Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Multifunctional And Moisture Tolerant Zinc-Based Mono- And Bi-Metallic Metal-Organic Framework (Mof) Thin Films, Emmanuel Agbata

Theses and Dissertations

Many applications of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are highly dependent on their structures. The type and consistency of structure inform their properties. Zinc-based MOFs are applicable in different fields because of the low toxicity of zinc materials and are therefore also useful for catalysis. While MOF-5, a zinc-based MOF with carboxylate linkers is moisture intolerant, a variant of this is moisture tolerant. The introduction of a nitrogen-based linker in the zinc MOF which renders the structure moisture-tolerant. This material has not been explored as much, despite its multifunctional properties. Furthermore, the growth of Zn-based bimetallics of this MOF has not yet …

The Generation Of Terahertz Light And Its Applications In The Study Of Vibrational Motion, Aldair Alejandro

Theses and Dissertations

Terahertz (THz) spectroscopy is a powerful tool that uses ultrashort pulses of light to study the properties of materials on picosecond time scales. THz light can be generated through a variety of methods. In our lab, we generate THz through the process of optical rectification in nonlinear optical (NLO) organic crystals. THz light can be used to study several phenomena in materials, such as spin precession, electron acceleration, vibrational and rotational motion. The work presented in this dissertation is divided into two parts: (1) the generation of THz light and (2) applications of THz light. The first portion of this …

Applying Mathematical Modeling To The Study Of Family Systems, Dahlia Maxwell

Theses and Dissertations

Mathematical modeling provides a powerful framework for insight into current scientific theories as well as hypothesis generation for further research. Despite its undeniable potential to enrich scientific advancement, the application of mathematical modeling remains conspicuously scarce in the field of family science. The complexity inherent in family dynamics, coupled with the intricate interplay of emotions in the individual, underscores the necessity of a robust analytical approach. Addressing this critical gap in the literature, this thesis introduces a sophisticated mathematical model of family dynamics integrating essential elements from family systems theory, emotion dynamics, and appraisal theory. The model is implemented as …

Advancing Single-Cell Proteomics Through Innovations In Liquid Chromatography And Mass Spectrometry, Kei Grant Isaac Webber

Theses and Dissertations

Traditional proteomics studies can measure many protein biomarkers simultaneously from a single patient-derived sample, promising the possibility of syndromic diagnoses of multiple diseases sharing common symptoms. However, precious cellular-level information is lost in conventional bulk-scale studies that measure tissues comprising many types of cells. As single cells are the building blocks of organisms and are easier to biopsy than traditional bulk samples, performing proteomics on a single-cell level would benefit clinicians and patients. Single-cell proteomics, combined with mass spectrometry imaging, can be used to analyze cells in their microenvironment, preserving spatial information. We have previously used laser-capture microdissection to isolate …

Robot Proficiency Self-Assessment Using Assumption-Alignment Tracking, Xuan Cao

Theses and Dissertations

A robot is proficient if its performance for its task(s) satisfies a specific standard. While the design of autonomous robots often emphasizes such proficiency, another important attribute of autonomous robot systems is their ability to evaluate their own proficiency. A robot should be able to conduct proficiency self-assessment (PSA), i.e. assess how well it can perform a task before, during, and after it has attempted the task. We propose the assumption-alignment tracking (AAT) method, which provides time-indexed assessments of the veracity of robot generators' assumptions, for designing autonomous robots that can effectively evaluate their own performance. AAT can be considered …

N-H Nhc Palladium Catalysts Derived From Unique 2-Phosphinoimidazole Precursors For C-C Cross Coupling Reactions And Application Of Slow Releasing Polymers Impregnated With Gibberellic Acid To Overcome Seed Dormancy For Land Reclamation, Alexandra Jean Setelin Larson

Theses and Dissertations

Organometallic chemistry is highly dependent upon the ligands which are employed on a metal's surface. These ligands control steric bulk and electronics of the metal center which can change the reactivity of the organometallic complex. Ligands that are standard in organometallic chemistry include phosphine ligands. These phosphine ligands have been utilized in the field since the 1960's and have shaped the development of many key organometallic catalysts. Phosphine ligands are easily functionalized and highly reactive. This increased reactivity, however, causes severe limitations as phosphine ligands are often unstable under standard benchtop conditions and must be handled both air and moisture …

