Digital Commons Network^™

How Much Does Shape Matter: Investigating The Impact Of Marine Particle Morphological Features On In-Situ Settling Velocities Using Pca And Various Ml Models, Huanqing Huang, Alexander B. Bochdansky

Knowledge and Creativity Expo

Particle settling velocity serves as an essential component in ocean biological pump, as it determines particle retention time in the water column. Stokes’ law has been widely used to predict particle settling velocities by particle size and excess density in aquatic environments. However, an increasing number of studies suggest that Stokes’ law fits poorly in the size-velocity relationship of observations on small oceanic particles. Here, we present a series of novel approaches to investigate the relative contribution of settling velocities by the particle shape and optical densities using machine learning (ML) models and principal component analysis (PCA), based on 3906 …

Microplastics As Physical Hubs Amplifying Antiobiotic Resistance Under Mixed-Contaminant Selection In Wastewater Systems, Liyuan Hou

Spring Runoff Conference

Microplastics (MPs) are tiny plastic particles within the range of (0.1 mm to 5 mm) in size

Balancing Water Needs In Walker Basin, Peter Stanton

Spring Runoff Conference

Walker Lake 

Supported 50% of Mineral County economy 

Traditional homeland of Walker River Paiute Tribe (Agai Dicutta) 

World-class fishery

Annual Loon Festival

Spatiotemporal Variations And Their Influencing Factors For Vegetation Net Primary Productivity In The Shendong Coal Base, Yang Fei, Cui Kuankuan, Zhang Chengye, Li Jun, Dong Qiulin

Coal Geology & Exploration

Objective The Shendong coal base, located within the arid and semi-arid regions in western China, is identified as the region with the most pronounced contradiction between coal resource development and ecological conservation in the country. Analyzing the spatiotemporal variations in the ecosystem and their influencing factors at the base scale provides a necessary foundation for green mine construction while also offering critical support for regional sustainable development.Methods In this study, the vegetation net primary productivity (NPP) was selected as an indicator for the ecological evaluation of mining areas. By integrating data on terrain, weather and climate, socio-economy, and human …

What Does Next-Generation Mass Spectrometry Offer For Proteomics? A Comprehensive Platform Comparison, Filipa Blasco Tavares Pereira Lopes, Daniela Schlatzer, Tara Sudhadevi, Anantha Harijith, Marzieh Ayati, Mehmet Koyutürk, Mark R. Chance

Computer Science Faculty Publications

Next-generation mass spectrometry platforms (Orbitrap Astral, timsTOF Ultra) are reshaping proteomics by enhancing analytical depth and sensitivity. We compared these platforms against Orbitrap Exploris 480 using neonatal mouse lung tissues from a bronchopulmonary dysplasia model (n = 12), employing four acquisition strategies: Exploris 480 DDA/DIA, Astral HR-DIA, and timsTOF Ultra DIA-PASEF. All platforms identified ∼4000 proteins in common, with 98% proteome coverage of data-dependent acquisition (DDA) identifications using data-independent (DIA) methods and 92% concordance between next-generation systems. Orbitrap Astral and timsTOF Ultra quantified >225,000 peptides and 13,000 proteins, representing ∼800% and ∼300% greater depth than Exploris 480 DDA, respectively. …

Investigation Of Molecular Footprints In Ultra-High Diluted Homoeopathic Solutions Of Arnica Montana And Rhus Toxicodendron Through Combined Infrared And Impedance Spectroscopy, Sharbadeb Kundu, Usha Rani Dash, Chirasree Roychaudhuri, Aindrila Roy, Sanatan Chattopadhyay, Rathin Chakravarty, Debadatta Nayak, Subhash Kaushik, Amit Roy Chowdhury, Ananya Barui, Subhadip Chakraborty

