Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Deformation Processes At The Leading Edge Of The Sevier Fold And Thrust Belt, Southwest Utah, William Joseph Michael Chandonia

Masters Theses

"Deformation processes leading to formation and abandonment of 'triangle zones' along the leading edge of the Sevier fold and thrust belt are investigated near Kanarraville, Utah through construction of a detailed geologic map and cross-section along Spring Creek. Here the eastern limb of the Kanarra fold, a Sevier structure, is well exposed along the Hurricane Cliffs due to uplift and erosion of the footwall of the Hurricane Fault. The east-verging Kanarra fold changes from upright to overturned within Spring Creek. Within the fold limb, parasitic folds, minor thrust faults, and duplex structures result in local tectonic overthickening of units and …

Cyber-Physical Security Of A Chemical Plant, Prakash Rao Dunaka

Masters Theses

"The increasing number of cyber attacks on industries demands immediate attention for providing more secure mechanisms to safeguard industries and minimize risks. A supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system employing the distributed networks of sensors and actuators that interact with the physical environment is vulnerable to attacks that target the interface between the cyber and physical subsystems. These cyber attacks are typically malicious actions that cause undesired results in the cyber physical world, for example, the Stuxnet attack that targeted Iran's nuclear centrifuges. An attack that hijacks the sensors in an attempt to provide false readings to the controller …

Structural And U-Pb Detrital Zircon Geochronologic Constraints On The Origin Of The Condrey Mountain Schist, California - Oregon, Joseph Reid Coons

Masters Theses

"The Condrey Mountain Schist (CMS) of the Klamath Mountains (northern California and southern Oregon) represent low grade oceanic and terrigenous sediments thrust beneath higher grade ophiolitic rocks of the Rattlesnake Creek Terrane (RCT). This study presents new U-Pb detrital zircon dates from the CMS, and from the possibly correlative basin rocks of the Galice Formation and accretionary rocks of the South Fork Mountain Schist. The Galice Formation yields a maximum depositional age of ca. 152 Ma with prominent date distributions of ca. 150-200 Ma (39% of analyzed grains), 200-600 Ma (1%), 600 - 1000 Ma (2%), and 1000-3200 Ma (58%). …

Provenance And Depositional Environments Of Fluvial-Lacustrine Deposits In A Non-Marine Rift Basin, Lower-Triassic Jiucaiyuan And Shaofanggou Low-Order Cycles Bogda Shan, Nw China, Jaimeson Grigaitis Fredericks

Masters Theses

"The uppermost Carboniferous to Lower Triassic eolian-fluvial-lacustrine deposits of Turpan-Junggar Basin, NW China, record the non-marine sediment-filling processes in a continental rift basin in mid-latitude NE Pangea. This study focuses on the fluvial-lacustrine strata of the Lower Triassic Jiucaiyuan (JCY) and Shaofanggou (SFG) low-order cycles (LCs) in multiple half grabens at the southern and northern foothills of Bogda Shan. Outcrop, paleocurrent, and petrographic analyses indicate a southern provenance. Intermediate to felsic volcanic lithics and metamorphic lithics are interpreted as being derived from Tian Shan to the south while the sedimentary lithics originate from the local rift shoulders. The basaltic lithics …

The Pantograph Equation In Quantum Calculus, Thomas Griebel

Masters Theses

"In this thesis, the pantograph equation in quantum calculus is investigated. The pantograph equation is a famous delay differential equation that has been known since 1971. Till the present day, the continuous and the discrete cases of the pantograph equation are well studied. This thesis deals with different pantograph equations in quantum calculus. An explicit solution representation and the exponential behavior of solutions of a pantograph equation are proved. Furthermore, several pantograph equations regarding asymptotic stability are considered. In fact, conditions for the asymptotic stability of the zero solution are derived and subsequently illustrated by examples. Moreover, an explicit solution …

