Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Synthesis Of Linear Oligo[N]Catenanes Via Orthogonal Metal Templation, Nathan Colley

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

X-Rays From Warped Black Hole Accretion Disks, Quincy Abarr

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, I present the results from my research to better understand accretion onto black holes and neutron stars based on spectropolarimetric X-ray observations.

I have developed a general relativistic ray-tracing code which simulates X-rays from warped accretion disks around black holes.

I used this to predict the polarization of the thermal X-ray emission and the energy spectrum the reflected power law emission.

Both of these can be used to measure properties of black hole systems, such as the spin parameter and the inclination of the observer to its spin axis.

My results enable the measurement of these parameters …

Production Of Medical Radioisotopes Using Titanium Accelerator Targets, Christopher Shaun Loveless

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Theranostic radiopharmaceuticals enable diagnostic imaging and radionuclide therapy in patients using a single molecular agent labeled with a diagnostic-therapeutic pair (e.g., 68Ga/177Lu) or a theranostic radionuclide (e.g., 131I). This theranostic approach can help inform patient-specific treatment plans and improve clinical outcomes. Radionuclide pairs used in theranostic agents fall into two categories: pseudo matched-pairs (e.g., 68Ga/177Lu) and matched-pairs (e.g., 124I/131I). Pseudo matched-pair radionuclides have similar chemistries and pharmacokinetics when bound to the same bioconjugate molecule. In contrast, identical chemistries and pharmacokinetics can be obtained by using the matched-pair radionuclides.

The isotopes of Sc include two diagnostic radioisotopes, 43Sc & 44Sc, and …

Flux Variability In Gamma-Ray Blazars, Benjamin Groebe

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Blazars, among the most luminous objects in the sky, are extreme members of the class of active galactic nuclei featuring powerful outflows of relativistic particles in the form of jets pointed towards the observer. They display strong flux variability in all observed wavebands and on all observed timescales, with significant changes in flux observed in some sources over periods of as short as minutes. These remarkable observations have led to open questions regarding the nature of particle acceleration in the jets, location of the radiating particles along the jet, and the connection between jet emission and rate of accretion onto …

New Physics With Ultra-High Energy Neutrinos, Yicong Sui

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Ultra-high energy (UHE) astrophysical neutrinos are unique in the sense that they are the

only known particles that could travel through incredibly long distance unattenuated, with

TeV to EeV energy, much higher than the most powerful man-made collider could provide.

The detection of these UHE neutrinos has ushered a new era in neutrino astrophysics, as they

carry important information directly from the inside of energetic astrophysical objects. On the

other hand, from the particle physics point of view, the UHE neutrinos also offer a new window

of opportunity for studying beyond the Standard Model (BSM) phenomena. This is the main …

Peer-Led Team Learning In Calculus-Based Introductory Physics: Implementation And Evaluation, Siera Maia Stoen

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Robust evidence shows that Peer-led Team Learning (PLTL) improves the academic success of college students in introductory Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) courses. However, further research is needed to gain a fuller understanding of the benefits of PLTL and the aim of this dissertation is to explore two key and understudied questions surrounding the effects of PLTL. First, does deviating from the optimal implementation of PLTL change its effectiveness? Second, what specific outcomes, in addition to academic success (e.g., exam scores), does PLTL improve? This dissertation will provide a fuller picture of the impact of PLTL by examining its …

Wavelet Coherence Analysis With An Application Of Brain Images, Yiqian Fang

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Wavelet analysis has become an emerging method in a wide range of applications with non-stationary data. In this work, we apply wavelets to tackle the problem of estimating dynamic association in a collection of multivariate non-stationary time series. Coherence is a common metric for linear dependence across signals. However, it assumes static dependence and does not sufficiently model many biological processes with time-evolving dependence structures. We explore continuous wavelet analysis for modeling and estimating such dynamic dependence under the replicated multivariate time series settings. Wavelet transformation provides a decomposition of signals that localizes in both time and frequency domains, hence …

Separating Signal From Noise In High-Density Diffuse Optical Tomography, Arefeh Sherafati

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

High-density diffuse optical tomography (HD-DOT) is a relatively new neuroimaging technique that detects the changes in hemoglobin concentrations following neuronal activity through the measurement of near-infrared light intensities. Thus, it has the potential to be a surrogate for functional MRI (fMRI) as a more naturalistic, portable, and cost-effective neuroimaging system. As in other neuroimaging modalities, head motion is the most common source of noise in HD-DOT data that results in spurious effects in the functional brain images. Unlike other neuroimaging modalities, data quality assessment methods are still underdeveloped for HD-DOT. Therefore, developing robust motion detection and motion removal methods in …