Indian Journal of Research in Homoeopathy

Background: The study of ultra-high diluted (UHD) solutions is a compelling and controversial domain in modern science. Despite numerous investigations and hypotheses, there is a lack of rigorous, reproducible empirical evidence supporting the existence of molecular footprints beyond the Avogadro's limit. Objective: This study conducted a detailed investigation of the molecular and electrical properties, focusing on hydrogen bonding and impedance to understand the fundamental nature of UHD solutions. Materials and methods: Combined impedance and infrared spectroscopic investigations were performed to probe the structural behaviour of relevant water networks at the molecular level of UHD alcoholic extract of Arnica montana (AM) …

Biogasification Potential Of Medium- To High-Rank Coals And Its Controlling Mechanisms At A Molecular Structural Level, Bao Yuan, Li Jiajun, Li Dan, Chen Xueru, Wang Xiaojing

Coal Geology & Exploration

Objective Coals with varying metamorphic grades differ significantly in the potential for methane generation through microbial degradation. Medium- to high-rank coals can generate a substantial volume of methane through microbial degradation. However, key factors governing their biogasification potential remain poorly understood. This study aims to identify the dominant factors controlling the potential of medium- to high-rank coals for methane generation through microbial degradation, as well as relevant controlling mechanisms, from the perspective of molecular structures.Methods The Carboniferous-Permian medium- to high-rank coals along the eastern margin of the Ordos Basin were investigated in this study. Using experiments on the hydrocarbon …

Extending The Geometric Phase To Relativistic Spacetime, Sajid Raihan Akash

Department of Physics and Astronomy: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The Berry phase [3] is traditionally understood as a geometric phase acquired during cyclic adiabatic evolution, often interpreted as the flux of an effective “magnetic field” through a solid angle in parameter space. In this thesis, we investigate situations in which a geometric phase arises even when no spatial solid angle is enclosed, revealing the limitations of the standard purely spatial interpretation. We first review the Berry phase for a spin-½ particle in a slowly varying magnetic field and analyze scenarios in which the system’s eigenstate is changed during the adiabatic evolution. We show that the resulting phase can be …

Discovery Of Quasi-Carbon Nanotube Structures In Tectonically Deformed Coals And Their Formation Mechanisms, Li Yunbo, Wang Rongqi, Song Dangyu, Wang Chengtao, Li Qiang, Yi Ke, Wang Yuanyuan, Pan Jienan

Coal Geology & Exploration

Objective Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have attracted wide attention due to their unique structures and performance. However, their artificial synthesis requires stringent conditions, including high temperatures (700 ℃ to 2 300 ℃), stable carbon sources, and catalysts. Furthermore, these structures are rarely discovered in nature. As a carbon-rich medium, coals can form a variety of ordered carbon structures during their metamorphic and deformational processes, serving as an ideal carrier for exploring the formation mechanisms of natural CNTs.Methods Typical tectonically deformed coals from the Pingdingshan and Huaibei mining areas were investigated in this study. After demineralization and chloroform extraction, coal samples …

Soil Microbial Biomass And Organic Carbon Fractions Under Different Natural Restoration Years In Arid Coal Mining Subsidence Areas In Xinjiang, China, Xiao Li, Bi Yinli, Wang Dongdong, Li Jianfeng, Gong Hanlin, Deng Aojuan, Hou Wensheng

Coal Geology & Exploration

Objective This study aims to elucidate the influence of the natural restoration process on changes in soil microbial biomass and organic carbon fractions in coal mining subsidence areas. This effort will provide a crucial scientific foundation for understanding the natural ecological restoration process and carbon accumulation dynamics in arid coal mining subsidence areas.Methods Arid coal mining subsidence areas in Xinjiang, China were investigated in this study. Using the space-for-time substitution approach, sample plots were selected from an unmined area and areas having undergone natural restoration for one, three, eight, and 12 years. Subsequently, systematic analyses were conducted on the …

Multi-Modal Tensor Fusion For Alzheimer’S Disease Recognition, Mason Li, Tiffany Le, Jiajing Huang, Yuxin Wen