Cloth-Air Partitioning Of Oxybenzone, Jonathan T. Hill

Masters Theses

"Clothing has been proven to be a significant accumulator of chemicals from the air. Semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) have a high affinity towards textiles, and measuring the equilibrium partition coefficient between cloth and air (K_cloth-air) for SVOCs is crucial in predicting human exposure to these compounds. This study aims to quantify K_cloth-air for oxybenzone to contribute to a larger human exposure experiment carried out at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU). K_cloth-air for oxybenzone was calculated using data collected from the exposure chamber at DTU and from performing extractions of oxybenzone in fabric samples from the …

Personalizing Education With Algorithmic Course Selection, Tyler Morrow

Masters Theses

"The work presented in this thesis utilizes context-aware recommendation to facilitate personalized education and assist students in selecting courses (or in non-traditional curricula, topics or modules) that meet curricular requirements, leverage their skills and background, and are relevant to their interests. The original research contribution of this thesis is an algorithm that can generate a schedule of courses with consideration of a student's profile, minimization of cost, and complete adherence to institution requirements. The research problem at hand - a constrained optimization problem with potentially conflicting objectives - is solved by first identifying a minimal sets of courses a student …

Decodable Network Coding In Wireless Network, Junwei Su

Masters Theses

"Network coding is a network layer technique to improve transmission efficiency. Coding packets is especially beneficial in a wireless environment where the demand for radio spectrum is high. However, to fully realize the benefits of network coding two challenging issues that must be addressed are: (1) Guaranteeing separation of coded packets at the destination, and (2) Mitigating the extra coding/decoding delay. If the destination has all the needed packets to decode a coded packet, then separation failure can be averted. If the scheduling algorithm considers the arrival time of coding pairs, then the extra delay can be mitigated. In this …

Evaluation Of Swelling And Re-Swelling Of Preformed Particle Gels (Ppg) When Exposed To Co₂, Sujay Suresh

Masters Theses

"Long term water/gas flooding induces high permeability channels in reservoirs. Reservoir heterogeneity becomes the most prominent challenge faced in mature oil fields. Gel treatment has been a proven solution to counter the problem of reservoir heterogeneity, to provide in-depth treatment and improve the sweep efficiency for reservoirs. Preformed particle gels (PPGs) were developed as an alternative to in-situ gels as they preferentially penetrate and shutoff high permeability zones, leaving the low permeability zones undamaged. These gels have been predominantly used in water flooding projects, but have not been employed in carbon dioxide (CO₂) flooding projects. CO₂ Resistant …

Multi Stage Recovery From Large Scale Failure In Interdependent Networks, Maria Angelin John Bosco

Masters Theses

"Node and link failures that usually cause limited damage in a single network, may cascade into large scale disasters in the case of interdependent networks, due to the dependencies that exist between them. Recovery from such failures may require multiple stages or steps for complete restoration of connection or flow between them. When critical services are disrupted, the order in which the broken elements are repaired affects the earliest possible recovery time of vital services. In a flow network, one order of restoration may restore more flow at an earlier stage than another. The paper aims to model an efficient …

Development Of A Variogram Approach To Spatial Outlier Detection Using A Supplemental Digital Elevation Model Dataset, Zane Daniel Helwig

Masters Theses

"When developing a ground water model, the quality of the dataset should first be evaluated. Spatial outliers can lead to predictions which are not representative of actual conditions. In order to isolate misrepresentative points, a method is presented which examines the experimental variogram of a ground water elevation dataset. To define a threshold variance between pairs of ground water elevation measures, ground elevation values from a digital elevation model (DEM) are used to determine a maximum reasonable variance expected to occur on the experimental variogram. To determine appropriate DEM parameters, a separate study was also done which observed characteristic behavior …

Imaging In Karst Terrain Using The Electrical Resistivity And Multichannel Analyses Of Surface Wave Methods, Ragab W. Jaafar

Masters Theses

"Electrical resistivity tomography and multi-channel analyses of surface waves data were acquired at a study area in Phelps County in the south-central part of Missouri. The objectives of the investigation were fourfold: 1) to image the subsurface in the study area to a depth of 70 feet; 2) to compare the ERT images generated using both the dipole-dipole and Wenner-Schlumberger arrays; and 3) to assess how variations in the MASW array configuration affected MASW data quality; and 4) to compare the ERT-estimated depth to top-of-rock and the MASW-generated depth to top-of-rock.

