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Examination Of Volcanism And Impact Cratering On Terrestrial Bodies, Joshua J. Knicely

Geosciences

Exploring and expanding our understanding of the planets (i.e., planetary science) encompasses a vast array of topics and disciplines. This dissertation concentrates on the surficial processes of and examination of terrestrial planets, primarily via the study of volcanism and impact cratering. The first project starts with an exploration of NIR remote sensing techniques as applied to Venus. This work found that NIR remote sensing at the clement conditions just beneath the cloud deck provide vastly improved imaging capability. This improved visibility is most notable for the tesserae, regions of Venus of great interest to the scientific community. Radar imagery and …

Adapting Density Surface Models For Complex Survey Areas: Application To Humpback Whale (Megaptera Novaeangliae) Abundance And Distribution Estimation In Southeast Alaska, Abigail Schiffmiller

Biological Sciences

Population abundance and distribution estimates are foundational to understanding and managing populations. Increasing accuracy and resolution of such estimates increases their utility for researchers and managers. Line transect surveys analyzed using both traditional design-based distance sampling (dbDS) and spatially explicit density surface modeling (DSM) are used across systems and taxa to estimate abundance and distributions of populations. DSM has the advantages of being able to increase the resolution of density estimates and evaluate the correlation between density and environmental factors as well as accepting data from a wider variety of surveys. In this thesis I used a soap film smoother …

Mechanochemical Esterification Of Cellulose Nanofibers Lyophilized From Eutectic Water–Tert-Butanol Mixtures, Miran Mavlan, Taehoo Chang, Rudan Feng, Jake R. Wilkinson, Robert J. Nicholas, Nosa B. Idahagbon, Jeffrey Youngblood, Alexander Wei

Department of Chemistry Faculty Publications

Freeze-dried CNFs can be modified by mechanochemical (MC) processes with minimal use of auxiliary solvents, however aggregation of nanofibers during lyophilization compromises their granularity and reaction efficiency. Adding 10 wt% tert-butanol (TBA) to aqueous slurries of wood-derived CNF creates a eutectic mixture that reduces hornification during lyophilization, resulting in well-formed aerogels with minimal shrinkage in volume. CNFs lyophilized from mixtures containing at least 10 wt% TBA exhibit an order of magnitude increase in specific surface area relative to CNFs freeze-dried from water alone. The amount of TBA and input energy needed for lyophilization can be reduced considerably by dewatering …

Assessing Fish Communities And Habitat Dynamics At The North Platte River-Lake Mcconaughy Interface: Implications For Conservation And Management, Thyme Leesa Taulaki

Biology Theses, Dissertations, and Student Creative Activity

The river-reservoir interface (RRI) provides dynamic habitat heterogeneity that influences fish communities within the reservoir and the tributary upstream. However, little is known about the North Platte River-Lake McConaughy interface. Thus, the objectives of this research were to: 1) describe fish assemblages in the North Platte River and relate their temporal differences to water quality and physical habitat parameters; and 2) compare young fish communities collected with different gears in the upper reservoir. Twenty-nine species were collected across four habitat types in the North Platte River above Lake McConaughy. Main and side channel habitats were more consistently available throughout the …

Aether Scalar Tensor Theory Confronted With Weak Lensing Data At Small Accelerations, Tobias Mistele, Stacy S. Mcgaugh

Faculty Scholarship

Context. The recently proposed aether scalar tensor (AeST) model reproduces both the successes of particle dark matter on cosmological scales and those of modified Newtonian dynamics (MOND) on galactic scales. But the AeST model reproduces MOND only up to a certain maximum galactocentric radius. Since MOND is known to fit very well to observations at these scales, this raises the question of whether the AeST model comes into tension with data. Aims. We tested whether or not the AeST model is in conflict with observations using a recent analysis of data for weak gravitational lensing. Methods. We solved the equations …

