Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Mid-Miocene Icelandites Of Eastern Oregon: Petrogenesis And Magmatic Lineage To Main-Phase Crbg With Constraints On Storage Sites, Melissa Aileen Carley

Dissertations and Theses

The La-Grande Owyhee eruptive axis is a mid-Miocene to Pliocene ~300 km long volcanic belt located at the eastern margin of the Columbia River Basalt Group (CRBG) in Oregon. Within this volcanic belt there are numerous vents that have produced a large volume of petrologically diverse rocks ranging from the tholeiitic flood basalts of the CRBG to rhyolitic tuffs of caldera complexes such as the Lake Owyhee Volcanic field. Icelandites, which are iron rich andesites, are known to occur in association with silica saturated to oversaturated tholeiitic basalts as a minor part of continental flood basalt volcanism. This study investigates …

Major Controls On Diagenesis In The Martin Bridge Formation: Wallowa Mountains, Oregon, Jane Lyra Eisenberg

Dissertations and Theses

Diagenetic alteration in carbonates has long frustrated scientists who wish to use their chemistry and/or texture to understand conditions at the time of deposition. Though indicators of diagenesis are well documented, their interpretation is not always straightforward. Despite the large volume of research on the subject, the positive identification and interpretation of diagenesis is a source of ongoing debate in the scientific community.

The goal of this study is to better understand the timing of, and controls on, diagenetic alteration in the Martin Bridge Formation (MBF), a Triassic-aged limestone that was altered following deposition. Thirty-nine samples of MBF with differing …

The Return To Anisotropy Across A Jet In Crossflow, Gregory P. Sakradse

Dissertations and Theses

With data from experiments on a jet of air emitting from an orifice flush with the floor of a wind tunnel providing a transverse flow, analysis is conducted to extract information about the state of anisotropy in the Reynolds stress tensor. Inflow velocities are modulated across two distinct turbulence intensity regimes while holding jet exit conditions constant, providing an opportunity to isolate effects of both jet to crossflow velocity ratio, r and the effects of the turbulence carried by the crossflow. Anisotropy in the Reynolds stress tensor is examined through anisotropy invariant maps and evolution of the function F, …

Controlling Degradation With Force And Light, Brad Davis

Dissertations

Stimuli-responsive polymers respond to changes in their environment by altering their physical and chemical properties. Their responsiveness allows them to be used as sensors, mechanical actuators, delivery systems, and can yield either elongated lifetimes through healing mechanisms or shortened lifetimes through triggered degradation. Still a growing field in polymer science, researchers seek to expand the capabilities of these materials by improving their specificity, range, and mechanisms of both the stimuli and the response. The work presented explores stimuli-responsive materials, focusing on mechanical and light stimuli, and how to gain control of the response by specific changes in the polymeric material. …

A Compendium Of Inorganic Photochemistry: Synthetic And Spectroscopic Discoveries, Sebastian B. Vittardi

Chemistry and Chemical Biology ETDs

This dissertation reports and examines contributions made in the advancement of inorganic photochemistry. Empirically driven assessments are allotted to the interplay between ligand sets, excited states, and photochemistry observed in metal complexes. A methodical spectroscopic examination is provided for oligothiophene-sensitized lanthanides. Their excited state dynamics were elucidated by femtosecond pump-probe spectroscopy and used to develop a model explaining their wavelength-dependent dual functionality. Iron (II) cyanide and isocyanides are evaluated to identify the efficacy of strong-field ligands in promoting charge-transfer excited states. Fundamentals of ligand field theory helped conceptualize the synthetically tunable parameters and effects transposed to their absorption dynamics. Transition …

Scaling Limits Of Some Random Interface Models., Biltu Dan Dr.

Doctoral Theses

In this thesis, we study some probabilistic models of random interfaces. Interfaces between different phases have been topic of considerable interest in statistical physics. These interfaces are described by a family of random variables, indexed by the ddimensional integer lattice, which are considered as a height configuration, namely they indicate the height of the interface above a reference hyperplane. The models are defined in terms of an energy function (Hamiltonian), which defines a Gibbs measure on the set of height configurations. More formally, letÏ• = {Ï•x}x∈Z dbe a collection of real numbers indexed by the d-dimensional integer lattice Z d. …

On The Inertia Conjecture And Its Generalizations., Soumyadip Das Dr.

