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Performance Analysis Of Srcp Image Based Sound Source Detection Algorithms, Praveen Reddy Nalavolu

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Steered Response Power based algorithms are widely used for finding sound source location using microphone array systems. SRCP-PHAT is one such algorithm that has a robust performance under noisy and reverberant conditions. The algorithm creates a likelihood function over the field of view. This thesis employs image processing methods on SRCP-PHAT images, to exploit the difference in power levels and pixel patterns to discriminate between sound source and background pixels. Hough Transform based ellipse detection is used to identify the sound source locations by finding the centers of elliptical edge pixel regions typical of source patterns. Monte Carlo simulations of …

Issues Related To The Numerical Implementation Of A Sparse Method For The Solution Of Volume Integral Equations At Low Frequencies, Kiran Arcot

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Computational electromagnetic modeling involves generating system matrices by discretizing integral equations and solving the resulting system of linear equations. Many methods of solving the system of linear equations exist and one such method is the factorization of the matrix using the so called local-global solution (LOGOS) modes. Computer codes to perform the discretization of the integral equations, filling of the matrix, and the subsequent LOGOS factorization have previously been developed by others. However, these codes are limited to complex double precision arithmetic only.

This thesis extends and expands the existing computer by creating a more general implementation that is able …

Examining The Relationship Between Weight, Food Insecurity, Food Stamps, And Perceived Diet Quality In School-Aged Children, Elizabeth Lucas Marshall

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

A paradox exists between food insecurity and obesity. Childhood obesity has tripled in the past three decades. This study aimed to understand the relationships between food insecurity, poverty income ratio, food stamps usage, perceived diet quality, and weight status in children. A child’s weight status is determined by many different factors and this study investigated several of these aspects. It was found that the family’s poverty index ratio had the greatest effect on a child’s BMI, but household food security status, ethnicity, and the perceived inability to serve balanced meals were all found to be statistically significant when considering a …

New Directions In School Funding And Governance: Moving From Politics To Evidence, Benjamin Michael Superfine

Kentucky Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Justiciability, Adequacy, Advocacy, And The "American Dream", R. Craig Wood

Kentucky Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Diagonal Forms And The Rationality Of The Poincaré Series, Dibyajyoti Deb

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

The Poincaré series, Py(f) of a polynomial f was first introduced by Borevich and Shafarevich in [BS66], where they conjectured, that the series is always rational. Denef and Igusa independently proved this conjecture. However it is still of interest to explicitly compute the Poincaré series in special cases. In this direction several people looked at diagonal polynomials with restrictions on the coefficients or the exponents and computed its Poincaré series. However in this dissertation we consider a general diagonal polynomial without any restrictions and explicitly compute its Poincaré series, thus extending results of Goldman, Wang and Han. In a separate …

Inelastic Collisions In Cold Dipolar Gases, Catherine A. Newell

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Inelastic collisions between dipolar molecules, assumed to be trapped in a static electric field at cold (> 10⁻³K) temperatures, are investigated and compared with elastic collisions. For molecules with a Λ-doublet energy-level structure, a dipole moment arises because of the existence of two nearly degenerate states of opposite parity, and the collision of two such dipoles can be solved entirely analytically in the energy range of interest. Cross sections and rate constants are found to satisfy simple, universal formulas. In contrast, for molecules in a Σ electronic ground state, the static electric field induces a dipole moment in …

Measurement Of Single-Target Spin Asymmetries In The Electroproduction Of Negative Pions In The Semi-Inclusive Deep Inelastic Reaction N↑(E,Éπ¯)X On A Transversely Polarized 3he Target, Chiranjib Dutta

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

The experiment E06010 measured the target single spin asymmetry (SSA) in the semiinclusive deep inelastic (SIDIS) n↑(e,éπ¯)X reaction with a transversely polarized ³He target as an effective neutron target. This is the very first independent measurement of the neutron SSA, following the measurements at HERMES and COMPASS on the proton and the deuteron. The experiment acquired data in Hall A at Jefferson Laboratory with a continuous electron beam of energy 5.9 GeV, probing the valence quark region, with x = 0.13→0.41, at Q² = 1.31→3.1 GeV². The two contributing mechanisms to the measured asymmetry, viz, the …

Survival And Inflammation In Patients With Heart Failure: The Impact Of Overweight, Obesity, Diabetes And Fruit And Vegetable Consumption, Heather Payne-Emerson

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Overweight and obesity are paradoxically associated with better survival in patients with heart failure (HF). This association is poorly understood, in part because the impact of diabetes (DM) on survival of overweight and obese HF patients has not been considered. Inflammation may contribute to worse survival in overweight and obese HF patients with DM, and levels of inflammation may be associated with fruit and vegetable consumption. However, neither of these relationships has been investigated in patients with HF.