Mitigation Of Ground Control Issues Using Artificial Intelligence Techniques, Temitope Adebanjo

Engineering

Ground hazards are a major safety concern in underground mines, causing deaths, injuries, and lost work time to miners. Although ground hazards such as roof fall accidents have steadily and significantly declined over the last decade, the safety hazards associated with ground hazards still account for a significant portion of the total number of accidents in the underground mining industry. One of the main reasons behind ground hazards in underground mines is abrupt changes in geological conditions that may decrease the competence of the rocks surrounding an excavation, resulting in ground failure. The changes in geological can be detected in …

Sickle Cell Disease Treatment With Arginine Therapy (Start): Study Protocol For A Phase 3 Randomized Controlled Trial., Chris A Rees, David C. Brousseau, Daniel M Cohen, Anthony Villella, Carlton Dampier, Kathleen Brown, Andrew Campbell, Corrie E Chumpitazi, Gladstone Airewele, Todd Chang, Christopher Denton, Angela Ellison, Alexis Thompson, Fahd Ahmad, Nitya Bakshi, Keli D Coleman, Sara Leibovich, Deborah Leake, Dunia Hatabah, Hagar Wilkinson, Michelle Robinson, T Charles Casper, Elliott Vichinsky, Claudia R Morris

Department of Pediatrics Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Despite substantial illness burden and healthcare utilization conferred by pain from vaso-occlusive episodes (VOE) in children with sickle cell disease (SCD), disease-modifying therapies to effectively treat SCD-VOE are lacking. The aim of the Sickle Cell Disease Treatment with Arginine Therapy (STArT) Trial is to provide definitive evidence regarding the efficacy of intravenous arginine as a treatment for acute SCD-VOE among children, adolescents, and young adults.

METHODS: STArT is a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized, phase 3, multicenter trial of intravenous arginine therapy in 360 children, adolescents, and young adults who present with SCD-VOE. The STArT Trial is being conducted at 10 …

Approval Letter For The Butte Priority Soils Operable Unit (Bpsou) Clark Tailings Consolidated Waste Management Area (Ctcwma) Quality Assurance Project Plan (Qapp) (Dated July 31, 2023), Nikia Greene

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Nalidarturbopauseshear, Titus Yuan

Browse all Datasets

The USU Na lidar has been upgraded to be able to measure temperature and winds in the lower thermosphere up to ~ 115 km routinely. The new capability, coupled with the existing nightglow instruments at USU, enables the investigation of the extreme large wind and shears in this region and their correlation to the atmospheric gravity waves activities in the upper mesosphere.

Regional Disparity In The Educational Impact Of Covid-19: A Spatial Difference-In-Difference Approach, Dohyo Jeong, Dohyeong Kim, Heba Mohiuddin, Seokmin Kang, Sungyeun Kim

Teaching and Learning Faculty Publications

The transmission of COVID-19 suddenly shifted most school classes to online lectures, and these unexpected changes often exacerbated existing imbalances by region and school. Our study used land price data as a proxy for regional wealth and empirically examined the inflation of education inequality between the areas with high and low land prices during the COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea. The gaps in the average high school Math and English scores between 2019 and 2020 (Y1 effect) and 2019 and 2021 (Y2 effect) are used as the main educational outcomes. We utilized the spatial difference-in-difference (DID) method to reflect the …

2023 August 17 - Tennessee Weekly Drought Summary, Tennessee Climate Office, East Tennessee State University

Tennessee Climate Office Weekly Drought Summaries

No abstract provided.

