Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Exploring The Differences Between Human And Machine Translation, Connor Freitas, Yudong Liu

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

Chinese second language learners of English often use Machine Translators (MT) to translate personal and professional messages from their first language to English. MT’s are not perfect and have historically create messages that lack the cohesiveness and authenticity of natively written English. This paper describes our attempts to quantify the differences between human translation and machine translation in a specific scope with that hope that both MTs and post editing systems can be benefited through awareness of common error and differences between human and machine translations. In order to achieve this we implemented existing algorithms designed to identify common errors …

Reduced Light Availability Diminishes Mycorrhizal Growth Response Of Invasive Forb, Regina O'Kelley

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) form mycorrhizae, a common, well-studied symbiotic relationship. Controls on the magnitude and direction of plant mycorrhizal growth response (MGR) remain obscured. Specifically, the influence of light availability in the MGR of an invasive forb, spotted knapweed Centaurea stoebe, has not been studied. Greenhouse studies exploring the growth response of knapweed to arbuscular mycorrhizae (AM) often fail to report light intensity levels, which could impact the quality of their data. I conducted a greenhouse experiment studying the MGR in spotted knapweed under shaded and unshaded conditions, designed to approximate light availability in ambient greenhouse and full-sun …

Characterization Of An Unmanned Aerial System For Detection Of Wetland Methane Emission Hotspots, Andrew D. Falabella, John A. Lund, David O. Wallin

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

Undergraduate Honors research project using low-cost methane gas sensors mounted on an unmanned aerial vehicle for remote sensing of gas emissions from wetlands. The report also includes experimental calibration work done to improve upon sensor accuracy.

U.S. - Canadian Border Traffic Prediction, Colin Middleton

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

Mathematical discussion and analysis of several prediction methods which use real time data to predict traffic flow at the U.S. - Canadian Border crossings.

Constrained Sequence Alignment, Kyle Daling

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

Constrained Sequence Alignment: A new algorithm designed to help biologists produce better alignment for protein sequences.

The Planet, 2017, Fall, Keiko Betcher, Huxley College Of The Environment, Western Washington University

The Planet

No abstract provided.

The Global Energy Crisis, Katie Calhoun

Facing the Future Lessons

The world is at an energy tipping point. Countries and communities can choose to be proactive or wait and be reactive, however it is much less costly to do the former. In this project, high school environmental science students will examine the current energy use and concerns in a named country or community, analyze the pros and cons of the current energy situation and how it effects the social, economic and environmental aspects of the culture, then create a more sustainable, resilient plan for that country.

Modeling Cross-Border Regions, Place-Making, And Resource Management: A Delphi Analysis, Amy D. Anderson, Patrick H. Buckley, John Belec

Mathematics Faculty Publications

Along international borders, spillover of resource management issues is a growing challenge. Development of cross-border regions (CBRs) is seen as an emerging means of addressing these issues. A set of theoretical models, geo-economic mobilization and a resource-focused territorial program of place-making have been proposed as a lens for understanding why such change could occur. From this theory, we identify three C’s as critical initial or necessary conditions to start the process: common territorial identity, convergence of knowledge and values, willingness for cooperation. We then utilize results of a Delphi study in the Fraser Lowland, a sub-district of the American-Canadian Cascadia …

Moderate Increase In Tco2 Enhances Photosynthesis Of Seagrass Zostera Japonica, But Not Zostera Marina: Implications For Acidification Mitigation, Cale A. Miller, Brooke Love, Sylvia Yang

Environmental Sciences Faculty and Staff Publications

Photosynthesis and respiration are vital biological processes that shape the diurnal variability of carbonate chemistry in nearshore waters, presumably ameliorating (daytime) or exacerbating (nighttime) short-term acidification events, which are expected to increase in severity with ocean acidification (OA). Biogenic habitats such as seagrass beds have the capacity to reduce CO₂ concentration and potentially provide refugia from OA. Further, some seagrasses have been shown to increase their photosynthetic rate in response to enriched total CO₂ (TCO₂). Therefore, the ability of seagrass to mitigate OA may increase as concentrations of TCO₂ increase. In this study, we exposed …

Phillipsite And Al-Tobermorite Mineral Cements Produced Through Low-Temperature Water-Rock Reactions In Roman Marine Concrete, Marie D. Jackson, Sean R. Mulcahy, Heng Chen, Yao Li, Qinfei Li, Piergiulio Cappelletti, Hans-Rudolf Wenk

