Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Pre-Juvenile Naked Goby (Gobiosoma Bosc) Age And Growth, Annamaria Deitz, Juliana Harding

Honors Theses

Due to the abundance of larval naked gobies, Gobiosoma bosc, within the estuarine ichthyoplankton, it is important to understand their age and growth. Naked gobies are a largely distributed, both geographically and within an estuary, small, benthic fish species. There are 3 pairs of otoliths, calcium carbonate structures within the ear canal, that detect vibrations and record the age of the fish, both daily and annually. Using laboratory-reared gobies of a known age (Tremont et al. 2015), daily signatures on the sagittal otoliths were first validated to be daily, then a growth curve for the wild caught larvae was …

Air Quality And Environmental Justice: An Analysis Of County-Level Data In The United States, Alyssa Tittle

Honors Theses

This paper analyzes the relationship between air pollution and poverty and race/ethnicity at the county level in the United States. Using air pollution data from the Environmental Protection Agency and population characteristics data from the Census Bureau to model relationships in RStudio, results show that race/ethnicity, population, and median value of owner-occupied housing units are the most statistically significant variables associated with air quality.

Rain Gardens: The Return Of Ecosystem Services, Katie Dehaan

Honors Theses

In the modern world impervious surfaces, especially in urban areas, abound. These include roads, highways, sidewalks, parking lots, and roofs that have replaced permeable surfaces, mainly open land, forests, and wetlands. Rainwater runs off of these surfaces collecting pollutants on its way to permeable areas. Rain gardens collect and process rainwater. Native plants with deep root systems process large volumes of rainwater and the microorganisms living in the soils and roots can process pollutants. The purpose of my research was to find out what variables affect species presence or absence in rain gardens. Species presence or absence at the time …

United States Suicide Analysis: 1999-2016, Malynn Clark

Honors Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to create information visualizations surrounding suicide trends from 1999-2016 in the United States. The original data was obtained from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Compressed Mortality Database. This database permits users to download several fields of information regarding deaths for the years given. Using this information, many graphs below show trends and patterns for suicide. One notable trend includes the higher proportion of male to female suicides for all categories explored including: age group, race, and metro/nonmetro status. The goal is to bring awareness and understanding surrounding the suicide epidemic in the …

Towards The Synthesis Of An Artificial Fluorescent Siderophore, Ashley Burns

Honors Theses

Siderophores are molecules capable of binding ferric ions with high affinity (Ka = 1052). This thesis outlines our attempts to synthesize an artificial siderophore, which incorporates a signaling group to help monitor the uptake of ferric ions. The artificial siderophore is a tripodal molecular receptor synthesized in a five-step procedure with a proposed final sixth step. Rhodamine 6G azide (95.0% yield) was formed from rhodamine 6G and the synthesis of 2-azidoethanamine was modified from the literature. The tripodal arm portion of the sensor was successfully synthesized by protecting the catechol of 2,3-dihydroxybenzaldehyde to form 3-formyl-1,2-phenylene dimethanesulfonate (98.8% yield). The reduction …

A Synthesis And Analysis Of Anhydrous Hydroxide Ion Conducting Polymer Electrolytes, Stanton Heydinger

Honors Theses

This project investigates the synthesis and physical properties of polyethylene glycol monomethyl ether (MePEGn where n=3 or 7) based polymer electrolytes. The two polymer electrolytes explored in the experiments were designed from two different MePEG chains that varied in their overall length and degree of polymerization. The first MePEG backbone contained three polymerized ethoxy groups and the second contained seven. Both MePEGn polymers were modified by substituting an imidazolium group in place of the alcohol functional group at the end of the PEG chain. This modification was made to create a polymer electrolyte with an attached positive charge that could …

The Power Of Wording: An Evaluation Of Framing Effects, Chelsea Romph

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Stratigraphic Interpretations Of Eocene Winona And Tallahatta Formations In The Duffee Quadrangle, Ms, Sydney Kennedy

Honors Theses

Outcrops and exposures of the Winona and Tallahatta formations in the Duffee Quadrangle in Newton and Lauderdale counties were mapped and analyzed. The rock type, composition, structures, and fossils were identified at each site; unit thicknesses were measured, and stratigraphic relationships were analyzed for available exposures. Using GPS coordinates, each site was mapped on Google Earth Pro. The data collected at each site, aerial photographs, and topographic maps were used to identify each formation. The variability between previous works and this study was analyzed. The primary rock type found in the Tallahatta Formation is siliciclastic silty claystone and sandstone; some …

Investigating The Urban Stream Syndrome In The Schenectady-Schoharie Region Of Upstate New York, Elizabeth Marie Andonie