Modeling Of Heat And Mass Transfer In Flat Heat Pipes, Salar Saadatian

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Phase-change phenomenon is ubiquitous in nature and widely utilized in thermal management of computer chips. Flat heat pipes have been extensively used in thermal management of microelectronic devices. However, existing research mainly concentrates on developing numerical models and lacks a systematic analytical approach to elucidate the working mechanism of flat heat pipes. We consider a horizontal flat heat pipe with an idealized porous wick. The pores in the wick are straight circular capillaries running along and across the wick and are filled with a liquid. The rest of the pipe is filled with its vapor. The mass evaporative rate at …

The Influence Of Facades On Outdoor Comfort And Behavior In Urban Spaces, Mingliang Li

Graduate School of Architecture & Urban Design Theses & Dissertations

Global warming and rapid urbanization have intensified the urban heat island (UHI) effect, and its effect on human comfort in urban spaces has attracted widespread attention. The UHI effect increases the risk of heat-related mortality and building energy consumption and reduces outdoor human thermal comfort. A comfortable outdoor space supports sustainable urbanism by making the outdoor environment more comfortable and usable, thereby helping reduce the time spent indoors and the energy consumption of buildings.

There are thermal, visual, and acoustic features that influence outdoor comfort in terms of human physical, psychological, and social behaviors. Building façades, a common component of …

A Review Of Recent Gene Expression-Based And Dna Methylation-Based Mathematical Cell Type Deconvolution Methods, Chenxiao Tian

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

In recent years, many cell type deconvolution methods based on DNA methylation data and gene expression data have been developed. Both of these two methods have its special advantages and disadvantages, e.g., DNA methylation-based methods’ data source is usually more stable than gene expression and DNA methylation is easier to measure in FFPE tissues or formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded, while some gene-expression data like scRNA-seq data usually has high cost and complexity. On the other hand, gene expression-based deconvolution methods currently have many more available methods than DNA methylation-based deconvolution methods, which leads to DNA methylation-based methods in many cases can learn …

A Hybrid Many-Objective Optimization Algorithm For Job Scheduling In Cloud Computing Based On Merge-And-Split Theory, Mustafa Ibrahim Khaleel, Mejdl Safran, Sultan Alfarhood, Michelle Zhu

School of Computing Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Scheduling jobs within a cloud environment is a critical area of research that necessitates meticulous analysis. It entails the challenge of optimally assigning jobs to various cloud servers, each with different capabilities, and is classified as a non-deterministic polynomial (NP) problem. Many conventional methods have been suggested to tackle this difficulty, but they often struggle to find nearly perfect solutions within a reasonable timeframe. As a result, researchers have turned to evolutionary algorithms to tackle this problem. However, relying on a single metaheuristic approach can be problematic as it may become trapped in local optima, resulting in slow convergence. Therefore, …

A Variational Theory For Integral Functionals Involving Finite-Horizon Fractional Gradients, Javier Cueto, Carolin Carolin, Hidde Schönberger

Department of Mathematics: Faculty Publications

The center of interest in this work are variational problems with integral functionals depending on nonlocal gradients with finite horizon that correspond to truncated versions of the Riesz fractional gradient. We contribute several new aspects to both the existence theory of these problems and the study of their asymptotic behavior. Our overall proof strategy builds on finding suitable translation operators that allow to switch between the three types of gradients: classical, fractional, and nonlocal. These provide useful technical tools for transferring results from one setting to the other. Based on this approach, we show that quasiconvexity, which is the natural …

Controls Of Organic Carbon Processing In Boreal Headwater Streams, Frances Marie Iannucci

Biological Sciences

Carbon emissions from headwater streams are derived from both terrestrial inputs and in-stream microbial processing of organic carbon, but the relative importance of metabolic processes in boreal streams remains uncertain. Determining the factors that regulate organic carbon processing will aid in predicting how the carbon balance of boreal streams will respond to future environmental change. In this study, I addressed the question: what controls organic carbon uptake in boreal headwater streams draining catchments with discontinuous permafrost? I hypothesized that organic carbon uptake is collectively regulated by organic carbon lability, phosphorus availability, and temperature, with discharge modulating each of these conditions. …

Evaluating Amino Acid Isotopic Biomarkers Of Added Sugar And Animal Protein Intakes, Jessica Jean Johnson

