Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Information Behaviors Of Nuclear Scientists At Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Youngchoon Chun, Jiho Yi, Jung-Ran Park, Sangki Choi

Journal of East Asian Libraries

The goal of the study was to analyze the information use behaviors of researchers in the science and technology domain. A survey and interviews were conducted targeting nuclear scientists at the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute. Study results indicate that the nuclear scientists mainly use the Institute library/information center and Internet portal/search engines during information acquisition. Easy access to information, accuracy, currency and cost are the most critical factors in selecting and obtaining information. The most frequently used database for executing research is the Institute’s electronic library (NUCLIS21) followed by the Citation Index SCOPUS. The results of the study indicate …

Amiens Cathedral: City Of God, Dennis West, Dr. Seth Holladay

Journal of Undergraduate Research

What was it like to visit a gothic cathedral in the thirteenth century? That is the question that is explored in Amiens Cathedral: City of God. The purpose of this project was to illustrate the experience a medieval citizen of Amiens would have had upon visiting the Cathedral of Amiens. This was accomplished through researching dimensions and original construction of the cathedral, and illustrating how the stained glass and other art accentuates the sermons presented.

Bayesian Model For Antarctic Accumulation And Proposing Field Measurement, Philip White, Shane Reese

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Antarctica’s significance to the global climate is due to the vast amounts of water stored in its ice sheet. Indeed, its ice sheet stores enough water to increase the global sea level by about 200 feet if it were to melt. Even though radical climate change could not melt the entire Antarctic ice sheet for thousands of years, smaller, more realistic changes would still make a significant impact in the global climate, sea level, and growing seasons. For this reason, climatologists and geologists model water accumulation and loss over the Antarctic ice sheet. Accumulation, as defined here, is the net …

Exploring How Dual-Task Interference Influences End-User Secure Behavior, K Shane Reeves, Jeffrey Jenkins

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Finding ways to help people behave securely is of great value and importance to companies worldwide. Policies are often created to help enforce secure behavior; however, policies are not always followed, even if they seem simple and clear.

Look Sharp! How Eye Tracking And Memory Explain Susceptibility To Phishing, Ian Jones, Anthony Vance

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Warning messages are one of the last lines of defense in computer security and are fundamental to users’ security interactions with technology. Consequently, researchers have actively sought to understand how users interact with security warnings and why warnings are so pervasively ignored. A key contributor to the disregard of security warnings is habituation—i.e., the diminishing of attention because of frequent exposure to warning. Although habituation has been inferred as a factor in many security-warning studies, little research has examined habituation in the context of security directly because habituation as a mental state is difficult to observe using conventional methods. …

Dual Species Magneto-Optical Trap, Daniel Woodbury, Scott Bergeson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In the last several decades, laser cooling has become the primary tool for atomic research and, in our lab, has facilitated the study of ultracold plasma. Using a novel laser cooling setup, we created a vacuum chamber and related hardware for a dual species magneto-optical trap (MOT). The design of the MOT will allow us to improve trapping efficiency and atom density in our plasma, better understand laser cooling and trapping of calcium and ytterbium, and probe their interactions in ultracold hetero-nuclear plasma.

Mechanism Of Assembly Of The Bardet-Biedel Syndrome (Bbs) Complex, Barry M. Willardson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

1. Devon Blake. Devon was the most productive student I have had in my 18 years at BYU. The MEG award helped support his work from January 2013 through May 2014. During this time, Devon co-authored two papers on the effects of cell-type specific deletion of phosducinlike protein 1 (PhLP1) in rod and cone photoreceptor cells (Lai et al. (2013) J. Neurosci. 33, 7941-7951, selected by the Faculty of 1000 as a high-impact paper and Tracy et al. (2014) PLOS One in press). He reported this work in poster form at an international meeting of the Federation of American Society …

Metal Cnt-M, New Materials And New Approaches To Microfabrication, Richard Vanfleet

Journal of Undergraduate Research

This Mentored Environment Grant (MEG) proposed to explore Carbon Nanotube Templated Microfabrication (CNT-M) approaches that used metal as the infiltration material. We proposed to focus on two specific metal systems; traditionally electrodeposited metals such as nickel and high atomic number metals like tungsten which in many cases cannot be electroplated. Our two objectives were:

Gaussian Process Modeling Of Modern Mass Spectrometry Computer Experimental Data, Mickey Warner, C. Shane Reese

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Introduction A new mass spectrometry technique (VENDAMS) has been developed to allow the quantification of rate constants for complicated chemical reactions. Due to the expensive nature of the method, computer experiments designed to solve a set of equations provide supplemental information to the process.