The subsurface in the study area was imaged to …

Mining Asteroids For Volatile Resources: An Experimental Demonstration Of Extraction And Recovery, Egboche Christopher Unobe

Masters Theses

"Gaseous compounds trapped within carbonaceous asteroids may prove to be important targets for prospective space miners in the near-term. Volatile release is from hydrated, hydroxylated and carbonated phases present, making such bodies attractive as feedstock for the production of H₂O, CO₂ and simple organic compounds. A source of these species in orbit provides an opportunity to locally produce space-craft propellant and other life-support gases through the application of In-situ Resource Utilization (ISRU).

For this study, an experimental vacuum system was modified and used to test the technical validity of radiatively heating asteroid simulants to extract contained gaseous …

Crustal Thickness And Vp/Vs Ratio Of Yellowstone, Eastern Snake River Plain, Wyoming Province, And The Northern Basin And Range Province Through Receiver Function Analysis, Avikant Dayma

Masters Theses

"For decades, numerous studies have been conducted and contradictory results were achieved about the origin and evolution of the Yellowstone supervolcano and the Eastern Snake River Plain. Whether the 640 km long time-progressive chain of rhyolitic calderas was formed due to mantle-plume or a result of lithospheric extension allowing the emergence of melt on the surface is still a debate. Using receiver function analyses, this study determines the crustal thickness and the Vp/Vs ratio below the Yellowstone Plateau, Wyoming Province (WP), Idaho Batholith (IB), Eastern Snake River Plain (ESRP), and the northern Basin and Range Province (BRP). The thickness is …

Multiple Security Domain Model Of A Vehicle In An Automated Vehicle System, Uday Ganesh Kanteti

Masters Theses

"This thesis focuses on the security of automated vehicle platoons. Specifically, it examines the vulnerabilities that occur via disruptions of the information flows among the different types of sensors, the communications network and the control unit in each vehicle of a platoon. Multiple security domain nondeducibility is employed to determine whether the system can detect attacks. The information flows among the various domains provide insights into the vulnerabilities that exist in the system by showing if an attacker’s actions cannot be deduced. If nondeducibility is found to be true, then an attacker can create an undetectable attack. Defeating nondeducibility requires …

Multiple Security Domain Nondeducibility Air Traffic Surveillance Systems, Anusha Thudimilla

Masters Theses

"Traditional security models partition the security universe into two distinct and completely separate worlds: high and low level. However, this partition is absolute and complete. The partition of security domains into high and low is too simplistic for more complex cyber-physical systems (CPS). Absolute divisions are conceptually clean, but they do not reflect the real world. Security partitions often overlap, frequently provide for the high level to have complete access to the low level, and are more complex than an impervious wall. The traditional models that handle situations where the security domains are complex or the threat space is ill …

A New Reinforcement Learning Algorithm With Fixed Exploration For Semi-Markov Decision Processes, Angelo Michael Encapera

Masters Theses

"Artificial intelligence or machine learning techniques are currently being widely applied for solving problems within the field of data analytics. This work presents and demonstrates the use of a new machine learning algorithm for solving semi-Markov decision processes (SMDPs). SMDPs are encountered in the domain of Reinforcement Learning to solve control problems in discrete-event systems. The new algorithm developed here is called iSMART, an acronym for imaging Semi-Markov Average Reward Technique. The algorithm uses a constant exploration rate, unlike its precursor R-SMART, which required exploration decay. The major difference between R-SMART and iSMART is that the latter uses, in addition …

A Bounded Actor-Critic Algorithm For Reinforcement Learning, Ryan Jacob Lawhead

Masters Theses

"This thesis presents a new actor-critic algorithm from the domain of reinforcement learning to solve Markov and semi-Markov decision processes (or problems) in the field of airline revenue management (ARM). The ARM problem is one of control optimization in which a decision-maker must accept or reject a customer based on a requested fare. This thesis focuses on the so-called single-leg version of the ARM problem, which can be cast as a semi-Markov decision process (SMDP). Large-scale Markov decision processes (MDPs) and SMDPs suffer from the curses of dimensionality and modeling, making it difficult to create the transition probability matrices (TPMs) …

