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Application Of Optical Trapping To Obtain Single-Source Str Profiles From Forensically Relevant Body Fluid Mixtures With Modified Dna Analysis Workflow, Benjamin J. O'Brien

Master of Science in Forensic Science Directed Research Projects

Current methods of mixture separation in forensic DNA laboratories typically deconvolute the mixture after analysis using statistical analysis or probabilistic genotyping. To save time and effort of labs already backlogged, a method to separate mixtures on a cellular level before analysis needs to be developed. Optical trapping is a method that uses a focused 1064 nm laser to manipulate cells. Previous research has shown that approximately 50 spermatozoa or 15 leukocytes from a liquid sample are required to produce a full STR DNA profile. It was found that the number of spermatozoa required remains constant when the method of sample …

Geochemical Constraints On Mantle Sources And Basalt Petrogenesis In The Strait Of Sicily Rift Zone (Italy): Insights Into The Importance Of Short Lengthscale Mantle Heterogeneity., John C. White, David A. Neave, Silvio G. Rotolo, Don F. Parker

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Igneous activity from the late Miocene to historic time (most recently 1891 ce) in the Strait of Sicily has created two islands (Pantelleria and Linosa) and several seamounts. These volcanoes are dominated by transitional (ol+hy-normative) to alkaline (ne-normative) basaltic lavas and scoriae; peralkaline felsic rocks (trachyte-rhyolite) crop out only on Pantelleria. Although most likely erupted through continental crust, basalts demonstrate no evidence of crustal contamination and are geochemically similar to oceanic island basalts (OIB). Despite their isotopic similarities, there are considerable compositional differences with respect to major and trace element geochemistry both between and within the two islands that are …

Ucc Minutes, January 21, 2020, University Curriculum Council

UCC Agendas/Minutes

No abstract provided.

What Do Lawyers Contribute To Law & Economics?, Robert E. Scott, George G. Triantis

Faculty Scholarship

The law-and-economics movement has transformed the analysis of private law in the United States and, increasingly, around the world. As the field developed from 1970 to the early 2000s, scholars have developed countless insights about the operation and effects of law and legal institutions. Throughout this period, the discipline of law-and-economics has benefited from a partnership among trained economists and academic lawyers. Yet the tools that are used derive primarily from economics and not law. A logical question thus demands attention: what role do academic lawyers play in law-and-economics scholarship? In this Essay, we offer an interpretive theory of the …

Personalized Computer-Aided Diagnosis For Mild Cognitive Impairment In Alzheimer's Disease Based On Smri And C Pib-Pet Analysis, Fatma El Zahraa A. El-Gamal, Mohammed M. Elmogy, Ashraf Khalil, Mohammed Ghazal, Jawad Yousaf, Xiaolu Qiu, Hassan H. Soliman, Ahmed Atwan, Hermann B. Frieboes, Gregory Neal Barnes, Ayman S. El-Baz

All Works

© 2013 IEEE. Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative condition that affects the central nervous system and represents 60% to 70% of all dementia cases. Due to an increased aging population, the number of patients diagnosed with AD is expected to exceed 131 million worldwide by 2050. The disease is characterized by various clinical symptoms and pathological features that define three main sequential decline stages, namely, early/mild, intermediate/moderate and late/severe stages. Although it is considered irreversible, early diagnosis of AD is highly desirable to help preserve cognitive function. However, early diagnosis is difficult due to different factors, including the patient-specific …

Effect Of Subsurface Microseismicity On The Motion Of Surrounding Dispersed Droplets -- Data, Chao Zeng, Wen Deng

Effect of Subsurface Microseismicity on the Motion of Surrounding Dispersed Droplets – Data

Spreadsheet - Data plotted in Figure 4 and Figure 5

Supporting information

Deconstructing The Bright Future Of Steam And Design Thinking, Mark Graham

Faculty Publications

The emphasis on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) disciplines in schools has caused advocates for art education to propose the addition of the arts to the study of STEM, transforming STEM into STEAM. Many educators see STEAM as a way to engage students with interdisciplinary topics and to integrate the arts within the school curriculum (Allina, 2018;Katz-Buonincontro, 2018; Maeda, 2013; Sousa & Pilecki,2018; Watson, 2016). One method of implementing STEAM is Design Thinking (Henriksen, 2017). STEAM education and Design Thinking are both models for interdisciplinary collaboration and problem solving to foster economic innovation, develop 21st-century skills and entrepreneurial literacy, …

