Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Tournament Directed Graphs, Sarah Camille Mousley

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Paired comparison is the process of comparing objects two at a time. A tournament in Graph Theory is a representation of such paired comparison data. Formally, an n-tournament is an oriented complete graph on n vertices; that is, it is the representation of a paired comparison, where the winner of the comparison between objects x and y (x and y are called vertices) is depicted with an arrow or arc from the winner to the other.

In this thesis, we shall prove several results on tournaments. In Chapter 2, we will prove that the maximum number of vertices …

Spock, Euler, And Madison: Graph Theory In The Classroom, Michael Buhler

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

This work is an attempt to accomplish two main objectives. First is to encourage secondary students to engage in the kinds of mathematical reasoning skills that will be necessary to them when they move to college math classes. My experience in college, along with that of many others is that "school math," with its obsession with calculations and memorization, is dreadfully insufficient in preparing students for the proof and reasoning-based classes they will face in high school. This is an attempt to integrate some of those reasoning skills into high school courses using graph theory as a vehicle.

The second …

Curds And Whey: Little Miss Muffit's Contribution To Multivariate Linear Regression, John Cameron Kidd

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

A common multivariate statistical problem is the prediction of two or more response variables using two or more predictor variables. The simplest model for this situation is the multivariate linear regression model. The standard least squares estimation for this model involves regressing each response variable separately on all the predictor variables. Breiman and Friedman [1] show how to take advantage of correlations among the response variables to increase the predictive accuracy for each of the response variable with an algorithm they call Curds and Whey. In this report, I describe an implementation of the Curds and Whey algorithm in …

Ultrasonic Analysis Of Breast Tissue For Pathology Classification, Kristina Marie Sorensen

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Real time measurements may assist surgeons in obtaining negative or cancer free margins during lumpectomy to eliminate invasive re-excision. Previous findings show that high-frequency ultrasound can differentiate between a range of breast pathologies in surgical specimens. Two parameters, peak density and second-order spectral slope, are sensitive to histopathology. Our objective was to determine the mechanism linking high-frequency ultrasound to histology. The hypothesis is that ultrasound sensitivity is a function of the microscopic heterogeneity (and thus histology) of the tissue. Ultrasonic results from breast specimens were used to construct a multivariate analysis of the parameters that permitted differentiation of normal, adipose, …

Application Of Habitat And Occupancy Modeling To A Wood Duck Next Box Program, Jason D. Carlisle

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Programs to augment wood duck (Aix sponsa) nesting habitat by providing artificial nest boxes are commonly implemented. In northern Utah, where such programs are relatively new, I proposed a method to identify sites suitable for deployment of next boxes through a combination of habitat and occupancy modeling using site-specific, biotic, and abiotic, data collected from 105 next boxes over one nesting season in Cache County, Utah. An inductive habitat model was first developed which identified possibly suitable habitat (8.74% of county) based on proximity to hydrologic features. Next, based on comparing competing single-species, single-season, occupancy models using a modified Akaike's …

Critical Issues In Middle And Secondary Mathematics Placement: A Case Study, Morgan E. Summers

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

This qualitative research project focuses on the issues facing middle and secondary mathematics placement through an extensive literature review as well as a case study of a local school district. As students move from elementary school to middle and secondary schools, they are placed into classes that appear to be based on ability. One of the driving questions of this project is how is this ability level determined? Through an in-­‐depth look at one school district, it is found that a primary source of information is both norm-­‐referenced and criterion-­‐referenced assessments given to students in fifth and eighth grades. In …

Carbon Nanotube Growth Via Spray Pyrolysis, Robert Welch Call

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Spray pyrolysis is a promising method to create carbon nanotube forests (CNFs) on various surfaces. By injecting metallocene-hydrocarbon solutions into a heated quartz reactor, catalyst particles and carbon nanotubes can be formed simultaneously. Factors that affect CNF growth include the precursor concentration, injection rate and duration, carrier gas flow rate, substrate surface, growth temperature, and the composition of gases inside the reactor. The CNF morphologies affected by these factors will be presented and, hopefully, an optimum condition will be found.