Validation Of Quantitative Regional Atrophy Dementia Classification In A Large Clinical Mri Sample, Samantha Sanders, Christophe Girdaud-Carrier

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Introduction Psychiatrists at the University of Utah developed a regional quantitative brain atrophy map that they hoped to be able to use to find biomarkers for diagnosis of probable Alzheimer’s disease (AD) versus frontotemporal dementia (FTD). This brain atrophy map divides the brain into 20 regions and when a brain scan is taken, they measure the brain density, or atrophy, of each of the 20 regions. We used machine learning techniques with a set of mapped fMRI brain scans to find biomarkers corresponding to the map as well as developing a predictive model for the diagnosis of AD and FTD.

Tempestites Of The Entrada Sandstone: Mapping And Reservoir Characterization, Jeffery Valenza, Dr. Tom Morris

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Tempestites are sedimentary deposits traditionally thought to be formed by high-energy storm events. Typically, water depth for tempestites has been interpreted to be between fair weather and storm wave base. Tempestites are primarily identified in the rock record by hummocky cross-stratification (HCS). HCS is a typical indicator of oscillatory flow in subaqueous settings, where strong wave action can scour and redeposit sediment. Tempestites may also contain sole marks and various forms of ripples. Some work has been done on tempestites in lower shoreface and carbonate ramp settings, but little research has been done on tempestites in very shallow water to …

The Fourier Coefficients Of Modular Forms, Kyle Pratt, Dr. Paul Jenkins

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Modular forms are complex analytic functions with remarkable properties. Modular forms possess interesting and surprising connections to many different branches of mathematics. For example, it is well-known that Andrew Wiles’ proof of Fermat’s Last Theorem, a conjecture that had been unresolved for more than three centuries, utilized modular forms in a crucial way.

Magnetic Memory In Exchange Bias Films, Clarke Safsten, Karine Chenel

Journal of Undergraduate Research

My project for which I received an ORCA grant has advanced considerably. I work with Dr. Chesnel studying magnetic thin films. These films consist of layered ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic materials. In previous experiments, Dr. Chesnel has determined that these types of films exhibit a property called magnetic memory. My project is to determine if the magnetic memory persists, and to what degree, in various circumstances. My project is divided into three primary pieces: experiment, computation, and conclusion.

Transiting Exo-Planets Indirect Detection Of Planets Orbiting Other Stars, Brian Shaw, Denise Stephens

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Introduction Over the past year I have been looking at pictures filled with dots and running them through computers. On the surface that doesn’t seem quite exciting but once one understands what is happening between the pixels, the humdrum atmosphere disappears. Each of those dots represent an actual star in our galaxy. And by analyzing the pixels, I can determine properties of these stars. The Orson Pratt Observatory atop the Eyring Science Center on BYU campus has been collection data of potential transits provided by the KELT-North Project. I have been taking that data and reducing it to the point …

“Ultra Cold” Room Temperature Plasma, Stephen Rupper, Dr. Scott Bergeson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Many scientists throughout the world are currently doing research on ultra cold neutral plasmas (UCNP). These plasmas are difficult to make and require quite a sophisticated setup. A method that we employ in our lab requires multiple laser pulses to be timed perfectly and aligned precisely in order to ionize the atoms. It also requires the use of a magneto optical trap, which traps the atoms before they are ionized. This setup is very time consuming to build and maintain but we have a mathematical model for it. Since the current methods of creating ultra cold plasmas are hard to …

Extent And Mechanism Of Translational Readthrough In Humans, Michael Porter, Dr. John Prince

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Introduction Proteins are an integral part of the cell. They are responsible for metabolism, DNA replication, transportation, and responding to changes in environment. Because of their importance to the cell, proteins are often drug targets due to the important roles they play in carrying out cellular function. Proteins are made by ribosomes which are responsible for translating proteins from mRNA. The end of translation is signaled by a stop codon in the RNA. However, in some organisms such as viruses and yeast, the stop codon may be bypassed in an event known as translational readthrough.

