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Lecture 6, Kannan Soundararajan

NSF-CBMS Conference: L-functions and Multiplicative Number Theory

Continuation of Progress towards moment conjectures -- upper and lower bounds.

Lecture 5, Kannan Soundararajan

NSF-CBMS Conference: L-functions and Multiplicative Number Theory

Progress towards moment conjectures -- upper and lower bounds.

Effects Of Polyamine Binding On The Stability Of Dna I-Motif Structures, Michael M. Molnar, Shelby C. Liddell, Randy M. Wadkins

Faculty and Student Publications

B-form DNA can adopt alternative structures under conditions such as superhelical duress. Alternative DNA structures are favored when there is asymmetric distribution of guanosine and cytosine on complimentary DNA strands. A guanosine-rich strand can form a four-stranded structure known as a quadruplex (G4). The complimentary cytosine-rich strand can utilize intercalating cytosine−cytosine base pairing to form a four-stranded structure known as the i-motif (iM). Both secondary structures are energetically uphill from double-strand DNA (dsDNA), meaning that additional factors are needed for their formation. Most iMs require slightly acidic conditions for structure stabilization. However, crowding agents such as polyethylene glycols and dextrans …

High Moments Of L-Functions, Vorrapan Chandee

NSF-CBMS Conference: L-functions and Multiplicative Number Theory

Abstract: Moments of L-functions on the critical line (Re(s) = 1/2) have been extensively studied due to numerous applications, for example, bounds for L-functions, information on zeros of L-functions, and connections to the generalized Riemann hypothesis. However, the current understanding of higher moments is very limited. In this talk, I will give an overview how we can achieve asymptotic and bounds for higher moments by enlarging the size of various families of L-functions and show some techniques that are involved.

Moments Of Cubic L-Functions Over Function Fields, Alexandra Florea

NSF-CBMS Conference: L-functions and Multiplicative Number Theory

Abstract: I will talk about some recent work with Chantal David and Matilde Lalin about the mean value of L-functions associated to cubic characters over F_q[t] when q=1 (mod 3). I will explain how to obtain an asymptotic formula which relies on obtaining cancellation in averages of cubic Gauss sums over functions fields. I will also talk about the corresponding non-Kummer case when q=2 (mod 3) and I will explain why this setting is somewhat easier to handle than the Kummer case, which allows us to prove some better results.

Lecture 4, Kannan Soundararajan

NSF-CBMS Conference: L-functions and Multiplicative Number Theory

Larger values of L-functions on critical line -- moments, conjectures.

Lecture 3, Kannan Soundararajan

NSF-CBMS Conference: L-functions and Multiplicative Number Theory

Continuation of Selberg's central limit theorem and analogues in families of L-functions (typical size of values on critical line).

An Effective Chebotarev Density Theorem For Families Of Fields, With An Application To Class Groups, Caroline Turnage-Butterbaugh

NSF-CBMS Conference: L-functions and Multiplicative Number Theory

This talk will present an effective Chebotarev theorem that holds for all but a possible zero-density subfamily of certain families of number fields of fixed degree. For certain families, this work is unconditional, and in other cases it is conditional on the strong Artin conjecture and certain conjectures on counting number fields. As an application, we obtain nontrivial average upper bounds on ℓ-torsion in the class groups of the families of fields.

Landau-Siegel Zeros And Their Illusory Consequences, Kyle Pratt

NSF-CBMS Conference: L-functions and Multiplicative Number Theory

Updated time

Abstract: Researchers have tried for many years to eliminate the possibility of LandauSiegel zeros—certain exceptional counterexamples to the Generalized Riemann Hypothesis. Often one thinks of these zeros as being a severe nuisance, but there are many situations in which their existence allows one to prove spectacular, though illusory, results. I will review some of this history and some of these results. In the latter portion of the talk I will discuss recent work, joint with H. M. Bui and Alexandru Zaharescu, in which we show that the existence of Landau-Siegel zeros has implications for the behavior of Dirichlet …

Lecture 2, Kannan Soundararajan

NSF-CBMS Conference: L-functions and Multiplicative Number Theory

Selberg's central limit theorem and analogues in families of L-functions (typical size of values on critical line).