Specificity Of Ssb Binding To Its Interacting Proteins And Multiple Allosteric Effects Of Ssb C-Terminal Tail On Assembly And Dna Binding Of E. Coli Recor Proteins, Min Kyung Shinn

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The homo-tetrameric E. coli single strand (ss) DNA binding (SSB) protein is an essential component in DNA maintenance for its role in binding and protecting single stranded DNA intermediates via its N-terminal DNA binding domain (DBD). SSB also acts as a hub to recruit at least 17 SSB interacting proteins (SIPs) involved in DNA replication, recombination, and repair via its 9 amino acid C-terminal acidic tip region. A 56 amino acid intrinsically disordered linker connects the DBD and the acidic tip and plays a role in cooperative binding to ssDNA. Using isothermal titration calorimetry, I determined that the SSB-Ct peptides …

Development And Application Of Mass Spectrometry-Based Approaches For Protein Higher Order Structure Analysis And Protein-Protein Interaction Characterization, Mengru Zhang

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Proteins, one of the most fundamental biomolecules, adopt unique higher order structures (HOS) to enable diverse biological functions. Deciphering protein HOS is crucial to gain deeper insights of their working mechanisms and to develop biotherapeutics. Mass spectrometry (MS)-based approaches evolved rapidly in the past 30 years and are now playing critical roles in protein HOS characterization. One of those approaches is MS-based footprinting whose principle is to map the solvent accessible surface area (SASA) to deliver structural information. Protein footprinting can be achieved by reversible labeling, e.g., hydrogen-deuterium exchange (HDX), and by irreversible labeling using radical-based reagents or other targeted …

Experimental Constraints On Igneous Iron Isotopic Fractionation And Diffusion, Kelsey Brianne Prissel

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The chapters of this dissertation detail experimental studies that have been conducted in order to determine the diffusivity of iron in the mineral ilmenite (FeTiO3) and the high-temperature behavior of iron isotopes during magma crystallization. The experimental study in Chapter 2 is the first to quantify the rates of cation diffusion in ilmenite. Integrating experimentally determined Fe-Mg and Fe-Mn interdiffusivities with disequilibrium preserved in ilmenite grains from natural volcanic samples, this work has established a new geospeedometry tool with which to estimate the time between magmatic perturbation and eruption on the timescale of hours to months. Chapter 3 investigates the …

Landesque Capital And Community Organization In A Maya Economic Center: A Case Study At Salinas De Los Nueve Cerros, Guatemala, Alexander Ernesto Rivas

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Many ancient Maya lowland cities developed water-rich landscapes that met the multiple needs of growing populations. The development of landesque capital, in which permanent changes in infrastructure, water procurement, and agricultural productivity are best understood at sites with a long history of occupation. Salinas de los Nueve Cerros was an ancient Maya center that was occupied for approximately 2000 years, surviving the ‘Maya Collapse.’ This site, located in the Maya lowlands, had ties to both highland and lowland communities through its primacy in exporting salt. However, what is not yet understood is whether the commercial population of Nueve Cerros practiced …

Measurement, Dissipation, And Quantum Control With Superconducting Circuits, Patrick Harrington

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The interaction between a superconducting circuit and its environment can cause decoherence. However, interactions with an environment are necessary for quantum state preparation and measurement. Through the dynamics of open quantum systems, the environment is a resource to control and readout superconducting circuit states. I present an experimental result demonstrating qubit state stabilization from engineered dissipation with a microwave photonic crystal. In addition, I discuss the statistical arrow of time in the dynamics of continuous quantum measurement. These results demonstrate an interplay between open quantum system dynamics and statistics, which highlights the role of both dissipation and measurement for quantum …

Applications Of Nonlinear Dynamics, And Critical Phenomena To Measure Neural Populations Using Inputs To Single Neurons, James Kenneth Johnson

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A compelling vision for the future of neuroscience is the ability to sense neural activity throughout the bulk of the brain with exquisite resolution. Popular visions usually include intricate electrode technology intruding into the neuropil, meandering along nerve tracts, and sensing the whole brain. These popular visions stem from the belief that we must always have an outsider’s perspective of neural activity. According to this belief the closest thing neuroscientists can achieve to an insider’s perspective is to shadow every neuron (or almost every neuron) with an electrical or optical recording device. Yet, the brain naturally has an expansive sensor …

