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Articles 1561 - 1590 of 3451

Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Understanding Isolated Systems Of Hard Spheres, Scott Burt, Dr. Randy Shirts Oct 2013

Understanding Isolated Systems Of Hard Spheres, Scott Burt, Dr. Randy Shirts

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Chemical modeling is an increasingly important tool in modern research. Despite vast improvements in computational speed, most systems of interest are so complex that simulations must be carried out on model systems that are much smaller and simpler than the system of interest. However, such simplified systems often contain constraints that do not apply to the larger system. This causes significant deviations from the true behavior of the corresponding macroscopic system. Such deviations are known as finite size effects. Understanding these effects are important for correctly extrapolating simulation results to the macroscopic system of interest. For example, chemical simulations are …

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Pressure Perturbation Calorimetry, Blair R. Brown, Dr. Earl M. Woolley Oct 2013

Pressure Perturbation Calorimetry, Blair R. Brown, Dr. Earl M. Woolley

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In Dr. Woolley’s lab we have made extensive measurements of the Apparent Molar Heat Capacities of aqueous solutions using a Nano Differential Scanning Calorimeter, N-DSC (Calorimetry Science Corporation, Spanish Fork, UT). Through modifications to the N-DSC we are now able to do pressure perturbation calorimetry. That is to say we may now change the pressure of a solution and measure the change in the heat of that solution, (dq/dP)T ( as opposed to (dq/dT)p which is heat capacity). This property is related to entropy by the 2nd law of thermodynamics in the following way (dq/dP)T = T(dS/dP)T. From a Maxwell …

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Understanding The Secretion Of Histamine, Sean P. Brady, Dr. Paul B. Savage Oct 2013

Understanding The Secretion Of Histamine, Sean P. Brady, Dr. Paul B. Savage

Journal of Undergraduate Research

With help from fellow lab members, this project involved the synthesis of several antigen linkers in order to aid the understanding of histamine secretion of basophil cells. It is hypothesized that the bi-valent linkers (such as the ones outlined below) do not stimulate basophil cells, but that the tri-valent antigens (not shown in this report) do cause granulation of cells.

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Improving Error Discovery In Guided Search Model Checking, Neha Rungta, Dr. Eric Mercer Oct 2013

Improving Error Discovery In Guided Search Model Checking, Neha Rungta, Dr. Eric Mercer

Journal of Undergraduate Research

As computer systems grow in complexity it is becoming harder to completely test them. The cost of finding and correcting errors after deployment is staggering. Current validation methods are not well suited to finding subtle errors laden in the concurrency of modern systems. This project searches the behavior in such systems, guiding the search to focus its time in areas that seem most likely to contain errors. This work decreases the amount of time and memory needed for the errors that are found and corrected before deployment of the system. In this project we have developed a heuristic that takes …

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A Customer Loyalty Program For The Byu Bookstore, Steven Hulet, Dr. Sean Warnick Oct 2013

A Customer Loyalty Program For The Byu Bookstore, Steven Hulet, Dr. Sean Warnick

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Because of its relationship with Brigham Young University, the BYU Bookstore is in a position to know more about its customers on an individual basis than possible for the average firm operating in the free market. Such in-depth knowledge of a customer base allows a firm to better serve its customers and can result in greater satisfaction for the customers and greater revenue for the firm.

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Control Chart Development For The Coefficient Of Variation, Geraldine Madariaga, Dr. C. Shane Reese Oct 2013

Control Chart Development For The Coefficient Of Variation, Geraldine Madariaga, Dr. C. Shane Reese

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Industries use control charts to evaluate whether or not a process is “in control” or producing parts that meet the standards of quality. Control charts are based on the principle that variation between samples can be predicted based on sampling distributions. Parts are measured and the computed test statistic is plotted within limits that are based on the standard deviation or quantiles of the sampling distribution of the test statistic.

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Background Color Selection Based On Color Information From User Images: Making It Easier To Be Right And Scientific For Web Page Designers, Qing Xia, Dr. Brian Morse Oct 2013

Background Color Selection Based On Color Information From User Images: Making It Easier To Be Right And Scientific For Web Page Designers, Qing Xia, Dr. Brian Morse

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The original idea for this project was conceived at the Center for Instructional Design (CID) at Brigham Young University. CID suggested a need to develop software tools for dynamically selecting a good background color for a web page design, given an image to be placed on that page.

