Digital Commons Network^™

Adaptive Methods For Point Cloud And Mesh Processing, Zinat Afrose

Computational Modeling & Simulation Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Point clouds and 3D meshes are widely used in numerous applications ranging from games to virtual reality to autonomous vehicles. This dissertation proposes several approaches for noise removal and calibration of noisy point cloud data and 3D mesh sharpening methods. Order statistic filters have been proven to be very successful in image processing and other domains as well. Different variations of order statistics filters originally proposed for image processing are extended to point cloud filtering in this dissertation. A brand-new adaptive vector median is proposed in this dissertation for removing noise and outliers from noisy point cloud data.

The major …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Glycolipids, Glycoclusters And Glycomacrocycles, Anji Chen

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

Low molecular-weight gelators (LMWGs) are a fascinating and interesting class of compounds that can self-assemble and form supramolecular structures in appropriate solvents. The gelators form fibrous networks which entrap the solvent and result in a supramolecular gel. Carbohydrate-derived LMWGs are especially useful since they are more likely to be biocompatible and biodegradable. Dendritic gelators are branch-shaped molecules with precise molecular weight that are between small molecules and polymer gelators. Glycoclusters with sugar moieties at the periphery of the molecules are important classes of bioactive compounds due to the multivalency effect. Lower generation glycoclusters are relatively small branched systems that have …

Effects Of Light Reflection On Spatial Visualization Ability And Implications For Engineering Technology Students, Petros Katsioloudis, Mildred Jones

STEMPS Faculty Publications

Results from a number of studies indicate that the type of light generated by the reflection on the surface of different types of surfaces can influence the spatial visualization ability; however, research provides inconsistent results. Considering this, a quasi-experimental study was conducted to identify the existence of statistically significant effects on spatial visualization ability as measured by the Mental Cutting Test and Sectional View drawing ability due to the impacts of light reflection. In particular, the study compared three types of light reflection; mirror, specular and diffuse and whether a significant difference exists among engineering technology students. According to the …

The Beauty Of Numbers In Nature: Mathematical Patterns And Principles From The Natural World [Book Review], John A. Adam

Mathematics & Statistics Faculty Publications

(First paragraph) It came as quite a shock at the time. I cannot recall exactly when it happened, but it certainly caught me by surprise. For most of my life, and certainly from elementary school (or “primary” school in the UK) through high school I had become used to seeing posters and books illustrating the “standard” map of the world: the Mercator projection. Of course, Greenwich, London, sat at longitude 0◦ (and still does!). And certainly I knew that planet Earth is spheroidal and that this flat projection distorted the shapes and areas (especially near the polar regions), but somehow …

Dimensional Analysis: Physical Insight Gained Through Algebra, John A. Adam

Mathematics & Statistics Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Black Power Encyclopedia: From "Black Is Beautiful" To Urban Uprisings, Robert Tench

Libraries Faculty & Staff Publications

Book Review of Akinyele Omowale Umoja, Karen L.Stanford, and Jasmin A.Young's Black Power Encyclopedia: From "Black is Beautiful" to Urban Uprisings. Santa Barbara, California: Greenwood: ABC-CLIO, ISBN 9781440840067.

Independent And Interactive Associations Of Negative Affect, Restraint, And Impulsivity In Relation To Binge Eating Among Women, Tyler B. Mason, Kathryn E. Smith, Jason M. Lavender, Robin J. Lewis

Psychology Faculty Publications

There is growing recognition that impulsivity may serve as an underlying risk factor for binge eating. In addition, the association of impulsivity with binge eating may be moderated by other affective and cognitive risk factors. This study examined independent and interactive associations of negative affect, dietary restraint, and facets of impulsivity with binge eating. A diverse sample of 566 undergraduate women completed online questionnaires of study variables. Results revealed a three-way interaction of negative affect, dietary restraint, and attentional impulsivity in relation to binge eating. Women who were high on each of these three variables reported the greatest levels of …

