Digital Commons Network^™

Neuron Specific Gene 2 (Nsg2): A Novel Regulator Of Excitatory Neurotransmission Via Ampa Receptor Trafficking At A Subset Of Glutamatergic Synapses, Praveen Chander

Biomedical Sciences ETDs

Members of the Neuron-Specific Gene family (NSG1-3) play critical roles in excitatory synaptic transmission via regulation of AMPA receptor surface expression within the post-synaptic density (PSD). While NSG1 and NSG3 regulate AMPAR recycling and endocytosis, respectively, the function of NSG2 has remained elusive. Here we undertook a series of studies to assess the role of NSG2 in excitatory synaptic transmission. We found that a portion of NSG2 punctae localized with HOMER1 and surface AMPARs at excitatory synapses and that NSG2 AMPAR subunits in mouse brain. Knockout of NSG2 selectively impaired the frequency of AMPA mEPSCs, while overexpression caused a significant …

Vision-Based Autonomous Tracking Of A Non-Cooperative Mobile Robot By A Low-Cost Quadrotor Vehicle, Cheikhna Ahmed Tidiane Sy

Electrical and Computer Engineering ETDs

The goal of this thesis is the detection and tracking of a ground vehicle, in particular a car-like robot, by a quadrotor. The first challenge to address in any pursuit or tracking scenario is the detection and unique identification of the target. From this first challenge, comes the need to precisely localize the target in a coordinate system that is common to the tracking and tracked vehicles. In most real-life scenarios, the tracked vehicle does not directly communicate information such as its position to the tracking one. From this fact, arises a non-cooperative constraint problem. The autonomous tracking aspect of …

Using Natural Phenomena To Study The Ionosphere, Joseph Benjamin Malins

Physics & Astronomy ETDs

This dissertation explores novel techniques for observing the ionosphere using natural signals. The ionosphere is a region of plasma hundreds of kilometers above the Earth that affects communication and remote sensing applications across the world. Traditional techniques for observing the ionosphere involve using man made radio signals, either to reflect the signal at HF frequencies or to pass several signals through the ionosphere and compare the difference the ionosphere makes in the signals. However, such techniques are limited by the ability of equipment to produce these signals and by the numerous laws and regulations governing transmission of signals in the …

Calling All Corpses: An Examination Of The Treatment Of The Dead In Old English Literature, Jessica Troy

English Language and Literature ETDs

The care and disposal of the dead bodies, an unavoidable reminder of one’s mortality, rarely receives in-depth literary attention. In early medieval England, the Anglo-Saxons dealt with corpses but seldom discussed the undertaking in written documents. Instead they focused on the grandiose deeds of heroes like Beowulf and the holy lives of revered saints.

This dissertation examines various genres of Old English literature to identify times when authors discuss corpses and to what end these discussions led. Hagiographers, for example, describe the corpses of certain saints such as Æthelthryth and Edmund at length while the bodies of other saints are …

Optimal Relaxation Weights For Multigrid Reduction In Time (Mgrit), Masumi Sugiyama

Mathematics & Statistics ETDs

Based on current trends in computer architectures, faster compute speeds must come from increased parallelism rather than increased clock speeds, which are stagnate. This situation has created the well-known bottleneck for sequential time-integration, where each individual time-value (i.e., time-step) is computed sequentially. One approach to alleviate this and achieve parallelism in time is with multigrid. In this work, we consider the scheme known as multigrid-reduction-in-time (MGRIT), but note that there exist other parallel-in-time methods such as parareal and the parallel full approximation scheme in space and time (PFASST). MGRIT is a full multi-level method applied to the time dimension and …

Measurement Of Photoionization Rates In Air, Justin K. Smith

Electrical and Computer Engineering ETDs

The ionization of gas molecules from the absorption of photons produced in different parts of a discharge is an important process in the development of streamers. Photoionization rates are essential in the propagation of streamers and are therefore important in simulations of computational codes. Although streamers are widely used in computational codes, there is a limited data set on the experiments measuring photoionization rates in gases. Usually, the photoionization rate data used in computational codes comes from a single source and the validity of this data combined with the photoionization model has been questionable. It is postulated there is a …

The Development Of A Novel Experiment On Confined, Flattened Brazilian Disks To Correlate Damage And Permeability In Brittle Geo-Materials, Samuel H. Boyce

