or telecine transfer equipment are now aging and obscure, presenting a difficulty for archivists and filmmakers. Online DIY solutions usually involve photographing the film with a DSLR and macro bellows, requiring a high degree of expertise and expense. This case study examines typical problems and proposes a simpler and low-cost solution involving using a Canon flatbed scanner with a transparency adapter and improvised film holder, and more importantly, describes technical solutions and script code to straighten and …

Oil Hydrocarbon Degradation By Caspian Sea Microbial Communities, John I. Miller, Stephen Techtmann, Julian Fortney, Nagissa Mahmoudi, Dominique Joyner, Jiang Liu, Scott Olesen, Eric Alm, Adolfo Fernandez, Piero Gardinali, Nargiz Garajayeva, Faig S. Askerov, Terry C. Hazen

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry

The Caspian Sea, which is the largest landlocked body of water on the planet, receives substantial annual hydrocarbon input from anthropogenic sources (e.g., industry, agriculture, oil exploration, and extraction) and natural sources (e.g., mud volcanoes and oil seeps). The Caspian Sea also receives substantial amounts of runoff from agricultural and municipal sources, containing nutrients that have caused eutrophication and subsequent hypoxia in the deep, cold waters. The effect of decreasing oxygen saturation and cold temperatures on oil hydrocarbon biodegradation by a microbial community is not well characterized. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of oxic and …

Oil Hydrocarbon Degradation By Caspian Sea Microbial Communities, John I. Miller, Stephen Techtmann, Julian Fortney, Nagissa Mahmoudi, Dominique Joyner, Jiang Liu, Scott Olesen, Eric Alm, Adolfo Fernandez, Piero Gardinali, Nargiz Garajayeva, Faig S. Askerov, Terry C. Hazen

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry

The Caspian Sea, which is the largest landlocked body of water on the planet, receives substantial annual hydrocarbon input from anthropogenic sources (e.g., industry, agriculture, oil exploration, and extraction) and natural sources (e.g., mud volcanoes and oil seeps). The Caspian Sea also receives substantial amounts of runoff from agricultural and municipal sources, containing nutrients that have caused eutrophication and subsequent hypoxia in the deep, cold waters. The effect of decreasing oxygen saturation and cold temperatures on oil hydrocarbon biodegradation by a microbial community is not well characterized. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of oxic and …

Development Of Digital Bathymetry Maps For Lakes Azuei And Enriquillo Using Sonar And Remote Sensing Techniques, Michael Piasecki, Mahrokh Moknatian, Fred Moshary, Jorge Gonzalez

Publications and Research

This article presents an improved algorithm for optimization and development of a digital bathymetric model (DBM) for Lake Azuei (LA) (Haiti) and Lake Enriquillo (LE) (Dominican Republic) using the ANUDEM method. Both sonar data and contour lines of the lakes’ layout extracted using Landsat imagery were compiled for bathymetry development. We show that the performance of the ANUDEM method was strongly dependent on the density and irregularity of the spatial distribution of the data. Changing the resolution of the output grids and deriving auxiliary topographically corrected contours improved the ANUDEM performance and minimized the systematic errors of the method. Statistical …

Nature As Privilege: How Environmental Racism Changes The Access To Fresh Air And The Effects On New York City’S Communities, Sarah C. Morrison

Student Theses 2015-Present

This paper serves to addresses the issue of environmental racism in relation to New York City, and more specifically comparing the South Bronx and Central Brooklyn, often characterized as low- income and high-minority populations with their white counterparts. New York, among other urban centers in the United States serves as an example of environmental racism because of the discrepancy in high air pollution levels in marginalized communities, the subsequent negative health effects (specifically asthma), and the lack of green spaces. The root of this issue is prominent in the history and construction of New York during the 1900s. The construction …

Microplastics In The Digestive System Of The Atlantic Sharpnose Shark (Rhizoprionodon Terraenovae) In Winyah Bay, Sc, Elise Virginia Pullen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The digestive tracts and livers of adult male Atlantic sharpnose sharks (N=16), Rhizoprionodon terraenovae, from Winyah Bay, South Carolina were examined for ingested microplastics. R. terraenovae is a small, locally abundant, coastal mesopredatory elasmobranch belonging to the family Carcharhinidae. Microfibers comprised the largest categories of plastics (94% of the total), and were found in 100% of sharks examined. The number of micro- and other plastics ranged from 34 to 75 per individual and totaled 927. The majority of plastics (40%) were blue in coloration, and 55% were <1 mm in length. Microplastics were observed on both the interior and exterior of the organs examined, and three microfibers were embedded within the stomach lining, an observation not previously reported in marine vertebrates and one which represents a potential pathway for the translocation of ingested microplastics.