Engineering Faculty Articles and Research

Accurate and early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is critical for effective intervention, disease monitoring, and patient care. Traditional diagnostic approaches rely on a single modality, such as clinical assessments, neuroimaging, or genetic markers, which may fail to capture the complex, multifaceted nature of AD. Multimodal learning has therefore been explored to integrate complementary information across data sources. However, conventional fusion strategies, including early feature concatenation and late decision-level fusion, often model modalities independently and fail to capture high-order cross-modal interactions. To address these limitations, we propose a multimodal tensor fusion network (MTFN) that integrates heterogeneous data sources, including visual …

Human Subject Studies For The Alignment Of Llm-As-A-Judge Evaluation Metric For Science News, Gabriel Vega Osborne

Knowledge and Creativity Expo

Science news has become an important vehicle to disseminate scientific breakthroughs, discoveries, and technological innovations. With the advancement of large language models and related AI models, it is possible to automatically generate science news from scientific papers, extending the reader population from domain scientists to a broader scope. However, how to evaluate the quality of the generated news warrants research. Traditional token based metrics have been shown to fail to evaluate the semantics and nuances of science news. Inspired by the fact that a major goal of science news is to educate readers with new knowledge, we thus propose knowledge …

Bacillus Subtilis Parb C-Terminal Lysine Residues Are Essential For Dimerization And In Vivo Function, Indicating Their Roles In Dna Sliding, Aleksey Aleshintsev, Lindsey E. Way, Ngoc Khanh Lai, Bianca Guerra, Paloma Dorantes, Lois Akosua Serwaa, Sealtiel Anulao, Miranda Molina, Xindan Wang, Hyeongjun Kim

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

The broadly conserved ParB protein performs crucial functions in bacterial chromosome segregation and replication regulation. The cellular function of ParB requires it to dimerize, recognize parS DNA sequences, clamp on DNA, then slide to adjacent sequences through nonspecific DNA binding. How ParB coordinates nonspecific DNA binding and sliding remains elusive. Here, we combine multiple in vitro biophysical and computational tools and in vivo approaches to address this question. We found that five conserved lysine residues in the C-terminal domain (CTD) of ParB play distinct roles. While the two central rigid lysine residues provide the structural platform for the CTD, the …

Assembly And Testing Of A De-202 Closed-Cycle Cryostat, Chris Maguire

SPARK Symposium Presentations

Closed-cycle cryostats, such as the Advanced Research Systems DE-202 model are commonly used in laboratories as they provide long-term, low-cost, low-maintenance operation. We will outline the assembly, testing processes, and benchmarking experiments associated with the setup of this instrumental accessory. Further, a technical manual was written for future students and faculty in undergraduate research. Assembly involved constructing a custom frame, and integrating vacuum, water, gas, and electrical systems. Testing confirmed the system did not leak gas. Thermal response was recorded during cooling and heating phases to verify functionality; a base temperature of 7.5 K was achieved in 65 minutes, surpassing …

An Age-Structured Model For The Effects Of Time Delay On The Dynamics Of Malaria In The Presence Of Temperature And Rainfall, Alanus Mapunda, Eunice Mureithi, Nyimvua Shaban

Tanzania Journal of Science

An age-structured model with a class of pregnant women that captures the impact of time-delay on the dynamics of malaria is established in this work. The main goal is to explore the transmission dynamics of malaria in natural setting which is comprised of pregnant women and other individuals. Some weather conditions are also considered in the model. The main importance is to investigate the evolution of various states involved in the transmission of malaria in the community. The model equilibria are analyzed to study their stability, and numerical solution of the system is presented and discussed. The result shows that …

Circulating Levels Of Insulin-Like Growth Factor I (Igf-I) And Risk Of Multiple Myeloma: An Observational And Mendelian Randomisation Study, Yolanda Benavente, Sara Hermosa, Nikos Papadimitriou, Alyssa I. Clay-Gilmour Ph.D., Elizabeth E. Brown, Jonathan N. Hofmann, Nathaniel Rothman, Qin Lan, Sonja I. Berndt, Demetrius Albanes, Mark Purdue, Mitchell J. Machiela, Stephen J. Chanock, Parveen Bhatti, Wendy Cozen, Aaron Norman, Susan L. Slager, James R. Cerhan, Vincent Rajkumar, Et. Al.