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Variable Star Research From The Musk Observatory, Miriam Stevens, Dr. Clark Christensen Oct 2013

Variable Star Research From The Musk Observatory, Miriam Stevens, Dr. Clark Christensen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

For my project, I planned on using the telescope at the Musk Observatory to study the variable star IP Uma. The MUSK Observatory is located about five miles away from the small town Hanksville, UT at the Mars Desert Research Station(MDRS). I have had several opportunities to go to the MDRS with the BYU chapter Mars Society. The Mars Society is a worldwide organization that tries to further the exploration of Mars. The Mars Society owns the MDRS and sends groups of scientists there from all over the world to simulate living on Mars and to conduct Mars related research. …

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Diode Laser Stabilization, Brian Neyenhuis Oct 2013

Diode Laser Stabilization, Brian Neyenhuis

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Over the course of this grant, we have made considerable progress on our laser. We tested an anti-reflection coated diode in our setup, and although the anti-reflective coatings appear to be good, we did not see considerable improvement in scan range. However by experimenting with the geometry of the laser and implementing current feed-forward we were able to improve the scan range from about 9 GHz to greater than 50 GHz, more than sufficient for use in our atomic clock. We found a regular mode hop when attempting to scan over 50 GHz. We considered various etalons inside the cavity …

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A Sequence Stratigraphic Analysis Of The Cedar Mountain Formation, Brent Greenhalgh, Dr. Brooks Britt Oct 2013

A Sequence Stratigraphic Analysis Of The Cedar Mountain Formation, Brent Greenhalgh, Dr. Brooks Britt

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The Cedar Mountain Formation (CMF) contains an abundance of Early Cretaceous dinosaur bone accumulations unrivaled in North America. The CMF also records the propagation of mountain building into western Utah tied to the Sevier fold and thrust belt. The fluvial nature of the CMF and its similarities to the underlying Morrison formation have made the details of its depositional history difficult to discern. Currently there is a great deal of controversy over the stratigraphic relationship between the members of the formation. The goal of my research was to better understand the complex sequence stratigraphy of the CMF.

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Probable Frames: Using A Probability Task To Explore Fraction Multiplication, Joseph G. Curtis, Dr. Robert Speiser Oct 2013

Probable Frames: Using A Probability Task To Explore Fraction Multiplication, Joseph G. Curtis, Dr. Robert Speiser

Journal of Undergraduate Research

When you toss a coin at the start of a football game and call “Heads!” the probability the coin will land “heads-up” is one-half. If the referee does not hear your prediction, he must toss again. The probability the second toss will land heads is again one-half. But what is the probability that both tosses were heads? In the double coin toss, the probability of two heads in a row is one-half times one-half: one-fourth. Although the rule (multiply the probabilities of the two independent events in order to calculate the probability of both events) is simple to carry out, …

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Utah Valley Stream Study, Elizabeth Adele Outdoor Hunter, Dr. Allan R. Mayo Oct 2013

Utah Valley Stream Study, Elizabeth Adele Outdoor Hunter, Dr. Allan R. Mayo

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Aquifers in Utah provide water to over 84% of our population. The aquifer system beneath Utah Valley is the main provider for agricultural, municipal, industrial, and domestic use. A better understanding of the flow paths and recharge rates of this aquifer system is needed. A recent thesis from a geology student Barnhurst (2003) evaluated this Utah Valley groundwater flow system using stable and radio isotopic techniques. However, he only had limited data analysis regarding recharge waters i.e. stream flow in constructing his model. The purpose of this study was to synoptically collect and analyze these potential recharge waters. This analysis …

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Data Reduction And Publication Of Byu’S Ccd Images Of Comet Hyakutake, Kimball Staples, Nephi Thompson, Dr. J. Ward Moody Oct 2013

Data Reduction And Publication Of Byu’S Ccd Images Of Comet Hyakutake, Kimball Staples, Nephi Thompson, Dr. J. Ward Moody

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In March 1996, Dr. J. Ward Moody and Dr. Clark Christiansen obtained a series of approximately 120 CCD (solid state electronic) images of Comet Hyakutake. The images were taken at the National Optical Astronomy Observatory on Kitt Peak, near Tucson, Arizona. The large angle Buffell- Schmidt Telescope that was used is one of the best comet-viewing telescopes in the world because of its expanded field of view. The data obtained is the most extensive coverage of a comet tail to date with a modern solid-state detector.