Civil Engineering ETDs

This research develops a novel experiment using flattened Brazilian disks under confining pressure with concurrent permeability measurements and acoustic emission monitoring. The purpose of this work is to correlate damage and permeability in brittle geo-materials. Two series of tests are performed on concrete and one series on tuff, under a range of confining stresses between 2.76 and 13.79 MPa. Tests were continued beyond peak stress conditions, capturing data in the post-peak region. The acoustic emission data (cumulative energy and counts) are used to identify damage thresholds and track the progression of microscopic damage. This quantified damage is then correlated to …

Validation Of Gaseous Absorption & Cloud Attenuation Models Utilizing A 72 Ghz Terrestrial Link, Ralph Lyndon Gesner

Electrical and Computer Engineering ETDs

Interest in the W & V-bands of the radio frequency (RF) spectrum has become steadily more desirable for system designers due to the ever increasing need for greater communication bandwidths and higher data rates. The 40 GHZ to 110 GHz range that constitutes the W & V-bands provide a unique solution to both of these current demands by providing a bandwidth nearly double that of all current RF frequencies in use. To date, this range has only been used for point to point satellite and short link communications meaning these bands have remained largely unexplored and undeveloped.

To capitalize on …

Design And Applications Of Charge-Separated Metal-Organic Frameworks, Sheela Thapa

Chemistry and Chemical Biology ETDs

Ionic tetrapodal ligands with colinear coordinating arms are very effective for designing hybrid porous materials with unusual structure and properties. The novelty of this research work lies in the utilization of a unique borate ligand that leads to charge-separated MOF structure with tailor designed properties. Borate ligands being tetrahedral afford 3D materials and the negative charge of borate anion can compensate the positive charge of metal ion in the framework. The borate ligands designed in this research consists of quaternary ammonium cation and anionic borate with four pyridine arms. These ligands upon coordination with Cu(I), Cu(II), Ag(I) and Co(II) metal …

Electromagnetic Analysis Of Bidirectional Reflectance From Roughened Surfaces And Applications To Surface Shape Recovery, Julian Antolin Camarena

Physics & Astronomy ETDs

Scattering from randomly rough surfaces is a well-established sub area of electrodynamics. There remains much to be done since each surface and optical processes that may occur in within the scattering medium, and countless other scenarios, is different. There are also illumination models that describe lighting in a scene on the macroscopic scale where geometrical optics can be considered adequate. Of particular interest for us is the intersection of the physical scattering theories and the illumination models. We present two contributions: 1) A minimum of two independent images are needed since any opaque surface can be uniquely specified in terms …

Biointerfacial Studies Of Nitrifying Biofilms On Physically And Chemically Modified Surfaces, Philip Marley Roveto

Civil Engineering ETDs

Interactions between bacteria and surfaces during the initiation of biofilm formation are complex phenomena with significant and wide-ranging implications for nutrient cycling, ecosystem and human health, and the remediation of anthropogenic pollutants. Nitrifying biofilms are currently used for ammonia removal in wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) systems. As well-studied biofilms, they can serve as models towards understanding crucial aspects of biofilm engineering. The overall objective of this research was to better understand how variations in specific surface chemistries and topographical features affect nitrification rates and microbial populations in an effort to develop technologies for improved productivity. The experimental approach was to …

Development Of Mbd Model And Analysis Methodology For Vehicle Design, Alfonso Christopher Ponce

Mechanical Engineering ETDs

This thesis is to provide a new methodology that considers the effects the chassis applies during dynamic load to the suspension and the handling characteristics of a road course vehicle. A methodology in which is described in detail as well as an applied demonstration where literature before this thesis, lacks in replication and serves to establish a basis for multi-body dynamic analysis in this area. Two models to be created, rigid and flexible, and to compare each other to study the effects the chassis torsional stiffness has during load transfer. Ultimately, to assist in the design of a vehicle that …

Using The Linguistic Experiences Of Youth And Their Families As Curriculum: The Language Box Project, Molly A. Perara-Lunde Ms.