Microbial Pretreatment Of Waste For Anaerobic Digestion, Braden Myers, Jaron Hansen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

This project will demonstrate the technical feasibility of microbial pretreatment of lignocellulose for enhanced production of biogas when coupled with secondary anaerobic digestion as well as optimize the entire process.

Determining Thin Film Roughness With Euv Reflection, Cody Petrie, Steven Turley

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Introduction: Reflection of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light is made difficult by a number of factors. First, most materials have a large, imaginary part of the index of refraction for EUV light, causing absorption. As a result, our experiment is done under vacuum. Second, since the wavelength of EUV light (1-100 nm) is smaller than visible light, it is scattered more strongly than visible light. To overcome this obstacle we need to make our reflecting surfaces smoother. To be able to do this we need a good probe for surface roughness on the scale of EUV wavelengths. Currently the best method …

Wavelength Detection From Filtered Photodiodes, Nils Otterstrom, Dallin Durfee

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Introduction Physics laboratories all over the world depend on accurate wavelength meters to tune their lasers to desired optical frequencies. Our ion interferometry lab, for example, relies heavily on the precision of these instruments to laser cool beams of strontium ions and then split and recombine their wave functions. Unfortunately, some these devices can be extremely expensive and very cumbersome to use. A frequency comb wavelength detector, although remarkably accurate, can cost around $100,000 dollars. In our lab we employ a Michelson-Morley interferometer based wavelength meter, which costs around $8,000 dollars. Despite its relatively high accuracy, the device is extremely …

Porous Cantilevers As Chemical Sensors, Steven Noyce, Robert Davis

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Resonant cantilevers, or small vibrating beams, are used to detect small concentrations of chemicals. As molecules or atoms of the substance to be sensed adhere to the vibrating beam, the resonant frequency changes as a result of the change in mass. These sensors are built on the microscale to allow for mass parallelization. An array of cantilevers could each be coated with a different adhesion layer, making each beam sensitive to a unique substance. These sensors have previously been made of solid materials, but because the sensitivity is proportional to the surface area of the resonator, a porous cantilever could …

Chaotic Scattering In General Relativity, Taylor Hugh Morgan, David Neilsen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

I. Introduction Our research is on the gravitational three-body problem where there are three star-like objects with the only acting force on the objects being gravity. Since the discovery of gravity, many physicists and mathematicians have looked for an analytic solution to the three-body problem including Poincare, Euler, Lagrange, and Jacobi. We now know that there is in fact no analytic solution to this problem. Due to the advent of high performance computing we have discovered much about the chaotic nature1 of this problem and its sensitivity to initial perturbations. For our research we have extended the scope of the …

Digital Outcrop Model And Paleoecology Of The Eight-Foot Rapid Algal Field (Middle Pennsylvanian Lower Ismay Sequence), Paradox Basin, Utah, Colton Goodrich, Scott Ritter

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Although phylloid algal mounds have been studied for 50 year, much remains to be determined concerning the ecology and sedimentology of these Late Paleozoic carbonate buildups. Herein we perform a digital outcrop study of the well-known Middle Pennsylvanian Lower Ismay mound interval in the Paradox Basin because 1) the concept of phylloid algae was established in this interval and 2) outcropping mounds along the San Juan River are cited as outcrop analogs of reservoir carbonates in the Paradox Basin oil province of Utah and adjacent states. The principal field area is the Eight Foot algal field located at river mile …

A Tectonic Origin For Mountains On Saturn’S Moon Titan, Jani Radebaugh

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In this proposal, we proposed to: (1) undertake a global study of peak heights and slopes of mountains on Titan to determine the relative importance of tectonism and erosion, and thereby gain a better understanding of the timing of mountain formation and subsequent evolution by erosion. We also proposed to: (2) complete general global and detailed regional structure maps to investigate the orientation of forces required to build the selected mountains. We will investigate the role of liquids in the lithosphere in fault propagation and mountain formation, similar to Critical Wedge Theory, explored extensively on Earth. Finally, we planned to: …

Mitochondrial Membrane Lipids Regulator In B-Cll Leukemia Research, Brooke Keeton, Dr. John Prince