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A Ccd Photometric Search For Variable Stars In The Open Cluster Ngc 188, Andrew Davis, Dr. Eric Hintz Oct 2013

A Ccd Photometric Search For Variable Stars In The Open Cluster Ngc 188, Andrew Davis, Dr. Eric Hintz

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The old open cluster NGC 188 is unique because of its large number of W UMa type contact binaries. This allows astronomers to use these stars to refine models of the origin and evolution of these systems. Also because of its age, NGC 188 may display a wide range of contact binary systems, from the W UMa binaries to the highly evolved FK Comae type star in which the two stellar cores have coalesced. It was our goal to find and classify new variable stars in this cluster.

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Micro-Furnace Development For Single-Crystal X-Ray Diffraction Experiments, Brett Guisti Oct 2013

Micro-Furnace Development For Single-Crystal X-Ray Diffraction Experiments, Brett Guisti

Journal of Undergraduate Research

High-temperature x-ray diffraction experiments have long been of interest for the characterization of materials with phase transitions and other structural variations above room temperature. Examples include cubic zirconia transitioning from cubic to tetragonal below 500°C, β-Alumina gradually moving from an ordered to a disordered state as temperature increases, and superionic conductors like Bi4V2O11. With a more complete understanding of the microscopic structural transitions, the origins of macroscopic properties can be identified.

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Orca, Kourtney Peters Oct 2013

Orca, Kourtney Peters

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Throughout my research, the students were rarely given a verbal introduction to the tasks they faced. Instead, they had to rely on their intuition, pre-conceptions, and any previous knowledge to find solutions to the tasks at hand. They were given time and resources to explore their already existing understanding. This balance of time to think and distance from the teacher’s guidance is key, I think, to encouraging students to use their intuition and past experience to solve problems. According to Duckworth (Bransford, 2000), “Accomplished teachers ‘give learners reason’ by respecting and understanding learners’ prior experiences and understandings, assuming that these …

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Selectivity Of Silicon Dioxide On Planner Graphite, John Wilcox, Dr. Robert Davis Oct 2013

Selectivity Of Silicon Dioxide On Planner Graphite, John Wilcox, Dr. Robert Davis

Journal of Undergraduate Research

BYU’s Nanotube Research Group is currently searching for a method to attach and shorten carbon nanotubes (CNTs) on the tips of Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) probes (image 1). Many have shown that short CNTs grown on the end of AFM probes greatly enhance the resolution and utility of the AFM. With shortened CNTs securely attached to the tip of an AFM probe, the microscope resolution could be improved as much as 5 times. It has been shown that features as small as 1.5nm can be measured . CNTs are strong and have small diameters which make them ideal for scanning …

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Characteristic Acoustical Properties Of A Theater In The Round, David Nutter, Dr. Timothy Leishman Oct 2013

Characteristic Acoustical Properties Of A Theater In The Round, David Nutter, Dr. Timothy Leishman

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Architectural Acoustics is a field of study with many applications in building design, including office spaces, concert halls, and recording studios. Theaters must be carefully designed so that the speech intelligibility of actors is adequate for the audience. Since theater design is varied and unique to each venue, careful planning in theater design is necessary to achieve a listening environment acceptable to proscribed standards. Although tools exist to simulate a room and predict its acoustical properties, testing must be performed in a completed structure to determine if any changes need to be made.