Transient Signals And Inattentional Blindness In A Multi-Object Tracking Task, Dakota B. Palmer, Yusuke Yamani, Taylor L. Bobrow, Nicole D. Karpinsky, Dean J. Krusienski

Psychology Faculty Publications

Inattentional blindness is a failure to notice an unexpected event when attention is directed elsewhere. The current study examined participants' awareness of an unexpected object that maintained luminance contrast, switched the luminance once, or repetitively flashed. One hundred twenty participants performed a dynamic tracking task on a computer monitor for which they were instructed to count the number of movement deflections of an attended set of objects while ignoring other objects. On the critical trial, an unexpected cross that did not change its luminance (control condition), switched its luminance once (switch condition), or repetitively flashed (flash condition) traveled across the …

Hydnora Arabica (Aristolochiaceae), A New Species From The Arabian Peninsula And A Key To Hydnora, Jay F. Bolin, Darach Lupton, Lytton John Musselman

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The plant parasite Hydnora arabica (Aristolochiaceae) is described from the Arabian Peninsula. This species was previously identified as Hydnora africana in Oman. It can be separated from other Hydnora taxa primarily by its terete rhizome, red to orange inner perianth tube color, and tepal lobe margins entirely covered with dense strigose setae. In Oman, Hydnora arabica is known to parasitize two leguminous trees: Acacia tortilis and the introduced Pithocellobium dulce, but may parasitize additional Fabaceae. At least eleven synonyms or subspecific varieties of H. abyssinica are described in the literature, all from east or southern Africa. These synonyms are …

Using An In Vitro System For Maintaining Varroa Destructor Mites On Apis Mellifera Pupae As Hosts: Studies Of Mite Longevity And Feeding Behavior, Noble I. Egekwu, Francisco Posada, Daniel E. Sonenshine, Steven Cook

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Varroa destructor mites (varroa) are ectoparasites of Apis mellifera honey bees, and the damage they inflict on hosts is likely a causative factor of recent poor honey bee colony performance. Research has produced an arsenal of control agents against varroa mites, which have become resistant to many chemical means of their control, and other means have uncertain efficacy. Novel means of control will result from a thorough understanding of varroa physiology and behavior. However, robust knowledge of varroa biology is lacking; mites have very low survivability and reproduction away from their natural environment and host, and few tested protocols of …

High Frequency Temperature Variability Reduces The Risk Of Coral Bleaching, Aryan Safaie, Nyssa J. Silbiger, Timothy R. Mcclanahan, Geno Pawlak, Daniel J. Barshis, James L. Hench, Gareth J. Williams, Kristen A. Davis

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Coral bleaching is the detrimental expulsion of algal symbionts from their cnidarian hosts, and predominantly occurs when corals are exposed to thermal stress. The incidence and severity of bleaching is often spatially heterogeneous within reef-scales (km), and is therefore not predictable using conventional remote sensing products. Here, we systematically assess the relationship between in situ measurements of 20 environmental variables, along with seven remotely sensed SST thermal stress metrics, and 81 observed bleaching events at coral reef locations spanning five major reef regions globally. We find that high-frequency temperature variability (i.e., daily temperature range) was the most influential factor in …

Sea Turtles And Survivability In Demersal Trawl Fisheries: Do Comatose Olive Ridley Sea Turtles Survive Post-Release?, Sara M. Maxwell, Matthew J. Witt, Gaspard Abitsi, Marie Pierre Aboro, Pierre Didier Agamboue, Georges Mba Asseko, Francois Boussamba, Emmanuel Chartain, Micheline Schummer Gnandji, Brice Didier Koumba Mabert

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Incidental capture of air‑breathing species in fishing gear is a major source of mortality for many threatened populations. Even when individuals are discarded alive, they may not survive due to direct injury, or due to more cryptic internal physiological injury such as decompression sickness. Post‑release mortality, however, can be difficult to determine. In this pilot study, we deployed survivorship pop‑up archival tags (sPAT) (n = 3) for an air‑breathing species, the olive ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea), one of the first studies to do so. We found that at least two of the three turtles survived after being …