Journal of Undergraduate Research

B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL) is the most common type of leukemia in adults.1 Over 75% of patients diagnosed with B-CLL are over the age of 50 years old, and have a median survival between 18 months and 3 years.2 B-CLL originates from a mutation in the DNA of white blood cells, the potent infection fighters of the body. This genetic mutation produces abnormal white blood cells, rendering them nonfunctional and resulting in a weak immune system. While this mutation originally occurs in the bone marrow, it slowly invades other parts of the body, including the lymph nodes, liver, and …

Mega-Autophagosome Induction By Human Cox-3 And Human Nucleobindin, Gideon N. Logan, Daniel Simmons

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Cyclooxygenase (COX) isoenzymes catalyze the first step of prostanoid synthesis, which plays a role in various conditions including pain, inflammation, arthritis, and cancer. Recently our laboratory has shown that mammalian cell lines transfected with the COX-1 splice variant, COX-3, express translationally recoded proteins, including four unglycosylated lower molecular weight forms, 57kDa (57 rcCOX-3), 50kDa (50 rcCOX-3), 47kDa (47 rcCOX-3) and 44kDa (44 rcCOX-3.)

Learning Chemistry Through Experimentation, Brent Kamba `, Dr. Jennifer Nielson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

There is a great need for students to learn scientific skills in Uganda. Very few students pass the national chemistry exams (about 40%) and even fewer go on to study science fields in higher education. The teaching methods in Uganda are a little bit old fashion where students often just learn facts and practise rote memorization. Rarely do they develop the critical and analytical skills to help them succeed in science jobs. Teachers also express that the curriculum is very theoretical, and not experimental.

Bottom-Up Development Of Nanoelectronics Using Dna Origami Templates, John Jensen, Dr. Adam T. Woolley

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Introduction DNA origami is the method of folding a large single stranded DNA (ssDNA) with multiple smaller ssDNA “staple” strands into a predesigned shape, making it an attractive option in the bottom-up construction of nanoelectronic components, such as nanowires. These structures can be used as templates for placement of conductive species1, such as gold nanoparticles (Au NPs). In order to attach Au NPs to the structure, polyadenine (polyA) tails are added to ends of certain staple strands, allowing attachment of Au NP “seeds” that are functionalized with a thiolated polythymine (polyT) sequence. After attachment, the Au NP seeds are connected …

Molecular-Level Interactions Responsible For Retention In Liquid Chromatography, Jessica Jenkins, James Patterson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Introduction In many fields of work, such as medicine or pharmaceutical research, it is necessary to separate chemically similar compounds. Liquid chromatography, which involves a mixture of compounds (analyte) dissolved in a mobile phase flowing through a packed column (stationary phase), is the most widely used chemical separation technique. Changes in operational parameters such as the mobile or stationary phase composition, temperature, pressure, pH, etc. affect retention time Operational parameters are currently chosen by trial-and-error because we understand very little about the molecular interactions between the analyte and the mobile phase/stationary phase interface. Specifically, it is unclear how enthalpy and …

Differences In Cognitive Processing Between Deaf And Hearing Individuals When Presented With Linguistic Stimuli, Aubrey Hatch, Michael Jones

Journal of Undergraduate Research

My project was designed to increase our understanding of the neurological processes of deaf individuals to shape future adaptive technologies to facilitate better education for the deaf community. More specifically, my goal was to focus on the cognitive differences between deaf and hearing individuals when presented with different types of linguistic stimuli such as: a spoken word, a written word, a signed video of a word, or a picture that represents a specific word. By increasing our understanding of these cognitive differences, I hoped to help increase the capabilities of future adaptive technological devices that would be beneficial for those …

Zeros Of Poincare Series Of Level 2, Andrew Haddock, Paul Jenkins

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Introduction Poincaré series are a certain type of modular form. Modular forms are complex-valued functions that satisfy certain symmetry properties. There are many different types of modular forms, and one way to classify modular forms is by their level, such as 1, 2, 3, etc. They are of much interest as a research subject because they are connected in surprising ways to many different fields in number theory—e.g., elliptic curves, quadratic forms, and partition functions, to name just a few. As we gain more insight into the various properties of modular forms, we gain more insight into how these various …