Phantoms To Placentas: Mr Methods For Oxygen Quantification, Kelsey Meinerz

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Molecular oxygen (O2) is vital for efficient energy production and improper oxygenation is a hallmark of disease or metabolic dysfunction. In many pathologies, knowledge of tissue oxygen levels (pO2) could aid in diagnosis and treatment planning. The gold standard for pO2 measures in tissue are implantable probes, which are invasive, require surgery for placement, and are inaccessible to certain regions of the body. Methods for determining pO2 both non-invasively and quantitatively are lacking. The slight paramagnetic nature of O2 provides opportunities to non-invasively characterize pO2 in tissue via magnetic resonance (MR) techniques. As such, O2 can be treated as a …

Internal Structures And Spin Evolutions Of Small Bodies In The Solar System And Their Geophysical Implications: A Case Study On Ceres, Vesta, And Arrokoth, Xiaochen Mao

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Asteroids and Kuiper belt objects are for the most part the remnant planetesimals that have not been able to form into planets. These small bodies’ evolutionary pathways encode information from the early days of the Solar System. Recent space missions such as Dawn and New Horizons have now made detailed geological investigations of small bodies (i. e. , Ceres, Vesta, and Arrokoth) possible. In this thesis, I use geophysical modeling to study small body internal structure and to investigate spin history under the influence of impacts. I analyze the gravity and shape data obtained by Dawn of Ceres and make …

Supertiger Elemental Abundances For The Charge Range $41 \Leq Z \Leq 56$, Nathan Elliot Walsh

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Facile Surface Exchange On 2d Cadmium Selenide Quantum Belts, Yuewei Yao

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation presents various surface-ligand exchange reactions on cadmium selenide quantum belts (QBs), specifically between L-type, Z-type and bound-ion-pair AX salt type ligation. The surface ligation of nanocrystals determines their optical and transport properties, and thus purposeful control of nanocrystal surface chemistry is under active investigation. Colloidal 2D II-VI (specifically CdSe) QBs provide an ideal system for the study of rapid, complete, and reversible surface exchange at room temperature. Interchange of different types of ligands is observed. The surface exchanges are characterized by a variety of means, and the absorption and emission spectra of the QBs are extremely sensitive to …

Bayesian Variable Selection And Post-Selection Inference, Qiyiwen Zhang

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation, we first develop a novel perspective to compare Bayesian variable selection procedures in terms of their selection criteria as well as their finite-sample properties. Secondly, we investigate Bayesian post-selection inference in two types of selection problems: linear regression and population selection. We will demonstrate that both inference problems are susceptible to selection effects since the selection procedure is data-dependent. Before comparing Bayesian variable selection procedures, we first classify the current Bayesian variable selection procedures into two classes: those with selection criteria defined on the space of candidate models, and those with selection criteria not explicitly formulated on …

Seismicity And Shallow Structure At The Mariana Subduction Zone, Melody Eimer

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the incoming Pacific plate and the overriding forearc at the Mariana Subduction Zone using passive and active source seismology. The incoming plate, with water bound in the plate sediment, crust and mantle, is of interest to help constrain the global water cycle. The seismogenic zone at Mariana is noted for being an aseismic end-member, while extensional faults and active serpentine mud volcanoes characterize the forearc. I use an ocean bottom seismograph (OBS) deployment spanning both the incoming Pacific Plate and the forearc to study the seismicity and shallow structure. The passive source component of the deployment consists …

A Different Approach To Endpoint Weak-Type Estimates For Calder̟N-Zygmund Operators, Cody B. Stockdale

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The aim of this thesis is to investigate weak-type inequalities for linear and multilinear Calderón-Zygmund operators in Euclidean and weighted settings using the Calderón- Zygmund decomposition and ideas inspired by Nazarov, Treil, and Volberg. In the linear setting, a new simple proof of the classical weak-type (1; 1) property is given with motivation For multilinear Calderón-Zygmund operators, the Nazarov-Treil-Volberg ideas lead to a new proof of the weak-type (1,. . . ,1; 1/m) estimate. Connecting the weighted and multilinear settings, a weighted weak-type estimate for multilinear Calderón-Zygmund operators is proved. Two proofs for the weighted multilinear inequality are presented – …

Protean Caves And Cyrenean Grottos: The Subterranean World Of Vergil's Fourth Georgic, Kirby Schoephoerster

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Using the studies and methodologies spearheaded by the burgeoning field of geomythology, this project aims to reevaluate one of the most famous works of ancient literature, the Georgics of Vergil, within the context of karst geology. In other words, I plan to critically investigate the famous myth of Aristaeus using a geomythological lens that focuses on how Vergil treats caves and cave systems as related to (his) myth. The didactic poem as a whole, and much less so the myth of Aristaeus, has been assessed relatively little by archaeologists, and by geomythologists not at all. Yet, book four contains an …

