Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Cost Effective Domination In Graphs, Tabitha Lynn Mccoy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A set S of vertices in a graph G = (V,E) is a dominating set if every vertex in V \ S is adjacent to at least one vertex in S. A vertex v in a dominating set S is said to be it cost effective if it is adjacent to at least as many vertices in V \ S as it is in S. A dominating set S is cost effective if every vertex in S is cost effective. The minimum cardinality of a cost effective dominating set of G is the cost …

Connotational Subtyping And Runtime Class Mutability In Ruby, Ian S. Dillon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Connotational subtyping is an approach to typing that allows an object's type to change dynamically, following changes to the object's internal state. This allows for a more precise representation of a problem domain with logical objects that have variable behavior. Two approaches to supporting connotational subtyping in the Ruby programming language were implemented: a language-level implementation using pure Ruby and a modification to the Ruby 1.8.7 interpreter. While neither implementation was wholly successful the language level implementation created complications with reflective language features like self and super and, while Ruby 1.8.7 has been obsoleted by Ruby 1.9 (YARV), the results …

A Tangle Net Study On Relative Abundance And Habitat Preference Of Elasmobranchs In North Inlet Estuary, South Carolina, Moriah Heather Moore

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Although habitat selection is relatively well studied in some elasmobranchs, no field or lab studies have focused on sediment preference, which is important to other benthic marine vertebrates. To determine the relative abundance and sediment preference of shallow water benthic elasmobranch inhabitants of North Inlet, SC, we employed 187 30 minute tangle net sets over two sediment types (mud and sand). The majority of our capture consisted of 41 Dasyatis sayi (tagged 37) and 31 Sphyrna tiburo (tagged 14). Although D. sayi had been recorded in North Inlet, previous studies found greater numbers of congeners D. americana and D. sabina. …

Assessing Allelopathic Effects Of Alexandrium Fundyense On Thalassiosira Sp., Emily R. Lyczkowski

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Production of allelopathic chemicals by the toxic dinoflagellate Alexandrium fundyense is one suggested mechanism by which this relatively slow grower outcompetes other phytoplankton, particularly diatoms. Despite well documented allelopathic potential of Alexandrium spp., the potency is variable. To further characterize allelopathic effects of A. fundyense on diatoms in the Gulf of Maine, I studied growth and nutrient acquisition by the chain-forming diatom Thalassiosira sp. in the presence and absence of allelochemicals. Thalassiosira cells, upon exposure to filtrate of A. fundyense cultures exhibited “bleaching” and both growth and nutrient utilization ceased for up to 4 days compared to controls. Results from …

Ecological Interactions Affecting Diatom Climate Reconstructions In Prairie Saline Lakes Of The Northern Great Plains (Usa), Courtney R. Wigdahl

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Sedimentary diatom profiles from saline lakes are frequently used to reconstruct lakewater salinity as an indicator of drought. However, diatom-inferred salinity reconstructions (DI-salinity) from geographically-close sites in the Great Plains (USA) have yielded disparate results. Here, I explore how within-lake ecological processes, such as physical changes in lake habitat and zooplankton grazing pressure, may affect the accuracy of diatom-based salinity reconstructions. I examined how relationships differed among drought, lake-level change, and diatom community structure over the last century by developing three-dimensional models of planktic:benthic habitat (P:B) relationships with lake level change. I explored the potential for zooplankton grazing influence by …

Polychaete Burrowing Behavior In Sand And Mud, Kevin Terrence Du Clos

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Marine sediments are continually reworked by resident organisms that control the ecology, chemistry, and physical structure of these vast systems. For example, the creation of a burrow brings oxygenated water into contact with anoxic sediment, facilitating aerobic respiration and supporting a distinct population of bacteria and meiofauna. Collectively, the effects of infauna on sediments and pore waters are known as bioturbation. Studying the behavior organisms that live beneath the sediment surface (infauna) is crucial to understanding the effects of bioturbation. Infauna can be difficult to study, however, because much their activity cannot be directly observed. The purpose of this thesis …

Episodic Recruitment And Climate Analysis Of Ponderosa Pine On The Palmer Divide, Eastern Colorado, William Henry Brenton Jr.

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Previous recruitment studies on populations of ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa P. & C. Lawson) in Colorado have been limited to the western mountains and the Front Range. In this research I used tree-ring data to reconstruct recruitment for ponderosa pine near the eastern limits of its distribution at two sites on the Palmer Divide, Eastern Colorado, to determine the relative climate sensitivity of the two sites, and the extent to which climate or other factors may have influenced recruitment at the sites. The results of the tree-ring analysis suggest that ponderosa pines in more the easterly site lower elevation …

Lamination Of Inverted Organic Photovoltaics And Associated Physical Properties, Brian A. Bailey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is the result of a series of studies involving hot press lamination of inverted organic photovoltaics. It first gives background and develops a lamination process for fabrication. Then, the process is used to answer fundamental questions about organic photovoltaics and to fabricate previously impossible or overly complicated devices. Finally, the author examines the scientific theory which describes the process and aligns that theory with related measurements.