Open Space Changes: A Formal Analysis In Cache Valley, Utah, Cameron Scott Bodine

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Open spaces are a valuable amenity that people often overlook. Open spaces allow for a system of water treatment, wildlife habitat, agricultural production, and recreation destinations. Too often, however, open space systems are systematically devoured by development with little regard of what that can mean for the future of a community. This thesis suggests that when open space systems are analyzed as having structure, shape, and a dynamic nature, interconnected with development, then an explanation of how it transforms and evolves can emerge. This thesis seeks to present a new method of describing open space change through understanding development trends …

Lidar User’S Manual, Lance William Peterson

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

This is intended to be a user’s manual for the upgraded USU Rayleigh lidar. As such, it begins with a discussion of the purpose of a lidar. This is followed by a brief explanation of the fundamentals of Rayleigh scatter lidar. Next the reasons for and benefits of upgrading the lidar are discussed and as well as how the upgrade was accomplished. After establishing this basis, instructions are provided for operating the lidar, performing basic maintenance, and aligning various components.

Bracketing The Age Of The Great Gallery Rock Art Panel In Horseshoe Canyon, Utah By Osl Dating Of Associated Alluvial Terraces, Melissa S. Jackson

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Barrier Canyon Style rock art (BCS) is a unique rock art style indigenous to the middle Colorado Plateau that is of an unknown age and formed by a combination of wall preparation, rock pecking, and application of multiple pigments. It is characterized by broad-shouldered, mummy-like figures that commonly lack limbs and facial details but are accompanied by animated and realistic representations of animals. The age of BCS art remains unknown in spite of attempts to radiocarbon date accessory brush fibers in the mineral-based pigment. Yet a range of age hypotheses exist, from as young as 1600 AD to as old …

Diffusion Monte Carlo Studies Of Quantum Solvation: Finding Nodal Functions Of Wavefunctions Using A Genetic Algorithm, Christina Hansen Howell

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Solvation is important in many chemical reactions since most reactions occur in solution. Recently, progress has been made using helium-4 nanodroplets as the solvent at temperatures close to absolute zero. Because helium-4 is a superfluid it solvates dissolved molecules much differently that does a conventional solvent. This opens up the possibility of performing new types of chemistry in the superfluid environment. However, the nature of the interaction of the dissolved species with the solvent remains poorly understood. The basic question to be answered in this project is: how does the quantum solvent perturb the rotational dynamics of the solute particles? …

Algebraic Computing Tools In General Relativity: Energy-Momentum Tensors And Exact Solutions To The Einstein Field Equations, Sydney Joanne Chamberlin

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Maple is a mathematical software program containing packages of tools that may be used in making difficult computations. The Tensor sub-package of Maple's Differential Geometry package is a collection of commands used for making tensor computations on manifolds. We present a series of new tools for the Tensor package. Included with these tools are new commands to compute objects of geometric and physical interest -energy-momentum tensors, matter field equations, the Bel-Robinson tensor, etc. -along with tools to compute the geometric properties of these objects. Additionally, an electronic database of exact solutions to the Einstein field equations has been created for …

Polar Mesospheric Clouds: A Satellite And Ground-Based Comparison, Jodie Barker-Tvedtnes

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Polar Mesospheric Clouds (PMCs) are tenuous ice clouds that form near the cold (<150K) summer mesopause region (80-85 km). From the ground, these clouds are seen during twilight hours as Noctilucent or “night shining” Clouds (NLCs) and are typically seen from latitudes from 50° to 65°. Observations by the Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet (SBUV) instruments on the NOAA satellites have shown that the occurrence and brightness of NLCs have been increasing over the last three decades prompting speculation concerning their possible role in climate change. Recently the Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere (AIM) satellite was launched (April 2007) and is the first satellite dedicated to the study of NLCs. In this report, we compare SBUV and AIM PMC observations with ground-based image data collected during two campaigns from Edmonton, Canada (June 30-July 17, 2007) and Delta Junction, Alaska (July 29-August 17, 2007). Four nights of data are discussed where coincident measurements were obtained by AIM, SBUV/2 and ground-based imagers. The results show good spatial or temporal agreement, but rarely both, and illustrate the importance of coordinated measurements for better understanding the geographic and local time variability of PMCs. Initial studies using data from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) on the AURA satellite are also presented.

Electrostatic Discharge In Spacecraft Materials, Jennifer Albretsen Roth

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Understanding the characteristics of electron beam bombardment that induce electrostatic discharge (ESD) of insulating materials is crucial to constructing an electrically stable spacecraft. A measurement system has been designed to determine the beam energy and charge flux densities at which typical spacecraft materials intended for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) undergo ESD. Because discharge events occur over time intervals ranging from nanoseconds to minutes, multiple detection methods were employed as charge was accumulated on a sample surface; these methods included monitoring of sample current and optical emissions from the sample surface. Each sample was also examined with optical microscopy …