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Direct Measurement Of Absorption Rates For Laser High-Order Harmonics Generated In Helium And Neon, Eric Christensen, Dr. Justin Peatross Oct 2013

Direct Measurement Of Absorption Rates For Laser High-Order Harmonics Generated In Helium And Neon, Eric Christensen, Dr. Justin Peatross

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light can be generated through the interaction of a high-intensity laser beam with atoms. When an intense laser pulse hits an atom, its outer electron is pulled away from the atom. The electric field of the laser may then pull the electron back to the atom. When the electron and atom collide, a photon can be emitted.1 As the laser interacts with many atoms near the focus of the beam, the emitted photons build up coherently in the forward direction, creating a highly-directional beam of light. In Dr. Justin Peatross’s lab we work on ways to optimize …

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Use Of Cationic Steroid Antibiotics To Fight Drug Resistance In Gram-Positive And Gram-Negative Bacteria, Thomas Orsak, Dr. Paul Savage Oct 2013

Use Of Cationic Steroid Antibiotics To Fight Drug Resistance In Gram-Positive And Gram-Negative Bacteria, Thomas Orsak, Dr. Paul Savage

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Drug resistance has become an increasing problem for clinical anti-bacterial needs and a major human health threat. Drug resistance emerges through structural or biochemical pathway changes that antibacterial drugs specifically target. Bacteria have the ability to rapidly mutate and gain resistance to antibacterial drugs because of their ability to reproduce rapidly. However some parts of bacterial cells need to stay consistent. The need for consistency for these parts arises from their complexity and their essential biological activities. One of these parts is the bacterial membrane.

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The Localization Of Cationic Steroid Antibiotics In Escherichia Coli Through Transmission Electron Microscopy, Matthew Chadwell, Dr. Paul Savage Oct 2013

The Localization Of Cationic Steroid Antibiotics In Escherichia Coli Through Transmission Electron Microscopy, Matthew Chadwell, Dr. Paul Savage

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The growing numbers of antibiotic resistant bacteria has caused concern in the health community. To combat this enemy, our lab has developed an arsenal of new compounds called cationic steroid antibiotics (CSAs). To date, many of these compounds have successfully killed bacteria resistant to common antibiotics. Although we have successfully killed these bacteria, the question still remains as how this occurs. If we could identify the mode of action by which these compounds kill bacteria, then scientists would be able to develop more effective CSAs.

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Identification Of Binding Partners For Phosducin, Tiffany Sabin, Dr. Barry Willardson Oct 2013

Identification Of Binding Partners For Phosducin, Tiffany Sabin, Dr. Barry Willardson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Cellular signaling is vital to the proper functioning of a cell. In the visual system, as light activates the transmembrane receptor rhodopsin, a series of signals is initiated throughout the cell. This response begins with the activation of G proteins which couple to the rhodopsin. One important player in G protein signaling is Phosducin (Pdc). The unphosphorylated form of Pdc binds to the βγ subunit of the G protein.1 We used a proteomics approach to investigate the possibility of other binding partners for Pdc.

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Cataracts And Na,K-Atpase, Ryan Earp, Dr. Steven Graves Oct 2013

Cataracts And Na,K-Atpase, Ryan Earp, Dr. Steven Graves

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Nearly 20.5 million Americans above the age of 40 suffer impaired vision caused by cataracts. By the age of 80, the percentage of Americans suffering from cataracts increases to 50%. According to the World Health Organization cataracts are the leading cause of blindness in the world. The United States government spends an estimated $3.4 billion annually to treat cataracts surgically. The enormous cost of cataract treatment suggests a great need for non-invasive cataract treatment.

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Corrections To The Virial Expansion For Finite Hard Sphere Systems, Aaron M. Johnson, Dr. Randall B. Shirts Oct 2013

Corrections To The Virial Expansion For Finite Hard Sphere Systems, Aaron M. Johnson, Dr. Randall B. Shirts

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Computer modeling has become an important aspect of modern chemistry. As chemists try to better understand the how and why of chemical reactions, computer modeling and simulation is unparalleled in value. We are able to learn the conditions that best facilitate effective collisions, and therefore, the best way to design chemical synthesis. However, in order for these simulated results to be most accurate, chemists need to understand how the simulations relate to real systems. Limited by computation speed and programming complexity, simulated systems are always much smaller than real systems in both volume and number of particles. The purpose of …

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A2e-Dna Interaction: A Possible Mechanism For Dna Damage, Sierra Evelyn Dabell, Dr. Heidi R. Vollmer-Snarr Oct 2013

A2e-Dna Interaction: A Possible Mechanism For Dna Damage, Sierra Evelyn Dabell, Dr. Heidi R. Vollmer-Snarr

Journal of Undergraduate Research

A2E, a common fluorophore found in the retinal pigment epithelial cells of the eye has been shown to have phototoxic properties. For this reason A2E has been implicated in the progressive etiology of Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD). If the mechanism of cell death can be understood, a possible intervention can be produced. Moreover, the benefits of researching A2E are two-fold. An understanding of bisoxirane-DNA interactions holds the possibility of revealing information about the pathology of AMD and presents itself as a possible chemotherapy through photo-dynamic therapy.