A Graph Theoretical Approach To The Dollar Game Problem, Rachel Koch

Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis we consider a problem in Graph Theory known as the Dollar Game. The Dollar game was first introduced by Matthew Baker of the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2010. It is a game of solitaire, played on a graph, and is a variation of chip firing, or sand-piling games. Baker approached the problem within the context of Algebraic Geometry. It is the goal of this paper to provide an overview of the necessary graph theory to understand the problem presented in this game, as well as background on chip firing games, their history and evolution. Finally we …

From Small Beginnings To Large-Scale Harm: On Demagoguery And Misogyny In The Classroom And Writing Center, Shannon Roberson

Theses and Dissertations

My project is grounded in the rhetorical concept of aretê—excellence or virtue—as it relates to education and educational spaces within demagogic and misogynist cultural forces. The problems of demagoguery and misogyny stem from small-scale perpetuation of agonistic norms that go unaddressed in U.S. culture, a culture that is deeply identity-driven. These forces persist on social media platforms and within patriarchal systems of education.

For my project, I suggest rhetorical media literacy education of small-scale demagoguery moments on social media as a way to bring awareness to larger-scale events. On a micro-scale, social media influencers cultivate behaviors that mimic demagogic …

Arabic Beyond Arabic, Abir Zakzok

Theses and Dissertations

Arabic is the best and the most complicated language of all time!” Even though this statement seems like an exaggeration, it is what I grew up hearing; from my Arab parents as a child, my Arab teachers as a student, and my Arab customers as a salesperson. The Arabic language has a significant role in Arabs’ identity, yet most Arabs only scratch the surface and do not fully grasp the embedded meaning of the language. I have long been fascinated by the relationship between language and community as well as how it translates to design - specifically, the relationship between …

Machine Girl, Yutong Liu

Theses and Dissertations

Machine girl is a character that mimics biology, labor, and humanity.

She relates to machine sympathy and machine learning; She is updating and processing of big data. During the interaction between me and the machine, I found you --- Machine girl.

Machine girl is a brilliant girl. She is an excellent translator and communicator, which is determined by her ability for machine learning. The cyber living space gives her a fundamental learning gift with a mathematical algorithm. She uses this gift to mimic everything from the human brain. She is not reasonable but sensitive. There are many different versions of …

Reaction Profiling Of Extracellular Protein Phosphorylation Through A Microfluidic Reactor Coupled With Raman Spectroscopy, Abigail Casey

Theses and Dissertations

Diseases and disorders in the human body are considered abnormalities of proper cellular function. Understanding the signal transduction mechanisms that cause these abnormalities is crucial to developing earlier detection methods, better treatment options and effective cures. While current diagnostic procedures are powerful tools in diagnosing diseases, they are ineffective in informing physicians on the real-time behavior of the signal transduction mechanisms associated with diseases and disorders. Currently, disease progression is monitored over time through routine patient visits and testing by one or more of the above techniques. By developing an approach that can monitor structural and conformational changes of proteins …

Metal-Oxide Nanostructures Fabricated From Reactive Laser Ablation In Liquid, Mallory G. John

Theses and Dissertations

The development of metal-oxide nanostructures is a growing area due to their applications in diverse fields spanning energy conversion and storage, chemical manufacturing, and en- vironmental technology. This interest in catalytically active nanomaterials has prompted the synthesis and investigation of highly functionalized nanoparticles (NPs), including core- shell, silicate-stabilized, and bi- and multi-metallic nanocomposites. While wet-chemical synthesis methods of metal-oxide nanostructures have led to several morphologies, compositions, and shapes, these syntheses often require high temperatures, toxic solvents or reducing agents, and long reaction times.