The field of organic photovoltaics is introduced and the lamination process is developed and optimized. In the lamination process, part of the solar cell is deposited onto a rigid substrate, and the …

Integer Solutions To Optimization Problems And Modular Sequences Of Nexus Numbers, Jeremy T. Davis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, we examine the use of integers through two ideas. As mathematics teachers, we prefer students not use calculators on assessments. In order to require this, students compute the problems by hand. We take a look at the classic Calculus I optimization box problem while restricting values to integers. In addition, sticking with the integer theme, we take a new look at the nexus numbers. Nexus numbers are extensions of the hex and rhombic dodecahedral numbers. We put these numbers into a sequence, and through a few computations of modular arithmetic, we analyze the sequences and their patterns …

Integer Compositions, Gray Code, And The Fibonacci Sequence, Linus Lindroos

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis I show the relation of binary and Gray Code to integer compositions and the Fibonacci sequence through the use of analytic combinatorics, Zeckendorf's Theorem, and generating functions.

Compositions, Bijections, And Enumerations, Charles R. Dedrickson Iii

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis we give an introduction to colored-compositions of an integer. This is a generalization of traditional integer compositions, and we show a few results for n-color compositions which are analogous to regular compositions with both combinatorial and analytic proofs. We also show several bijections between various types of compositions to certain types of numeric strings, and provide a generalization of a classic bijection between compositions and binary strings.

Finding A Better Confidence Interval For A Single Regression Changepoint Using Different Bootstrap Confidence Interval Procedures, Bodhipaksha Thilakarathne

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Recently a number of papers have been published in the area of regression changepoints but there is not much literature concerning confidence intervals for regression changepoints. The purpose of this paper is to find a better bootstrap confidence interval for a single regression changepoint. ("Better" confidence interval means having a minimum length and coverage probability which is close to a chosen significance level). Several methods will be used to find bootstrap confidence intervals. Among those methods a better confidence interval will be presented.

A Non-Parametric Approach To Change-Point Detection In Cross-Asset Correlations, L. Kaili Diamond

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis we explore the problem of detecting change-points in cross-asset correlations using a non-parametric approach. We began by comparing and contrasting several common methods for change-point detection as well as methods for measuring correlation. We finally settle on a statistic introduced in early 2012 by Herold Dehling et.al. and test this statistic against real world financial data. We provide the estimated change-point for this data as well as the asymptotic p-value associated with this statistic. Once this process was complete we went on to use simulated data to measure the accuracy, power, and type 1 error associated with …

Landmark Analysis Of Musteloid Carnassials Applied To Taxonomic Identification And Examination Of Sexual Dimorphism And Regional Morphotypes, Joel Alvin Christine

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Guy Wilson Cave (GWC) in Sullivan County, Tennessee holds many late Pleistocene mammal fossils. Based on visual morphology, several partial mandibles with lower carnassial from GWC appeared to be musteloids. Geometric morphometrics has been successfully used to identify fragmentary fossils, so a landmark based, 2 dimensional technique was applied to identify the GWC musteloids using the lower carnassial. Digital images of several GWC fossils and of extant reference musteloids were combined using morphometric programs tpsDIG1, tpsUtil, and tpsSuper. Statistical data analysis was performed in PASW Statistics. Results successfully separated Mephitis mephitis (striped skunk) from M. macroura (hooded skunk) and Martes …

Immobilized Bis-Indenyl Ligands For Stable And Cost-Effective Metallocene Catalysts Of Hydrogenation And Polymerization Reactions, Thomas Max Simerly

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Reactions of catalytic hydrogenations and polymerizations are widely used in industry for manufacture of fine chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and plastics. Homogeneous catalysts for the processes that have low stability and their separation is difficult. Therefore, the development of new highly active and stable catalysts for hydrogenations and polymerizations is a necessity. The objective of this research was the development of a strategy for immobilization of heterogeneous metallocene catalysts. First, a methodology of immobilization of bis-indenyl ligands on the surface of mesoporous silica gel was designed. Four bis-indenyl ligands containing functionalized tethers of various lengths with terminal alkene groups were synthesized. All …

Global Domination Stable Graphs, Elizabeth Marie Harris

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A set of vertices S in a graph G is a global dominating set (GDS) of G if S is a dominating set for both G and its complement G. The minimum cardinality of a global dominating set of G is the global domination number of G. We explore the effects of graph modifications on the global domination number. In particular, we explore edge removal, edge addition, and vertex removal.