Uface: Your Universal Password No One Can See, Nicholas Steven Hilbert

Masters Theses

"With the advantage of not having to memorize long passwords, facial authentication has become a topic of interest among researchers. However, since many users store images containing their face on social networking sites, a new challenge emerges in preventing attackers from impersonating these users by using these online photos. Another problem with most current facial authentication protocols is that they require an unencrypted image of each registered user's face to compare against. Moreover, they might require the user's device to execute computationally expensive multiparty protocols which presents a problem for mobile devices with limited processing power. Finally, these authentication protocols …

Behavior Of Different Sizes Of Strontium Titanate Substrates In Electrochemical Modifications, Shuxin Luo

Masters Theses

In our previous atomic force microscopy (AFM) studies of 5 mm x 5 mm single crystal SrTiO₃ (STO(100)) substrates, rutile TiO₂ crystals were found on the substrates surfaces after electrochemical modification. These crystals were found mainly in the area of contact between the substrate and the gold-coated alligator clip that was not supposed to be immersed into the electrolyte and that served as a connection between the STO working electrode and the potentiostat circuit. The size and density of the crystals were found to depend on electrochemical potential, its polarity, the length of modifying time, and the total …

Functionalized Bodipy Dyes For Near-Infrared Emission Of Lanthanide Complexes, Rukshani Wickrama Arachchi

Masters Theses

For many decades, fluorophores have been used to investigate natural systems, but autofluorescence and photobleaching diminish the detection capacity. Recently, BODIPY based lanthanide complexes have been synthesized and their photophysical properties have been investigated. These complexes exhibit higher emission efficiencies at NIR region with longer NIR lifetimes upon exciting at longer wavelength.

In this study, two BODIPY based lanthanide complexes were synthesized and their photophysical properties were evaluated. BODIPY based ligands were synthesized with phenanthroline as the ligand binding group. These ligands exhibit strong absorption at 527 nm and 532 nm, fluorescence at 540 nm and 548 nm with 0.55 …

Bodipy-Based Red Sensitizers For Near-Infrared Emission Of Lanthanide Complexes, Priyangika Prasadini Senevirathne

Masters Theses

During the past 20 years there has been a remarkable growth in the use of the fluorescence technique in biological studies. Fluorescence and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy are considered primary research tools in the field of biochemistry. Currently, fluorescence spectroscopy is a dominant methodology and used widely in biotechnology and medical diagnosis process. One impediment in using fluorescent probes is the fluorescence of biological substrates and fluorescence of diagnostic probes are significantly overlapped, and it decreases the detection sensitivity. Also, commercially available probes require UV or near-UV light excitation, causing severe degradation of biological substrates. Near-infrared emitting lanthanide complexes can overcome …

The North American River Otter (Lontra Canadensis) On The Department Of Energy's Savannah River Site, Emily B. Mccallen

Masters Theses

The Department of Energy's (DOE) Savannah River Site (SRS) faces a legacy of radionuclide and metal contamination from industrial processes that occurred within the site. The risks posed to ecosystems on the site from contaminants are quantified using the ecological risk assessment process, which often uses the health of a particular species as an ecological endpoint. Northern river otters (Lontra canadensis) are appropriate receptors for studying the effects of long-term, low-level contamination because they are long-lived, higher trophic level organisms likely to accumulate high levels of pollutants. However, little information about river otters on the SRS is known; …

Molecular Recognition Profiles Of Molecular Cocrystals, Ian C. Tinsley

Masters Theses

The manner in which molecules recognize each other holds critical importance to nearly every area of science. This significance stems from the key underpinning of molecular assembly to our most basic understanding of chemical processes. Whether these interactions relate to small-molecule catalytic transformations or complex physiological processes, the structural features responsible for molecular association play into the well-known adage that form follows function where material property arises from the collective structural features of the molecular components. Because the form of chemical systems is derived from a complex blend of covalent and non-bonded contacts, codifying each contributor has become essential for …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Cu(Ii)-Cu(I) Mixed Valence Complexes, Hansani T. Lekam Wasam Liyanage

Masters Theses

Our study was focused on synthesis and characterization of new family of metal complexes that mimic the active site of copper containing enzymes. Our approach focused on preparing a series of metalloligands which vary systematically in structure and use them in combination with additional metallic centers to synthesize our desired complexes.

