Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Genetic Methods Improve Accuracy Of Gender Determination In Beavers, Christen Lenney Williams, Stewart W. Breck, Bruce W. Baker

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Gender identification of sexually monomorphic mammals can be difficult. We used analysis of zinc-finger protein (Zfx and Zfy) DNA regions to determine gender of 96 beavers (Castor canadensis) from 3 areas and used these results to verify gender determined in the field. Gender was correctly determined for 86 (89.6%) beavers. Incorrect assignments were not attributed to errors in any one age or sex class. Although methods that can be used in the field (such as morphological methods) can provide reasonably accurate gender assignments in beavers, the genetic method might be preferred in certain situations.

High Performance P300 Speller For Brain-Computer Interface, Cuntai Guan, Manoj Thulasidas, Jiankang Wu

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

P300 speller is a communication tool with which one can input texts or commands to a computer by thought. The amplitude of the P300 evoked potential is inversely proportional to the probability of infrequent or task-related stimulus. In existing P300 spellers, rows and columns of a matrix are intensified successively and randomly, resulting in a stimulus frequency of 1/N (N is the number of rows or columns of the matrix). We propose a new paradigm to display each single character randomly and individually (therefore reducing the stimulus frequency to 1/(N*N)). On-line experiments showed that this new speller significantly improved the …

Tracking The Sea-Level Signature Of The 8.2 Ka Cooling Event: New Constraints From The Mississippi Delta, Torbjörn E. Törnqvist, Scott J. Bick, Juan L. Gonzalez, Klaas Van Der Borg, Arie F. M. De Jong

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

The ever increasing need for accurate predictions of global environmental change under greenhouse conditions has sparked immense interest in an abrupt, century‐scale cooling around 8200 years ago, with a focal point in the North Atlantic and with hemispheric teleconnections. Despite considerable progress in the unraveling of this striking feature, including a conceivable driving mechanism (rapid drainage of proglacial Lake Agassiz/Ojibway and a resulting reduced strength of North Atlantic thermohaline circulation), several key questions remain unanswered. One salient aspect concerns the total amount of freshwater released during this catastrophic event, likely echoed by a near‐instantaneous eustatic sea‐level rise. So far, no …

Synthesis And Characterization Of A Recombinant Thrombin Inhibitor, Joel Lwande

Masters Theses

The final step of the blood coagulation cascade is catalyzed by thrombin, a serine protease. Like most enzyme activities, thrombin activity encounters inhibition from both direct and indirect inhibitors. A new thrombin inhibitor peptide named theromin was recently isolated from the leech Theromyzon tessulatum, and it is the most potent thrombin inhibitor isolated to date. Theromin is made up of 67 amino acid residues, out of which 16 are cysteines engaged in 8-disulfide bridges.

We synthesized the theromin gene and expressed the protein in Eschericia coli. We purified the recombinant protein and carried out thrombin inhibition assays that …

On The Use Of Randomness In Computing To Perform Intelligent Tasks, Ryan Scott Regensburger

Theses and Dissertations

The study of Artificial Intelligence attempts to simulate the processes of human intelligence in a set of computable algorithms. The purpose of Random Algorithms in this field is to provide a best-guess approach at identifying the unknown. In this thesis, research shows that random algorithms are able to break down many intelligent processes into a set of solvable problems. For example, solving puzzles and playing games involve the same estimating ability shown in standard problems such as the Coupon Collector problem or the Monty Hall problem. This thesis shows Random Algorithmic applications in two overlapping categories of intelligent behavior: Pattern …

Afci Quarterly Input – Unlv October Through December, 2004, Harry Reid Center For Environmental Studies. Nuclear Science And Technology Division

Transmutation Research Program Reports (TRP)

Quarterly report highlighting research projects, activities and objectives of the Transmutation Research Program at the Nuclear Science & Technology Division, Harry Reid Research Center.