Nested (2,R)-Regular Graphs And Their Network Properties., Josh Daniel Brooks

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A graph G is a (t, r)-regular graph if every collection of t independent vertices is collectively adjacent to exactly r vertices. If a graph G is (2, r)-regular where p, s, and m are positive integers, and m ≥ 2, then when n is sufficiently large, then G is isomorphic to G = K_s+mK_p, where 2(p-1)+s = r. A nested (2,r)-regular graph is constructed by replacing selected cliques with a (2,r)-regular graph and joining the vertices of the peripheral cliques. For …

Cursorial Adaptations In The Forelimb Of The Giant Short-Faced Bear, Arctodus Simus, Revealed By Traditional And 3d Landmark Morphometrics, Eric Randally Lynch

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The paleobiology of the Pleistocene North American giant short-faced bear, Arctodus simus, has eluded paleontologists for decades. Its more gracile form has led past researchers to myriad intepretations of the locomotion and feeding ecology of this species. While earlier studies have focused on craniodental morphology and simple postcranial indices, it is forelimb morphology that represents a direct compromise between locomotor and foraging behavior. The study here uses traditional and 3D landmark morphometrics to more completely compare the 3-dimensional shape of the major forelimb elements and their muscle attachment sites between A. simus, extant ursids, and other carnivorans. Results …

An Auv Simulator For Incorporating Physical Feedback, James Brawn Jr.

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Traditional physics simulators use mathematical models to represent a realistic environment. Natural processes, however, are difficult to mimic accurately. We present a simulator that has the capability to alter its model based on actual physical measurements.

The simulator runs as a server to which remote clients can connect and assume control of entities within the virtual environment. The simulator then sends position updates to clients according to its model. Clients have the option of then correcting the data in these updates, sending feedback to the server. The server adjusts its model to accord with the corrections, allowing for a more …

Circulation And Transport In Casco Bay, Maine, Gregory H. Sinnett

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

General circulation and transport exchange within Casco Bay, Maine occurs primarily through the three deepest channels separating the interior sections of the Bay from the outer Bay and adjacent Western Gulf of Maine shelf. Resource management in Casco Bay relies on an ability to predict and/or track oil spill trajectories, Red Tide events, nutrient plumes, pollution and other factors important to the estuarine environment. However, the exchange through these channels, the mean circulation and associated forcing mechanisms are not well understood. In this study, time series of current velocities, temperature, salinity and wind data collected during 2004 and 2005 are …

Design And Synthesis Of Novel Fluorescent Nucleoside Analogues, Nada Abdulnasir Elsharif

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This project aimed to obtain a set of fluorescent nucleoside analogues that closely resemble cytosine with extending the aromatic surface (extended conjugation) for enhance the photophysical properties. In addition to synthesize new fluorescent nucleoside analogues and evaluate their photophysical properties, this project aimed to understand the effects of donor substituent on the tC photophysical properties.

The main goal of these studies is to develop highly fluorescent nucleotide analogues. We first were looking to synthesize tC^C fluorescent nucleotide with the pyrimido[4,5-b]quinolone. In this part, 2-chloro-3- formylquinoline was easily prepared, yet the cyclization of 2-chloro-3- formylquinoline with urea or guanidine HCl …

Preferential Arrangement Containment In Strict Superpatterns, Martha Louise Liendo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Most results on pattern containment deal more directly with pattern avoidance, or the enumeration and characterization of strings which avoid a given set of patterns. Little research has been conducted regarding the word size required for a word to contain all patterns of a given set of patterns. The set of patterns for which containment is sought in this thesis is the set of preferential arrangements of a given length. The term preferential arrangement denotes strings of characters in which repeated characters are allowed, but not necessary. Cardinalities for sets of all preferential arrangements of given lengths and alphabet sizes …

Studies On The Preparation, Immobilization, And Luminescence Properties Of Zinc Oxide (Zno)Quantum Dots, Yasemin Hakat

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Quantum dots are a part of very important our technological future because of their intriguing and useful properties. These properties are different in character from those of the corresponding bulk material. Quantum dots are inorganic artificial semiconductor nanocrystal whose electrons influence their physical and chemical properties. Zinc oxide quantum dots were synthesized through an ethanol based precipitation via colloidal synthesis method at various pH values. Various emission colors were obtained because the excited quantum dots of various sizes emitted specific wavelengths of light. The emission spectra indicated that the pH dependent quantum dots were successfully synthesized. Zinc oxide quantum dots …