We synthesized a main ligand, which is named as HL^Q 2Pz, which contain a quinoline body, one amide bond and two pyrazolyl rings. We synthesized a copper complex by deprotonating HL^Q 2Pz using KOH. The ligand coordinated to the copper(II) center through its quinoline nitrogen, two of …

Stratigraphy Of The Upper Devonian-Lower Mississippian Michigan Basin: Review And Revision With An Emphasis On The Ellsworth Petroleum System, Bryan J. Currie

Masters Theses

Compression associated with the formation of the Transcontinental Arch and the Acadian Mountains initiated subsidence in the Michigan Basin and lead to a depositional switch in the Michigan Basin from an oxic shallow-water carbonate platform (Traverse Group and Squaw Bay Limestone) to a deep anaerobic sea floor and the beginning of Upper Devonian Antrim Shale. The vertical distribution of the different Upper Devonian-Lower Mississippian formations and members demonstrates large scale cycles of anaerobic-dysaerobic transitions attributed fluctuations in sea-level, different rates of subsidence and sediment influx triggered by different orogenic events to.

The regional understanding and the distribution of the different …

Pore Characterizations And Distributions Within Niagaran – Lower Salina Reef Complex Reservoirs In The Silurian Northern Niagaran Pinnacle Reef Trend, Michigan Basin, Agam Arief Suhaimi

Masters Theses

The Northern Niagaran Pinnacle Reef Trend (NNPRT) has generated significant oil and gas production in Michigan. The best reservoir rock in the Reef Trend reservoirs are from porous and permeable dolomite of the Guelph Dolomite. Low-to-non reservoir limestone occurs interstratified with reservoir dolomite in many locations. This study utilizes available cores data, thin section Petrographic Image Analysis (PIA), Mercury Injection Capillary Pressure (MICP) and a newly developed Niagaran Reef depositional model (Rine, 2015) to characterize the distribution of pore geometry within each dolomitized Niagaran Reef Complex (Brown Niagaran – Lower Salina Group) reservoir facies and lithofacies. This study shows that …

Understanding College Students’ Exam Process In A General Chemistry Course, Angela Willson

Masters Theses

The main way most college chemistry courses assess what a student has learned is through a summative exam. After introductory science courses, such as general chemistry, many students cite poor teaching and disappointing grades in these courses as a reason for dropping out of STEM programs. There has been a lack of qualitative research on students’ experiences of the complete process of taking an exam from start to finish, or the exam process, which includes preparing for an exam, taking an exam, receiving feedback, and responding to feedback after the exam has been graded.

My goal in this exploratory study …

Characterizing Groundwater Recharge And Streamflow Using Stable Isotopes Of Oxygen And Hydrogen, Chanse M. Ford

Masters Theses

Potential changes to climate and precipitation patterns from anthropogenic influences like global climate change could have an impact on Michigan’s groundwater resources. Indirectly this could have an effect on Michigan’s surface waters as well, since groundwater and surface waters are intimately linked to form one system.

This investigation utilized stable isotopes of oxygen and hydrogen found in precipitation, groundwater and surface waters to better understand the contribution of different types of precipitation to recharge of a shallow aquifer in Manistee National Forest, MI. The study also examines the contribution of this shallow groundwater to streamflow in the nearby White River. …

Scalable Parallelization Of A Markov Coalescent Genealogy Sampler, Philip E. Davis

Masters Theses

Coalescent genealogy samplers are effective tools for the study of population genetics. They are used to estimate the historical parameters of a population based upon the sampling of present-day genetic information. A popular approach employs Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods. While effective, these methods are very computationally intensive, often taking weeks to run. Although attempts have been made to leverage parallelism in an effort to reduce runtimes, they have not resulted in scalable solutions. Due to the inherently sequential nature of MCMC methods, their performance has suffered diminishing returns when applied to large-scale computing clusters. In the interests of …