The purposes of this dissertation were to a) examine the effect of DM on survival of overweight and obese patients with HF, …

Spectroscopy And Structures Of Metal-Cyclic Hydrocarbon Complexes, Jung Sup Lee

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Metal-cyclic hydrocarbon complexes were prepared in a laser-vaporization molecular beam source and studied by single-photon zero electron kinetic energy (ZEKE) and IR-UV resonant two-photon ionization (R2PI) spectroscopy. The ionization energies and vibrational frequencies of the metal complexes were measured from the ZEKE spectra. Metal-ligand bonding and low-lying electronic states of the neutral and ionized complexes were analyzed by combining the ZEKE measurements with density functional theory (DFT) calculations. In addition, C-H stretching frequencies were measured from the R2PI spectra.

In this dissertation, metal complexes of 1, 3, 5, 7-cyclo-octatetraene (COT), toluene, p-xylene, mesitylene, hexamethylbenzene, biphenyl, naphthalene, pyrene, perylene, and …

Measurement Of Single Spin Asymmetries In Semi-Inclusive Deep Inelastic Scattering Reaction N↑(E, Éπ+)X At Jefferson Lab, Kalyan C. Allada

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

What constitutes the spin of the nucleon? The answer to this question is still not completely understood. Although we know the longitudinal quark spin content very well, the data on the transverse quark spin content of the nucleon is still very sparse. Semi-inclusive Deep Inelastic Scattering (SIDIS) using transversely polarized targets provide crucial information on this aspect. The data that is currently available was taken with proton and deuteron targets.

The E06-010 experiment was performed at Jefferson Lab in Hall-A to measure the single spin asymmetries in the SIDIS reaction n^↑(e,éπ^±/K^±)X using transversely polarized …

A Markov Transition Model To Dementia With Death As A Competing Event, Liou Xu

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

The research on multi-state Markov transition model is motivated by the nature of the longitudinal data from the Nun Study (Snowdon, 1997), and similar information on the BRAiNS cohort (Salazar, 2004). Our goal is to develop a flexible methodology for handling the categorical longitudinal responses and competing risks time-to-event that characterizes the features of the data for research on dementia. To do so, we treat the survival from death as a continuous variable rather than defining death as a competing absorbing state to dementia. We assume that within each subject the survival component and the Markov process are linked by …

Biochemical Characterization Of Human Mismatch Recognition Proteins Mutsα And Mutsβ, Lei Tian

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

The integrity of an organism's genome depends on the fidelity of DNA replication and the efficiency of DNA repair. The DNA mismatch repair (MMR) system, which is highly conserved from prokaryotes to eukaryotes, plays an important role in maintaining genome stability by correcting base-base mismatches and insertion/deletion (ID) mispairs generated during DNA replication and other DNA transactions. Mismatch recognition is a critical step in MMR. Two mismatch recognition proteins, MutSα (MSH2-MSH6 heterodimer) and MutSβ (MSH2-MSH3 heterodimer), have been identified in eukaryotic cells. MutSα and MutSβ have partially overlapping functions, with MutSα recognizing primarily base-base mismatches and 1-2 nt ID mispairs …

15N Solid-State Nmr Detection Of Flavin Perturbation By H-Bonding In Models And Enzyme Active Sites, Dongtao Cui

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Massey and Hemmerich proposed that the different reactivities displayed by different flavoenzymes could be achieved as a result of dominance of different flavin ring resonance structures in different binding sites. Thus, the FMN cofactor would engage in different reactions when it had different electronic structures. To test this proposal and understand how different protein sites could produce different flavin electronic structures, we are developing solid-state NMR as a means of characterizing the electronic state of the flavin ring, via the ¹⁵N chemical shift tensors of the ring N atoms. These provide information on the frontier orbitals. We propose that …

Streamflow Prediction Using Gis For The Kentucky River Basin, Bakkiyalakshmi Palanisamy

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

The study was aimed at developing a simple methodology for flow prediction in ungauged basins using existing data resources. For this purpose, the streamflow measurements across the Kentucky River Basin located in Kentucky, USA were obtained from United States Geological Survey (USGS) archive. The flow transferring characteristics of the subbasins of the Kentucky River Basin were obtained by combining downstream and upstream stream gauges. The flow transferring function thus derived were related to watershed, channel and flow characteristics of the subbasins by multiple regression analysis. The gauge pairs were divided into two classes of subbasins representing Upper and Lower Kentucky, …

The Role Of Abcg2 In Drug Active Transport In Milk, Lipeng Wang

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Drug active transport into milk is a major concern for breastfeeding mothers and healthcare providers. Studies from the literature indicated that breast cancer resistance protein (ABCG2) plays an important role in drug transfer into milk. There has been limited study on stereoselective interactions with ABCG2. A mechanistic analysis of flux across cell monolayer model is a critical first step toward extrapolating in vitro results for predicting in vivo disposition (including distribution into milk), drug disposition or drug-drug interactions.

