Digital Commons Network^™

Uncertain Loading And Quantifying Maximum Energy Concentration Within Composite Structures, Robert Lipton, Paul Sinz, Michael Stuebner

Faculty Publications

We introduce a systematic method for identifying the worst case load among all boundary loads of fixed energy. Here the worst case load is defined to be the one that delivers the largest fraction of input energy to a prescribed subdomain of interest. The worst case load is identified with the first eigenfunction of a suitably defined eigenvalue problem. The first eigenvalue for this problem is the maximum fraction of boundary energy that can be delivered to the subdomain. We compute worst case boundary loads and associated energy contained inside a prescribed subdomain through the numerical solution of the eigenvalue …

Inhibitors Of Pfkfb3 For Cancer Therapy, Yong-Hwan Lee, Jeong Do Kim

College of Science Patents

Compounds used to inhibit glycolytic pathway small molecule kinase 6-Phosphofructo-2-kinase/Fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase (PFKFB) are set forth; these inhibitors can be used in the treatment of certain diseases in which cells or tumors rely on glycolytic metabolism, such as many cancer cells.

Searching Neuroimaging Biomarkers In Mental Disorders With Graph And Multimodal Fusion Analysis Of Functional Connectivity, Hao He

Electrical and Computer Engineering ETDs

Mental disorders such as schizophrenia (SZ), bipolar (BD), and major depression disorders (MDD) can cause severe symptoms and life disruption. They share some symptoms, which can pose a major clinical challenge to their differentiation. Objective biomarkers based on neuroimaging may help to improve diagnostic accuracy and facilitate optimal treatment for patients. Over the last decades, non-invasive in-vivo neuroimaging techniques such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have been increasingly applied to measure structure and function in human brains. With functional MRI (fMRI) or structural MRI (sMRI), studies have identified neurophysiological deficits in patients’ brain from different perspective. Functional connectivity (FC) analysis …

Approaches For Capturing Time-Varying Functional Network Connectivity With Application To Normative Development And Mental Illness, Barnaly Rashid

Electrical and Computer Engineering ETDs

Since the beginning of medical science, the human brain has remained an unsolved puzzle; an illusive organ that controls everything- from breathing to heartbeats, from emotion to anger, and more. With the power of advanced neuroimaging techniques, scientists have now started to solve this nearly impossible puzzle, piece by piece. Over the past decade, various in vivo techniques, including functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), have been increasingly used to understand brain functions. fMRI is extensively being used to facilitate the identification of various neuropsychological disorders such as schizophrenia (SZ), bipolar disorder (BP) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). These disorders are …

Quantum Dot Band Gap Investigations, John Ryan Peterson

Student Works

Improving solar panel efficiency has become increasingly important as the world searches for cheap renewable energy. Recent developments in the industry have focused on multi-layer cells, some of which use semiconducting dyes to absorb light in place of crystalline solids. In this paper, I characterize various dyes recently synthesized for use in solar panels. These dyes contain semiconducting nanoparticles enclosed primarily by the protein ferritin to limit particle size. The band gaps were measured using either optical absorption spectroscopy or measuring the photoluminescence spectrum, depending on the type of semiconductor. The results indicate that both manganese oxide and lead sulfide …

Research On Teacher Evaluation: A Review Of Statute, Regulation And Litigation In The Region, Helen M. Hazi

The Rural Educator

Limited research has been done to examine teacher evaluation in rural schools. This article presents an analysis of legislation and regulation of teacher evaluation in selected rural states, highlights their commonalities and differences, reports their litigation, and speculates on potential problems that can result in rural schools. It ends with recommendations for states to consider now that the Every Student Succeeds Act (formerly No Child Left Behind) has passed, and states have the option to reconsider their teacher evaluation plans.

‘When I Am Being Rushed It Slows Down My Brain’: Constructing Self-Understandings As A Mathematics Learner, Rachel Lambert

Education Faculty Articles and Research

Understanding learning disabilities (LDs) as constructed through multiple cultural practices including discourse, this paper focuses on a Latino middle school student with a LD named Elijah. This study documents both the discourses and practices used to position Elijah as a mathematics learner, as well as his use of similar discourses as he constructs a complex set of self-understandings as a mathematics learner. Elijah is positioned by discourses that prioritise speed as an indicator of mathematical ability, as well as discourses that construct students with LD as having both intelligence and differences such as processing speed. An analysis of interview and …

Efficient Collision-Free Path Planning For Autonomous Underwater Vehicles In Dynamic Environments With A Hybrid Optimization Algorithm, Yufei Zhuang, Sanjay Sharma, Bidyadhar Subudhi, Haibin Huang, Jian Wan

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

No abstract provided.

