Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Two-Step Single Qubit Gates For Superconducting Qubits, Edward Takyi

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Why quantum information processing? Contemporary manipulation and transmission of information is executed through physical machines (computers, routers, scanners, etc.) in which Classical Mechanics is used to describe the embodiment and transformation of information. However, the physical theory of the world is not Classical Mechanics. And so, there is no reason to suppose that machines following the laws of Classical Mechanics would have the same computational power like quantum machines. Quantum computers would break the rules of classical computers and they would be able solve problems that are intractable on conventional supercomputers.

In order to fabricate quantum computers and make significant …

An Improved Bio-Based Activated Carbon For The Water Treatment Of A Lagoon In Northern Mexico Based On Life Cycle Assessment Methodology, Leticia Elizabeth Rodriguez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In this research, different options in the preparation of activated carbon are investigated looking at potential environmental impacts, production cost improvement and physical characteristics for water treatment. The activated carbon made with agricultural waste is compared to activated carbon made with hard coal. Life cycle assessment techniques follow ISO 14040 to 14044 standards are used and calculations were performed using GaBi _education 18® software and databases at mid-point TRACI impact categories. The results of the life cycle impact assessment show that, compared to activated carbon made with hard coal, activated carbon made with peanut shell and rice husk allows reductions …

Land Use/ Land Cover Change Patterns And Trends In Two Dryland Regions, Omar Sulaiman Belhaj

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Development and climate change affect the environment in numerous ways and to varyingdegrees. This effect appears prominent and more influential in arid regions. Therefore, land use/ land cover in these regions experience profound changes such as plant cover decrease and extinction of some plant species. Also, land use/ land cover in these regions has critical impacts on the environment and its components, such as shrublands shrinking and losing the habitat of animal species. The degree of changes and effects reaches severe levels that become urgent to figure out the impacts and find solutions to stop or mitigate the negative consequences. …

Efficient Approaches To Steady State Detection In Multivariate Systems, Honglun Xu

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Steady state detection is critically important in many engineering fields such as fault detection and diagnosis, process monitoring and control. However, most of the existing methods are designed for univariate signals. In this dissertation, we proposed an efficient online steady state detection method for multivariate systems through a sequential Bayesian partitioning approach. The signal is modeled by a Bayesian piecewise constant mean and covariance model, and a recursive updating method is developed to calculate the posterior distributions analytically. The duration of the current segment is utilized to test the steady state. Insightful guidance is provided for hyperparameter selection. The effectiveness …

Optimization Of Quantum Circuits Using Spin Bus Multiqubit Gates For Quantum Dots, Miguel Gonzalo Rodriguez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The current conventional method for designing quantum circuits is to employ a number of single- and two-qubit gates, which often necessitate a lengthy sequence, imposing severe constraints on quantum coherence and quantum circuit complexity. Coupling multiple spin qubits to a common spin chain can result in a generically multiqubit gate. It is demonstrated that the multiqubit gate can substantially reduce the depth of quantum circuits and establish multiqubit entanglement considerably more quickly.

Variations In Copper Form Exposure Differentially Modulate Zea Mays (Corn) Physiological Responses, Carolina Valdes Bracamontes

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In the present study, Zea mays seedlings grown under nano Cu(OH)2 (nCu), bulk Cu(OH)2 (bCu), and ionic CuSO4 (iCu) compound exposure were harvested after six days. The nutritional profile was determined to be significantly disrupted in the roots by 1000 ppm bCu treatment, resulting in a 58.7% reduction in potassium compared to the control. In the shoots, a significant decrease of manganese was observed for 10 and 1000 ppm iCu treatments with 55.7% and 64.2% reductions, respectively. The overall protein content and catalase (CAT) enzymatic activity, however, remained unaffected in either roots or shoots, while an absence of polyphenol oxidase …

An Unmanned Surface Vehicle: Autonomous Sensor Integration System For Bathymetric Surveys, Fernando Sotelo Torres

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USVs) have been applied to earth sciences, with only a few studies conducted in water environments, as these systems provide autonomous measurement capabilities and transferability to other environmental settings. In this thesis, a reliable, yet economical, USV has been developed for bathymetric surveying of lakes. The system combines an autonomous navigation framework, environmental sensors and a multibeam echosounder to collect submerged topography, temperature, windspeed and monitor the vehicle status during prescribed path planning missions.