The objectives of this thesis were (1) to establish a “Chemical knockout model” in rat for studying drug accumulation into milk, (2) …

Effect Of Low And High- Kinetic Energy Wetting On Quality Of Sediment Produced By Interrill Erosion, Eduardo Abel Rienzi

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Raindrop kinetic energy and sheet flow can disintegrate aggregates during interrill erosion, a process responsible for non point source pollution. Also, the dissolution process during aggregate wetting can affect interrill erosion. These factors can be responsible for changes in particle size distribution in the sediment, especially when different tillage systems are compared. The effect of soil tillage and management on soil properties is not uniform, which determine a wide range of runoff and sediment delivery rate. Variety in these rates can be associated with pore functions and their interactions with aggregate stability. One of the objectives of this study was …

Near-Field Radiative Transfer: Thermal Radiation, Thermophotovoltaic Power Generation And Optical Characterization, Mathieu Francoeur

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on near-field radiative transfer, which can be defined as the discipline concerned with energy transfer via electromagnetic waves at sub-wavelength distances. Three specific subjects related to this discipline are investigated, namely nearfield thermal radiation, nanoscale-gap thermophotovoltaic (nano-TPV) power generation and optical characterization. An algorithm for the solution of near-field thermal radiation problems in one-dimensional layered media is developed, and several tests are performed showing the accuracy, consistency and versatility of the procedure. The possibility of tuning near-field radiative heat transfer via thin films supporting surface phononpolaritons (SPhPs) in the infrared is afterwards investigated via the computation of …

High Accuracy Multiscale Multigrid Computation For Partial Differential Equations, Yin Wang

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Scientific computing and computer simulation play an increasingly important role in scientific investigation and engineering designs, supplementing traditional experiments, such as in automotive crash studies, global climate change, ocean modeling, medical imaging, and nuclear weapons. The numerical simulation is much cheaper than experimentation for these application areas and it can be used as the third way of science discovery beyond the experimental and theoretical analysis. However, the increasing demand of high resolution solutions of the Partial Differential Equations (PDEs) with less computational time has increased the importance for researchers and engineers to come up with efficient and scalable computational techniques …

Chemical Modification And Characterization Of Carbon Nanotubes, Kelby Brandan Cassity

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are a relatively new allotrope of carbon that possess very unique and exciting physical characteristics. However, much is still unknown regarding their physical structure and chemical reactivity. The focus of this dissertation is to utilize the chemical modification of these filamentous carbon structures as a probe to investigate the structure and reactivity of carbon nanotubes. Also discussed is the ability of CNTs, once chemically modified, to interact with specific polymer matrices and how the addition of modified and unmodified CNTs affects the physical properties of these matrices.

Explorations In Homeoviscous Adaptation And Mass Spectral Analysis Of Membrane Lipids, Michael Douglas Timmons

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

The focus of this dissertation is centered on the mass spectral analysis of lipids and changes occurring in keeping with the concept of homeoviscous adaptation [1]. Homeoviscous adaptation is the process of modification of membrane lipids in response to environmental stimuli [1]. Dissertation investigations applied this concept to prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms, and expanded the perception of environmental factors from exogenous organic solvents to intracellular environment.

The field of lipidomics deals with the analysis of phospholipid and fatty acid components of membranes the changes that occur due to environmental stimuli and their biological significance [2-6]. The high sensitivity of mass …

Provenance Of The Neoproterozoic Ocoee Supergroup, Eastern Great Smoky Mountains, Suvankar Chakraborty

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

The Ocoee Supergroup is a sequence of Neoproterozoic, immature, continental rift facies clastic sediments. Potential source rocks were tested by analyzing modes of detrital framework minerals, detrital mineral chemistry, whole rock geochemistry and detrital zircon U/Pb geochronology by LA-ICP-MS for Ocoee siltstone-sandstone dominated formations. Ocoee units are arkosic to subarkosic siltstones/sandstones, and ternary tectonic discrimination diagrams confirm a continental basement uplift source. Alkali feldspar predominates over plagioclase feldspar. Detrital feldspar compositions of Ocoee sediments as a group are similar to feldspar in local basement granitic rocks except for high-Ca plagioclase grains present locally in basement granitic rocks. The high alkali …

Studies Toward The Total Synthesis Of (±)-Α-Yohimbine By Double Annulation, Raghu Ram Chamala

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

The indole alkaloids, a class of natural products, have received much synthetic attention for years due to their diverse structures and interesting biological properties. We are particularly interested in synthesizing some of the yohimbine alkaloids extracted from the bark of a tall evergreen African tree (Corynanthe yohimbe, commonly known as fringe tree). Yohimbine and its stereoisomers have been tempting targets for synthetic organic chemists for more than fifty years. These compounds feature a pentacyclic ring system with two heteroatoms and five stereogenic centers.