Integrating Dynamic Subsurface Habitat Metrics Into Species Distribution Models, Stephanie Brodie, Michael G. Jacox, Steven J. Bograd, Heather Welch, Heidi Dewar, Kylie L. Scales, Sara M. Maxwell, Dana M. Briscoe, Christopher A. Edwards, Larry B. Crowder, Rebecca L. Lewison, Elliott L. Hazen

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Species distribution models (SDMs) have become key tools for describing and predicting species habitats. In the marine domain, environmental data used in modeling species distributions are often remotely sensed, and as such have limited capacity for interpreting the vertical structure of the water column, or are sampled in situ, offering minimal spatial and temporal coverage. Advances in ocean models have improved our capacity to explore subsurface ocean features, yet there has been limited integration of such features in SDMs. Using output from a data-assimilative configuration of the Regional Ocean Modeling System, we examine the effect of including dynamic subsurface …

Energy-Rich Mesopelagic Fishes Revealed As A Critical Prey Resource For A Deep-Diving Predator Using Quantitative Fatty Acid Signature Analysis, Chandra Goetsch, Melinda G. Conners, Suzanne M. Budge, Yoko Mitani, William A. Walker, Jeffrey F. Bromaghin, Samantha E. Simmons, Colleen Reichmuth, Daniel P. Costa

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Understanding the diet of deep-diving predators can provide essential insight to the trophic structure of the mesopelagic ecosystem. Comprehensive population-level diet estimates are exceptionally difficult to obtain for elusive marine predators due to the logistical challenges involved in observing their feeding behavior and collecting samples for traditional stomach content or fecal analyses. We used quantitative fatty acid signature analysis (QFASA) to estimate the diet composition of a wide-ranging mesopelagic predator, the northern elephant seal (Mirounga angustirostris), across five years. To implement QFASA, we first compiled a library of prey fatty acid (FA) profiles from the mesopelagic eastern North Pacific. Given …

Towards Understanding The Role Of Small Mammals In The Transmission Of Lyme Disease In Virginia, Usa, Robert K. Rose, Laura Bitzer, Wayne Hynes, Holly D. Gaff, Robyn Nadolny, Jory Brinkerhoff

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Larvae and nymphs of many species of ticks select small mammals, reptiles, and birds as hosts. Since 2011, we have examined more than 1,000 small mammals of 10 species and collected a small tissue sample as well as all visible ticks; rates of infestation range from 18% in harvest mice to 53% in meadow voles. Identification of immature ticks is challenging and requires molecular or genetic methods beyond classification as being from the genus Ixodes or another genus. Ixodes ticks include Ixodes scapularis, the species that transmits the Lyme disease-causing bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi to humans. Of the approximately 2,300 ticks …

Modelling The Effects Of Habitat And Hosts On Tick Invasions, Robyn M. Nadolny, Holly D. Gaff

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Many tick species are invading new areas because of anthropogenic changes in the landscape, shifting climatic variables and increasing populations of suitable host species and tick habitat. However, the relative influences of habitat and hosts in tick dispersal and tick population establishment remain in question. A spatially explicit agent-based model was developed to explore the spatio-temporal dynamics of a generic tick population in the years immediately following the introduction of ticks into a novel environment. The general model was then adapted to investigate a case study of two recent tick species invasions into the Mid-Atlantic United States. The recent simultaneous …

An Investigation Of Atomic Structures Derived From X-Ray Crystallography And Cryo-Electron Microscopy Using Distal Blocks Of Side-Chains, Lin Chen, Jing He, Salim Sazzed, Rayshawn Walker

Computer Science Faculty Publications

Cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) is a structure determination method for large molecular complexes. As more and more atomic structures are determined using this technique, it is becoming possible to perform statistical characterization of side-chain conformations. Two data sets were involved to characterize block lengths for each of the 18 types of amino acids. One set contains 9131 structures resolved using X-ray crystallography from density maps with better than or equal to 1.5 Å resolutions, and the other contains 237 protein structures derived from cryo-EM density maps with 2-4 Å resolutions. The results show that the normalized probability density function of block …