The main objective of this study is to provide a methodological framework to build a USV, with independent decision-making, efficient control, and long-range …

Exposure Of Candyland Red Tomatoes (¬Solanum Lycopersicum L.) To Various Metal Oxide Nanomaterials: Full Life Cycle And Assessment Of Fruit Quality, Jesus Manuel Cantu

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The use of nanotechnology in agriculture has attained high interest to enhance crop production due to their unique properties. Moreover, metal oxide nanomaterials can potentially supplement nutrients, enhance plant growth, and crop production. When investigating fruits' nutritional quality, carbohydrates and phytonutrients (bioactive compounds) play important roles. Therefore, it is important to understand how nanomaterials will affect the quality of tomato fruits. In this dissertation, various metal oxides were synthesized and applied to Candyland Red tomato seedlings to assess the plant growth and tomato production. In the first investigation, Candyland Red tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum) were exposed to synthesized pristine CuO and …

Water Sourcing Strategies Of Desert Vegetation In Varying Soil Textures With Vegetation Competition: A Stable Isotope Analysis, Martha Elizabeth Gardea

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Recent studies have suggested an ecohydrological separation of water exists in the northern Chihuahuan Desert, where vegetation types, rainfall regimes, and location in the terrain seem to determine the type of water (e.g. isotopically depleted or enriched in 18O and 2H) plants are able to source and use throughout their growing cycle. That work found evidence of creosote (Larrea tridentata) and mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa) using tightly bound soil water at both a site on an ephemeral channel and a site in higher elevated flat area because the isotopic signature of plant water at the beginning of the study did not …

Synthesis, Characterization, And Reactivity Studies Of Highly Reduced Early-Metal Complexes Supported By Imidazolin-2-Iminato Ligands, Maria Alejandra Gomez Torres

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Our group has shown that reduction of titanium complexes supported by the sterically encumbering N-donor ligands 1,3â??bis(Dipp)imidazolinâ??2â??iminato (ImDippNâ??) and ketimine guanidinate (ketGuan = [(tBuC=N)C(NDipp)2]-) gives access to electron rich platforms featuring a metal coordinated, reduced, dearomatized arene substituent, which act as an electronic reservoir capable of facilitating multi-electron transfer chemistry driven by the rearomatization driving force. For instance, the arene-masked Ti(II) synthon (DippketGuan)(η6-ImDippN)Ti (Dipp = 2,6-iPr2C6H3) (TiDipp) is a versatile and potent one- and two-electron reductant capable of distinctive late-metal type reactivity such as transfer hydrogenation and catalytic olefin hydrogenation. Interestingly, TiDipp can mediate the reversible cleavage of thiophene and, …

Chihuahuan Desert Rock Pool Community Assemblages: Patterns Of Taxonomic Diversity, Joseph Lee Mcdaniel

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

As climate change continues to become more prevalent, increasing temperatures and altering precipitation patterns will disrupt the environmental balance of ecosystems and spark the imminent threat of a 6th mass extinction event. Many researchers believe this has already begun, as losses for numerous taxonomic clades have been well documented; however, the loss of invertebrates is still unknown and may be much more severe than those of other animal clades. A significant factor contributing to the shortfall of invertebrate biodiversity loss is rooted in the lack of understanding of the diversity and distribution of these animals. There is still much to …

Pressure-Induced Phase Transition And Electronic Structure Changes In Equiatomic Fev, Homero Reyes Pulido

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Classical molecular dynamics methods can accurately describe a broad set of many-atomssystems. Although more economical, the results given by this framework lack the precision capable of density functional theory (DFT). Therefore, the structural stability of the B2 phase of a body-centered-cubic iron-vanadium (FeV) alloy using DFT on the electronic structure level is analyzed to verify and further explain classical results obtained by our group in this same alloy. Using Quantum Espresso and Phonopy for the computational simulations, the plotted band structure, electronic density of states (eDOS), phonon dispersions, charge density, and Fermi surfaces for various compressed unit cells are presented. …