Broadly, the fifteen different synthetic approaches that led to the successful completion of yohimbine alkaloids …

Physical Conditions Including Magnetic Fields In Several Star Forming Regions Of The Galaxy, Matt Lykins

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

This document describes studies of two independent regions of the interstellar medium (ISM). These studies have the common element that both pertain to regions in our Galaxy that are known to be associated with present-day star formation. These studies aim to help us understand the ISM, star formation, and ultimately where we came from, since, after all, our star, the Sun, is itself the product of star formation 4.5 billion years ago. The first project measured the Zeeman Effect on the 21 cm H I absorption line in order to create a map of the line of sight magnetic fields …

Opioid-Cannabinoid Codrugs With Enhanced Analgesic And Pharmacokinetic Profile, Harpreet Kaur Dhooper

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

The central hypothesis of the dissertation is that “the design and synthesis of a codrug of an opiate and a cannabinoid can be achieved which is stable in the gastrointestinal tract and shows a superior pharmacological and pharmacokinetic profile when compared to a physical mixture of the two parent drugs.” To prove the hypothesis, a series of novel codrugs were prepared by conjugation of the opiate drug codeine with Δ⁹-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ⁹-THC), cannabidiol, abn-cannabidiol and an opiate prodrug 3-O-acetylmorphine with Δ⁹-THC. Codeine-cannabinoid codrugs were evaluated for analgesic activity in the rat after oral administration. The …

Comparison Of Two Samples By A Nonparametric Likelihood-Ratio Test, William H. Barton

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

In this dissertation we present a novel computational method, as well as its software implementation, to compare two samples by a nonparametric likelihood-ratio test. The basis of the comparison is a mean-type hypothesis. The software is written in the R-language [4]. The two samples are assumed to be independent. Their distributions, which are assumed to be unknown, may be discrete or continuous. The samples may be uncensored, right-censored, left-censored, or doubly-censored. Two software programs are offered. The first program covers the case of a single mean-type hypothesis. The second program covers the case of multiple mean-type hypotheses. For the first …

Algorithms For Upper Bounds Of Low Dimensional Group Homology, Joshua D. Roberts

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

A motivational problem for group homology is a conjecture of Quillen that states, as reformulated by Anton, that the second homology of the general linear group over R = Z[1/p; ζ_p], for p an odd prime, is isomorphic to the second homology of the group of units of R, where the homology calculations are over the field of order p. By considering the group extension spectral sequence applied to the short exact sequence 1 → SL₂ → GL₂ → GL₁ → 1 we show that the calculation of the homology …

Evolution And The End Of A World, David Edward Long

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation examines college student understanding and attitudes toward biological evolution. In ethnographic work, I followed a cohort of 31 students through their required introductory biology class. In interviews, students discuss their life history with the concept - in school, at home, at church, and in their communities. For some Creationist students, confronting evolution in class has meant confronting existential issues regarding both the basis of science and the basis of faith. For other Creationist students, claims of evolution's theoretical strength are eschewed for its direct challenge to their worldview. For most students, science holds minimal interest against other values …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Magnetic Hydrogel Nanocomposites For Cancer Therapy Applications, Samantha Ann Meenach

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Currently, cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States. Conventional cancer treatment includes chemotherapy, radiation, and surgical resection, but unfortunately, all of these methods have significant drawbacks. Hyperthermia, the heating of cancerous tissues to between 41 and 45°C, has been shown to improve the efficacy of cancer therapy when used in conjunction with irradiation and/or chemotherapy. In this work, a novel method for remotely administering heat is presented. This method involves heating of tumor tissue using hydrogel nanocomposites containing magnetic nanoparticles which can be remotely heated upon exposure to an external alternating magnetic field (AMF). The …

Nonparametric Estimation Of Derivatives With Applications, Benjamin Hall

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

We review several nonparametric regression techniques and discuss their various strengths and weaknesses with an emphasis on derivative estimation and confidence band creation. We develop a generalized C(p) criterion for tuning parameter selection when interest lies in estimating one or more derivatives and the estimator is both linear in the observed responses and self-consistent. We propose a method for constructing simultaneous confidence bands for the mean response and one or more derivatives, where simultaneous now refers both to values of the covariate and to all derivatives under consideration. In addition we generalize the simultaneous confidence bands to account for heteroscedastic …