Honors Theses

The urban stream syndrome is defined as the typical effects that cities have on watersheds and has been identified in urban regions worldwide. Symptoms include a higher risk of flooding, increased erosion, reduced biodiversity, and elevated concentrations of nutrients and contaminants. The objective of this study is to determine the extent of the urban stream syndrome in and around the Schenectady area. More specifically, this study focuses on two separate aspects: 1) the influx of road salt, and 2) the influx of organic waste. In addition, data were compared with previous data of the same streams to determine changes over …

Investigation Of Ceria-Nickel Containing Aerogels For Catalytic Converter Applications, Xiao Peng Li

Honors Theses

Aerogels have physical properties that make them appealing for automotive exhaust catalysis: they are highly porous with low density and high surface area. Current catalytic converter technology uses precious metals (Pt, Pd and Rh) to oxidize CO and unburned hydrocarbons and reduce NO. Catalytic-metal-containing aerogel can potentially be a less expensive alternative for use in catalytic converters. Prior work with nickel-alumina aerogels indicated promise for this application; the goal of including ceria is to increase oxygen storage and thereby enhance catalytic ability. Here, cerium- and nickel-containing aerogels, with an alumina backbone and silica backbone, are fabricated using an epoxide-assisted recipe …

Preventing Browser Fingerprinting By Randomizing Canvas, Rianna Quiogue

Honors Theses

Whether users know it or not, their online behaviors are being tracked and stored by many of the websites they visit regularly through a technique called browser fingerprinting. Just like a person's physical fingerprint can identify them, users' browser fingerprints can identify them on the Internet. This thesis outlines the techniques used in browser fingerprinting and explains how although it can be used for good, it can also be a major threat to people's online privacy and security. Since browser fingerprinting has gained popularity among many websites and advertising companies, researchers have been developing ways to counteract its effectiveness by …

Category Theory And Universal Property, Niuniu Zhang

Honors Theses

Category theory unifies and formalizes the mathematical structure and concepts in a way that various areas of interest can be connected. For example, many have learned about the sets and its functions, the vector spaces and its linear transformation, and the group theories and its group homomorphism. Not to mention the similarity of structure in topological spaces, as the continuous function is its mapping. In sum, category theory represents the abstractions of other mathematical concepts. Hence, one could use category theory as a new language to define and simplify the existing mathematical concepts as the universal properties. The goal of …

Geometric Constructions, Origami, And Galois Theory, Julia Greene

Honors Theses

Geometric constructions using an unmarked straightedge and a compass have been studied for thousands of years. In these constructions, we can draw circles and lines starting with any two points, and we can create new points where they intersect. An n-gon is said to be constructible if can be constructed in a finite number of steps using these guidelines. We begin with constructions of several n-gons, and examine the field theory behind geometric constructions. Galois theory then provides a precise classification of which n-gons are constructible and which are not. Next is an exploration of origami construction, which examines a …

Characterizing The Waters Of 6 Rivers In Upstate New York With A Focus On Physical Hydrology And Controls On Water Quality, Connor Horan

Honors Theses

Rivers are key passageways connecting inland waters to the world’s oceans. They are responsible for the mobilization and transport of nutrients, sediments, and weathered materials. Rivers have been influential in the development of human civilization and are hubs for people and businesses to populate. As our population puts a heavier burden on these waterways, there is a need to better understand the controls on their water quality.

The overarching goal of this research is to improve our understanding of the hydrology and water resources of the Upper Hudson and Mohawk watersheds. This is critical to our understanding of the ecological …

Approximation Of Continuous Functions By Artificial Neural Networks, Zongliang Ji

Honors Theses

An artificial neural network is a biologically-inspired system that can be trained to perform computations. Recently, techniques from machine learning have trained neural networks to perform a variety of tasks. It can be shown that any continuous function can be approximated by an artificial neural network with arbitrary precision. This is known as the universal approximation theorem. In this thesis, we will introduce neural networks and one of the first versions of this theorem, due to Cybenko. He modeled artificial neural networks using sigmoidal functions and used tools from measure theory and functional analysis.

Exploring The Behavior Repertoire Of A Wireless Vibrationally Actuated Tensegrity Robot, Zongliang Ji

Honors Theses

Soft robotics is an emerging field of research due to its potential to explore and operate in unstructured, rugged, and dynamic environments. However, the properties that make soft robots compelling also make them difficult to robustly control. Here at Union, we developed the world’s first wireless soft tensegrity robot. The goal of my thesis is to explore effective and efficient methods to explore the diverse behavior our tensegrity robot. We will achieve that by applying state-of-art machine learning technique and a novelty search algorithm.