A Computationally Efficient Wald Test In M-Estimation, Denisse Urenda Castañeda

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Under the maximum likelihood framework, three asymptotic overall tests have been well developed in generalized linear models (GLM) for testing the single null hypothesis H0 : θ = θ0, namely, the Wald test, Likelihood Ratio Test (LRT) and Score test also known as the Lagrange Multiplier test (LM). Modified versions of Wald, LR and LM tests can also be found for testing the significance of a portion of the parameter θ, i.e., if θ = (θ T 1 , θ T 2 ) T it is of interest to test H0 : θ2 = 0. However, with the constant increase …

Biological Interaction Of Mn-Based Nanomaterials With Capsicum Annuum L. Under Salinity Stress, Yuqing Ye

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The foliar application of nanomaterials as a method to overcome abiotic stress is relatively new compared to their use as fertilizers or pesticides in agricultural practice. It is also vital to understand the interface between leaf and nanomaterials, as nanomaterials might translocate into crop edible tissues, thus, causing potential toxicity in living beings during food consumption. In this dissertation, salt-stressed Capsicum annuum L was exposed to manganese (Mn) -based nanomaterials (Mn2O3 nanoparticles (MnNPs) and graphene quantum dots doped with Mn (GQD-Mn)) at different stages (seed germination and full life cycle). The dissertation focuses on investigating the mechanism of how Mn-based …

Phonon Dispersions Of Nonmagnetic Bcc Iron At High Pressures From Ab Initio Molecular Dynamics And Harmonic Ensemble Lattice Dynamics, Valeria Itzel Arteaga Muniz

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Numerous computational and experimental studies on the crystal structure of metals nearthe melt line, indicate the body-centered cubic (bcc) structure can be favored over other crystal phases at lower temperatures [1]-[4] and even in cases in which other crystal structures are thermodynamically more stable, bcc may nucleate first from the melt, at rapid cooling rates [5]. Iron (Fe) is a polymorph metal, with a bcc ferromagnetic structure at ambient conditions. Even though the phase diagram of Fe is well known at relatively low pressures, there is currently no consensus on the crystal structure of Fe below the melt line at …

Continuous Field Sensor Authentication And Process Integrity Assurance Mechanisms In Critical National Infrastructures, Abel Osvaldo Gomez Rivera

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The growing modernization of traditional Industrial Cyber-Physical Systems (ICPSs) has increased the probability and effectiveness of cyber attacks by integrating modern communication technologies that expose security vulnerabilities like lack of access control policies to adversaries. The exponential growth of cyber attacks has caught the attention of stakeholders that have proposed cybersecurity initiatives to protect ICPSs. ICPSs are part of the Critical National Infrastructures (CNIs) supporting the society's sustainability and national security. The cybersecurity initiatives aiming to address cyber attacks proposed by stakeholders must continuously authenticate constrained devices. Operational thresholds and process integrity assurance must also be maintained. A centralized ICPS …

Characterization Of A Flex-Fuel Oxy-Combustion System Through Experimental Investigation And Computational Modeling, Md Mohieminul I. Khan

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Oxy-fuel combustion has the potential to offer high thermal efficiency and lower pollutants emission compared to other existing combustion technologies. More than 63% of the worldâ??s electricity is produced by fossil fuel combustion which also is the major reason for greenhouse gas emissions. Oxy combustion offers a solution to it. Oxy combustion uses pure oxygen as an oxidizer instead of air which eliminates the NOx and SOx products from the exhaust. In oxy-combustion flue gas mainly consists of CO2 and water vapor. Furthermore, combustion in presence of pure oxygen results in higher flame temperature and hence promises higher thermal efficiency. …

Neoglycoproteins As Potential Biomarkers And Vaccines For Chagas Disease, Elisa Garcia Carvajal