Multi-Omics Integration For Gene Fusion Discovery And Somatic Mutation Haplotyping In Cancer, Steven Mason Foltz

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cancer is a disease caused by changes to the genome and dysregulation of gene expression. Among many types of mutations, including point mutations, small insertions and deletions, large scale structural variants, and copy number changes, gene fusions are another category of genomic and transcriptomic alteration that can lead to cancer and which can serve as therapeutic targets. We studied gene fusion events using data from The Cancer Genome Atlas, including over 9,000 patients from 33 cancer types, finding patterns of gene fusion events and dysregulation of gene expression within and across cancer types. With data from the CoMMpass study (Multiple …

Computation Of Knudsen Diffusivity In Domains With Boundary Micro-Structure, Luis Alberto Garcia German

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

We develop an analytical framework and numerical methods for the determination of the coefficient of self-diffusivity for the transport of a rarefied gas in channels, in the limit of large Knudsen number. We provide an effective method for determining the influence of channel surface micro-structure on the value of diffusivity. We also show how characteristic numbers of the system, namely geometric parameters of the micro-structure, the spectral gap of a Markov transition operator defined for a given micro-structure, and the tangential momentum accommodation coefficient of a commonly used model of surface scattering, are related. Examples of micro-structures are investigated regarding …

Elucidation Of Radical Cation Trapping Chemistry: Using Electrochemical And Photochemical Techniques To Qualitatively Assess The Kinetics Behind Anodic Oxidative Cyclizations, Luisalberto Gonzalez

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

While the field of organic chemistry has grown throughout the decades, its primary concern has always been on the generation, conversion, and study of molecular structures. Within that philosophy, the development of new reactions affords chemists the ability to overcome previous synthetic barriers or develop more elegant and simple synthetic routes to difficult-to-construct molecules. Within that realm, electrochemistry is seeing increased attention due its ability to generate highly reactive intermediates, recycle chemical reagents, and reverse the polarity of known functional groups. One example of such an application is the use of electrochemistry to form radical cations. While radical cations have …

Molecular Insights Into Microbial Adhesion, Roger Davies Klein

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections are a serious and immediate threat to global public health. In the United States alone, over 2 million individuals develop antibiotic-resistant infections annually, resulting in 23,000 deaths and $20 billion in excess health care costs. Virulence factors that allow bacteria to invade and persist within the host are promising targets for novel antimicrobial agents that could be used to curb the spread of antibiotic resistance. Development of therapeutics that can selectively eliminate pathogenic bacteria while sparing the beneficial host microbiota requires a detailed molecular understanding of critical virulence factors that facilitate interactions between pathogens and their environments. …

A Study On Lexicographic Shellable Posets, Tiansi Li

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, I will discuss the relations and differences between EL-shellable and CL-shellable posets. I will present examples of EL-shellable posets that are previously known to be CL-shellable, including rank-selected subposets of EL- shellable posets such as the Smirnov words posets, and comodernistic lattices. I will show that EL-shellability is equivalent to root-independent recursive atom ordering, and present two examples of CL-shellable posets that are not EL- shellable, one of which is a graded poset and the other is ungraded. In the end, I will briefly discuss how I think might fully characterize CL-shellable posets that are not EL-shellable.

Operator Noncommutative Function Theory And Partial Matrix And Operator Convexity, Mark E. Mancuso

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Testing Assumptions On The Relationship Between Humans And Their Environment: Case Studies From Cahokia Mounds, Illinois, Caitlin Gail Rankin

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Many archaeologists argue that studying past human response to climate change can be helpful in informing future strategies to adapt to modern effects of climate change; however, archaeological research is rarely utilized in climate change policy. Much of archaeological research involves forming hypotheses to explain observations of past phenomena. However, the advancement of knowledge requires a back and forth between hypothesis forming and hypothesis testing. I argue that a lack of engagement in hypothesis testing has stalled the advancement in archaeological knowledge on the relationship between humans and their environment. Ultimately, it is this stall in the advancement of knowledge …

Thermophysical Properties And Phase Transformations In Metallic Liquids And Silicate Glasses, Daniel Christian Van Hoesen

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The first quantitative measurements of the electrical resistivity in binary metallic liquids, used to probe local order in the liquid, are reported in this dissertation. The electrical resistivity is very sensitive to short and medium range ordering because the electron mean free path is approximately the same length scale as the atomic spacing. Particular attention is given to the resistivity value at a crossover temperature that, based on molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, is the onset of cooperative motion in liquid alloys. Experimental evidence for the crossover is found in measurements of the shear viscosity, a dynamical property. An indication of …