Non-Canonicaly Recruited Tcrαβcd8Αα Iels Recognize Microbial Antigens, Lukasz Wojciech, Edyta Szurek, Michal Kuczma, Anna Cebula, Wessam R. Elhefnawy, Maciej Pietrzak, Grzegorz Rempala, Leszek Ignatowicz

Computer Science Faculty Publications

In the gut, various subsets of intraepithelial T cells (IELs) respond to self or non-self-antigens derived from the body, diet, commensal and pathogenic microbiota. Dominant subset of IELs in the small intestine are TCRαβCD8αα⁺ cells, which are derived from immature thymocytes that express self-reactive TCRs. Although most of TCRαβCD8αα⁺ IELs are thymus-derived, their repertoire adapts to microbial flora. Here, using high throughput TCR sequencing we examined how clonal diversity of TCRαβCD8αα⁺ IELs changes upon exposure to commensal-derived antigens. We found that fraction of CD8αα⁺ IELs and CD4⁺ T cells express identical …

Quantification Of Twist From The Central Lines Of Β-Strands, Tunazzina Islam, Michael Poteat, Jing He

Computer Science Faculty Publications

Since the discovery of right-handed twist of a β-strand, many studies have been conducted to understand the twist. Given the atomic structure of a protein, twist angles have been defined using atomic positions of the backbone. However, limited study is available to characterize twist when the atomic positions are not available, but the central lines of β-strands are. Recent studies in cryoelectron microscopy show that it is possible to predict the central lines of β-strands from a medium-resolution density map. Accurate measurement of twist angles is important in identification of β-strands from such density maps. We propose an effective method …

Deep Recurrent Learning For Efficient Image Recognition Using Small Data, Mahbubul Alam

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Recognition is fundamental yet open and challenging problem in computer vision. Recognition involves the detection and interpretation of complex shapes of objects or persons from previous encounters or knowledge. Biological systems are considered as the most powerful, robust and generalized recognition models. The recent success of learning based mathematical models known as artificial neural networks, especially deep neural networks, have propelled researchers to utilize such architectures for developing bio-inspired computational recognition models. However, the computational complexity of these models increases proportionally to the challenges posed by the recognition problem, and more importantly, these models require a large amount of data …

Wet And Dry Atmospheric Deposition Of Nutrients And Bioactive Trace Metals To Coastal Waters Of The Mid-Atlantic Bight, Christine Sookhdeo

OES Theses and Dissertations

Atmospheric deposition provides a significant source of nutrients and bioactive trace metals to the surface ocean, including the seasonally oligotrophic waters of the Mid-Atlantic Bight. These atmospherically derived nutrients and trace metals enter the surface ocean via dry deposition of aerosols and wet deposition in rain. To estimate the aeolian input of nutrients and trace metals to coastal waters east of the Delmarva Peninsula, wet and dry atmospheric deposition samples were collected over a one-year time series at the Anheuser-Busch Coastal Research Center, Oyster, Virginia. Weekly composite samples were collected from May 2014 through June 2015. Nutrient species examined were …

Exploring Critical Success Factors Of Community Development Projects, Kevin Wanjama Muchiri

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The utilization of Community Development Projects in developing nations continues to increase in significance. In the wake of the latest Sustainable Development Goals, developing nations are working towards eliminating poverty, promoting sustainable cities and communities, gender equality, and health and well-being. Although Community Development Projects have become prevalent, the challenge has been that some are successful, while others fail. This dissertation investigates what makes Community Development Projects successful.