The University of Nevada, Las Vegas supports the AFCI through research and development of technologies for economic and environmentally sound refinement of spent nuclear fuel. The UNLV program has four components: infrastructure, international collaboration, student-based research, and management and program support. Management and program support highlights are the following: the UNLV TRP hosted the Eighth Annual IAEA Actinide and Fission Product Partitioning & Transmutation Information Exchange Meeting (Nov. 9 – 11). 120 people from 22 countries …

Fundamental And Applied Experimental Investigations Of Corrosion Of Steel By Lbe Under Controlled Conditions: Kinetics, Chemistry, Morphology, And Surface Preparation: Quarterly Report (October-December 2004), Allen L. Johnson, John Farley, Dale L. Perry

Transmutation Sciences Materials (TRP)

This project has four components:

(1) the fabrication of a materials test apparatus with unique capabilities,

(2) comparative studies of steel corrosion under gas phase conditions comparable to the Lead Bismuth Eutectic (LBE) oxygen control conditions,

(3) isotope labeling studies, and

(4) collaborative efforts with other workers in the field.

Reactor Physics Studies For The Afci Race Project: Reactor-Accelerator Coupling Experiments Project: Quarterly Progress Report September-December 2004, Denis Beller

Transmutation Sciences Physics (TRP)

In the RACE Project of the U.S. Advanced Fuel Cycle Initiative (AFCI), a series of accelerator driven subcritical systems (ADSS) experiments will be conducted at the Idaho State University’s Idaho Accelerator Center (ISU-IAC), at the University of Texas (UT) at Austin, and at the Texas A&M University. In these experiments we will use electron accelerators to induce bremsstrahlung photon-neutron reactions in heavy-metal targets; this source of about 10¹² to 10¹³ n/s will then initiate fission reactions in the subcritical systems. These systems will include a compact, transportable assembly at ISU and TRIGA reactors at UT-Austin and Texas A&M. …

The Electrochemical Separation Of Curium And Americium: Quaterly Report August-December 2004, David W. Hatchett, Kenneth Czerwinski

Separations Campaign (TRP)

This research report outlines the current status and progress associated with the electrochemical separation of Curium and Americium. The following pages outline the progress on our project to date. We have been actively performing research on this project for three months and are currently on schedule in terms of the proposed timelines.

The initial focus of the project involved setting up the laboratories for the studies outlined in the grant proposal. The instrumentation needed included an electrochemical work station that will perform the bulk of the electrochemical studies. This instrument will complement the electrochemical instrumentation in Dr. Hatchett’s laboratory and …

Dissolution, Reactor, And Environmental Behavior Of Zro2-Mgo Inert Fuel Matrix: Quarterly Report, October 2004 To December 2004, Earl Wolfram, Thomas Hartmann, Kenneth Czerwinski

Fuels Campaign (TRP)

This project will examine inert matrix fuels containing ZrO₂ and MgO as the inert matrix, with the relative amount of MgO varied from 30% to 70% in ZrO₂. Reactor physics calculations will be used to examine suitable quantities of burnable poisons from the candidate elements Gd, Er, or Hf with reactor grade Pu providing the fissile component, with up to 10% of ²³⁹Pu. Ceramics will be synthesized and characterized based on the reactor physics results. The solubility the fuel ceramics, in reactor conditions, reprocessing conditions, and repository conditions, will be investigated in a manner to provide …

Self‐Consistent Diffusive Lifetimes Of Weibel Magnetic Fields In Gamma‐Ray Bursts, C. H. Jaroschek, H. Lesch, R. A. Treumann

Dartmouth Scholarship

Weibel filamentation in relativistic plasma shell collisions has been demonstrated as an efficient and fast mechanism for the generation of near-equipartition magnetic fields in self-consistent particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations. In generic γ-ray burst (GRB) models with kinetically dominated plasma outflow, sufficient strength and lifetime of magnetic fields are essential to validate synchrotron emission as the source of radiative outbursts. In this article we report on self-consistent PIC simulations of pair-plasma shell collisions in the highly relativistic regime with particle ensembles up to 5 × 10⁸. Energy dependence of magnetic field generation in the Weibel process is discussed, and for …

Origin Of The Central Kalamazoo River Valley, Southwestern Michigan, Usa, Andrew Kozlowski

Dissertations

Chapter I

Introduction

Southern Michigan's geomorphology is a testament to the glacial processes that buried and sculpted the landscape during the last glaciation. Many glacial landforms in southwestern Michigan, including the Kalamazoo River Valley, provide evidence that aids in understanding the chronology, ice dynamics and glacial processes that occurred in Michigan during the last ice age.