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Analysis Of Novel Cannabis Products Labeled As Containing Thc-Jd, Kaelas R. Munger, Carlton C. B. Bone, Killian M. Anreise, Robert M. Strongin

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

Objective:

THC-JD (tetrahydrocannabioctyl) is a semi-synthetic cannabinoid with an eight-carbon C3 side chain, present in only trace amounts in hemp, requiring synthesis for commercial use. It has been promoted as potentially 19 times more potent than delta-9-THC, consistent with enhanced CB1 receptor affinities for cannabinoids with 7-8 carbon C3 side chains. While one peer-reviewed report identified THC-JD (tetrahydrocannabioctyl) in Japanese online products, an anecdotal report from the U.S. suggests mislabeling. Method: To inform regulatory efforts and consumer awareness and to address these discrepancies, this study chemically analyzed five U.S. commercial cannabis vape products marketed as containing THC-JD. Results: Utilizing GC-MS …

Addressing The Problems Of Data Variations, Quality, And Scarcity In Training Deep Neural Networks, Jian Sun

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The performance of deep neural networks (DNNs) is strongly influenced by the characteristics and quality of the underlying datasets. This Ph.D. dissertation addresses three pervasive data challenges-imbalance, quality degradation, and scarcity-that commonly hinder the effectiveness of DNNs in computer vision (CV) and natural language processing (NLP) applications.

Class imbalance remains one of the most frequent causes of degraded model generalization. While Focal Loss effectively mitigates inter-class imbalance by assigning higher weights to minority classes, it struggles with intra-class imbalance, particularly in video datasets where longer clips dominate feature representation. To address this, I implement and utilize …

Health Effects Of Cadmium And Manganese Exposure On Luteinizing Hormone Levels: A Pilot Study Of Female Infertility, Shatha F. Alhous, Anees A. Al-Hamzawi, Murtadha Sh. Aswood

Al-Bahir

Female infertility occurs for many reasons, some unknown. Exposure to heavy metals is a risk factor that negatively impacts on female reproductive system. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of cadmium Cd and manganese Mn on luteinizing hormone LH levels for females’ infertility. This study included a healthy group (n = 20), primary infertile females (n = 40), and secondary infertile females (n = 20) collected from Al-Zahraa hospital in Najaf center, Iraq. The Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS) was used to measure the cadmium and manganese concentrations and LH levels were measured by a Maglumi 800 from Snibe …

Clinical Prediction Of Posttreatment Migraine Recurrence Using Biofeedback Data: A Machine Learning Framework For Enhanced Patient Stratification And Treatment Monitoring, Shibbir Ahmed Arif, Ferdib-Al-Islam, Mehidy Hasan Sium

School of Computing Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Migraine is a complex neurological disorder with significant implications for individual well-being and public health. Predicting migraine occurrences after treatment is crucial for evaluating therapeutic efficacy and enabling personalized care, yet remains largely underexplored. This study proposes a robust machine learning framework to predict posttreatment migraine headache occurrences using real-world headache log data collected from 133 patients undergoing biofeedback therapy. The methodology includes rigorous data preprocessing, outlier removal via the interquartile range (IQR) method, and class imbalance correction through the synthetic minority oversampling technique (SMOTE). A total of 10 classical and a hybrid ensemble machine learning models were developed and …

Heavy Metal Contamination In Agricultural Soils And Potential Human Health Risks, Debora Michael Mwenda, Leonard Masesa Jumanne, Daudi Salvius Mgaya, Amos Vincent Ntarisa