Network Inference Driven Drug Discovery, Gergely Zahoránszky-Kőhalmi, Tudor I. Oprea, Cristian G. Bologa, Subramani Mani, Oleg Ursu

Biomedical Sciences ETDs

The application of rational drug design principles in the era of network-pharmacology requires the investigation of drug-target and target-target interactions in order to design new drugs. The presented research was aimed at developing novel computational methods that enable the efficient analysis of complex biomedical data and to promote the hypothesis generation in the context of translational research. The three chapters of the Dissertation relate to various segments of drug discovery and development process.

The first chapter introduces the integrated predictive drug discovery platform „SmartGraph”. The novel collaborative-filtering based algorithm „Target Based Recommender (TBR)” was developed in the framework of this …

Development Of In Vivo Systems For Detecting And Studying Ribosome Inhibition By Small Molecules, Shijie Huang

Chemistry and Chemical Biology ETDs

The ribosome is the quintessential antibacterial drug target, with many structurally and mechanistically distinct classes of antibacterial agents acting by inhibiting ribosome function. Detecting and quantifying ribosome inhibition by small molecules and investigating their binding modes and mechanisms of action are critical to antibacterial drug discovery and development efforts. To develop a ribosome inhibition assay that is operationally simple, yet provides direct information on the drug target and the mechanism of action, we have developed engineered E. coli strains harboring an orthogonal ribosome controlled green fluorescent protein reporter that produce fluorescent signal when the O-ribosome is inhibited. As a proof …

The Zircon, November 15, 2016 [Spoof Issue], Dordt College

Dordt Diamond

No abstract provided.

State V. Rios-Lopez Appellant's Brief Dckt. 44212

Not Reported

No abstract provided.

Triode For Magnetic Flux Quanta, V.K. Vlasko-Vlasov, F. Caluto, Timothy Benseman, D. Rosenmann, W.K. Kwok

Publications and Research

In an electronic triode, the electron current emanating from the cathode is regulated by the electric potential on a grid between the cathode and the anode. Here we demonstrate a triode for single quantum magnetic field carriers, where the flow of individual magnetic vortices in a superconducting film is regulated by the magnetic potential of striae of soft magnetic strips deposited on the film surface. By rotating an applied in-plane field, the magnetic strip potential can be varied due to changes in the magnetic charges at the strip edges, allowing accelerated or retarded motion of magnetic vortices inside the superconductor. …

Results Of The Deepest All-Sky Survey For Continuous Gravitational Waves On Ligo S6 Data Running On The Einstein@Home Volunteer Distributed Computing Project, B. P. Abbott, K. Gill, B. Hughey, M. J. Szczepańczyk, Michele Zanolin, Et Al.

Publications

We report results of a deep all-sky search for periodic gravitational waves from isolated neutron stars in data from the S6 LIGO science run. The search was possible thanks to the computing power provided by the volunteers of the Einstein@Home distributed computing project.

Fokker-Planck-Based Acceleration For Sn Equations With Highly Forward Peaked Scattering In Slab Geometry, Japan K. Patel

Nuclear Engineering ETDs

Short mean free paths are characteristic of charged particles. High energy charged particles often have highly forward peaked scattering cross sections. Transport problems involving such charged particles are also highly optically thick. When problems simultaneously have forward peaked scattering and high optical thickness, their solution, using standard iterative methods, becomes very inefficient. In this dissertation, we explore Fokker-Planck-based acceleration for solving such problems.

Advanced Stochastic Collocation Methods For Polynomial Chaos In Raven, Paul W. Talbot

Nuclear Engineering ETDs

As experiment complexity in fields such as nuclear engineering continually increases, so does the demand for robust computational methods to simulate them. In many simulations, input design parameters and intrinsic experiment properties are sources of uncertainty. Often small perturbations in uncertain parameters have significant impact on the experiment outcome. For instance, in nuclear fuel performance, small changes in fuel thermal conductivity can greatly affect maximum stress on the surrounding cladding. The difficulty quantifying input uncertainty impact in such systems has grown with the complexity of numerical models. Traditionally, uncertainty quantification has been approached using random sampling methods like Monte Carlo. …

First Targeted Search For Gravitational-Wave Bursts From Core-Collapse Supernovae In Data Of First-Generation Laser Interferometer Detectors, B. P. Abbott, R. Abbott, T. D. Abbott, M. R. Abernathy, Hernan P. Daveloza, Mario C. Diaz, Joey S. Key, Soma Mukherjee, Volker Quetschke, Malik Rakhmanov, Joseph D. Romano