Doctoral Theses

This thesis concerns problems related to the ramification behaviour of the branched Galois covers of smooth projective connected curves defined over an algebraically closed field of positive characteristic. Our first main problem is the Inertia Conjecture proposed by Abhyankar in 2001. We will show several new evidence for this conjecture. We also formulate a certain generalization of it which is our second problem, and we provide evidence for it. We give a brief overview of these problems in this introduction and reserve the details for Chapter 4.Let k be an algebraically closed field, and U be a smooth connected affine …

Functional Nanoparticles: Tin Monoxide And Molybdenum Disulfide Quantum Dots On Graphene Nanosheets, Denys Vidish

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Light harvesting can be referred to the use of an ensemble of different nanoparticles, or quantum dots, or other absorbers to optimize the ability to capture a given spectrum of electromagnetic radiation (for example the solar spectrum under specific atmospheric conditions) in a light-absorbing system. To this end, different nanoparticles play complementary functions within the system and absorb or scatter light at different wavelength intervals. Light harvesting finds applications in fields as diverse as solar cells, photosynthesis and photocatalysis. Graphene supporting a set of different semiconducting nanoparticles has often been proposed as light harvesters. To further this concept, my thesis …

Mitochondrial Proteins In Mediating Colon Cancer And Potential Theraputics, Kunlun Yin

Chemistry and Chemical Biology ETDs

Cancer is one of the biggest threatens to human health. Colon cancer is one of the leading causes of new incidence and mortality in the whole world. It is important to understand the mechanism of tumorigenesis and development. Based on the mechanisms, we may develop new therapeutics to improve survival rate.

In Chapter 2, we discussed the PINK1 function in suppression colon cancer. We found that PINK1 can activate its substrate P53, which activates its downstream targets during mitophay. At the same time, PINK1 is also involved in metabolism, we showed that PINK1 can reduce Acetyl-CoA by inhibiting PDHE1ɑ. Cells …

Selenium Probes For The Detection Of Thioredoxin Reductase Activity, Tendai Joseph Mafireyi

Dissertations and Theses

The identification and quantification of proteins and enzymatic activity in living tissues frequently requires the use of invasive procedures such as biopsy. These techniques can inhibit measurements of protein levels in real-time, and the disruption of tissue can lead to the loss of important information concerning the spatial distribution and differential activities in various cell types. The use of small organic fluorescent probes that rely on activation or accumulation within a tissue embody robust methods of detection that address these issues. This dissertation describes the design, synthesis and evaluation of fluorescent probes that can detect the enzyme thioredoxin reductase (TrxR). …

A Systems Approach To Understanding Piping Plover Production On Off-Channel Sandpits Along The Central Platte River, Taylor Morgan Cassidy

Biology Theses, Dissertations, and Student Creative Activity

Anthropogenic changes in land use, exploitation of natural resources, climate change, and habitat loss create difficulties managing and conserving species of concern. Managers are often forced to make decisions with incomplete information and much uncertainty. Unsuccessful attempts to manage for and conserve species in the past, may have resulted from failures to recognize the complexity of systems, resulting in actions that may have had unintended consequences. Thus, applying Systems Thinking and System Dynamics is appropriate for understanding what factors influence species success and evaluating what management actions may be implemented to help achieve conservation targets while minimizing negative impacts to …

Understanding Conflicts In Natural Resources Management: Using Systems Thinking And Systems Dynamics To Model The Relationship Between The American Prairie Reserve And Neighboring Communities, Amanda Hartman Medaries

Biology Theses, Dissertations, and Student Creative Activity

Conservation conflict, whether human-wildlife or human-human, and specifically those that include the public as stakeholders, is seen as one of the most influential reasons reintroduction and/or conservation of species or landscapes is difficult to accomplish. This is due to the numerous mental models involved within conflict. In order to help mitigate or mediate said conflict, understanding these mental models and the roles they play within the system is crucial. Unfortunately, adaptive management, which is reactionary, additive, and most often used within these systems, is unable to do so and solutions to the conflict remain elusive. The aim of this study …