Liar's Domination In Grid Graphs, Christopher Kent Sterling

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As introduced by Slater in 2008, liar's domination provides a way of modeling protection devices where one may be faulty. Assume each vertex of a graph G is the possible location for an intruder such as a thief. A protection device at a vertex v is assumed to be able to detect the intruder at any vertex in its closed neighborhood N[v] and identify at which vertex in N[v] the intruder is located. A dominating set is required to identify any intruder's location in the graph G, and if any one device can fail to …

Structure And Rheology Of The Sandhill Corner Shear Zone, Norumbega Fault System, Maine: A Study Of A Fault From The Base Of The Seismogenic Zone, Nancy Ann Price

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Determining the structure and rheology of a seismogenic fault at frictional-to-viscous transition (FVT) depths is vital for understanding its strength and behavior. Few studies describe a fault from within this depth level, so the architecture of a shear zone at these depths as well as the effect of transient coseismic and postseismic deformation on the rheology of the shear zone is poorly-understood. The Sandhill Corner strand of the Paleozoic Norumbega fault system of Maine is the one of the few known examples of a subvertical, strike-slip fault exhumed from FVT depths. Using a suite of samples collected from the Sandhill …

From Automobiles To Alternatives: Applying Attitude Theory And Information Technologies To Increase Shuttle Use At Rocky Mountain National Park, Kourtney Kristen Collum

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines potential strategies for increasing voluntary shuttle use at Rocky Mountain National Park (ROMO) and the gateway community of Estes Park, Colorado. The first chapter of this two-part study evaluates the impact of a pilot intelligent transportation system (ITS) on visitor awareness and use of shuttles during the summer of 2011. Two forms of ITS, dynamic message signs (DMS) and highway advisory radio (HAR), were evaluated. Specifically, the ITS was meant to influence day-visitors to park at a new park-and-ride lot just east of Estes Park where they could then board a connector shuttle and transfer to any …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Mesoporous Silica Membranes Modified By Atomic And Molecular Layer Deposition, David Emmett Cassidy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Inorganic membranes offer a means for chemical separations in a variety of applications including chemical processing, drug delivery systems, battery separators and fuel cells. There is currently a “pore size gap” in silica membranes between 1-2 nanometers. Synthesizing membranes with a fine control of the pore size and distribution within that gap is a significant challenge. This thesis reports findings on using atomic and molecular layer deposition as new synthesis approaches to controlling pore size and chemical functionality of silica membranes. Mesoporous silica membranes, prepared using surfactant-templates with pore diameters ~4nm, were modified using atomic layer deposition and molecular layer …

On The Algebraic Reformulation Of The Partition Function, Emily Igo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The partition function has long enchanted the minds of great mathematicians, dating from Euler's attempts at calculating the value of this function in the 1700's, to Hardy and Ramanujan's asymptotic approach in the early twentieth century, through to Rademacher's representation as an explicit infinite series mid-century. This thesis will explore the historical attempts at grasping the behavior of this function, with particular attention paid to Euler's Pentagonal Number Theorem and Rademacher's Infinite Sum. We will then explore two reformulations due to Ono et al., with sample calculations from the recent algebraic reformulation, announced January, 2011.

Exploration Of The Chemistry Of Alkynes And Selectfluor : Search For Cytotoxic Agents From The Amazonian Rainforest., Zhuang Jin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Vicinal dithioethers and alkenyl thioethers were synthesized under environmentally friendly conditions using alkyne and thiol in water. Alkynes were also used to develop a multibond-fonning reaction that fonned cyclic ketones or ketoesters through a goldcatalyzed intramolecular oxygen transfer isomerization of 2-alkynyl-l ,5-diketones or 2- alkyny 1-5 -ketoesters. The investigation of Selectfluor chemistry yielded a highly stereoselective synthesis of fluoroalky (E)-a,ß-unsaturated ketones from allenyl esters, through a gold-catalyzed rearrangement that produced an intennediate dienyl ester. When Selectfluor was combined with copper, it produced two oxidative systems, F-TEDA-BF4 and F-TEDAPF 6, both of which efficiently converted amides into imides at room temperature …

Vertical Field Switching Blue Phase Liquid Crystals For Field Sequential Color Displays, Hui-Chuan Cheng

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Low power consumption is a critical requirement for all liquid crystal display (LCD) devices. A field sequential color (FSC) LCD was proposed by using red (R), green (G) and blue (B) LEDs and removing the lossy component of color filters which only transmits ~30% of the incoming white light. Without color filters, FSC LCDs exhibit a ~3X higher optical efficiency and 3X higher resolution density as compared to the conventional color filters-based LCDs. However, color breakup (CBU) is a most disturbing defect that degrades the image quality in FSC displays. CBU can be observed in stationary or moving images. It …