Gt-Ches And Dycon: Improved Classification For Human Evolutionary Systems, Joseph S. Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this work is to rethink the process of learning in human evolutionary systems. We take a sober look at how game theory, network theory, and chaos theory pertain specifically to the modeling, data, and training components of generalization in human systems. The value of our research is three-fold. First, our work is a direct approach to align machine learning generalization with core behavioral theories. We made our best effort to directly reconcile the axioms of these heretofore incompatible disciplines -- rather than moving from AI/ML towards the behavioral theories while building exclusively on AI/ML intuition. Second, this …

Development Of Bifunctional Peptides As Scaffolds For Bifunctional Catalysis And A Novel Method Of Peptide Stapling Using Squaric Esters, Adam X. Wayment

Theses and Dissertations

Enzymes are some of nature's most powerful tools in chemical processes. However, their molecular complexity makes them difficult to synthesize and complicates their application in traditional organic synthesis. Peptides, a building block of enzymes, can be rapidly synthesized and have been used as a possible alternative in achieving enzyme-like catalysis. However, most peptide-based catalysts are limited in reaction-scope and are unable to incorporate traditional organic catalysts. We have designed a helical peptide scaffold capable of being functionalized with a wide variety of organocatalysts as well as transition-metal based catalysts. In order to understand how the peptide structure effects reactivity and …

Raw Nmr Data For Tripeptides, David J. Michaelis, Scott R. Burt, Mariur Rodriguez Moreno, Nye C. Johnson, Christopher B. Stewart, Mary L. Setelin, Adam X. Wayment, Braxton M. Felix

ScholarsArchive Data

This data set contains primary data for 50 tripeptides that were generated as part of an advanced undergraduate laboratory experience in solid phase peptide synthesis. The raw data can be processed sing NMR interpretation software and can be used as problems for exams and quizzes or as supplementary materials for a laboratory experience

Historical Ozone Isopleths For Salt Lake Valley, Ut, Usa, Callum Flowerday, Isaac Sudweeks, Brad Adams, Jaron C. Hansen

ScholarsArchive Data

EPA quality assured data, collected by the Utah Division of Air Quality, was used for this analysis.

Historical Analysis Of Urban Dust Generated By The Great Salt Lake Playa, Callum Flowerday, Jaron C. Hansen, Rebekah Stanley, Kaitlyn Brewster

ScholarsArchive Data

Historical PM10 filters, provided by the Utah Division of Air Quality, were analyzed for elemental composition of various metals. This was done using ICP-MS.

Also included, EPA PM10 historical data and bathymetry data provided by the Utah USGS.

New Mathematics Teachers' Goals, Orientations, And Resources That Influence Implementation Of Principles Learned In Brigham Young University's Teacher Preparation Program, Caroline S. Gneiting

Theses and Dissertations

Research in mathematics education shows that new mathematics teachers struggle to implement reform teaching practices that they learned in their teacher preparation programs. In this study, the researcher observed and interviewed three new mathematics teachers (within five years of graduation) to further explore the question of why new teachers use or do not use what they learned in their teacher preparation program. The study uses an expanded version of Schoenfeld's decision-making theory of Orientations, Goals, and Resources. This theory proved useful in the analysis of the research data, providing a framework to incorporate and organize the numerous reasons suggested by …

Usability-Driven Security Enhancements In Person-To-Person Communication, Tarun Kumar Yadav

Theses and Dissertations

In the contemporary digital landscape, ensuring secure communication amid widespread data exchange is imperative. This dissertation focuses on enhancing the security and privacy of end-to-end encryption (E2EE) applications while maintaining or improving usability. The dissertation first investigates and proposes improvements in two areas of existing E2EE applications: countering man-in-the-middle and impersonation attacks through automated key verification and studying user perceptions of cryptographic deniability. Insights from privacy-conscious users reveal concerns about the lack of E2EE support, app siloing, and data accessibility by client apps. To address these issues, we propose an innovative user-controlled encryption system, enabling encryption before data reaches the …