Forest Fire Effects On The Temporal Variability Of Landscape Snow Albedo Relative To Burn Severity, Max Gersh

Dissertations and Theses

Snow-water storage is decreasing, while forest fires are increasing in duration, size, frequency, and intensity, due to climate change. Most forest fires occur in the seasonal snow zone, altering snow mass and energy balance for many years following fire. Following forest fires, Surface snow albedo (SSA) decreases, as light absorbing particles (LAP), particularly black carbon (BC) produced in forest fires get deposited throughout the snowpack, altering snowpack energy balance driving earlier snowmelt in burned forests. While SSA decreases, landscape snow albedo (LSA) increases following fire, as more of the snow-covered surface becomes visible beneath the burned forest canopy, brightening the …

Generative Adversarial Networks For Classic Cryptanalysis, Deanne Charan

Master's Projects

The necessity of protecting critical information has been understood for millennia. Although classic ciphers have inherent weaknesses in comparison to modern ciphers, many classic ciphers are extremely challenging to break in practice. Machine learning techniques, such as hidden Markov models (HMM), have recently been applied with success to various classic cryptanalysis problems. In this research, we consider the effectiveness of the deep learning technique CipherGAN---which is based on the well- established generative adversarial network (GAN) architecture---for classic cipher cryptanalysis. We experiment extensively with CipherGAN on a number of classic ciphers, and we compare our results to those obtained using HMMs.

Blue Carbon In South Florida's Mangroves: The Role Of Large Roots And Necromass, Zoë I. Shribman

LSU Master's Theses

Blue carbon sequestration and storage in mangroves largely result from belowground biomass allocation in response to flooded anaerobic soil conditions and nutrient availability. Biomass allocation to belowground roots is a major driver of mangrove soil formation and organic matter accumulation leading to blue carbon storage potential. Belowground biomass sampling in mangroves is labor intensive, limiting data availability on biomass stocks, particularly for large roots (>20 mm diameter) and necromass (dead roots). The mangrove nutrient model (NUMAN) uses mostly literature values to parameterize a soil cohort approach to simulate depth distribution of root mass and organic carbon concentration. We evaluated …

Spatiotemporal Variability Of Soil Water Δ18o And Δ2h Reveals Hydrological Processes In Two Floodplain Soils, Amanda Ceming-Barbato

LSU Master's Theses

The movement of water through soil is preferential and heterogeneous. Subsurface interactions between mobile flows and the soil matrix are not uniform and are therefore difficult to predict through time and space. The use of stable isotopes of hydrogen (²H) and oxygen (¹⁸O) as conservative tracers of water movement is improving understanding of soil hydrological processes, yet field-scale observations of isotopic variability remain scarce despite implications for identifying dominant hydrologic processes. We sampled two adjacent soils at a ridge-swale topography floodplain forest to determine soil water isotopic variability at a 20 cm depth resolution in soils …

Efficient Neuromorphic Algorithms For Gamma-Ray Spectrum Denoising And Radionuclide Identification, Merlin Phillip Carson

Dissertations and Theses

Radionuclide detection and identification are important tasks for deterring a potentially catastrophic nuclear event. Due to high levels of background radiation from both terrestrial and extraterrestrial sources, some form of noise reduction pre-processing is required for a gamma-ray spectrum prior to being analyzed by an identification algorithm so as to determine the identity of anomalous sources. This research focuses on the use of neuromorphic algorithms for the purpose of developing low power, accurate radionuclide identification devices that can filter out non-anomalous background radiation and other artifacts created by gamma-ray detector measurement equipment, along with identifying clandestine, radioactive material.