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Trypanosoma cruzi, the causal agent of Chagas disease (CD), currently affects 6-8 million people worldwide, predominantly in Latin America, where the parasite is endemic. The treatment of CD is based on two drugs, benznidazole (BZN) and nifurtimox (NFX). These drugs cause adverse effects and are more effective in the acute phase of the disease. Conventional serology assays can be used for diagnosis, but they are not suitable for determining chemotherapy effectiveness because patients take approximately 10-20 years to exhibit negative seroconversion. Although CD has become a global health problem, specific biomarkers are still needed for the follow-up of chemotherapy and …

Diverse Effects Of Ev Charging Infrastructure On Electric Power Distribution Systems, Travis Michael Moore Newbolt

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The advanced technology of today has allowed for an avenue into cleaner forms of energy that will not only protect our environment but also continue to advance our society. Among the many forms of clean energy, electric vehicles (EV) have the potential to mitigate our consumption of fossil fuels in vehicle transportation industries. In the U.S. for 2021, EVs account for approximately 700,000 registrations. That number is projected to increase to 2 million by 2030. Although EVs do reduce the number of emissions when compared to an internal combustion engine, they do however shift the responsibility to utility companies to …

Investigating The Effects Of Decoupling Cache And Core Speed On Power, Throughput, And Energy, David Daniel Pruitt

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

A variety of computer systems from HPC to mobile systems are power limited and performance sensitive. These systems use very similar components at different scales. Dynamic Voltage and Frequency Scaling (DVFS) features enable modulation of CPU performance and efficiency characteristics to power, energy and timing requirements.Programs have a variety of computational characteristics. If a CPU subsystem substantially limits a particular programâ??s execution progress, that programâ??s throughput will vary proportionally with the subsystemâ??s clock frequency. In contrast, if a CPU subsystem does not substantially limit throughput, the impact of a change in its clock frequency will result in a diminimus change …

Population Genetics Of Two Sympatric Species, The Round-Tailed Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma Modestum) And The Greater Earless Lizard (Cophosaurus Texanus), In The Indio Mountains Of West Texas, Logan Miles Horne

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Population genetics of two sympatric species, the round-tailed horned lizard (phrynosoma modestum) and the greater earless lizard (cophosaurus texanus), in the Indio mountains of West Texas.

A Machine Learning Approach To Stochastic Optimal Control, Pablo Ever Avalos

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Merton's portfolio optimization problem is a well-renowned problem in financial mathematics which seeks to optimize the investment decision for an investor. In the simplest situation, the market consists of a risk-less asset (i.e. a bond) that pays back a relatively low interest rate, and a risky asset (i.e. a stock) that follows a geometric Brownian motion. The optimal allocation strategy of the investor's wealth is found by optimizing the expected utility along the stochastic evolution of the market. This thesis focuses on several different applications of this optimization problem. We look at pre-constructed analytical solutions and showcase the results. We …

Lipid Rafts, Exosomal Vesicles And Anti-Giardial Therapies, Brian Ivan Grajeda

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Giardia lamblia, a protozoan parasite, is a major cause of waterborne infection, worldwide. While the trophozoite form of this parasite induces pathological symptoms in the gut, the cyst forms transmit the infection via contaminated water. Since Giardia is a non-invasive parasite, the actual mechanism by which it causes infection remains elusive. We have previously reported that Giardia assembles cholesterol and GM1 glycolipid-enriched lipid rafts (LRs) that participate in encystation and cyst production. To further delineate the role of LRs in pathogenesis, we isolated LRs from Giardia and subjected them to proteomic analysis. Various cellular proteins including the virulent proteins—e.g., giardins, …

Contribution Of A Higher Educational Institution Towards Advancing Sustainability In The West Texas Paso Del Norte Region, Anand Raj

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Sustainability comprises primarily three elements; environmental, social, and economic, which can be considered the keys to humanityâ??s survival and wellbeing. The pillars can alternately be given informal names: planet, people, and profit. Sustainability is achieved by effectively utilizing available resources through different sustainable development efforts. Generally, groups or entities come together to create sustainable impact in the three primary elements discussed here. City councils, businesses, and higher education institutions are just a few of the entities that engage in sustainability efforts. It is valuable to appraise the role played by a higher education institution in advancing sustainability in the context …