Lecture 1, Kannan Soundararajan

NSF-CBMS Conference: L-functions and Multiplicative Number Theory

Introduction to the rest of lectures + value distribution of L-functions away from critical line.

University Of Mississippi 166th Commencement, 2019, University Of Mississippi, Jeffrey S. Vitter, Noel E. Wilkin, Leon Collins

Commencement Programs

No abstract provided.

For Some In Regalia, This Isn't Just Another Commencement, Michael Newsom

University of Mississippi News

Several administrators and professors have children graduating from UM this year

The Effect Of Music And Movement Interventions On Elementary Students’ Classroom Transition Times And Engagement, Bryanna Susann Hall

Honors Theses

In recent years, educational mandates such as those established by the No Child Left Behind Act have placed increased pressure on school administrators and faculty to focus a large portion of their resources on improving students’ standardized test scores. As a result, many teachers are searching for ways to increase instructional time, yet during an already chaotic school day, that is not such an easy task (Heafner, Lipscomb, & Rock, 2006). Therefore, this study examined possible solutions to this issue that would benefit both students and teachers through the implementation of various music and movement interventions. The research occurred over …

Equality In Education: Solutions Aimed At Closing The Achievement Gap In Mississippi Public Schools, Mallie E. Imbler

Honors Theses

This thesis attempts to examine solutions aimed at closing the achievement gap in Mississippi public schools. The research questions that are addressed in this thesis include: a) Why is the achievement gap part of policy debates in Mississippi and how have individ-ual school districts and policymakers responded to the gap? b) How is the gap measured and what are the trends since 2001 when the No Child Left Behind Act was adopted? c) How are achievement gap debates reflected in the current policy? d) Have any of the past national education policies been effective in decreasing the achievement gap? The …

How Will I Afford It? Financial Aid And Its Impact On Higher Education: Evidence From The State Of Mississippi, Daria Herasymova

Honors Theses

The cost of higher education, in real terms, doubled in the last twenty years, increasing faster than medical costs, the consumer price index and housing. In 1987, U.S. Secretary of Education, William J. Bennett, in the New York Times article, raised the concern that financial aid has unintended consequences of enabling higher education institution to increase tuition. In this paper, through collection of data and literature review, I examine the drivers behind the rising cost of higher education and test whether the postsecondary institutions in the state of Mississippi exhibit behavior, consistent with the Bennett Hypothesis. Using fixed-effects regression model, …

The Critical Difference Seismic Design Can Make For A Reinforced Concrete Building Located In Oxford, Mississippi, Naim Daghmash

Honors Theses

The Senior Design course at the University of Mississippi requires the completion of a capstone project. One part of the capstone project is a complete structural design of the NOLA, an ongoing construction in the city of Oxford in Mississippi. The course requires the NOLA to be designed according to gravity loads, meaning the forces act in the downward direction towards the earth’s surface. Some loading mechanisms that could occur in a different direction than gravity are seismic loads, which are earthquake-generated loads. I was not required by my instructors to consider the effect of an earthquake on the structural …

Increasing The Effectiveness Of Impossible Spaces In Virtual Environments Using Moving Textures, Dylan Devenny

Honors Theses

This study looks to examine a method of overcoming the limitations caused by the size of a physical tracking area in virtual reality environments known as impossible spaces and attempt to improve its efficiency by altering the texture flow of the virtual environment. The experiment involves running participants through a series of small buildings consisting of two rooms in which the percentage of overlap between the two rooms and the ratio of texture movement to user movement (corresponding to textural ow conditions) differs from trial to trial and asking participants to make a judgement of whether or not the environment …

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.