As the climate began to warm about 20,000 yr B.P. (Larson and Schaetzl, 2001) the extensive Laurentide Ice Sheet began to recede from its maximum southern position reached during the Late Wisconsinan (Figure 1). It was at this point that modem surficial drainage systems …

Phase Coherent Effects In The Speckle Correlation Of Light Scattered From Volume Disordered Media And Randomly Rough Surfaces, Bogdan Danila

Dissertations

We present a study of the statistics of the intensity patterns produced when coherent light is scattered by random media (volume disorder) or randomly rough surfaces. Such a random, granular interference pattern is called speckle. Particular emphasis is on the statistical correlations arising between thefluctuations of the intensities corresponding to distinct scattering paths; which are quantified by the speckle correlation function. In the first part, we present results for the correlation function computed for volume-disordered media by means of numerical simulation. Our focus is on the sensitivity of the correlationfunction to statistical parameters characterizing the volume distribution of the refraction …

Analysis Of Benzo(A)Pyrene-Induced Gene Expression Changes In Fisher 344 Rat Liver By Affymetrix Microarray And Quantitative Real-Time Pcr, Alhaji Umar N’Jai

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

An Investigation Of Secondary Teachers’ Knowledge Of Rate Of Change In The Context Of Teaching A Standards-Based Curriculum, Jihwa Noh

Dissertations

This study investigated teachers' mathematical content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge with respect to rate of change in the context of teaching a Standards-based high school mathematics curriculum that emphasizes rate of change as a central theme, the Core-Plus Mathematics Project (CPMP) materials. A framework was designed to provide a comprehensive guide for analyzing different aspects of rate of change knowledge incorporating existing frameworks relative to rate of change, NCTM recommendations described in Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics andPrinciples and Standards for School Mathematics (NCTM, 2000), and research related to pedagogical understanding of rate of change.

Data …

Two High School Teachers’ Initial Use Of Geometers Sketchpad: Issues Of Implementation, Kathryn G. Shafer

Dissertations

This study documents two teachers' instructional practices as they learn and incorporate Geometer's Sketchpad (GSP) activities into their curriculum. The researcher (as a mentor) worked closely with two high school geometry teachers following a case study methodology. As a secondary goal, this study examined the use of a mentor as a professional development model to assist classroom teachers in the learning and implementation of Geometer'sSketchpad. Data were gathered through interviews, surveys, observations, classroom videotape, participant journal entries, as well as researcher field notes.

Results are reported in the areas of goals of instruction, method of instruction, role of the teacher, …

Modeling The Spread And Prevention Of Malicious Mobile Code Via Simulation Cs-2004-15, Christopher Brian Shirey

Theses and Dissertations

Malicious mobile code causes billions of dollars every year in damages, and that cost keeps increasing. Traditional signature-based anti-virus software is a reactive solution that can not detect fast spreading malicious code quickly enough to prevent widespread infection. If we hope to prevent widespread infection of future malicious mobile code, new prevention techniques must be developed that either stop a new infection completely, or at least limit the spread until signature-based anti-virus software can be updated. Simulators exist that model the spread of malicious mobile code, but none currently exists that can efficiently model host-based and network-based spread prevention techniques …

Interferences In Electron Emission Spectra For H+ Impact On H2, Sabbir Hossain

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Glacial Geology Of Southern St. Joseph County, Michigan, Linda Nicks

Dissertations

The objective of the dissertation was to map the glacial geology in southern St. Joseph County, Michigan. The surficial geology was divided into three distinct land systems which are moraine, outwash and fan deposits. The Sturgis Moraine is the most prominent feature transecting the study area from east to west. The topography is further dissected by southwest-trending channels interpreted as tunnel channels.