Open System Neural Networks, Bradley Hatch

Theses and Dissertations

Recent advances in self-supervised learning have made it possible to reuse information-rich models that have been generally pre-trained on massive amounts of data for other downstream tasks. But the pre-training process can be drastically different from the fine-tuning training process, which can lead to inefficient learning. We address this disconnect in training dynamics by structuring the learning process like an open system in thermodynamics. Open systems can achieve a steady state when low-entropy inputs are converted to high-entropy outputs. We modify the the model and the learning process to mimic this behavior, and attend more to elements of the input …

Reducing Food Scarcity: The Benefits Of Urban Farming, S.A. Claudell, Emilio Mejia

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

Urban farming can enhance the lives of communities and help reduce food scarcity. This paper presents a conceptual prototype of an efficient urban farming community that can be scaled for a single apartment building or an entire community across all global geoeconomics regions, including densely populated cities and rural, developing towns and communities. When deployed in coordination with smart crop choices, local farm support, and efficient transportation then the result isn’t just sustainability, but also increasing fresh produce accessibility, optimizing nutritional value, eliminating the use of ‘forever chemicals’, reducing transportation costs, and fostering global environmental benefits.

Imagine Doris, who is …

Understanding The Origin, Evolution, And Dynamics Of Transneptunian Binaries, Benjamin C N Proudfoot

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation discusses research that focuses on understanding transneptunian objects (TNOs) using a variety of techniques and approaches. In Chapter 1, I introduce the main concepts used throughout this dissertation and discuss the current understanding of the transneptunian region. In Chapter 2, I discuss my efforts to understand how Neptune's late stages of migration affect the Haumea family, the only known collisional family in the transneptunian region. Using advanced simulations of Neptune migration, I find that the Haumea family can plausibly form before the termination of giant planet migration and show that this extensively mixes the family. The simplest explanation …

Simulating Government Institutions In Networked Societies, Michael Richards

Theses and Dissertations

Modern human societies give rise to the expression of complex group dynamics between the members of said society due to the abundance of continued interactions. Of particular interest are how institutions affect these interactions between societal members, alter the resulting group dynamics, and impact society as a whole through their rules. Simulating these dynamics allows for greater insight into how these institutions function and allows researchers to pose interesting questions and test hypotheses within a laboratory setting. We present a novel approach to simulating institutions, particularly governments, within a networked society. This approach builds upon the Junior High Game, which …

Local Atomic And Magnetic Structure Of Multiferroic (Sr,Ba)(Mn,Ti)O3, Braedon Jones

Theses and Dissertations

We present a detailed study of the local atomic and magnetic structure of the type-I multiferroic perovskite system (Sr,Ba)(Mn,Ti)O3 using x-ray and neutron pair distribution function (PDF) analysis, polarized neutron scattering, and muon spin relaxation (μSR) techniques. The atomic PDF analysis reveals widespread nanoscale tetragonal distortions of the crystal structure even in the paraelectric phase with average cubic symmetry, corresponding to incipient ferroelectricity in the local structure. Magnetic PDF analysis, polarized neutron scattering, and μSR likewise confirm the presence of short-range antiferromagnetic correlations in the paramagnetic state, which grow in magnitude as the temperature approaches the magnetic transition. We show …

Progress Towards The Development Of Asymmetric Conditions For Intramolecular Heteroatom/Dehydro-Diels-Alder Reactions For Synthesizing Furo[3,4-C] Pyranones And Anticancer Podophyllotoxins, Peter Mpaata