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

We present results from a search for gravitational-wave bursts coincident with two core-collapse supernovae observed optically in 2007 and 2011. We employ data from the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO), the Virgo gravitational-wave observatory, and the GEO 600 gravitational-wave observatory. The targeted core-collapse supernovae were selected on the basis of (1) proximity (within approximately 15 Mpc), (2) tightness of observational constraints on the time of core collapse that defines the gravitational-wave search window, and (3) coincident operation of at least two interferometers at the time of core collapse. We find no plausible gravitational-wave candidates. We present the probability of detecting …

Material Selection Shape Factors For Compliant Arrays In Bending, David T. Fullwood, Todd G. Nelson, Jared T. Bruton, Nathan E. Rieske, M. Patrick Walton, Larry L. Howell

Faculty Publications

Similar to the general class of metamaterials, compliant arrays (CAs) are engineered from an array of subelements that combine to produce a response that is typically not available from a at panel made of a single material. As such, analysis and design of CA systems requires the integration of both the material and geometrical properties of the array. This paper proposes a convenient and efficient method of combining these essential elements using analytically derived shape factors for bending modes. The approach is validated experimentally, and used to demonstrate large regions of previously inaccessible property combinations in material selection charts that …

Development And Application Of An Expanded Streptomyces Genetic Code, Jingxuan He

Chemistry and Chemical Biology ETDs

Actinobacteria, especially those of genus Streptomyces, are a prominent source of bioactive natural products. The ability to site-specifically incorporate unnatural amino acids (UAAs) into natural product biosynthetic enzymes and ribosomally derived peptides in these organisms would constitute a valuable tool for drug discovery and development. The work described in this dissertation focuses on development and application of an expanded Streptomyces genetic code, including development of UAA incorporation systems based on amber suppression and sense codon reassignment, structural diversification of the model thiopeptide natural product thiostrepton using UAAs, and mapping protein-protein interactions in type II polyketide biosynthetic enzymes using photocrosslinking …

Theory And Practice Of Computing With Excitable Dynamics, Alireza Goudarzi

Computer Science ETDs

Reservoir computing (RC) is a promising paradigm for time series processing. In this paradigm, the desired output is computed by combining measurements of an excitable system that responds to time-dependent exogenous stimuli. The excitable system is called a reservoir and measurements of its state are combined using a readout layer to produce a target output. The power of RC is attributed to an emergent short-term memory in dynamical systems and has been analyzed mathematically for both linear and nonlinear dynamical systems. The theory of RC treats only the macroscopic properties of the reservoir, without reference to the underlying medium it …

Novel Magnetic Nanostructures For Enhanced Magnetic Hyperthermia Cancer Therapy, Zohreh Nemati Porshokouh

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation, I present the results of a systematic study on novel multifunctional nanostructure systems for magnetic hyperthermia applications. All the samples have been synthesized, structurally/magnetically characterized, and tested for magnetic hyperthermia treatment at the Functional Materials Laboratory of the University South Florida. This work includes studies on four different systems: (i) Core/shell Fe/γ-Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles; (ii) Spherical and cubic exchange coupled FeO/Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles; (iii) Fe₃O₄ nano-octopods with different sizes; (iv) High aspect ratio FeCo nanowires and Fe₃O₄ nanorods.

In particular, we demonstrated the enhancement of the heating …

Toxic Effect Of Lead Chloride On Antioxidant Enzyme In The Liver And Kidney Of Fish, Bakhtawar Raza, Muhammad Javed, Faiza Ambreen, Fariha Latif

Journal of Bioresource Management

The contamination of aquatic habitats has become a serious problem for sustainability of the fisheries sector in Pakistan. Among different pollutants, heavy metals are very toxic. Their toxicity can be assessed by using antioxidant enzymes as biomarkers. These enzymes protect the living organisms from the oxidative stress caused by the heavy metals. Therefore, the effect of lead chloride (PbCl2) on the peroxidase enzyme activity in the tissues (liver and kidney) of Cirrhinamrigala was investigated. Four groups of Cirrhinamrigala were exposed, separately, to 96-hr LC50 concentration of PbCl2 along with its sub-lethal concentrations, viz.2/3rd, 1/4th and 1/5th for a period of …

Tectonic Deformation Of Quaternary Terraces In The Ouachita River Valley In South-Central Arkansas, Eric David Stewart Gamble