Circumpolar Status Of Arctic Ptarmigan: Population Dynamics And Trends, Eva Fuglei, John-Andre ́ Henden, Chris T. Callahan, Olivier Gilg, Jannik Hansen, Rolf A. Ims, Arkady P. Isaev, Johannes Lang, Carol L. Mcintyre, Richard A. Merizon, Oleg Y. Mineev, Yuri N. Mineev, Dave Mossop, Olafur K. Nielsen, Erlend B. Nilsen, Ashild Ønvik Pedersen, Niels Martin Martin, Benoıt Sittler, Maria Hørnell Willebrand, Kathy Martin

United States National Park Service: Publications

Rock ptarmigan (Lagopus muta) and willow ptarmigan (L. lagopus) are Arctic birds with a circumpolar distribution but there is limited knowledge about their status and trends across their circumpolar distribution. Here, we compiled information from 90 ptarmigan study sites from 7 Arctic countries, where almost half of the sites are still monitored. Rock ptarmigan showed an overall negative trend on Iceland and Greenland, while Svalbard and Newfoundland had positive trends, and no significant trends in Alaska. For willow ptarmigan, there was a negative trend in mid-Sweden and eastern Russia, while northern Fennoscandia, North America and Newfoundland had no significant trends. …

The Santa Clara, 2019-05-09, Santa Clara University

The Santa Clara

No abstract provided.

Indoor Localization Using A Smartphone: Approaches, Issues, And Challenges, Lee J. Easson

Honors Theses

Localization has gained priority in an increasingly inter-connected world. The majority of industries and sectors require some means of tracking the location of objects and/or people anywhere on the Earth, whether indoors or outdoors. GPS is an already-implemented and viable solution for outdoor localization. However, indoor localization is more challenging to implement and thus has become a broad area of research. Despite the challenges of tracking location in places where satellite GPS signals are unreliable or unreachable (i.e. within a building or structure), there has been considerable progress made in indoor localization research. Although current indoor localization technology can achieve …

Theoretical And Experimental Vibrational Modes Of The Borane Pyridine Complex, Benjamin Stratton

Honors Theses

Benjamin Wade Stratton: Theoretical and Experimental Vibrational Modes of the Borane Pyridine Complex (Under the direction of Dr. Nathan Hammer) The Borane Pyridine complex is a molecule that contains a dative bond between the boron and nitrogen atoms. A dative bond is a type of covalent bonding that occurs when both electrons come from the same atom. The B-N bond has been studied in several other molecules such as ammonia borane and determining the frequency at which this bond vibrates has been a topic of interest studied in these molecules as well as several others. This complex has another factor …

Chloride Signature And Transport In An Urban-Agricultural Watershed, Andrew Oberhelman

Theses and Dissertations

Manual and high frequency observations (n = 535) of chloride (Cl-), bromide (Br-), nitrate (NO3-N), sodium (Na+), calcium (Ca2+), and potassium (K+) of stream and tile-drain waters were conducted in an urban-agricultural watershed (8% urban, 87% agriculture) to investigate the importance of stormflow to Cl- transport and to explore potential differences in the signature of Cl- originating from an urban source as compared to an agricultural source. The study was conducted in Evergreen Lake Watershed (ELW) located in central Illinois. Manual samplings were conducted on a weekly interval from February 2018 to February 2019 at three station along Six Mile …

College Of Engineering Senior Design Competition Spring 2019, University Of Nevada, Las Vegas

Fred and Harriet Cox Senior Design Competition Projects

Part of every UNLV engineering student’s academic experience, the senior design project stimulates engineering innovation and entrepreneurship. Each student in their senior year chooses, plans, designs, and prototypes a product in this required element of the curriculum. A capstone to the student’s educational career, the senior design project encourages the student to use everything learned in the engineering program to create a practical, real world solution to an engineering challenge. The senior design competition helps focus the senior students in increasing the quality and potential for commercial application for their design projects. Judges from local industry evaluate the projects on …

Wish You Were Here, Janie Stamm, Janie I. Stamm

Graduate School of Art Theses

The State of Florida is under threat from the effects of climate change. Rising sea levels are creeping up on to Florida’s coast, eroding the beaches and encroaching on heavily populated cities. Over my lifetime I will watch the water spill over the streets of my home town. I will watch the water flood the Everglades, pushing saltwater into freshwater habitats. I will watch the water begin to drown the state, taking Florida’s many little known histories along with it. This thesis serves as a document of Floridian life during the Anthropocene.