Tanzania Journal of Science

Heavy metal contamination in agricultural soils is a growing concern due to potential human health risks via ingestion, dermal contact, and inhalation. However, data on fertiliser-related contamination in rural Tanzanian settings remain limited. This study assessed contamination levels and associated health risks in Kibwabwa village, Iringa, Tanzania. A total of 48 soil samples were collected from eight farms at a depth of 0–15 cm. Concentrations of Cu, Zn, Ni, Cd, Cr, and Pb were determined using Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS). Health risks were evaluated using chronic daily intake (CDI), hazard quotient (HQ), hazard index (HI), and carcinogenic risk (CR) models …

Bioclimatic Reorganization Of Carbon–Water–Energy Coupling Revealed By Eddy Covariance And Interpretable Machine Learning, Koong Yi, Margaret S. Torn, Gabriel B. Senay, Lixin Wang, Kosana Suvočarev, Joshua B. Fisher, Arman Ahmadi, Housen Chu, Gil Bohrer, Georgianne W. Moore, Stephen P. Good, Steven A. Kannenberg, Justine E. C. Missik, Kanishka Mallick, Kul Khand, Youngryel Ryu, Kuno Kasak, A. Christopher Oishi, David E. Reed, Xiangzhong Luo, Carl J. Bernacchi, Dennis Baldocchi

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Ecosystem exchanges of carbon, water, and energy are central to Earth system functioning, yet their sensitivities to environmental variability remain poorly constrained across biomes and climates. Here, we analyzed ≥ 5 years of eddy covariance data from 87 AmeriFlux sites (964 site-years) spanning six vegetation types and a broad range of climatic conditions to examine the controls and multi-year trends of gross primary productivity (GPP), evapotranspiration (ET), water-use efficiency (WUE), and the Bowen ratio. We trained boosted regression tree ensembles with environmental (air temperature, vapor pressure deficit, soil water content, atmospheric CO2, radiation, wind speed) and temporal (month, year) variables …

Microstructural Evolution And Precipitate Control In Boron-Doped Ni-Mn-Ti Shape Memory Alloys Via Thermal Processing, Na Liu, Marcia Ahn, Subrata Ghosh, Dipika Mandal, Bed Poudel, Wenjie Li

Biochemistry, Chemistry & Physics: Faculty Publications

Elastocaloric cooling, which leverages stress-induced phase transformation in shape memory materials, represents a sustainable and energy-efficient alternative to conventional vapor-compression cooling systems. Central to optimizing these materials is understanding how thermal processing history dictates phase formation, microstructure, and thermal properties. In this study, we investigated the (Ni50Mn31.5Ti18)99.8B0.2 compound synthesized via vacuum induction melting and arc melting, followed by water quenching. Induction melting results in needle-like, boron-rich precipitates within the martensite lattice. In contrast, vacuum arc melting promoted precipitate growth at the grain boundaries. The vacuum arc melting sample exhibits ~82% martensite phase fraction, a near-ambient transformation temperature of ~277 K, …

Survival Politics On A Working Waterfront: Rules Change Faster Than Prices In The South Texas Shrimp Fishery, Owen Temby, Anthony R. Lima

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

In 2024–2025, the U.S. and Texas governments raced to save Gulf shrimp. Texas passed a truth-in labeling law for food service in restaurants. Federal agencies added antidumping and countervailing duty orders and new tariffs. This case follows Brownsville and Port Isabel, where dock prices slid while boats and crews aged. We frame the response as survival politics: urgent and improvised moves to keep a livelihood going even when imports set the price. Using legislative hearings, agency notices, local reporting, and port records, we show that rules reset faster than prices. Inventories, contracts, and supplier substitution delay any lift at the …

Combatting Desertification Scientifically: Where Feasible, Where Necessary, Bojie Fu, Yanxu Liu, Shuai Wang, Yijia Wang, Guipeng Cui, Yue Guo