Extending The Season For Sustainability In Utah, Britney Hunter

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

The importance of providing fresh produce on a local level is becoming a widespread consideration among people concerned with the character of their food. For regions without an opportune growing climate, extending the growing season can drastically advance productivity. High tunnels are one way to effectively and profitably extend the growing season in cold climates. The benefits of growing in a high tunnel go beyond raising the temperature. High tunnels contribute to higher quality small fruits and vegetables. The benefits of growing in high tunnels have been explored in other states and could be exploited by Utah growers. Utah's climate …

Moving Object Tracking: Seeking Extensible Solutions, Jeremy Pack

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Moving object tracking is a difficult field with no "best" solution. The documents contained here detail software that was developed in order to perform tracking of objects that are in the line of sight of multiple cameras. Some of the software developed is already in use by the US Army Dugway Proving Ground. Other software represents prototype or early development code. This software was written by Jeremy Pack, who was the lead programmer, and Luke Andrew at the Space Dynamics Laboratory in Logan, Utah.

Oxidative Damage Caused By Iron Loading Into Ferritin, Talina Christensen Watts

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Ferritin is the iron storage protein found in humans, animals, plants, fungi and bacteria. We are interested in how iron is loaded and stored in mammalian ferritin. Ferrous iron must be oxidized to ferric iron in order to be stored in ferritin. It is generally believed that ferritin does the loading itself, dependant upon a "ferroxidase activity." Oxidation of iron can result in the production of the hydroxyl radical which can cause oxidative damage to surrounding proteins and other biomolecules. An indicator of oxidative damage to proteins is the formation of carbonyl groups. Using only the H subunit of human …

Task Scheduling And Simulation, Martin Lee Mayne

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Scheduling is a problem that is not only common computer science, but which also comes up in a variety of real world situations. Whether multi-threading computer processes, scheduling airport traffic, optimizing assembly line production and manufacturing, or ensuring that enough employees are on the floor at a given time, scheduling is important for increasing efficiency, reducing costs, optimizing production, and meeting deadlines. Scheduling has been used throughout history and has increased in efficacy through the years. Modem computerized scheduling techniques are typically much better than human calculations and often produce surprising insights and results which would have been otherwise passed …

Improving Utah State University's Healthcare Plan, Aleece Blake

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Utah State University provides health insurance for 10,400 people (3,500 contracts). Employees of the university who qualify for this insurance have the option to pick one of 2 plans, Blue or White. Utah State essentially self-insures these plans, and Blue Cross Blue Shield administers them. This means that the university has a reserve set up to pay the medical claims of all of the people covered by these plans and bears most of the risk associated with providing this insurance. Some of the risk is transferred from the university to the covered individuals through deductibles, coinsurance, and copayments. The rest …

Mathematical Functions: An Interactive Emodule, Sarah Jean Moody

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

The National Library of Virtual Manipulatives (NLVM, http://nlvm.usu.edu/) is a widely used and highly praised teaching/learning resource for school mathematics. The NLVM is the result of a four-year USU project, funded primarily by the National Science Foundation, Award #9819107, to create a web-based, freely accessible, library of interactive virtual manipulatives to help students learn basic mathematics concepts. During a typical school day, the NLVM server receives more than 3 million hits.

Genetic Analysis Of Acetone Carboxylase In Azotobacter Vinelandii, Jessica Gardner

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Acetone carboxylase, an inducible multimeric enzyme found in several bacteria, catalyzes the carboxylation of acetone to produce acetoacetate. This is an important reaction for the bacteria because, upon addition of coenzyme A, the acetoacetate can be converted to acetyl-CoA, a common metabolic intermediate. Azotobacter vinelandii, one of the bacteria that produces acetone carboxylase, has two different genes encoding this enzyme. We knocked out the first of these by disrupting it with a kanamycin cassette to help us understand the function of the second gene. Knocking out the gene will also make possible the use of site-directed mutagenesis to further study …

Recreational Use Of Montane Streams Of The Puerto Rican Rainforest, Summer Kartchner

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

As the population of the small island of Puerto Rico increases, so do the number of recreationists in natural areas. With increasing pressure on finite resources, managers must understand how humans are using these resources in order to conserve without limiting visitor satisfaction.