This dissertation implemented a comprehensive quantitative analysis using data collected from over one hundred community development projects obtained from The World Bank database. These projects took place in developing nations around the …

Ticks, Ixodes Scapularis, Feed Repeatedly On White-Footed Mice Despite Strong Inflammatory Response: An Expanding Paradigm For Understanding Tick-Host Interactions, Jennifer M. Anderson, Ian N. Moore, Bianca M. Nagata, José M.C. Ribeiro, Jesus G. Valenzuela, Daniel E. Sonenshine

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Ticks transmit infectious agents including bacteria, viruses and protozoa. However, their transmission may be compromised by host resistance to repeated tick feeding. Increasing host resistance to repeated tick bites is well known in laboratory animals, including intense inflammation at the bite sites. However, it is not known whether this also occurs in wild rodents such as white-footed mice, Peromyscus leucopus, and other wildlife, or if it occurs at all. According to the "host immune incompetence" hypothesis, if these mice do not have a strong inflammatory response, they would not reject repeated tick bites by Ixodes scapularis. To test …

Graduate News, Graduate School, Old Dominion University

Graduate News

December 2017 issue of Graduate News from the ODU Graduate School.

Illuminator, Volume 1, Issue 3, Batten College Of Engineering & Technology

College of Engineering & Technology Newsletter

December 2017 issue of Illuminator, a monthly publication of ODU's Batten College of Engineering and Technology.

College Of Health Sciences Newsletter, December 2017, Irvin B. Harrell (Editor)

Ellmer College of Health Sciences Newsletters

December 2017 issue of Old Dominion University's College of Health Sciences Newsletter.

Biological Condition Of Money Pont Benthic Communities, Southern Branch Of The Elizabeth River (2010, 2013, 2016), Daniel M. Dauer

Elizabeth River Reports

Executive Summary

This report summarizes the ecological condition of the subtidal macrobenthic communities off Money Point in the Southern Branch of the Elizabeth River based upon quantitative sampling in summer 2016. The designated Money Point study area was part of a sediment contaminant remediation effort. The primary objectives were to: (1) characterize the biological health of the benthos of Money Point comparing pre-remediation condition (2010) to post-remediation condition in 2013 and again in 2016, and (2) assess the effectiveness of the sediment contamination remediation efforts with respect to the ecological condition of the Money Point benthos.

Prior to sediment contaminant …

Distributions Of Krill And Antarctic Silverfish And Correlations With Environmental Variables In The Western Ross Sea, Antarctica, L. Brynn Davis, Eileen E. Hofmann, John M. Klinck, Andrea Piñones, Michael S. Dinniman

CCPO Publications

Antarctic krill Euphausia superba, crystal krill E. crystallorophias, and Antarctic silverfish Pleuragramma antarctica are key mid-trophic level species in the Ross Sea, connecting primary production to the upper trophic levels. Distributions of these species were constructed from observations made in the western Ross Sea from 1988 to 2004. Distributions of environmental conditions were obtained from a 5-km resolution circulation model (temperature, mixed layer depth, surface speed) and satellite-derived observations (chlorophyll, sea ice cover). A hierarchy of statistical methods determined correlations and relationships between species and environmental conditions. Each species occupies a localized habitat defined by different environmental characteristics. …

Molecular Geometries And Other Properties Of H2o⋯Agi And H3n⋯Agi As Characterised By Rotational Spectroscopy And Ab Initio Calculations, Chris Medcraft, Eva Gougoula, Dror M. Bittner, John C. Mullaney, Susana Blanco, David P. Tew, Nicholas R. Walker, Anthony C. Legon

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

The rotational spectra of H₃N⋯AgI and H₂O⋯AgI have been recorded between 6.5 and 18.5 GHz by chirped-pulse Fourier-transform microwave spectroscopy. The complexes were generated through laser vaporisation of a solid target of silver or silver iodide in the presence of an argon gas pulse containing a low concentration of the Lewis base. The gaseous sample subsequently undergoes supersonic expansion which results in cooling of rotational and vibrational motions such that weakly bound complexes can form within the expanding gas jet. Spectroscopic parameters have been determined for eight isotopologues of H₃N⋯AgI and six isotopologues of …

College Of Health Sciences Newsletter, November 2017, Irvin B. Harrell (Editor)

Ellmer College of Health Sciences Newsletters

November 2017 issue of Old Dominion University's College of Health Sciences Newsletter.