Geology Faculty Publications

Pozzolanic reaction of volcanic ash with hydrated lime is thought to dominate the cementing fabric and durability of 2000-year-old Roman harbor concrete. Pliny the Elder, however, in first century CE emphasized rock-like cementitious processes involving volcanic ash (pulvis) “that as soon as it comes into contact with the waves of the sea and is submerged becomes a single stone mass (fierem unum lapidem), impregnable to the waves and every day stronger” (Naturalis Historia 35.166). Pozzolanic crystallization of Al-tobermorite, a rare, hydrothermal, calcium-silicate-hydrate mineral with cation exchange capabilities, has been previously recognized in relict lime clasts …

Effects Of Contact Interactions In Molecular Bose-Einstein Condensates, Devin Crowley, Ryan M. Wilson, Seth Rittenhouse, Brandon M. Peden

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

We investigate the ground state and low-lying excitations of a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) of dipolar molecules interacting via short-range contact and long-range dipole­ dipole interactions (ddi). We find the mean field ground state via the variational principle using a separable bosonic wave function as the variational state. This state can be refined to include small excitations in the form of plane waves, and the results of the variational calculation are a set of dispersion relations for the low-lying excitations. We analyze the polarization and stability of the ground state as a function of the strength of the external polarizing electric …

Technical Note: A Minimally-Invasive Experimental System For Pco2 Manipulation In Plankton Cultures Using Passive Gas Exchange (Atmospheric Carbon Control Simulator), Brooke Love, M. Brady (Michael Brady) Olson, Tristen Wuori

Environmental Sciences Faculty and Staff Publications

As research into the biotic effects of ocean acidification has increased, the methods for simulating these environmental changes in the laboratory have multiplied. Here we describe the atmospheric carbon control simulator (ACCS) for the maintenance of plankton under controlled pCO2 conditions, designed for species sensitive to the physical disturbance introduced by the bubbling of cultures and for studies involving trophic interaction. The system consists of gas mixing and equilibration components coupled with large volume atmospheric simulation chambers. These chambers allow gas exchange to counteract the changes in carbonate chemistry induced by the metabolic activity of the organisms. The system is …

Recreating Intercalated Clays Of Chondritic Meteorites, Katherine Winchell

Scholars Week

In order to better understand the reactions that form intercalated clays in carbonaceous chondritic (CC) meteorites, a suite of six combinations of nontronite plus fine-grained metal, organics, or sulfur ± water were heated at a temperature of 200°C in sealed Parr bomb containers for a period of three months. Intercalation is the process of materials being introduced between the layers of expandable clays via cation exchange. Reflectance spectra of CC meteorites differ from those of mixtures of the end members made physically in that the CC spectra are darker and show extremely subdued absorption bands of the phyllosilicates (clays) that …

Structural Studies To Understand The Effects Of N108k T-State Stabilizing Mutation In Circularly Permuted Hemoglobin, Leah Huey

Scholars Week

The primary goal of our project is to develop a functional hemoglobin based oxygen carrier (HBOC) for clinical care. In order to accomplish this, we are working on designing a single chain hemoglobin (scHb) that can serve as the building block of a monodisperse polymeric HBOC. The scHb is formed from novel covalent fusions between the two α chains and two circularly permuted β chains. The initial constructs of non-covalently linked α and cp-β showed decreased stability and low T-state affinity (Asmundson, et. al., 2009). To counter these effects, two point mutations have been included to increase T-state affinity (Tsai …

Broadening The Scope Of Sortase-Mediated Ligations Using Natural Sortase Homologs, Nicholas Horvath

Scholars Week

Sortase-mediated ligations have become an attractive option for protein modification chemistry, enabling the synthesis of a wide range of non-natural polypeptide derivatives. In an effort to expand the scope of this methodology, we have been characterizing the in vitro reactivity of a panel of natural sortase homologs. Here we present our studies on the substrate and nucleophile tolerance of sortases from a range of bacterial species. Notable findings include that sortase A from Streptococcus pneumoniae (SrtApneu) shows a high degree of substrate promiscuity, allowing this enzyme to process a range of substrate variations that deviate from the LPXTG substrate motif …

Effects Of Arabidopsis Thaliana Villin-4 Mutations On Root Hair Physiology, Morphology And Function, Maya Klem, Emily Bossard

Scholars Week

The protein Villin is found in both plants and animals across many taxa. In plants, one of the roles of Villin is to aid in root hair formation and function. They do this by assisting in the formation of actin bundles in root hairs in addition to other processes. It has been found that Arabidopsis thaliana with mutated Villin-4 have compromised actin bundles and in certain cases shorter or dysfunctional root hairs. This study examines the effects that the mutation in Villin-4 proteins has on various parts of plant root physiology. By examining the changes in responses of Arabidopsis thaliana …

