Physical Sciences and Mathematics | Open Access Articles

Casimir Effect In Quantum Physics, Matthew James Urfer

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

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Numerical Approximations Of Differential Equations And Applications In Maple, Joyce Zimmerman

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

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Extending The Information Partition Function: Modeling Interaction Effects In Highly Multivariate, Discrete Data, Paul C. Cannon

Theses and Dissertations

Because of the huge amounts of data made available by the technology boom in the late twentieth century, new methods are required to turn data into usable information. Much of this data is categorical in nature, which makes estimation difficult in highly multivariate settings. In this thesis we review various multivariate statistical methods, discuss various statistical methods of natural language processing (NLP), and discuss a general class of models described by Erosheva (2002) called generalized mixed membership models. We then propose extensions of the information partition function (IPF) derived by Engler (2002), Oliphant (2003), and Tolley (2006) that will allow …

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Preparation Of Divalent And Trivalent Antigens For Immunogical Studies On Degranulation Of Mast Cells And Preparation Of Ceragenins For Antiviral Studies Against Vaccinia Virus., Dianliang Geng

Theses and Dissertations

CHAPTER 1

Aggregation of receptors for IgE (Fc RI) causes mast cells and basophils to release preformed contents of granules, including histamine and a variety of enzymes. This process, called degranulation plays a central role in allergic reactions. Methods to study this process are to create multivalent ligands which can interact with the receptors and, in turn, lead to aggregation of the receptors. We prepared a series of fluorophore-labeled divalent and trivalent antigens to study the degranulation of mast cells. Trivalent antigens proved to be much better stimulators for degranulation of mast cells than divalent antigens. These results indicate that …

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Pyridinium Bisretinoids: Synthesis And Photoactivated Cytotoxicity, Junping Gao

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis discusses pyridinium bisretinoid compounds (PBRs), which were prepared for two purposes: 1) to use them as standards for detection of novel fluorophores in human RPE cells, which may be involved in age-related macular degeneration (AMD), and 2) to use them in the development of a targeted and triggered drug delivery system for cancer therapy. We prepared a selection of PBRs using a one-pot biomimetic method; synthesis, mechanisms for formation, and characterization of these compounds is described. We also explored the photoreactivity of three novel PBR compounds and found that these PBRs form oxidation products under blue-light irradiation. The …

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A Unified Framework For Solving Multiagent Task Assignment Problems, Kevin Cousin

Theses and Dissertations

Multiagent task assignment problem descriptors do not fully represent the complex interactions in a multiagent domain, and algorithmic solutions vary widely depending on how the domain is represented. This issue is compounded as related research fields contain descriptors that similarly describe multiagent task assignment problems, including complex domain interactions, but generally do not provide the mechanisms needed to solve the multiagent aspect of task assignment. This research presents a unified approach to representing and solving the multiagent task assignment problem for complex problem domains. Ideas central to multiagent task allocation, project scheduling, constraint satisfaction, and coalition formation are combined to …

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Chromatic Number Of The Alphabet Overlap Graph, G(2, K , K-2)., Jerry Brent Farley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A graph G(a, k, t) is called an alphabet overlap graph where a, k, and t are positive integers such that 0 ≤ t < k and the vertex set V of G is defined as, V = {v : v = (v₁v₂...v_k); v_i ∊ {1, 2, ..., a}, (1 ≤ i ≤ k)}. That is, each vertex, v, is a word of length k over an alphabet of size a. There exists an edge between two vertices u, …

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New Technique For Imputing Missing Item Responses For An Ordinal Variable: Using Tennessee Youth Risk Behavior Survey As An Example., Andaleeb Abrar Ahmed

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Surveys ordinarily ask questions in an ordinal scale and often result in missing data. We suggest a regression based technique for imputing missing ordinal data. Multilevel cumulative logit model was used with an assumption that observed responses of certain key variables can serve as covariate in predicting missing item responses of an ordinal variable. Individual predicted probabilities at each response level were obtained. Average individual predicted probabilities for each response level were used to randomly impute the missing responses using a uniform distribution. Finally, likelihood ratio chi square statistics was used to compare the imputed and observed distributions. Two other …

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Packings And Coverings Of Various Complete Digraphs With The Orientations Of A 4-Cycle., Melody Elaine Cooper

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There are four orientations of cycles on four vertices. Necessary and sufficient conditions are given for covering complete directed digraphs D_v, packing and covering complete bipartite digraphs, D_m,n, and packing and covering the complete digraph on v vertices with hole of size w, D(v,w), with three of the orientations of a 4-cycle, including C₄, X, and Y.