Biological Sciences

Diet is an important risk factor for chronic disease, but identifying precise relationships between diet and disease remains challenging because of the high error in self-reported dietary measurements. Objective biomarkers of diet can help account for this error. Natural abundance amino acid carbon isotopes ratios (AA CIRs) and nitrogen isotope ratios (AA NIRs) are candidate biomarkers of multiple dietary intakes in the US, due to their natural variation in the diet. In this dissertation, I evaluate whether AA CIRs and AA NIRs are sensitive and specific biomarkers of intakes, such as added sugar and animal protein, in the context of …

Using Camera Traps To Advance Wildlife Monitoring In The Arctic, Scott S. Leorna

Biological Sciences

Landscape-level wildlife monitoring in the Arctic is technically and logistically challenging. The Arctic is experiencing rapid and unprecedented climate-related changes as well as increased industrial development. Understanding how environmental change and anthropogenic activity impact wildlife populations is essential to informing responsible management and policy decisions. Caribou (Rangifer tarandus) are a wide-ranging, highly mobile species in the Arctic with important socio-economic, cultural, and ecological value. Most caribou herds across the circumpolar north are in decline or at historic lows. These conditions create an urgent demand to assess conventional wildlife monitoring strategies and inform opportunities to advance them by integrating new techniques …

Female Dall's Sheep Summer Nutrition In The Chugach Mountains, Alaska, Luke Metherell

Biological Sciences

As part of recent research efforts by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) to identify issues related to current population declines in Alaskan Dall's sheep (Ovis dalli dalli), we conducted a summer nutrition study on a subpopulation of female Dall's sheep (ewes) in the Chugach Mountains of Southcentral Alaska. Over the summers of 2016, 2017, and 2018, we assessed ewe diet compositions and identified forage types through video observation of foraging ewes. During this time, we collected forage and fecal samples to evaluate ewe forage quality [crude protein (%), gross energy (kcal/g), and apparent digestibility (Da)] and identify …

Seasonal Drivers Of Amplitude Patterns In A Population Of Red-Backed Voles (Clethrionomys Rutilus), Sarah Swanson

Biological Sciences

Northern red-backed voles (Clethrionomys rutilus) are an important species in the Interior Alaska boreal forest ecosystem, both as important herbivores and as a key food source for many mammalian and avian predators. However, they exhibit dramatic inter- and intra-annual population fluctuations, for which causes are not entirely known. Winter mortality is often very high and altered weather conditions due to climate change, such as rain on snow or delayed snowfall in autumn, may increase stress during an already difficult season. These considerations prompted this investigation into overwinter survival of northern red-backed voles in Denali National Park and Preserve, with the …

An 11,600-Year Reconstruction Of Vegetation Communities, Moisture Availability, And Land Use Changes At Lake Khargal, Northern Mongolia, Joshua A. Barna

Geosciences

The regional response of vegetation to global atmospheric circulation patterns and human influence throughout the Holocene is recorded by environmental proxies in sediment cores from Lake Khargal in northern Mongolia. Pollen, spores, total organic carbon, and grain size analysis indicate that conditions in the watershed were moderately humid at ~11500 cal yr B.P. The vegetation community surrounding Lake Khargal consists of mainly of Artemisia (sage), Poaceae (grass), and Betula (birch) with a modest amount of extra-local Pinus (pine) from nearby boreal forests. Fluctuations in the ratios of these and other taxa show that aridity increased after ~10000 cal yr B.P., …

Characterization Of Geohazards Via Seismic And Acoustic Waves, Liam Toney

Geosciences

Earth processes, such as large landslides and volcanic eruptions, occur globally and can be hazardous to life and property. Geophysics -- the quantitative study of Earth processes and properties -- is used to monitor and rapidly respond to these geohazards. In particular, seismoacoustics, which is the joint study of seismic waves in the solid Earth and acoustic waves in Earth's atmosphere, has been proven effective for a variety of geophysical monitoring tasks. Typically, the acoustic waves studied are infrasonic: They have frequencies less than 20 hertz, which is below the threshold of human hearing. In this dissertation, we use seismic …