Increasing The Effectiveness Of Impossible Spaces In Virtual Environments Using Moving Textures, Dylan Devenny

Honors Theses

This study looks to examine a method of overcoming the limitations caused by the size of a physical tracking area in virtual reality environments known as impossible spaces and attempt to improve its efficiency by altering the texture flow of the virtual environment. The experiment involves running participants through a series of small buildings consisting of two rooms in which the percentage of overlap between the two rooms and the ratio of texture movement to user movement (corresponding to textural ow conditions) differs from trial to trial and asking participants to make a judgement of whether or not the environment …

Indoor Localization Using A Smartphone: Approaches, Issues, And Challenges, Lee J. Easson

Honors Theses

Localization has gained priority in an increasingly inter-connected world. The majority of industries and sectors require some means of tracking the location of objects and/or people anywhere on the Earth, whether indoors or outdoors. GPS is an already-implemented and viable solution for outdoor localization. However, indoor localization is more challenging to implement and thus has become a broad area of research. Despite the challenges of tracking location in places where satellite GPS signals are unreliable or unreachable (i.e. within a building or structure), there has been considerable progress made in indoor localization research. Although current indoor localization technology can achieve …

Theoretical And Experimental Vibrational Modes Of The Borane Pyridine Complex, Benjamin Stratton

Honors Theses

Benjamin Wade Stratton: Theoretical and Experimental Vibrational Modes of the Borane Pyridine Complex (Under the direction of Dr. Nathan Hammer) The Borane Pyridine complex is a molecule that contains a dative bond between the boron and nitrogen atoms. A dative bond is a type of covalent bonding that occurs when both electrons come from the same atom. The B-N bond has been studied in several other molecules such as ammonia borane and determining the frequency at which this bond vibrates has been a topic of interest studied in these molecules as well as several others. This complex has another factor …

Effects Of Halogen Bonding On 13c Nmr Shifts Of Iodotolan, James Long

Honors Theses

Halogen bonding is the ability of heavier halogens to have noncovalent interactions similar to hydrogen bonding. By mixing two compounds that should halogen bond together and analyzing this mixture with carbon NMR spectroscopy, we attempted to test the strength and extent of halogen bonding in 4-iodotolan. After observing the changes in the 4-iodotolans chemical shifts, the halogen bond appears to be too weak to affect the chemical shifts in a substantial manner; however, the C-I bonded carbon shows a slight but consistent increase in its shift which could be an avenue for future research.

Blocking Recombinations In Dscs Through Mgo And Pfts Surface Treatments, Kayla Foell

Honors Theses

High voltage dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) are becoming novel sources in the production of various fuel precursors, such as carbon monoxide and hydrogen, by powering carbon dioxide reduction, water oxidation, and proton reduction catalysts via sunlight. An important task in order to increase overall efficiency of DSC devices is to minimize recombination (electron flow in an undesirable direction) while increasing photovoltage. Surface treatment modifications can be applied to the TiO2 electrodes within DSC devices in an effort to block recombination without negatively effecting the other device performance metrics: fill factor (FF), short-circuit current density (Jsc), and open-circuit photovoltage (Voc). In …

Structures, Energetics, And Vibrational Frequencies Of Microhydrated Hexafluorophosphate, Pf6−(H2o)N=1,2 From Dft And Ab Initio Computations, Yasmeen Abdo

Honors Theses

This study systematically examines an anion commonly used in room temperature ionic liquids, hexafluorophosphate PF6−, and its non-covalent interactions with up to two explicit water molecules (PF6 − (H2 O)n where n = 1, 2). Initial low-energy configurations are identified via a set of relaxed angular scans across the edges and faces of the PF6− octahedron using the global hybrid M06-2X density functional with a triple-ζ correlation consistent basis set augmented with diffuse functions on all non- hydrogen atoms (cc-pVTZ for H and aug-cc-pVTZ for P, O, F; denoted haTZ). Full geometry optimizations are performed on these initial structures using …

Understanding Juuling Trends Among Differing Age And Gender Demographics Through Social Sensing, Thomas Mcfann

Honors Theses

Middle schoolers, high schoolers, and college students have increasingly begun using the Juul, which is a type of e-cigarette. In fact, in 2017 a study showed that “2.1 million high schoolers and middle schoolers used e-cigarettes” (Richtel and Kaplan, 2018). The reason why my research specifically addresses the Juul is that it “is now the largest e-cigarette brand measured by retail sales companies” (Huang et al., 2018b). Studies have been done to show the short time it takes for a child to lose autonomy over tobacco use, ranging from 2 to 30 days of first inhaling a cigarette (DiFranza et …

Portfolio Optimization Methods: The Mean-Variance Approach And The Bayesian Approach, Hoang Nguyen