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The Role Of A2e In Amd And Chemotherapy, D. Joshua Cameron, Dr. Heidi Vollmer-Snarr Oct 2013

The Role Of A2e In Amd And Chemotherapy, D. Joshua Cameron, Dr. Heidi Vollmer-Snarr

Journal of Undergraduate Research

A2E is implicated in the etiology of AMD. We have found significant concentrations of A2E present in both lipofuscin and melanolipofuscin of human retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells, meaning that A2E is likely more involved in AMD than originally thought. Evidence shows that A2E, in small concentrations, is not cytotoxic alone, but becomes toxic when exposed to blue light. The light mechanism involved in A2E toxicity can be controlled and used to trigger cytotoxicity in cancer cell lines. The implications of A2E in AMD and the applications of A2E’s light triggered cytotoxicity as a possible chemotherapeutic treatment were further elucidated …

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Openbasin—A Real-Time System To Access Hydrological And Weather Data, Matthew Maxwell, Dr. Ken Rodham Oct 2013

Openbasin—A Real-Time System To Access Hydrological And Weather Data, Matthew Maxwell, Dr. Ken Rodham

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In the Western United States and other arid regions of the world, careful water management is crucial. As part of this process, data must be collected, analyzed, and manipulated before it is used to support real-time water management decisions. To facilitate this complex data dissemination, I developed computer software that automates the process by which real-time hydrological and weather data is collected, analyzed, and distributed. This software is available as the open-source package entitled OpenBasin.

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Sample Preparation For Trace Element Analysis Of Commercial Artists’ Paints Using Pixe, Silas Menlo Scott, Dr. Lawrence Rees Oct 2013

Sample Preparation For Trace Element Analysis Of Commercial Artists’ Paints Using Pixe, Silas Menlo Scott, Dr. Lawrence Rees

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Particle Induced X-Ray Emission (PIXE) has been used extensively in the study of items of artistic interest. One area of interest has been determining the chemical composition of various artists’ materials.1

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Isolation Of A 55 Kd Protein That Specifically Binds The 3′ Au-Rich Element Of Interleukin-1b Messenger Rna, David Emergy Skarda, Dr. Roger L. Kaspar Oct 2013

Isolation Of A 55 Kd Protein That Specifically Binds The 3′ Au-Rich Element Of Interleukin-1b Messenger Rna, David Emergy Skarda, Dr. Roger L. Kaspar

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The polypeptide Interleukin- 1(IL-1) is one of the key mediators of the body’s response to microbial invasion, inflammation, immunological reactions, and tissue injury.1 IL- 1gene expression regulation occurs at many steps. One of the steps currently being researched is translation. Recent research indicates that the translational regulation mechanisms of IL- 1include an AU-rich element in the 3′ untranslated region (Fig. 1).2 In this mechanism, an induced protein binds to the AU-rich element (ARE) causing a decrease in translation efficiency. Isolation and subsequent identification of the ARE binding protein may lead to effective new drugs that induce the ARE binding protein …

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Image Origami, Eric Sokolowshy, Dr. Parris Egbert Oct 2013

Image Origami, Eric Sokolowshy, Dr. Parris Egbert

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Virtual reality, or the exploration of a virtual (computer-generated) environment, is an interesting field in computer science. However, building the virtual environment is a difficult task because of several factors. First, a realistic-looking object is very difficult to describe to a computer. The most common approach is to approximate an object with a set of polygons placed in three-dimensional space. As the number of polygons increases, a more realistic object is produced. However, a shape with many polygons takes a long time to draw on the screen. Second, a realistic scene contains many objects. If too many objects or too …

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