Electrothermal Plenum Thruster Simulations Varying Input Pressure And Voltage, Naomi Nicole Ingram

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

A radiofrequency electrothermal thruster is designed and simulated to create a low ionization energy plasma from a neutral propellant using a radio-frequency power. With an asymmetrical surface area ratio between the grounded and powered electrode, ion-neutral charge exchange collisions occurring within the propellant result in propellant heating. The Electrothermal Plenum Thruster conducts this propellant heating in an annular plenum chamber in attempt to maximize propellant heating. A software called CFD-ACE+ is utilized to demonstrate the effects of an enhanced sheath from the asymmetrical power coupling arrangement. Two sets of simulations are run to understand how input variables affect the plasma …

Numerical Study Of Cahn-Hilliard Equations, Oula Khouzam

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In this thesis we study the well-known first-order Eyre's convex splitting numerical scheme for solving the Cahn-Hilliard equation and theoretically prove and numerically demonstrate the key properties of the scheme namely: mass conservation, unique solvability and unconditional stability. While the convex splitting scheme has been around for over two decades, explicit proofs for these important properties for the fourth order Cahn-Hillard equation are not directly available in the existing literature. This thesis aims to bridge this gap by providing the complete proofs of the aforementioned key properties of the scheme and numerically demonstrating the performance of the scheme.

A Central Compact Hybrid-Variable Method With Spectral-Like Resolution, Md Mahmudul Hasan

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Numerical methods for hyperbolic conservation laws have been a driving force for theresearch in scientific computing and simulation science in the past decades, as many physical, biological, and engineering systems are governed by these equations, such as fluid mechanics, tumor growth, and virtual wind tunnel simulations. Despite the existence of many schemes in the literature, people have never stopped searching for more accurate and efficient methods for these problems. Indeed, the increasing complexity of systems in emerging applications demands better resolution of sub-grid scale phenomenon whereas classical methods usually fail to deliver high-fidelity simulation results of such systems within realistic …

Exploring Tunable Magnetization And High-Temperature Ferromagnetism In Ternary Transition Metal-Based Chalcogenides, Hector Iturriaga

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The discovery of long-range magnetic ordering in ultrathin transition metal-based compounds shows great promise for the development of nanoscale memory and spintronic devices. Composed of cost-effective materials and boasting from strong chemical and thermal stability at low dimensions, van der Waals (vdW) ternary transition metal chalcogenide magnets like CrSiTe3 (CST), Fe2.7GeTe2 (FGT), and Mn3Si2Te6 (MST), provide not only possible energy solutions, but also a broad platform to explore the versatile magnetic character of this family of compounds. Although they have great potential, it has been found that their long-range magnetic ordering exists at temperatures far too low (the highest of …

Characterization And Evolution Of The Professor Valley Pennsylvanian Salt Body (Paradox Basin, Ut) Using Gravity And Magnetotellurics, Derek Scott

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Syndepositional halokinetic movement of the Pennsylvanian Paradox Formation in the Paradox Basin, UT & CO behaved as a control over the development of depositional systems during the Late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic periods (Trudgill, 2011). Understanding the controls on halokinetic evolution in the area serves as an invaluable outcrop analogue for similar subsurface salt bodies in petroleum-bearing basins and provides key insights for hydrocarbon exploration in salt basins world wide. Professor Valley, located 15 miles Northeast of Moab, UT is situated between the Fisher Valley (Onion Creek) and Cache/Salt Valley salt walls. It includes an anomalous, isolated 0.5 km² outcrop …

Grid-Connected Renewable Energy Systems For Residential Hvac Load Management, Oscar Samuel Acosta

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

With an ongoing mission of utility operators to maintain a resilient and reliable power grid in the face of continuously increasing load demand, it is essential that advancements be made in developing both technology and methodology to help account for the increasing energy requirements. According to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and Energy Information Administration (EIA), the residential end-use sector alone counted for 22% of all electricity used in the U.S. in 2020. Of this, approximately 32% of household electricity load is the direct result of air conditioning and space heating units (HVAC). One way to account for this …