Analysis Of Concentric Growth Rings In Hydrothermal Epidote, Brandi Petryk

Scholars Week

Crystals found within geothermal cores from Akutan Island, Alaska, show concentric growth rings of what appear to be alternating bands of epidote and clinozoisite minerals. The intent of this project is to determine the nature of these growth rings and what processes could allow them to form. Our working hypothesis is that the rings are due to fluctuations in the oxidation states of the hydrothermal system, which would control the amount of available Fe3+ needed to make epidote. In relatively reducing conditions, Fe3+ would be scarce and clinozoisite (Fe-poor variety of epidote) would form. We have tested this hypothesis by …

Lipid Binding Studies Of Blood Coagulation Factor Viii C1 And C2 Domains, Rachel Blazevic

Scholars Week

Blood coagulation factor VIII is an essential cofactor in the mammalian blood-clotting cascade. FVIII must bind the phospholipid membrane of activated platelets to function as a cofactor for FIXa. The blood coagulation cascade culminates in the formation of a stable blood clot. In humans, the C1 and C2 domains are implicated in binding phospholipid membranes, however the relative contribution of different residues in the lipid-binding mechanism is unclear. Using site-directed mutagenesis, expression of the isolated C1 and C2 domains in Escherichia coli cells, protein purification with metal affinity chromatography, electrospray ionization mass spectrometry, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, liposome sedimentation assays, pull …

A Computational Approach To Studying The Properties Of Photosensitizers In Photodynamic Therapy, Keenan Komoto

Graduate Student Symposium

Cancer has long been a significant problem that has affected our world’s population for years and continues to this day. With the number of cases expected to increase annually there is a societal pressure to find effective treatment methods for eliminating cancer. Current forms of cancer treatment tend to cause detrimental effects to the human body and are usually quite expensive and long lasting, some costing upwards of $30,000 over an 8 week period. A more recently established form of cancer treatment known as photodynamic therapy is an effective treatment option for ridding cancers that lie on or just below …

Substrate Analogs For Characterizing The Substrate Tolerance Of S. Pneumoniae Srta, Orion Banks

Graduate Student Symposium

Bacterial sortases have been widely studied for their usefulness in protein modification, however, the variable substrate specificity and activity between homologs of these enzymes is not yet fully characterized. To attempt to further understand sorting signal recognition, we are working towards a substrate bound structure of sortase A from Streptococcus pneumoniae (SrtA_pneu). This enzyme displays a wide tolerance for alternate amino acids within the canonical LPXTG sorting motif. Our strategy involves a non-cleavable substrate analog that can be docked into the active site, allowing for elucidation of a structure displaying the key contacts that allow the enzyme …

Performance Of Liquid Benzoxazine-Peg Blend Resin Systems For Potential Industrial Composites Processing, Emily Brown

Graduate Student Symposium

The manufacturing of technology and materials based on benzoxazine resin is limited by melt or solvent-based processing in which benzoxazine monomer is either dissolved in a solvent or melted to transfer onto fiberglass or carbon fiber. Solvent based processing depends on the use of organic solvents which impart health and financial risks. Benzoxazine monomer also suffers from high curing temperatures where the benzoxazine polymerizes to form structures with desirable mechanical and thermal properties. Non-flammable liquid benzoxazine resin with low curing temperatures are attractive for their exclusion of organic solvents and ease of processing. In this study three series of blends …

Red Beetl: Recipe Encoder Decoder Beer Translator Lstm, Grace Ermi, Ellyn Ayton

Graduate Student Symposium

The number of craft breweries has exploded in last decade: there are around a dozen breweries in Bellingham alone. Each brewery must assemble a lineup of beers, but this process of designing new beers usually relies on some combination of brewer instinct and trial and error. Because brewing beer involves complicated biological and chemical processes, the mapping from recipe to the beer it will produce is non-trivial to predict. In this project, we consider mapping between representations of beer in three distinct domains. In one view, a beer can be described by a recipe, which specifies the particular hop, malt …

Recognition, Internalization, Growth: Intuitive Design For Archival Representation, Jaime L. Ganzel

Graduate Student Symposium

Although there is a pressing need for archival description and access systems to be more intuitive and user-friendly, the uniqueness of archival records presents significant barriers to establishing simplistic and standardized conventions for the representation of archival materials. Indecipherable finding aids and access tools prevent new and inexperienced researchers from accessing the unique information and documentation held in archives. This article aims to help open the archival record to new and non-traditional archival users, support individual development of archival literacy skills, and cultivate a greater level of archival awareness in our society by developing a usable model for archivists to …