A sparse …

Critical Behavior In Evolutionary And Population Dynamics, Stephen Ordway

Dissertations

This study is an exploration of phase transition behavior in evolutionary and population dynamics, and techniques for predicting population changes, across the disciplines of physics, biology, and computer science. Under the looming threat of climate change, it is imperative to understand the dynamics of populations under environmental stress and to identify early warning signals of population decline. These issues are explored here in (1) a computational model of evolutionary dynamics, (2) an experimental system of decaying populations under environmental stress, and (3) a machine learning approach to predict population changes based on environmental factors. Through the lens of critical phase …

Sorption Of Metals At The Barite (001)-Water Interface, Inva Braha

Student Theses

Abstract

Ion desorption processes control the retention of ions, such as Pb²⁺, at barite surfaces, whereas ion adsorption processes are a likely initial step in the incorporation of divalent cations, such as Sr²⁺ and Pb²⁺, into barite. Based on previous studies on samples dominated by flat terraces with relatively few defects, Sr²⁺ and Pb²⁺ adsorb and incorporate at the barite (001)-water interface (Bracco et al., 2019; Bracco et al., 2020). Here, I measured how susceptible lead (Pb) is to desorption and the role surface variability plays in its sorption behavior. First, I measured …

Procesi I Web Dizajnimit, Albin Ibrahimi

Theses and Dissertations

Numri i web sajteve në internet gjithnjë e më shumë po rritet, këto sajte zhvillohen nga programerë të ndryshëm duke përdorur gjuhë të ndryshme programuese. Ashtu që produkti final të jetë i suksesshëm, këto web sajte duhet të zhvillohen në bazë të një procesi, i cili do të shpjegohet në detaje dhe është objektiv kryesor i këtij punimi.

Procesi i tillë ndihmon në efikasitet më të lartë të produktit final, pasi që kërkesat kryesore ndahen në kërkesa më të vogla deri ne maksimum ashtu që krijohet një lloj hallke e cila mundëson planifikim shumë të mirë.

Në këtë proces përfshihen …

Ftth, Blerant Gashi

Theses and Dissertations

Rrjetet fibra për në shtepi (FTTH) i përkasin familjes së sistemeve të transmetimit FTT-x brenda botës së telekomunikacionit. Këto rrjete, të cilat konsiderohen broadband, kanë aftësinë për të transportuar sasi të mëdha të të dhënave dhe informacioneve me ritme shumë të larta të bitit. Teknologjia FTTH përfshin futjen e fibrave optike në rrjetin global, si operatori i rrjetit kryesor si linja e fundit e teknologjis. Rrjetet FTTH për kominikimin e dy pajisve ndermjet tyre perdor driten dhe si medium për transmetim të sinjalve përdor fibrin optikë, ku shpejtsia e transmetimin të të dhënave është Gigabitshte. Fibri optik ka shumë avantazhe …

Exploiting Group Structures To Infer Social Interactions From Videos, Maksim Bolonkin

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

In this thesis, we consider the task of inferring the social interactions between humans by analyzing multi-modal data. Specifically, we attempt to solve some of the problems in interaction analysis, such as long-term deception detection, political deception detection, and impression prediction. In this work, we emphasize the importance of using knowledge about the group structure of the analyzed interactions. Previous works on the matter mostly neglected this aspect and analyzed a single subject at a time. Using the new Resistance dataset, collected by our collaborators, we approach the problem of long-term deception detection by designing a class of histogram-based features …

Assessing The Water Quality Of Three Bar-Built Estuaries In The Central Coast Of California, Micaelina Sarmiento Martinez

Master of Science in Environmental Sciences and Management Projects

Estuaries are coastal confluences with innumerable ecosystem services. With the continuous change in land use including the increasing number of people moving to live in coastal areas and on-going agricultural operations, these coastal systems are being adversely impacted. Climate change is also negatively affecting estuaries. Subsequently, this research study assessed the water quality, monthly, at three different locations of three bar-built estuaries in the Central Coast of California. Water quality was evaluated by the change in chlorophyll-a, nitrogen, phosphorus, pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen, and specific conductivity over the course of 19 months. The eutrophication potential and the role of open …

Determining Physical Characteristics Through Information Leakage In 802.11ac Beamforming, Albert D. Taglieri