Thick accumulations of sand and gravel in the study area indicate that glacial meltwater deposition played a dominant role in shaping the landscape. Based on the relative size of the channels and outwash deposits, the largest contribution from …

Factors Impacting E-Government Development, Keng Siau, Y. Long

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

E-government is a way for governments to use new technologies such as the Internet to provide citizens with more convenient access to government information and services, to improve the quality of services, and to provide greater opportunities for citizens to participate in democratic institutions and processes. This research investigates factors impacting e-government development. Based on the growth theory and human capital theory from the economics literature, we hypothesize that information and computer technology, and human development are two factors impacting e-government development. The hypotheses were empirically tested using secondary data from the United Nations and the United Nations Development Programme. …

Method For Identifying Individuals, Manoj Thulasidas

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

A method and system for identifying a subject comprises obtaining a digitised recording of an electrocardiogram measurement of the subject to be identified, the digitised recording being a cyclic waveform having a peak amplitude. The digitised recording is normalised to reduce variations due to physiological effects, and the normalised recording is processed to determine a feature vector in the frequency domain. The distance between the determined feature vector and a predetermined feature vector is measured to identify the subject.

Vertical Sensitivity For The Information Security Health Rating Of Enterprises, Arcot Desai Narasimhalu, Nagarajan Dayasindhu, Raghavan Subramanian

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

INFOSeMM Maturity model was developed jointly by SMU and Infosys. It is recognized that different industry verticals will have different levels of recommended maturity levels. This paper articulates the need for developing the industry vertical benchmarks.

The Dependence Of Dijet Production On Photon Virtuality In Ep Collisions At Hera, S. Chekanov, M. Derrick, J. H. Loizides, S. Magill, S. Miglioranzi, B. Musgrave, J. Repond, R. Yoshida, Margarita C. K. Mattingly, N. Pavel, P. Antonioli, G. Bari, M. Basile, L. Bellagamba, D. Boscherini, A. Bruni, G. Bruni, G. Cara Romeo, L. Cifarelli, F. Cindolo, A. Contin, M. Corradi, S. De Pasquale, P. Giusti, G. Iacobucci, A. Margotti, A. Montanari, R. Nania, F. Palmonari, A. Pesci, L. Rinaldi

Faculty Publications

The dependence of dijet production on the virtuality of the exchanged photon, Q2, has been studied by measuring dijet cross sections in the range 0 ≲ Q2 < 2000 GeV2 with the ZEUS detector at HERA using an integrated luminosity of 38.6 pb-1. Dijet cross sections were measured for jets with transverse energy ETjet > 7.5 and 6.5 GeV and pseudorapidities in the photon-proton centre-of-mass frame in the range -3 < jet < 0. The variable xγobs, a measure of the photon momentum entering the hard process, was used to enhance the sensitivity of the measurement to the photon structure. The Q2 dependence of the ratio of low- to high-xγobs events was measured. Next-to-leading-order QCD predictions were found to generally underestimate the low-xγobs contribution relative to that at high xγobs. Monte Carlo models based on leading-logarithmic parton-showers, using a partonic structure for the photon which falls smoothly with increasing Q2, provide a qualitative description of the data. © Springer-Verlag / Società Italiana di Fisica 2004.

Design And Model Verification Of An Infrared Chromotomographic Imaging System, Daniel A. Lemaster

Theses and Dissertations

A prism chromotomographic hyperspectral imaging sensor is being developed to aid in the study of bomb phenomenology. Reliable chromotomographic reconstruction depends on accurate knowledge of the sensor specific point spread function over all wavelengths of interest. The purpose of this research is to generate the required point spread functions using wave optics techniques and a phase screen model of system aberrations. Phase screens are generated using the Richardson-Lucy algorithm for extracting point spread functions and Gerchberg-Saxton algorithm for phase retrieval. These phase screens are verified by comparing the modeled results of a blackbody source with measurements made using a chromotomographic …

Magmatic Sources, Setting And Causes Of Eocene To Recent Patagonian Plateau Magmatism (36°S To 52°S Latitude), Suzanne M. Kay, Matthew Gorring, Victor A. Ramos