Within this thesis, I tell the story of …

Effects Of Halogen Bonding On 13c Nmr Shifts Of Iodotolan, James Long

Honors Theses

Halogen bonding is the ability of heavier halogens to have noncovalent interactions similar to hydrogen bonding. By mixing two compounds that should halogen bond together and analyzing this mixture with carbon NMR spectroscopy, we attempted to test the strength and extent of halogen bonding in 4-iodotolan. After observing the changes in the 4-iodotolans chemical shifts, the halogen bond appears to be too weak to affect the chemical shifts in a substantial manner; however, the C-I bonded carbon shows a slight but consistent increase in its shift which could be an avenue for future research.

Blocking Recombinations In Dscs Through Mgo And Pfts Surface Treatments, Kayla Foell

Honors Theses

High voltage dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) are becoming novel sources in the production of various fuel precursors, such as carbon monoxide and hydrogen, by powering carbon dioxide reduction, water oxidation, and proton reduction catalysts via sunlight. An important task in order to increase overall efficiency of DSC devices is to minimize recombination (electron flow in an undesirable direction) while increasing photovoltage. Surface treatment modifications can be applied to the TiO2 electrodes within DSC devices in an effort to block recombination without negatively effecting the other device performance metrics: fill factor (FF), short-circuit current density (Jsc), and open-circuit photovoltage (Voc). In …

Modified Ramsey Numbers, Meaghan Mahoney

Honors Program Theses and Projects

Ramsey theory is a eld of study named after the mathematician Frank P. Ramsey. In general, problems in Ramsey theory look for structure amid a collection of unstructured objects and are often solved using techniques of Graph Theory. For a typical question in Ramsey theory, we use two colors, say red and blue, to color the edges of a complete graph, and then look for either a complete subgraph of order n whose edges are all red or a complete subgraph of order m whose edges are all blue. The minimum number of vertices needed to guarantee one of these …

Examining Augmented Virtuality Impairment Simulation For Mobile App Accessibility Design, Tsu Wei, Kenny (Zhu Shuwei, Kenny) Choo, Rajesh Krishna Balan, Rajesh Krishna Balan

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

With mobile apps rapidly permeating all aspects of daily living with use by all segments of the population, it is crucial to support the evaluation of app usability for specific impaired users to improve app accessibility. In this work, we examine the effects of using our augmented virtuality impairment simulation system–Empath-D–to support experienced designer-developers to redesign a mockup of commonly used mobile application for cataract-impaired users, comparing this with existing tools that aid designing for accessibility. We show that the use of augmented virtuality for assessing usability supports enhanced usability challenge identification, finding more defects and doing so more accurately …

Image Compression Using Neural Networks, Kunal Rajan Deshmukh

Master's Projects

Image compression is a well-studied field of Computer Vision. Recently, many neural network based architectures have been proposed for image compression as well as enhancement. These networks are also put to use by frameworks such as end-to-end image compression.

In this project, we have explored the improvements that can be made over this framework to achieve better benchmarks in compressing images. Generative Adversarial Networks are used to generate new fake images which are very similar to original images. Single Image Super-Resolution Generative Adversarial Networks

(SI-SRGAN) can be employed to improve image quality. Our proposed architecture can be divided into four …

Species Classification Using Dna Barcoding And Profile Hidden Markov Models, Sphoorti Poojary

Master's Projects

Traditional classification systems for living organisms like the Linnaean taxonomy involved classification based on morphological features of species. This traditional system is being replaced by molecular approaches which involve using gene sequences. The COI gene, also known as the ”DNA barcode” since it is unique in every species, can be used to uniquely identify organisms and thus, classify them. Classifying using gene sequences has many advantages, including correct identification of cryptic species(individuals which appear similar but belong to different species) and species which are extremely small in size. In this project, I worked on classifying COI sequences of unknown species …

Worker Demographics And Earnings On Amazon Mechanical Turk: An Exploratory Analysis, Kotaro Hara, Kristy Milland, Benjamin V. Hanrahan, Chris Callison-Burch, Abigail Adams, Saiph Savage, Jeffrey P. Bigham

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Prior research reported that workers on Amazon Mechanical Turk (AMT) are underpaid, earning about $2/h. But the prior research did not investigate the difference in wage due to worker characteristics (e.g., country of residence). We present the first data-driven analysis on wage gap on AMT. Using work log data and demographic data collected via online survey, we analyse the gap in wage due to different factors. We show that there is indeed wage gap; for example, workers in the U.S. earn $3.01/h while those in India earn $1.41/h on average.