Laser synthesis and processing of colloids (LSPC) encompasses both ‘top down’ and ‘bottom up’ approaches to synthesize …

Redox-Active Porous Organic Materials For Electrochemical Energy Storage Applications, K. Shamara Weeraratne

Theses and Dissertations

As the demand for renewable energy technologies grows, so does the need for cheaper, more efficient rechargeable batteries to store the energy. While lithium-ion battery (LIBs) technology is well established, it suffers from limited lithium supplies. Furthermore, the highly toxic transition metals used in the electrodes places a huge burden on the environment. Therefore, replacing lithium with more economical sodium metal in rechargeable batteries (i.e. sodium-ion batteries, SIBs) has garnered considerable attention. Despite the fact that sodium and lithium share similar electrochemical properties, which may cause the transition from lithium to sodium easier, the larger ionic radius of Na^{+ …}

Parakupa Vena - Fall From The Highest Point, Mariana Parisca Englert

Theses and Dissertations

This document is a collection of the ideas and research that drive my artistic practice. My research focuses on investigating the power structures, historical roots, and existential implications of the current Venezuelan economic crisis, one of the most drastic economic collapses of modern times. The ideological rifts created in the Cold War era created a deep anti-socialist sentiment that inhibits our ability to responsibly acknowledge global interdependence. I visualize collective belief systems that gain power from their proposed neutrality. I point to the existence of value beyond the parameters and measures of global capitalism that encourage dependence. I see the …

Generation Of Warm Dense Plasma On Solar Panel Infrastructure In Exo-Atmospheric Conditions, Harrison C. Wenzel

Theses and Dissertations

The use of a weaponized thermo-nuclear device in exo-atmospheric conditions would be of great impact on the material integrity of orbiting satellite infrastructure. Particular damage would occur to the multi-layered, solar cell components of such satellites. The rapid absorption of X-ray radiation originating from a nuclear blast into these layers occurs over a picosecond time scale and leads to the generation of Warm Dense Plasma (WDP). While incredibly difficult and costly to replicate in a laboratory setting, a collection of computational techniques and software libraries may be utilized to simulate the intricate atomic and subatomic physics characteristics of such an …

Teachers' Perceptions Of The Broad Validity Of A High Stakes English Language Proficiency Test, Carolyn N. Waters

Theses and Dissertations

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 mandated that the English acquisition of all students identified as English learners be assessed annually using high-stakes standardized English language proficiency tests, and the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 continues this testing mandate. The WIDA ACCESS for ELLs® has been used for this and other purposes since 2005, and has been adopted by 40 State Education Agencies, including the Virginia Department of Education. However, despite the long-standing and widespread use of this assessment, no comprehensive independent evaluations of the test have been conducted. This mixed-methods study is a conceptual replication of …

The Design Of A New Vaginal Applicator For Direction Modulated Brachytherapy (Dmbt) Using Geant4 Monte Carlo Simulation Code, Moeen Meftahi

Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: Anisotropy of the 192Ir source causes a lack of dose coverage at the apex in HDR vaginal cylinder brachytherapy (VC BT). In this study, we took advantage of the GEANT4 Monte Carlo (MC) simulation code to design a new DMBT vaginal applicator so that it maintains the dose coverage of the current vaginal cylinder at periphery everywhere while improving the apex coverage. In addition, since current treatment planning systems (TPS) considers the whole environment as water according to TG43 formalism, based on the capability of the MC in the calculation of dose in the material, the effect of inhomogeneity …

Analysis Of Teaching Styles, Adult Learning Theories, And Factors Influencing Teaching Style Preferences In Adult Education Instructors: Implication For Practice, Beatrice Chemaiyo Lele

Theses and Dissertations

The teacher is the most influential and important variable in the classroom for student achievement. Therefore, the need for teachers to identify and utilize best teaching practices is fundamental to a progressing society. Despite the literature advocating and proposing the student-centered approach as the preferred method of teaching in adult education, most empirical studies indicate that teachers employed the traditional teacher-centered approach. The purpose of this study was to examine the teaching style preferences of adult education instructors and the influence of gender, age, participation in professional development in adult education, years of teaching experience, teaching subject, and levels of …

Electrocatalytic Cathodes For Advanced Lithium–Sulfur Batteries, Ahmed Abdelkader

Theses and Dissertations

Energy demands are anticipated to increase in the next decades with the consumption of fossil fuels predicted to grow from the current levels. This will place an enormous burden on the non–renewable reserves of our energy sources and add to the preexisting environmental crisis with the emission of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide (CO₂). Electrical energy storage (EES) is considered one of the most crucial needs of modern society to circumvent this crisis and potential applications include electric vehicles and devices, as well as storage systems for solar and wind sources.Lithium–ion batteries (LIBs) have proven to be …

Symmetry Algebras Of The Canonical Lie Group Geodesic Equations In Dimension Five, Hassan Almusawa

Theses and Dissertations

Nowadays, there is much interest in constructing exact analytical solutions of differential equations using Lie symmetry methods. Lie devised the method in the 1880s. These methods were substantially developed utilizing modern mathematical language in the 1960s and 1970s by several different groups of authors such as L.V. Ovsiannikov, G. Bluman, and P. J. Olver, and have since been implemented as a software package for symbolic computation on commonly used platforms such as Mathematica and MAPLE.