The Velocity Dispersion Function Of Very Massive Galaxy Clusters: Abell 2029 And Coma, Jubee Sohn, Margaret J. Geller, H. Jabran Zahid, Daniel G. Fabricant, Antonaldo Diaferio, Kenneth J. Rines

Physics & Astronomy

Based on an extensive redshift survey for galaxy clusters Abell 2029 and Coma, we measure the luminosity functions (LFs) and stellar mass functions (SMFs) for the entire cluster member galaxies. Most importantly, we measure the velocity dispersion functions (VDFs) for quiescent members. The MMT/Hectospec redshift survey for galaxies in A2029 identifies 982 spectroscopic members; for 838 members, we derive the central velocity dispersion from the spectroscopy. Coma is the only other cluster surveyed as densely. The LFs, SMFs, and VDFs for A2029 and Coma are essentially identical. The SMFs of the clusters are consistent with simulations. The A2029 and Coma …

The Planet, 2017, Spring, Frederica Kolwey, Huxley College Of The Environment, Western Washington University

The Planet

No abstract provided.

Keep Calm And Learn O-Chem, Hope Spargo

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

This project is an illustrated introductory guide to organic chemistry, featuring stories, metaphors, and fundamental concepts.

Explosive Processes During The 2015 Eruption Of Axial Seamount, As Recorded By Seafloor Hydrophones, Jacqueline Caplan-Auerbach, R. P. Dziak, J. Haxel, D. R. Bohnenstiehl, C. Garcia

Geology Faculty Publications

Following the installation of the Ocean Observatories Initiative cabled array, the 2015 eruption of Axial Seamount, Juan de Fuca ridge, became the first submarine eruption to be captured in real time by seafloor seismic and acoustic instruments. This eruption also marked the first instance where the entire eruption cycle of a submarine volcano, from the previous eruption in 2011 to the end of the month-long 2015 event, was monitored continuously using autonomous ocean bottom hydrophones. Impulsive sounds associated with explosive lava-water interactions are identified within hydrophone records during both eruptions. Explosions within the caldera are acoustically distinguishable from those occurring …

Heart Lake Monitoring Project 2016 Final Report, Jocelyn Wensloff, Robin A. Matthews, Joan Vandersypen

Heart Lake

Heart Lake is located about 2 miles (3.2 km) south of Anacortes off of Heart Lake Road. There are six inlet streams that flow into southeastern side this 61.4 acre lake (0.248 km2). Heart Lake is separated into two basins and has a total shoreline length of 1.64 miles (2.645 km). The western basin is slightly larger and deeper that the eastern basin, but the maximum depth and average depth of the lake is only 5.8 and 2.7 meters, respectively.

Heart Lake is part of the Anacortes Community Forest Lands and is a popular recreational destination. Activities on the lake …

Nutrient And Phytoplankton Dynamics On The Inner Shelf Of The Eastern Bering Sea, Calvin W. Mordy, Allan H. (Allan Houston) Devol, Lisa B. Eisner, Nancy Kachel, Carol A. Ladd, Michael W. Lomas, Peter Proctor, Raymond Nicholas Sambrotto, David Shull, Phyllis Jean Stabeno, Eric Wisegarver

Environmental Sciences Faculty and Staff Publications

In the Bering Sea, the nitrogen cycle near Nunivak Island is complicated due to limited nutrient replenishment across this broad shelf, and substantial nitrogen loss through sedimentary processes. While diffusion at the inner front may periodically support new production, the inner shelf in this region is generally described as a regenerative system. This study combines hydrographic surveys with measurements of nitrogen assimilation and benthic fluxes to examine nitrogen cycling on the inner shelf, and connectivity between the middle and inner shelves of the southern and central Bering Sea. Results establish the inner shelf as primarily a regenerative system even in …

Predicting Computer Science Students’ Online Help-Seeking Tendencies, Qiang Hao, Brad Barnes, Robert Maribe Branch, Ewan Wright

Computer Science Faculty and Staff Publications

This study investigated how computer science students seek help online in their learning and what factors predict their online help-seeking behaviors. Online help-seeking behaviors include online searching, asking teachers online for help, and asking peers online for help. 207 students from a large university in the southeastern United States participated in the study. It was revealed that computer science students tended to search online more frequently than ask people online for help. Five factors, including epistemological belief, interest, learning proficiency level, prior knowledge of the learning subject, and problem difficulty, were explored as potential predictors in this study. It was …