Language, Literacy, and Sociocultural Studies ETDs

This qualitative curricular case study investigated the implementation of a project called the Language Box in a seventh grade Humanities classroom in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I worked with the classroom teacher to design the Language Box project, which focused on the language use practices of the students and their families. We designed the project with the goal of addressing issues of home language loss, bilingualism, and English language acquisition. The students in the classroom were almost exclusively Hispanic, many came from low income families and some were undocumented. Each student acted as a researcher, investigating the language use practices in …

The Influence Of Infant Temperament On Maternal Sensitivity In Preterm Infants, Suzanne Vaccaro

Psychology ETDs

Infants who experience sensitive caregiving are at lower risk for numerous adverse outcomes. This is especially true for infants born preterm, leading them to be more susceptible to risks associated with poorer quality caregiving. Some research suggests that preterm and full term infants differ on in temperament, which may contribute to findings that caregivers of preterm infants are often found to display less sensitive responding to their infants. To investigate the associations between term status, infant temperament, and maternal behavior, videotaped play interactions and a measure of temperament, the Infant Behavior Questionnaire were coded for samples of preterm and full …

Drone-Laser-Computer Aided System For Remote Monitoring Of Critical Structures, Roya Nasimi, Fernando Moreu

Shared Knowledge Conference

The structures and infrastructures are decaying, and they need regular monitoring for performance and safety assessment. One of the factors that can be an indicator of the poor performance of the structures is vibrations exceeding acceptable values specified in the safety codes. However, current existing methods require inspectors to climb the structures to install sensors on these critical zones. These sensors are contact sensors and they need a reference point from where to measure. Installation of the sensors can be unsafe for inspectors, take time, lead to huge expenses, and sometimes these critical structures don't even have access. Drones are …

A Posteriori Error Analysis Of A Non-Standard Quantity Of Interest, Zachary Stevens

Shared Knowledge Conference

Classical a posteriori error analysis quantifies error in a Quantity of Interest (QoI) which is represented as a bounded linear functional of the solution. In this work we consider a posteriori error estimates of a specified non-linear quantity of interest using adjoint-based analysis for linear and nonlinear systems of Ordinary Differential Equations. We apply the estimates to the problem of uncertainty quantification of certain example ODEs which depend on a stochastic parameter. In particular, we compute a bound for the error in a corresponding cumulative distribution function. We derive two methods for computing the error estimates for the QoI. The …

Mechanical Characterization Of Additively Manufactured Inconel 625 And Alsi10mg Via High-Throughput Tensile Testing, Aron Robbins

Mechanical Engineering ETDs

Additive manufacturing allows for the development of complex geometrical designs that may otherwise be impossible to fabricate through common methods. This advantage has opened the door to a new testing method capable of rapid and efficient material property characterization and qualification. The technique exhibits how 100’s of sub-size tensile bars can be tested to show an inherent statistical variation of materials produced by laser powder bed fusion. The testing technique presented is used to evaluate various heat treatments of the nickel super-alloy Inconel 625 and the aluminum alloy AlSi10Mg after stress relief annealing. Statistical analysis using 3-parameter Weibull distributions is …

Lt. Col. Vindman Is A Patriot, Joshua E. Kastenberg

Faculty Scholarship

Op-ed: Kastenberg discusses how it is the duty of a commissioned officer to report activity they consider legally questionable and it is within their duty to testify before Congress.

Satisfaction-Aware Data Offloading In Surveillance Systems, Marcos Paul Torres

Electrical and Computer Engineering ETDs

In this thesis, exploiting Fully Autonomous Aerial Systems' (FAAS) and Mobile Edge Computing (MEC) servers' computing capabilities to introduce a novel data offloading framework to support the energy and time-efficient video processing in surveillance systems based on satisfaction games. A surveillance system is introduced consisting of Areas of Interest (AoIs), where a MEC server is associated with each AoI, and a FAAS is flying above the AoIs to support the IP cameras' computing demands. Each IP camera adopts a utility function capturing its Quality of Service (QoS) considering the experienced time and energy overhead to offload and process remotely or …

Using Uncertainty To Interpret Supervised Machine Learning Predictions, Michael C. Darling

Electrical and Computer Engineering ETDs

Traditionally, machine learning models are assessed using methods that estimate an average performance against samples drawn from a particular distribution. Examples include the use of cross-validation or hold0out to estimate classification error, F-score, precision, and recall.

While these measures provide valuable information, they do not tell us a model's certainty relative to particular regions of the input space. Typically there are regions where the model can differentiate the classes with certainty, and regions where the model is much less certain about its predictions.