Honors Theses

This thesis is a discussion on the mean-variance approach to portfolio optimization and an introduction of the Bayesian approach, which is designed to solve certain limitations of the classical mean-variance analysis. The primary goal of portfolio optimization is to achieve the maximum return from investment given a certain level of risk. The mean-variance approach, introduced by Harry Markowitz, sought to solve this optimization problem by analyzing the means and variances of a certain collection of stocks. However, due to its simplicity, the mean-variance approach is subject to various limitations. In this paper, we seek to solve some of these limitations …

#Whyididntreport: Using Social Media As A Tool To Understand Why Sexual Assault Victims Do Not Report, Abby Garrett

Honors Theses

Sexual assault has gone largely under-reported, and social media movements, like #WhyIDidntReport, have brought great awareness to this issue. In order to take advantage of the large amounts of data the #WhyIDidntReport movement has generated, the study uses tweets to explore reasons why victims do not report their assault. The thesis cites current research on the topic of assault to generate a list of explanations victims use to describe their lack of reporting and compares the distributions with existing studies. We use a supervised learning technique to automatically categorize tweets into one of eight categories. This approach uses social sensing …

Encoding A 1-D Heisenberg Spin 1/2 Chain In A Simulated Annealing Algorithm For Machine Learning, Daniel Pompa

Honors Theses

The application areas of machine learning techniques are becoming broader and increasingly ubiquitous in the natural sciences and engineering. One such field of interest within the physics community is the training and implementation of neural networks to aid in quantum many-body computations. Conversely, research exploring the possible computational benefits of using quantum many-body dynamics in the area of artificial intelligence and machine learning has also recently started to gain traction. The marriage of these fields comes naturally with the complementary nature of their mathematical frameworks. The objective of this study was to explore the possibility of encoding a quantum spin …

Theoretical Studies Of Naphthoquinone Reactivity Toward Amines, Kevin Lee

Honors Theses

Quinones are a class of organic compounds containing a six-membered unsaturated cyclic ring with two carbonyl groups and are biologically relevant due to their ability to participate in redox reactions. Experiments have showed that quinones can induce protein modifications including oligomerization and polymerization by binding to proteins. To complement these experimental studies, theoretical studies of naphthoquinone reactivity toward an amino group were conducted. The reactions between three naphthoquinones, 1,2-naphthoquinone (ONQ), 1,4-naphthoquinone (PNQ), and 2-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone (HNQ), and methylamine, a N-containing nucleophile, were investigated. For each naphthoquinone, the first step of both 1,2- and 1,4-additions at all possible C=O positions were examined. …

Lipid Modification In Aeromonas Salmonicida Through Exogenous Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Incorporation, Rachel Hofer

Honors Theses

Aeromonas salmonicida is a Gram-negative bacterium that can infect a wide host range of fish populations, including salmonids and non-salmonids as well as freshwater and marine life. A. salmonicida causes the disease furunculosis, which can cause lethargy, intestinal inflammation, ulcers, hemorrhaging, and death. The infection is spread through fish-to-fish contact, and the presence of infection can have devastating effects on cultivated fish populations. The purpose of this study was to explore the ability of A. salmonicida to incorporate polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) into its lipid profile and test the phenotypic effects thereof. A. salmonicida cultures were grown in minimal media …

Edge Effects And Diversity Of Understory And Canopy Cloud Forest Beetles, Mallory Barbier

Honors Theses

Habitat fragmentation results in edge effects— changes in diversity and community composition along high-contrast forest edges. To date, a study of edge effects on beetle diversity has not been performed in tropical cloud forests, and few studies compare communities at both understory and canopy levels. Using bottle traps, I sampled canopy and understory beetle communities in a tropical lower montane cloud forest of Monteverde, Costa Rica across three distances (edge- 15 m, middle- 100 m, far- 205 m) along an edge-to-interior transect into the forest. According to the Shannon-Weiner diversity index, the site with the most diversity was the middle …

The Effects Of Animal-Assisted Therapy On Participation In Rehabilitation In A Patient Post-Stroke: A Case Study, Chloe Cross

Honors Theses

The human-animal bond is a powerful and emotional connection. The bond between dogs and people can provide numerous physiological and psychological benefits as well as potentially increasing the human’s quality of life. Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) utilizes the human-animal bond by incorporating a dog into the patient’s rehabilitation therapy. This case study examines if AAT sessions increase a stroke patient’s participation in the rehabilitation sessions when compared to normal sessions. Participation in therapy reduces the length of stay for patients, improves outcome measures, and lessens the effects of depression.A key part of stroke rehabilitation is incorporating exercises that increase neuroplasticity. One …