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 …

A Comprehensive Review Of Accounting Through Case Studies, Lukas Javier Castellanos

Honors Theses

An in-depth analysis of accounting was performed through a progression of case studies which covered technical, as well as disputed, accounting concepts and theory. This was performed through the Accounting 420 class which met to further discuss and debate these topics with instructors, accounting firms, and other academic peers. These cases create scenarios from real life examples in order to portray the actual nature of accounting and its basis. This thesis contains analysis cases each with a specific emphasis and idea pertaining to an aspect of accounting. Note that Case 4 is not included as it was a calculation based …

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 …

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 …

Um Student Wins Coveted Goldwater Scholarship, Edwin B. Smith

University of Mississippi News

Addison Roush is the university's 14th Goldwater Scholar

Equivalent Annual Operating Cost Of Reactors In A Discrete Optimized Styrene Process, S Arizona Morgan-Harris

Honors Theses

Beginning in the fall semester, I was a member of a team that simulated and optimized a styrene production process in Microsoft Excel. After the base case was simulated, parametric and topological optimizations were completed. The optimizations had to be completed in a certain order that starts with the reactor section, then move to the separation section, heat recovery section, heating/cooling utilities section, and ends with the water and effluent treatment section. During this project, the first three sections were explored. Optimizing the base case was completed by making these changes to see how they increased the net present value …

Structures, Energetics, And Vibrational Frequencies Of Microhydrated Hexafluorophosphate, Pf6−(H2o)N=1,2 From Dft And Ab Initio Computations, Yasmeen Abdo

Honors Theses

This study systematically examines an anion commonly used in room temperature ionic liquids, hexafluorophosphate PF6−, and its non-covalent interactions with up to two explicit water molecules (PF6 − (H2 O)n where n = 1, 2). Initial low-energy configurations are identified via a set of relaxed angular scans across the edges and faces of the PF6− octahedron using the global hybrid M06-2X density functional with a triple-ζ correlation consistent basis set augmented with diffuse functions on all non- hydrogen atoms (cc-pVTZ for H and aug-cc-pVTZ for P, O, F; denoted haTZ). Full geometry optimizations are performed on these initial structures using …

Understanding Juuling Trends Among Differing Age And Gender Demographics Through Social Sensing, Thomas Mcfann

Honors Theses

Middle schoolers, high schoolers, and college students have increasingly begun using the Juul, which is a type of e-cigarette. In fact, in 2017 a study showed that “2.1 million high schoolers and middle schoolers used e-cigarettes” (Richtel and Kaplan, 2018). The reason why my research specifically addresses the Juul is that it “is now the largest e-cigarette brand measured by retail sales companies” (Huang et al., 2018b). Studies have been done to show the short time it takes for a child to lose autonomy over tobacco use, ranging from 2 to 30 days of first inhaling a cigarette (DiFranza et …

Portfolio Optimization Methods: The Mean-Variance Approach And The Bayesian Approach, Hoang Nguyen

Honors Theses

This thesis is a discussion on the mean-variance approach to portfolio optimization and an introduction of the Bayesian approach, which is designed to solve certain limitations of the classical mean-variance analysis. The primary goal of portfolio optimization is to achieve the maximum return from investment given a certain level of risk. The mean-variance approach, introduced by Harry Markowitz, sought to solve this optimization problem by analyzing the means and variances of a certain collection of stocks. However, due to its simplicity, the mean-variance approach is subject to various limitations. In this paper, we seek to solve some of these limitations …

#Whyididntreport: Using Social Media As A Tool To Understand Why Sexual Assault Victims Do Not Report, Abby Garrett

Honors Theses

Sexual assault has gone largely under-reported, and social media movements, like #WhyIDidntReport, have brought great awareness to this issue. In order to take advantage of the large amounts of data the #WhyIDidntReport movement has generated, the study uses tweets to explore reasons why victims do not report their assault. The thesis cites current research on the topic of assault to generate a list of explanations victims use to describe their lack of reporting and compares the distributions with existing studies. We use a supervised learning technique to automatically categorize tweets into one of eight categories. This approach uses social sensing …

Encoding A 1-D Heisenberg Spin 1/2 Chain In A Simulated Annealing Algorithm For Machine Learning, Daniel Pompa

Honors Theses

The application areas of machine learning techniques are becoming broader and increasingly ubiquitous in the natural sciences and engineering. One such field of interest within the physics community is the training and implementation of neural networks to aid in quantum many-body computations. Conversely, research exploring the possible computational benefits of using quantum many-body dynamics in the area of artificial intelligence and machine learning has also recently started to gain traction. The marriage of these fields comes naturally with the complementary nature of their mathematical frameworks. The objective of this study was to explore the possibility of encoding a quantum spin …