Predicting Mountain Pine Beetle Development With The Extended Von Foerster Model, Jeffrey Tullis Leek

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

The mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins) represents a significant threat to ponderosa pine and lodgepole pine stands in the western United States, and has the potential to threaten commercially valuable jack pine in both the United States and Canada. The success of the mountain pine beetle is based on synchronization of developmental events to time cold-hardened life stages for extreme winter temperatures and to facilitate mass attack and overwhelm the defenses of the host. This paper presents a solution methodology for an extended McKendrick - von Foerster model for the development of the mountain pine beetle in varying …

Field Testing Of Abrasion Resistant Carbides, Kevin C. Orme

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Chromium, tungsten, titanium, and vanadium carbides were investigated to determine relative cost of operation for each in an agricultural environment. For use on a ripper plow, these carbides were field tested in two different soil types; one soil having a matrix of gravel and cobblestones, and the other consisting of hard dirt and large underground rocks. Each alloy was applied to a high carbon plow point using an arc welding process. Along with the welded points, cast chromium carbide was tested. The results are given in price per acre and not solely longevity of the point. It was concluded that …

Bioavailability/Toxicity Of Iron From Aerobically Processed Organic Fertilizer, Stacey Marie Wilson

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

For an undergraduate Honor's project, I worked under the direction of Dr. Jeffery Hall to determine the bioavailability and toxicity of iron from Milorganite® fertilizer, an aerobically processed organic fertilizer. The Milorganite® Company is a subsidiary of the Milwaukee Municipal Sewage District and produces a fertilizer of high iron content (approximately 5-7%). The high iron content has resulted in concern about the toxic potential, which until now was unknown. This thesis paper will explain iron chemistry, bioavailability, requirements, absorption, toxicity, and treatments, followed by a description of fertilizer types and contents. This will be followed by a description and reasoning …

Determination Of Intracellular Glutathione Concentration Using Monobromobimane, Ryan R. Owens

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Asbestos is a general term for a group of fibrous silicates. Diseases such as asbestosis, bronchogenic carcinoma, and mesothelioma have been linked to asbestos exposure (1,2). The 1 two classes of asbestos, serpentine and amphibole, are distinguished by differences in structure and chemical composition (3). The amphibole crocidolite contains 27% iron while the serpentine chrysotile contains only 2-3% iron. The higher iron content of crocidolite is proposed to be a contributing factor for a much higher incidence of cancer with crocidolite exposure compared with chrysotile exposure ( 4). Iron mobilized intracellularly from asbestos fibers may participate in the formation of …

Characterization Of Dielectric Properties Of Earth Materials At Low Frequencies, Tarrah Dawn Henrie

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Sharma and de Lima (1992) have proposed a model based on Fixman's theoretical development of charged macromolecules in external fields (1980). There are three types of charges considered: the fixed surface charges that are covalently bonded, the layer of bound counterions, and the diffuse layer (Fixman, 1980, Lyklema, 1983 ). Figure (1) shows these different layers. Other common theories, such as Schurr's only consider the bound counterions and the diffuse layer. Schurr assumes that the diffuse layer ions can exchange with the electrolyte. A consequence of this assumption is the lack of polarization of the diffuse layer. This leads to …

Plant-Availability Fractionation Of Nickel For Bioremediation, Jason Henrie

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

The bioremediation of contaminated soils or the biomining of waste tillings has been explored through the use of hyperaccumulating plants such as S. polygaloides which is a nickel hyperaccumulator. However, it is important to discover which soils are well-suited for this type of process by determining the plant-availability of the nickel. By extracting the nickel sequentially with increasing severity it is possible to determine the chemical distribution, or fractionation, of nickel in a soil. One fraction is already suspected to be plant-available and correlates very well with the results of a previous plant-availability study. A calcareous Millville silt loam which …

Thermal Decomposition Of Cp*Re(Co)(No)No2, Kale Allen Swainston

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

The focus of this work is to examine the thermal reactivity of the Cp*Re(CO)(NO)NO₂ complex. Upon heating with a flame, the orange crystals decompose very rapidly, with a darkening of color and gas production. To investigate this reaction, the decomposition was carefully controlled by heating with N2 gas, and in heated solution. The products obtained from the heated solution were purified using column chromatography, yielding two new interesting compounds, believed to be Cp*ReNO dimers with bridging oxygens.

A Preliminary Analysis Of The Fluid History Of A Normal Fault In The Keno Pit, Alligator Ridge Mining District, White Pine County, Nevada, John G. Solum

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

The flow of oil along faults is only poorly understood. In many cases a fault is the only means of transportation for the oil from its area of deposition to its current location. This assumption is reasonable due to chemical fingerprinting of oil. In some cases the oil in a reservoir and the oil in a fault zone have been analyzed chemically and found to be the same. The problem is this; early in a fault's history it produces a thin layer of fine-grained material between its fault surfaces. This condition is not conductive to fluid flow. Therefore another mechanism …