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

China has made remarkable achievements in combating desertification, achieving “zero net growth” in land degradation. With the goal of scientifically improving the relationship between humans and nature in drylands, the continuous exploration of new concepts, methods, and pathways for scientific desertification control will contribute to advancing the harmony between humans and nature in China’s drylands. Based on the definitions of desertification, ecological restoration baselines, and the contributions of nature to humans, we clarified the scientific implications of “controlling desertification where it is feasible and necessary”. We discussed the shift in China’s desertification prevention and control direction from “humans advancing while …

Graph Neural Networks Predict Anti-Epileptic Treatment Response In Non-Lesional Infantile Epileptic Spasm Syndrome, Karen K. Wurzel

Master's Theses (2009 -)

Background: With an incidence rate of approximately three out of 10,000 live births, Infantile Epileptic Spasm Syndrome (IESS) is a rare form of epilepsy with about 2,000 to 2,500 new cases in the United States annually. Each year, thousands of infants and families face uncertainty, often requiring multiple medication regimens before finding an effective treatment. This thesis uses pretreatment structural brain connectivity data to train Graph Neural Networks (GNN) to predict antiepileptic drug response in infants with IESS, aiming to reduce the trial-and-error approach and improve care for those with IESS. Method: The dataset used in this thesis contains de-identified …

Bicuspid Valve Closure And Backflow Prevention: Role Of Leaflet Geometry, Badr Kauoi, A Bou Orm, P Navet, James W. Baish, Lance Munn

Faculty Journal Articles

Bicuspid valves with crescent-shaped leaflets are found in lymphatic vessels and veins, where their primary function is to prevent reflux and ensure unidirectional flow toward the heart. These valves are passive, and their functionality emerges spontaneously from a complex interplay between the properties of the valve leaflets and the flow patterns developing within the vessel sinus region surrounding the valve. The main function of the valves is to limit retrograde flow, or reflux, but the optimal valve structure has not been well characterized. Here we investigate numerically how the length of the leaflets affects the valve efficiency in preventing reflux. …

Evolving Solutions For Red Blood Cell Preservation, Ali Alkafaji, Charles A. Elder, Mohammad Zaidi, Kavin Parthiv, Michael A. Menze

The Cardinal Edge

In emergencies such as natural disasters, armed conflicts, or during outer space missions, the availability of transfusable blood can mean the difference between life and death. Red blood cells (RBCs) must be stored at +4 ± 2 °C and have a shelf life of just 42 days, which makes maintaining a stable blood supply during adverse conditions extraordinarily challenging. This challenge was especially apparent during the COVID-19 pandemic when hospitals faced severe blood shortages. Freeze-drying, or lyophilization, offers a promising avenue to extend the shelf life of RBCs for transfusion during crises. However, a significant hurdle in dry preservation is …

Numerical Study Of Porosity Effects On Temperature And Fluid Flow In Black Sea Gas Hydrates, Bahar Güvem, Doğa Doğan

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

Numerical temperature and fluid flow simulations were conducted using ANSYS Fluent to investigate the influence of porosity variations on the temperature distribution within the gas hydrate layer. The study was carried out in the Black Sea region, where the gas hydrate deposits are of particular interest due to their potential for energy resources. The simulations explored various porosity levels within the hydrate layer to observe their effect on thermal behavior and fluid dynamics. The results revealed that porosity plays a significant role in modulating the temperature distribution within the gas hydrate layer, with lower porosity models exhibiting higher temperatures compared …

Flexible Modeling Of Non-Gaussian Longitudinal Data: Some Approaches Using Copula, Subhajit Chattopadhyay

Doctoral Theses

Longitudinal data are common in medical and biological sciences, where measurements are gathered from subjects over time to explore relationships with explanatory variables (covariates) and to uncover the underlying mechanisms of dependence among these measurements. The responses observed at each instance can be either discrete or continuous. One of the primary challenges in longitudinal data analysis lies in the non-Gaussian nature of the response variables. As a result, there are relatively few multivariate models in the literature that effectively address the specific characteristics observed in such datasets. In this dissertation, we address four problems concerning longitudinal data analysis by developing …