Theses and Dissertations

The risk of information leakage in 802.11ac allows an eavesdropper to monitor wireless traffic and correlate physical locations between devices, as well as environment changes such as the motion of a person. Previous pattern-analysis mitigation methods, which used nonexistent devices to fool an eavesdropper, are not effective in an 802.11ac network, because devices on the network can be correlated to their physical location, which a nonexistent device does not have. Further, additional information about motion in the target environment can be observed and analyzed, providing a new potential for pattern analysis and sensing. 802.11ac makes it possible to plug in …

Development And Verification Of Extreme Space Weather Phenomena Models, Sophia G. Schwalbe

Theses and Dissertations

A range of 14 M-class flares from 1 June 2015 to 27 September 2016 were analyzed to find significant trends in electron frequency profile modeling using the GLobal airglOW (GLOW) model and radar parameters using a ray tracing algorithm developed by the Air Force Research Laboratory. GLOW was run for all the flares using three different solar spectrum schemes and an average of the three: the Hinteregger method, EUV flux model for aeronomic calculations (EUVAC), and a rebinned Flare Irradiance Spectrum Model (FISM) result. Comparing data for the E-layer where GLOW is most accurate, it was determined that GLOW using …

Analysis Of Space To Ground Ladar Performance With Non-Traditional Optics, Prayant P.S. Hanjra

Theses and Dissertations

Two major obstacles to space-based LADAR systems are low power returns from targets and limitations on size and weight for transporting large optics into orbit. Signals incur significant losses during roundtrip propagation through the atmosphere and from diffuse scattering off of targets. Models, such as the Laser Environmental Effects Definition and Reference (LEEDR) simulator and High Energy Laser End to End Operational Simulation (HELEEOS) can predict these losses due to the atmosphere and optical components for a variety of atmospheric and environmental conditions across the globe. A transmissometer is used to validate these models. These losses are used to determine …

Deep Learning For Weather Clustering And Forecasting, Nathaniel R. Beveridge

Theses and Dissertations

Clustering weather data is a valuable endeavor in multiple respects. The results can be used in various ways within a larger weather prediction framework or could simply serve as an analytical tool for characterizing climatic differences of a particular region of interest. This research proposes a methodology for clustering geographic locations based on the similarity in shape of their temperature time series over a long time horizon of approximately 11 months. To this end an emerging and powerful class of clustering techniques that leverages deep learning, called deep representation clustering (DRC), are utilized. Moreover, a time series specific DRC algorithm …

Enterprise Resource Allocation For Intruder Detection And Interception, Adam B. Haywood

Theses and Dissertations

This research considers the problem of an intruder attempting to traverse a defender's territory in which the defender locates and employs disparate sets of resources to lower the probability of a successful intrusion. The research is conducted in the form of three related research components. The first component examines the problem in which the defender subdivides their territory into spatial stages and knows the plan of intrusion. Alternative resource-probability modeling techniques as well as variable bounding techniques are examined to improve the convergence of global solvers for this nonlinear, nonconvex optimization problem. The second component studies a similar problem but …

Characterizing Convolutional Neural Network Early-Learning And Accelerating Non-Adaptive, First-Order Methods With Localized Lagrangian Restricted Memory Level Bundling, Benjamin O. Morris

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation studies the underlying optimization problem encountered during the early-learning stages of convolutional neural networks and introduces a training algorithm competitive with existing state-of-the-art methods. First, a Design of Experiments method is introduced to systematically measure empirical second-order Lipschitz upper bound and region size estimates for local regions of convolutional neural network loss surfaces experienced during the early-learning stages. This method demonstrates that architecture choices can significantly impact the local loss surfaces traversed during training. Next, a Design of Experiments method is used to study the effects convolutional neural network architecture hyperparameters have on different optimization routines' abilities to …

On The Universal Ordinary Deformation Ring For Ordinary Modular Deformation Problems, Victoria L. Day

Doctoral Dissertations

Let f be an ordinary newform of weight k at least 3 and level N. Let p be a prime of the number field generated by the Fourier coefficients of f. Assume that f is p-ordinary. We consider the residual mod p Galois representation coming from f and prove that for all but finitely many primes the associated universal ordinary deformation ring is isomorphic to a one variable power series ring.