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Continental back-arc and within-plate basaltic volcanic provinces provide a view into the evolution of the mantle beneath continents and the mass flux of materials that are subducted, but not extracted by arc volcanism. One of the largest continental mafic provinces is the Patagonian province where large mafic plateau volcanic events ranging in age from late Paleocene to Recent have occurred in the absence of major extension. The largest events produced the Eocene Posadas Formation (∼46°S to 50°S), the late Oligocene to early Miocene Somuncura magmatic province (41°S to 43°S plus similar age magmas up to 46°S), the late Miocene to …

The Kinetics Following Photolysis Of Nitrosyl Bromide, Lori A. Mahoney

Theses and Dissertations

One candidate for the development of a tunable laser in the mid-infrared for use as a defensive countermeasure against passive sensors exploits the nitric oxide (NO) transition at 5.4 μm. However, the difficulty with this mechanism is that when bromine (Br₂) and NO are present in a mixture, nitrosyl bromide (BrNO) is also created. The absorption bands present in BrNO complicate the design of such a laser. This thesis determines the forward and reverse rate constants of the reaction of Br₂ and NO to form BrNO following the photolysis of BrNO using Fourier Transform Infrared absorption spectroscopy. …

A Watershed-Based Classification System For Lakes In Agriculturally-Dominated Ecosystems: A Case Study Of Nebraska Reservoirs, Henry N. N. Bulley

Department of Geography: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

In recent decades substantial progress has been made in improving the quality of surface waters in the United States (Hawkins et al., 2000; EPA, 2000; EPA, 2001); nevertheless, much work remains to be done in assessing the state of impairment of lake waters. Impairment implies that the existing water quality of a lake, as measured by selected criteria (e.g., nitrogen, phosphorus, chlorophyll-a, Secchi depth), exceeds a threshold value or standard that presumably reflects optimal attainable lake water quality conditions (or "reference" conditions) (Hughes, 1995; EPA, 2000; EPA, 2001). Such impaired waters are not suitable for designated uses such as drinking, …

On Security Notions For Steganalysis, Kisik Chang, Robert H. Deng, Feng Bao, Sangjin Lee, Hyungjun Kim, Jongin Lim

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

There have been some achievements in steganalysis recently. Many people have been making strides in steganalysis. They have approached steganalysis from different angles; from information theory to complexity theory. Anderson gave a possibility that there is a provable secure steganographic system, but there had not been complexity theoretical approaches for years. In 2002, Katzenbeisser and Petitcolas defined the conditional security of steganography and gave a possibility for a practical, provable secure steganography for the first time, and Hopper et al. introduced a provable secure steganographic algorithm in the sense of complexity theory. Chang et al. also tried to define the …

Design Lessons On Access Features In Paper, Yin-Leng Theng, Dion Hoe-Lian Goh, Ming Yin, Eng-Kai Suen, Ee Peng Lim

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Using Nielsen's Heuristic Evaluation, this paper reports a user study with six usability-trained subjects to evaluate PAPER's access features in assisting users to retrieve information efficiently, part of an on-going design partnership with stakeholders and designers/developers. PAPER (Personalised Adaptive Pathways for Exam Resources) is an improved version evolving from an earlier implementation of GeogDL built upon G-Portal, a geospatial digital library infrastructure. After two initial evaluations with student and teacher design partners, PAPER has evolved into a system containing a new bundle of personalized, interactive services with four modules: mock exam; personal coach (practice and review); trend analysis and performance …

Supporting Field Study With Personalized Project Spaces In A Geographical Digital Library, Ee Peng Lim, Aixin Sun, Zehua Liu, John Hedberg, Chew-Hung Chang, Tiong-Sa Teh, Dion Hoe-Lian Goh, Yin-Leng Theng

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Digital libraries have been rather successful in supporting learning activities by providing learners with access to information and knowledge. However, this level of support is passive to learners and interactive and collaborative learning cannot be easily achieved. In this paper, we study how digital libraries could be extended to serve a more active role in collaborative learning activities. We focus on developing new services to support a common type of learning activity, field study, in a geospatial context. We propose the concept of personal project space that allows individuals to work in their personalized environment with a mix of private …