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Ongoing geologic research in the southern Mississippi Embayment has documented several zones of Quaternary paleo-seismicity trending NW-SE along the Proterozoic Alabama-Okalahoma Transform Zone. Faulting in this region offsets Pleistocene to Holocene alluvial terraces in the Saline River Valley. 20 km to the south, Quaternary terraces in the Ouachita River Valley also suggests a local, tectonic influence due to their principle distribution to the northeast. This asymmetry is evidence for tilting to the southwest throughout the Quaternary. This research tests the hypothesis that the Ouachita River Valley has been tilted southwestward and quantifies deformation of terraces within the valley. Eroded material …

Examining The Teacher Pipeline: Will They Stay Or Will They Go?, Mary R. Moeller, Lonell L. Moeller, Dan Schmidt

The Rural Educator

This study examines survey data from teacher education students in their final two years of preparation at a Midwestern university. We asked students to explain if they intend to stay in our state or move to other states to pursue teaching careers after graduation. We compiled all 137 responses using descriptive statistics and found that 59% of respondents intend to leave our state after graduating. Of the remaining respondents, 21% intend to stay in our state and 20% are unsure of their plans. We used qualitative methods to code students’ responses, giving reasons for their intentions. While students mentioned financial …

Does Rural Differ? Comparing Parent And Student Reasons For Choosing Cyber Schooling, Dennis Beck, Robert Maranto, M. Danish Shakeel

The Rural Educator

Cyber-schooling offers potentially greater benefits for rural than urban students, by providing a broader range of courses, ending long commutes, and offering more developed special education services than typically found in rural public schools. We survey students (n=269, 53.7% response rate) and parents (232, 48.7%) at a cyber-charter school dubbed SunTech, to test whether rural subjects choose cyber schooling for distinct reasons. Factor analyses and OLS regressions indicate that rural parents are more apt to choose SunTech for structural reasons such as its broader range of classes and to avoid long commutes to school. In contrast, students were more likely …

Choice, Cyber Charter Schools, And The Educational Marketplace For Rural School Districts, Bryan Mann, Stephen Kotok, Erica Frankenberg, Ed Fuller, Kai Schafft

The Rural Educator

Pennsylvania is a state with significant proportions of students who attend rural schools, as well as students who attend charter schools. This study examines enrollment patterns of students in brick and mortar and cyber charter schools in Pennsylvania and how these enrollment patterns differ across geographic locale. We analyze student-level enrollment data, controlling for demographic characteristics, and find that, in contrast to brick and mortar schools, cyber charter schools attract students from a variety of locales across the urban-rural continuum. However, rural students exhibit the greatest likelihood of attending cyber charter schools. We discuss the implications of these findings in …

The Math Learning Gap: Preparing Stem Technicians For The New Rural Economy, Hobart L. Harmon, Sandy C. Wilborn

The Rural Educator

The Rural Math Excel Partnership (RMEP) identified math competencies used by technicians in the workplace compared to standards of learning required in the public school curriculum. A modified DACUM process revealed 39 math competencies used by technicians in STEM-related occupations of the rural region. Group interviews with faculty in three community colleges helped substantiate math gaps. A project math specialist and team of teachers identified four types of learning gaps: (1) math competencies not included in state standards; (2) math competencies included in state standards taught prior to Algebra I, Algebra II, Geometry, and Algebra Functions and Data Analysis (AFDA) …

Long-Term Warming Alters Carbohydrate Degradation Potential In Temperate Forest Soils, Grace Pold, Andrew F. Billings, Jeff L. Blanchard, Daniel B. Burkhardt, Serita D. Frey, Jerry M. Melillo, Julia Schnabel, Linda T. A. Van Diepen, Kristen M. Deangelis

Faculty Publications

As Earth's climate warms, soil carbon pools and the microbial communities that process them may change, altering the way in which carbon is recycled in soil. In this study, we used a combination of metagenomics and bacterial cultivation to evaluate the hypothesis that experimentally raising soil temperatures by 5°C for 5, 8, or 20 years increased the potential for temperate forest soil microbial communities to degrade carbohydrates. Warming decreased the proportion of carbohydrate-degrading genes in the organic horizon derived from eukaryotes and increased the fraction of genes in the mineral soil associated with Actinobacteria in all studies. Genes associated with …

Senate Speeches On The Arts And Humanities (1994-1996): Speech 48, Claiborne Pell

Senate Speeches on the Arts and Humanities (1994-1996)

No abstract provided.

Grand Valley Forum, Volume 041, Number 12, November 14, 2016, Grand Valley State University

2016-2017, Volume 41

Grand Valley Forum is Grand Valley State's faculty and staff newsletter, published from 1976 to the present.