“Connecting Better And Wider”: A Constructivist Grounded Theory And Situational Analysis Exploration Of Community Resilience In The Anthropocene Among The Transition Network, Deanne M. Boisvert, Caroline Suransky

The Qualitative Report

For decades qualitative researchers have used grounded theory methodologies in their investigations. Although the grounded theory literature is extensive, less well documented are qualitative studies which incorporate complementary grounded theory approaches into their designs; or studies that validate the use of grounded theory strategies for applied research projects. This paper seeks to add to both margins of the grounded theory literature. First, it provides a detailed methodological account of how constructivist grounded theory and grounded theory situational analysis were used in a Ph.D. study exploring how ecologically concerned networks understand community resilience and respond to current and anticipated challenges of …

Symmetric Functions Algebras (Sfa) Iii: Stochastic And Constant Row Sum Matrices, Philip Feinsilver

Journal of Stochastic Analysis

No abstract provided.

A Framework For Creating Virtual Reality Models For More Effective Coastal Flood Risk Communication, Tina Korani, Alexandrea Martinez

CSU Journal of Sustainability and Climate Change

Coastal cities are exposed to increasing risks of flooding from sea-level rise. Climate change is expected to double the frequency of coastal flooding within the next decade, and some areas could experience floods of a magnitude 100 times higher than currently (Vitousek et al., 2017). People living in at-risk areas often ignore the impact of climate change on flood intensity and frequency. Immersive visual storytelling techniques proved promising and powerful tools to engage with and raise awareness of flood hazards. Here, we are introducing a framework to use Virtual Reality (VR) to reach better people living in coastal cities and …

Evaluation Of Native Plant Communities On Nebraska Game And Parks Commission State Parks, Robert F. Steinauer

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission: White Papers, Conference Presentations, and Manuscripts

This report evaluates the Native Plant Communities on Nebraska Game and Parks Commission State Parks East Region, also known as Region 3, which includes much of northeast and extreme eastern Nebraska, including portions of the lower Niobrara, Elkhorn and Platte Rivers and nearly the entire east border formed by the Missouri River. Fifteen state-listed threatened and endangered species have been recorded within the boundaries of Region 3 within the last twenty years. Several of these occupy habitats within major river channels.

Surveyed areas which contained habitat for legally protected species include Dead Timber State Recreation Area, Indian Cave State Park, …

Ronald E. Mcnair Scholars Program Profiles And Abstracts 2023, Motutama Sipelii

McNair Symposium

This is the complete event program and provides presentation abstracts and biographies of McNair scholars and their mentors.

Low Loss Hybrid Plasmonic Waveguide With Graphene Multilayers, Hala Mossad I. Hassan, Nihal F. F. Areed, H. A. El-Mikati, Mohamed Farhat O. Hameed, S. S. A. Obayya

Mansoura Engineering Journal

A proposed design of graphene-based hybrid plasmonic waveguide is presented to improve the propagation length with a good confinement. The suggested design has multilayers of SiO2–graphene/ SiO2– GaAs – graphene/ SiO2. The full vectorial finite element method (FVFEM) is used to study the effective index (neff), propagation length (Lp), and normalized effective mode area (Aeff) of the supported hybrid plasmonic modes. In this investigation, the structure geometrical parameters are studied to achieve an ultra-small effective mode area with low propagation loss. The numerical results show that long propagation length of 138 µm at frequency of 3THz is achieved with normalized …

A Combined Knowledge And Competency (Ckc) Model For Computer Science Curricula, Amruth N. Kumar, Brett A. Becker, Marcelo Pias, Michael Oudshoorn

Faculty Journal Articles

No abstract provided.