In this work, we first develop an algorithmic scheme using the MAPLE platform to perform a Lie symmetry algebra identification and validate it on nonlinear …

Three Studies Of Research-Based Pedagogy In Physical Chemistry: Development Of A Zno Thin Film Experiment, Analysis Of Student Discourse By Graph Theory And Cognitive Engagement, Building A Physical Chemistry Faculty Network., Dilhara Liyanage

Theses and Dissertations

Three research projects, each focusing on a different aspect, development of a ZnO thin film experiment, student’s cognitive engagement behavior, and building of a faculty network, are presented in this dissertation.

In the first project, a physical chemistry laboratory experiment was developed to answer the question, “How do electrons move in a solid?”. The experiment structure follows the POGIL-PCL (Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning - Physical Chemistry Laboratory) model. Students begin by using the PhET “Quantum Bound States” animation to compare energy levels for single atoms to energy levels of a lattice containing many potential wells, and they incorporate that …

Synthesis Of Supported Metal Nanoparticles On High Surface Area Supports For Application In Energy Conversion And Heterogeneous Catalysis, Nazgol Norouzi

Theses and Dissertations

Precise control of metal nanoparticles’ size, composition, and dispersity over high surface area supports are highly desirable to address current challenges in energy storage and conversion as well as catalytic processes involving precious metals. Therefore, developing viable synthetic routes that enable new catalytic systems derived from inexpensive transition metals or limited use of precious metals is vital for clean energy applications such as fuel cells and rechargeable batteries or affordable drugs in the pharmaceuticals arena. In addition to metal components of heterogeneous catalysts, the catalyst support is an integral part of catalyst design as it can impart both physical stability …

Adjusting For Dropout In Randomized Controlled Clinical Trials, Katharine Stromberg

Theses and Dissertations

Dropout is a common issue in randomized controlled clinical trials and can negatively impact the internal validity of a study and potentially bias the treatment effect. When subjects discontinue study participation, they are not being given the opportunity to gain from the investigational therapy as if they had remained in the study, defeating one of the main purposes of clinical trials, providing treatment. Specifically in unblinded studies, such as the wait-list control (WLC) design, dropout is often due to group membership. Subjects allocated to the control group often dropout at higher rates than in the treatment group. Adaptive designs have …

Automatic Hip Analysis Suite, Nathan J. Veilleux

Theses and Dissertations

Image recognition and computer vision are becoming increasingly useful for diagnostic and surgical planning purposes. Analyses of patient morphology can be performed much more quickly and reliably with algorithmic assistance. Traditional measurements of the hip involve visual inspection of patient radiographs or hand calculation with software assistance. In the most extreme cases, estimates of bone orientation are made via palpation of a patient’s hip. There is the possibility for significant improvements in reliability if measurements can be made in the absence of human interpretation. As many of these techniques require CT scans as a prerequisite, all of the necessary information …

Discerning The Spectroscopic Properties And Chemical Reactivity Of Bioinspired Metallocomplexes, Ashley K. Forney

Theses and Dissertations

In Nature, metalloenzymes catalyze a variety of thermodynamically demanding reactions with remarkable performance under mild, physiological conditions. This innate ability is a driving force for the development of nature inspired, synthetic analogues that are robust and can catalyze a variety of organic transformations. This work involves the successful syntheses of four coordinate, bioinspired complexes, [M^II(n-DOB)] (M = Ni, Co, and Cu; n = 12 and 13), which have been characterized by NMR, ESI-MS, UV/Vis, EPR, and CV. Spectroscopic evidence presents the generation of reactive metal-(di)oxygen species that display amphoteric reaction behavior, making these rarities among inorganic oxidants. These …

Structure, Morphology And Composition-Property Elucidation Of Ni–Mo And Ni−Mo−P Nanocrystals For Water Splitting Reactions And Group Iv Alloy And Silicate Nanocrystals For Visible To Near Ir Optoelectronics, Ebtesam Hassan Abuelenein Eladgham

Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

Structure, Morphology and Composition-Property Elucidation of Ni–Mo and Ni−Mo−P Nanocrystals for Water Splitting Reactions and Group IV Alloy and Silicate Nanocrystals for Visible to Near IR Optoelectronics

by

Ebtesam Hassan Abuelenein Eladgham

A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Advisor: Indika U Arachchige

Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry

Nanomaterials have gained a great attention because of their unique physical properties with size intermediate between molecular materials and extended solids. They have a large surface to volume ratio and display size tunable physical properties that was not …

A Guide To Ligo–Virgo Detector Noise And Extraction Of Transient Gravitational-Wave Signals, B. P. Abbott, R. Abbott, Teviet Creighton, Mario C. Diaz, Soma Mukherjee, Volker Quetschke, Malik Rakhmanov, K. E. Ramirez, Satzhan Sitmukhambetov, Robert Stone, D. Tuyenbayev, W. H. Wang, A. K. Zadrozny

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

The LIGO Scientific Collaboration and the Virgo Collaboration have cataloged eleven confidently detected gravitational-wave events during the first two observing runs of the advanced detector era. All eleven events were consistent with being from well-modeled mergers between compact stellar-mass objects: black holes or neutron stars. The data around the time of each of these events have been made publicly available through the gravitational-wave open science center. The entirety of the gravitational-wave strain data from the first and second observing runs have also now been made publicly available. There is considerable interest among the broad scientific community in understanding the data …

A Joint Fermi-Gbm And Ligo/Virgo Analysis Of Compact Binary Mergers From The First And Second Gravitational-Wave Observing Runs, R. Hamburg, C. Fletcher, E. Burns, Teviet Creighton, Mario C. Diaz, Soma Mukherjee, Volker Quetschke, Malik Rakhmanov, Karla E. Ramirez, Wenhui Wang, Adam Zadrozny

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

We present results from offline searches of Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM) data for gamma-ray transients coincident with the compact binary coalescences observed by the gravitational-wave (GW) detectors Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo during their first and second observing runs. In particular, we perform follow-up for both confirmed events and low significance candidates reported in the LIGO/Virgo catalog GWTC-1. We search for temporal coincidences between these GW signals and GBM-triggered gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). We also use the GBM Untargeted and Targeted subthreshold searches to find coincident gamma-rays below the onboard triggering threshold. This work implements a refined statistical approach by …

Wallaby – An Ska Pathfinder Hisurvey, B. S. Koribalski, L. Stavely-Smith, Tobias Westmeier, P. Serra, K. Spekkens, O. I. Wang, C. D. P. Lagos, D. Obreschkow, E. V. Ryan-Webber, Juan P. Madrid

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

The Widefield ASKAP L-band Legacy All-sky Blind surveY (WALLABY) is a next-generation survey of neutral hydrogen (HI) in the Local Universe. It uses the widefield, high-resolution capability of the Australian Square Kilometer Array Pathfinder (ASKAP), a radio interferometer consisting of 36 x 12-m dishes equipped with Phased-Array Feeds (PAFs), located in an extremely radio-quiet zone in Western Australia. WALLABY aims to survey three-quarters of the sky (-90 degr < Dec < +30 degr) to a redshift of z < 0.26, and generate spectral line image cubes at ~30 arcsec resolution and ~1.6 mJy/beam per 4 km/s channel sensitivity. ASKAP's instantaneous field of view at 1.4 GHz, delivered by the PAF's 36 beams, is about 30 sq deg. At an integrated signal-to-noise ratio of five, WALLABY is expected to detect over half a million galaxies with a mean redshift of z ~ 0.05 (~200 Mpc). The scientific goals of WALLABY include: (a) a census of gas-rich galaxies in the vicinity of the Local Group; (b) a study of the HI properties of galaxies, groups and clusters, in particular the influence of the environment on galaxy evolution; and (c) the refinement of cosmological parameters using the spatial and redshift distribution of low-bias gas-rich galaxies. For context we provide an overview of previous large-scale HI surveys. Combined with existing and new multi-wavelength sky surveys, WALLABY will enable an exciting new generation of panchromatic studies of the Local Universe. - First results from the WALLABY pilot survey are revealed, with initial data products publicly available in the CSIRO ASKAP Science Data Archive (CASDA).