In this dissertation we explore numerous approaches for quantifying uncertainty in the individual predictions made by supervised …

Study Of Distributed Versus Compressed Layouts For Physically Unclonable Functions, Joshua Trujillo

Electrical and Computer Engineering ETDs

Society continues to depend on electronics for everything from smart systems in our homes to cellphones and tablets, which are more powerful today than many desktop computers that are still in use [1]. With increased consumption of these electronic products comes an increase in problems, such as counterfeit integrated circuits being sold as genuine integrated circuits. This is just one of many problems that corporations and end users are having to deal with in this digital age.

Software security has been accepted as a problem by both the media and general public, but only recently has hardware security begun to …

Essays On Nutrition And Cognitive Production In Developing Countries: Evidence From Ethiopia & Nepal, Mohammad Ali

Economics ETDs

This dissertation is comprised of five chapters. The first chapter provides an outline of the three separate research papers that are combined in this dissertation. It highlights the goals of each paper, discusses their importance to the field of economics, and outlines their contributions to the existing literature. The final chapter summarizes the main conclusions from the three research articles and points to how my future research trajectory is shaped by my dissertation research.

The second chapter explores the effect of current health (denoted by BMI for age scores) on cognitive test scores directly and indirectly, through time allocated to …

Multimodal Composition And Digital Technology: Investigating The Out-Of-Class Experiences Of Students In A First-Year Composition Class, Jennifer Morgan Sims

English Language and Literature ETDs

This study explores how first-year students in a multimodal composition class use digital technology outside of class to complete their projects. The tendency in Composition studies to characterize students as “self-teaching” users of technology may obscure complex out-of-class experiences, so this study analyzes data from project reflections of 19 first-year students completing digital multimodal compositions to gain insight into their practices. Qualitative analysis reveals that the technical problems students encountered tended to be frequent and repetitive, and some problems were exacerbated by conflicts between the assignment requirements and the capacity of the technology required. Students tended to use trial-and-error methods …

Multi-Year Water Quality Data Reveal Highly Variable Timing And Magnitude Of Metabolism And Physicochemical Drivers In An Aridland River Network, Betsy Marie Summers

Civil Engineering ETDs

Streams and rivers process and transport carbon to downstream systems and are important components of global and regional carbon budgets. Ecosystem functions, including gross primary production (GPP) and ecosystem respiration (ER), can be used to improve understanding of carbon cycling and ecosystem health in lotic systems. Whole-stream metabolism (GPP and ER) has been studied extensively in headwater streams. However, we know less about the variability in GPP and ER in aridland rivers and tributary streams despite being globally abundant and vulnerable systems to changing climate. This dissertation explores temporal and spatial variation of GPP and ER in a montane stream …

Neutrosophic Cognitive Maps For Situation Analysis, Aasim Zafar, Mohd Anas

Neutrosophic Sets and Systems

No abstract provided.

Neutrosophic Gb-Closed Sets And Neutrosophic Gb-Continuity, C. Maheswari, S. Chandrasekar

Neutrosophic Sets and Systems

No abstract provided.

Diagnostic Sequence Detection Against A Complex Background Using A Dna Molecular Computation Framework, Adan Leon Myers Y Gutierrez

Nanoscience and Microsystems ETDs

Diagnostic assays are designed to detect a unique analyte profile in a disease of interest. Nucleic acids contain an information-dense sequence, and thus are ideal candidates for unique analytes. The gold-standard of nucleic-acid-based detection is PCR which has high sensitivity, but involves time, expertise, and cost. DNA molecular logic technology holds much promise as an alternative molecular detection method due to the potential to save cost and expertise, while also achieving a high sensitivity. However, nucleic acid detection in biomedical applications carries with it the difficulty of choice of appropriate sequence and potential biological sample background.

This work describes the …

A New Approach To Operations On Bipolar Neutrosophic Soft Sets And Bipolar Neutrosophic Soft Topological Spaces, Taha Yasin Ozturk, Tugba Han Dizman (Simsekler)

Neutrosophic Sets and Systems

No abstract provided.

Validation Of A Model For Knowledge Management In The Cocoa Producing Peasant Organizations Of Vinces Using Neutrosophic Iadov Technique, V. J. Castillo Zuñiga, A. Medina León, D. Medina Nogueira, D. Arellano Valencia, J. Mora Romero

Neutrosophic Sets and Systems

No abstract provided.

Hsc Education Day Abstracts 2019, Office For Continuous Professional Learning

HSC Education Days

No abstract provided.