Theses and Dissertations

Furo[3,4-c] pyranone is a unique bicyclic molecular structure found in bioactive sesquiterpene isobolivianine and in artificial cytotoxic stilbene derivatives. The structure of furo[3,4-c] pyranone is analogous to cyclopenta[c] pyran structure found in potent cytotoxic iridoids like catapol. Chiral substrates for intramolecular hetero-Diels-Alder (IHDA) reaction have been synthesized in yields ranging from 39% to 81%. These compounds undergo [4+2] cycloaddition via ambimodal/ bispericyclic process to give a mixture of furo[3,4-c] pyranone in yields ranging 40-70% and aryl tetralin lactone derivatives. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations have been performed to gain insight into the mechanism leading to the formation of these compounds. …

In-Depth Geochemical Analysis Of Turbidite-Associated Shales Of The Pindos Basin, Greece, Jonathon Michael Sevy

Theses and Dissertations

Detailed geochemical analysis of the turbidite-associated shales of the Cretaceous Katafito Formation, Greece, reveals important details regarding the paleoenvironment, paleoproductivity, and regional tectonics of the Pindos Basin. The Katafito Formation was deposited along an active margin at the early onset of closure of the Tethys Sea in the Pindos sub-basin. While careful studies of the coarse clastic component of turbidites are common, this study consisted of a detailed geochemical characterization of the fine-grained portions, which helped reveal paleoenvironmental information about the basin. This study combined organic and inorganic geochemistry utilizing elemental, mineralogical, and organic chemical signatures from fine-grained turbidite-associated sediments …

Synthesis Of Yaku'amide A Analogues And Progress Toward Synthesis Of Virosine A, Alexander S. Ramos

Theses and Dissertations

The first project in this dissertation endeavors to outline the total synthesis of yaku'amide A and its analogs. Yaku'amide A is a natural product comprised of dehydroamino acids, including E-dehydro isoleucine, and unprecedented Z-dehydro isoleucine. These amino acids present a significant challenge to their synthesis owing to their unsymmetrical nature. To simplify the synthesis process, we synthesized analogs by substituting the E and Z dehydroamino acids with symmetrical subunits. This substitution facilitated the synthesis process and enabled us to obtain a similar three-dimensional structure to that of the natural product. Furthermore, biological testing of the simplified analogs revealed potency similar …

Interfacial Properties Of Hybrid Lipid-Polymer Bilayers: Applications In Drug Delivery And Biosensors, Keith L. Willes

Theses and Dissertations

Amphiphilic block copolymers are unique macro-molecules capable of self-assembling into bilayers analogous to naturally occurring lipid membranes. When combined with lipids, these copolymers form hybrid membranes with unique and sometimes unpredictable properties, including increased chemical and mechanical stability. These synthetically enhanced biological structures represent a versatile platform suitable for a wide range of applications, from advanced biosensing devices to drug delivery systems. The realization of these advancements necessitates a deep understanding of material properties, including the ability to predict and control interfacial behaviors. It has been shown that in the case of pure lipid membranes, interfacial behaviors are dominated by …

Using Quantitative And Kinetic Proteomics To Explore Proteostasis, Nathan Raul Zuniga Pina

Theses and Dissertations

Every cell consists of carefully orchestrated biomolecules such as lipids, carbohydrates, and proteins. To maintain internal stability (homeostasis), cells maintain the right amount of these molecules at the right time and at the right place. This process is especially true for proteins since they are the foundation functional units within the cell. Proteins form structures and perform chemistry that bestows cells overarching functional roles. Cells maintain protein homeostasis (proteostasis) by modulating synthesis, folding, and degradation processes (turnover) to maintain the abundance levels for all proteins. This is the foundational kinetic model of proteostasis that is covered in this work, and …

Stability, Longevity, And Regulatory Bionetworks, Christian N. K. Anderson

Theses and Dissertations

Genome-wide studies of diseases and chronic conditions frequently fail to uncover marked or consistent differences in RNA or protein concentrations. However, the developing field of kinetic proteomics has made promising discoveries in differences in the turnover rate of these same proteins, even when concentrations were not necessarily different. The situation can theoretically be modeled mathematically using bifurcation equations, but uncovering the proper form of these is difficult. To this end, we developed TWIG, a method for characterizing bifurcations that leverages information geometry to identify drivers of complex systems. Using this, we characterized the bifurcation and stability properties of all 132 …

Monitoring Brain Region-Specific Control Of Protein Turnover And Concentration Using Proteomics, Rebecca Suzanne Burlett

Theses and Dissertations

Regulation of metabolism is vital to health and lies at the core of many different diseases. The breakdown of metabolisms' regulation within the brain can lead to neurological disease like Alzheimer's Disease (AD). AD is known to affect brain regions responsible for memory and memory processing like the hippocampus and entorhinal cortex. The regulation of these regions' protein quality, synthesis, and degradation deviate from 'normal' or 'healthy' levels when AD is happening. It is known there is a breakdown of regulation in those regions; however, little is known about the specifics of regulation in healthy brains regions or how it …

Dispensing With Humans In Human-Computer Interaction Research, Courtni L. Byun

Theses and Dissertations

Machine Learning models have become more advanced than could have been supposed even a few years ago, often surpassing human performance on many tasks. Large language models (LLM) can produce text indistinguishable from human-produced text. This begs the question, how necessary are humans - even for tasks where humans appear indispensable? Qualitative Analysis (QA) is integral to human-computer interaction research, requiring both human-produced data and human analysis of that data to illuminate human opinions about and experiences with technology. We use GPT-3 and ChatGPT to replace human analysis and then to dispense with human-produced text altogether. We find GPT-3 is …

Inconsistent Correlation And Momenta: A New Approach To Portfolio Allocation, David Kercher

Theses and Dissertations

Correlated stocks should, in equilibrium, have correlated momenta, but in practice momenta do not always correlate. We use short-term inconsistencies between correlations and momenta to predict price corrections, produce more meaningful investment indicators, and improve upon accepted investing strategies. In particular, our approaches integrate inconsistencies within an entire security class rather than relying only on individual or pairwise security data. We use this theory to improve upon not only the standard momentum portfolio but also Pair Trading and Momentum Reversion methods. This results in three strategies for portfolio allocation that outperforms overlying indices and market benchmarks by 5%-10% in annual …

Developing 3d Printed Integrated Microfluidic Devices For Microchip Electrophoresis Separation Of Preterm Birth Biomarkers, Joule E. Esene

Theses and Dissertations

Preterm birth is a global health challenge and the leading cause of neonatal mortality. Each year, about 15 million babies are born preterm globally. Traditional tools that have been exploited for the detection of preterm birth biomarkers are expensive, time consuming, or lack multiplexing capabilities. The work described in this dissertation highlights techniques developed to detect preterm birth biomarkers rapidly and accurately in the effort to mitigate preterm birth risk. In this dissertation, I first demonstrated the use of stereolithography digital light processing-based 3D printing and microfluidics for the development of microfluidic devices that had microvalves for fluid control. I …

Task Distillation: Transforming Reinforcement Learning Into Supervised Learning, Connor Wilhelm

Theses and Dissertations

Recent work in dataset distillation focuses on distilling supervised classification datasets into smaller, synthetic supervised datasets in order to reduce per-model costs of training, to provide interpretability, and to anonymize data. Distillation and its benefits can be extended to a wider array of tasks. We propose a generalization of dataset distillation, which we call task distillation. Using techniques similar to those used in dataset distillation, any learning task can be distilled into a compressed synthetic task. Task distillation allows for transmodal distillations, where a task of one modality is distilled into a synthetic task of another modality, allowing a more …

Trumpet Directivity From A Rotating Semicircular Array, Samuel D. Bellows, Joseph E. Avila, Timothy W. Leishman

Directivity

The directivity function of a played musical instrument describes the angular dependence of its acoustic radiation and diffraction about the instrument, musician, and musician’s chair. Directivity influences sound in rehearsal, performance, and recording environments and signals in audio systems. Because high-resolution, spherically comprehensive measurements of played musical instruments have been unavailable in the past, the authors have undertaken research to produce and share such data for studies of musical instruments, simulations of acoustical environments, optimizations of microphone placements, and other applications. The authors acquired the data from repeated chromatic scales produced by a trumpet played at mezzo-forte in an anechoic …