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Examining Significant Differences Of Gunshot Residue Patterns Using Same Make And Model Of Firearms In Forensic Distance Determination Tests., Heather Lewey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In many cases of crimes involving a firearm, police investigators need to know how far the firearm was held from the victim when it was discharged. Knowing this distance, vital questions regarding the re-construction of the crime scene can be known. Often, the original firearm used in commission of a suspected crime is not available for testing or is damaged. Crime laboratories require the original firearm in order to conduct distance determination tests. However, no empirical research has ever been conducted to determine if same make and model firearms produce different results in distance determination testing. It was the purpose …

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Probability And Statistics For Third Through Fifth Grade Classrooms., Melissa Taylor Mckinnon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This document contains a variety of lesson plans that can be readily used by a teacher of intermediate students. This thesis contains two units in Probability and one unit in Statistics. Any educator can supplement this document with any curriculum to teach lessons from vocabulary to concept.

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Self-Management Of Type 2 Diabetes In Appalachina Women., Melissa Joy Magness

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Gender, minority, and regional-related disparities have been documented in diabetes management. Self-efficacy, the belief in one's ability to carry out the actions mandated by a task, has been identified as a key predictor in glycemic control; however, it has not been investigated in rural, female populations. This cross-sectional, correlation investigation examined the relationships among self-efficacy, depression, and diabetes self-care management in women living in Appalachia with type 2 diabetes. Using Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory, 85 women ages ≥ 21 with type 2 diabetes for a minimum of 6 months who were residents in Appalachia completed the 1) Diabetes Self-Efficacy Scale, …

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Decomposition, Packings And Coverings Of Complete Digraphs With A Transitive-Triple And A Pendant Arc., Janice Gail Lewenczuk

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the study of design theory, there are eight orientations of the complete graph on three vertices with a pendant edge, K₃∪{e}. Two of these are the 3-circuit with a pendant arc and the other six are transitive triples with a pendant arc. Necessary and sufficient conditions are given for decompositions, packings and coverings of the complete digraph with each of the six transitive triples with a pendant arc.

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Settling For Limited Privacy: How Much Does It Help?, Anna M. Shubina

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

This thesis explores practical and theoretical aspects of several privacy-providing technologies, including tools for anonymous web-browsing, verifiable electronic voting schemes, and private information retrieval from databases. State-of-art privacy-providing schemes are frequently impractical for implementational reasons or for sheer information-theoretical reasons due to the amount of information that needs to be transmitted. We have been researching the question of whether relaxing the requirements on such schemes, in particular settling for imperfect but sufficient in real-world situations privacy, as opposed to perfect privacy, may be helpful in producing more practical or more efficient schemes. This thesis presents three results. The first result …

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Study Of The Reproducibility Of Proteomics Methods And Variability Of Fruit Fly Proteomes., Thomas Franklin Culwell

Theses and Dissertations

The reliability of biomarker discovery by means of proteomics has been called into question. It was speculated that "background noise" variation resulting from differences in preparation and handling of samples and proteome dynamics may mask subtle, yet important, differences due to the biological condition. Little is understood about complex proteomes and their variability. A critical aspect of proteomic biomarker research that is largely unexplored is the comparative reproducibility of certain methods such as two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry. In particular, with liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry, it is not known whether variability in peptide quantitation is dependent on any of …

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A Hybrid Multi-Robot Control Architecture, Daylond J. Hooper

Theses and Dissertations

Multi-robot systems provide system redundancy and enhanced capability versus single robot systems. Implementations of these systems are varied, each with specific design approaches geared towards an application domain. Some traditional single robot control architectures have been expanded for multi-robot systems, but these expansions predominantly focus on the addition of communication capabilities. Both design approaches are application specific and limit the generalizability of the system. This work presents a redesign of a common single robot architecture in order to provide a more sophisticated multi-robot system. The single robot architecture chosen for application is the Three Layer Architecture (TLA). The primary strength …

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Iron Sequestration In Lake Sediments From Artificial Hypolimnetic Oxygenation: Richard B. Russell Reservoir, Amanda Elrod

All Theses

The Upper Savannah River watershed has numerous impoundments, and the three largest hydroelectric reservoirs, from north to south, are Hartwell, Richard B. Russell, and J. Strom Thurmond Lakes. During the summer months, these reservoirs undergo thermal and chemical stratification, which results in the formation of cool, hypoxic/anoxic hypolimnia and warm, oxic epilimnion. To maintain fisheries habitat, the United States Army Corps of Engineers operates a hypolimnetic oxygenation system in the forebay of Richard B. Russell Lake. The purpose of this system is to improve the water quality of the releases from Richard B. Russell Dam by maintaining a dissolved oxygen …

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Pyridinium Bis-Retinoids A2-Dopamine And A2-Cadaverine: Implications In Age-Related Macular Degeneration And Cancer, Mckenzie Ruth Pew

Theses and Dissertations

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness in the United States of America. The pyridinium bis-retinoid A2-ethanolamine (A2E) has been implicated to play a role in AMD. We have observed novel pyridinium bis-retinoids through melanolipofuscin and human RPE extractions that may also play a role in the pathology of AMD. We have begun the construction of an amino-retinoid library in order to identify these ocular compounds. The compounds from the amino-retinoid library are also used in a targeted and triggered drug delivery system for treating cancer. Folic acid is coupled with the amino-retinoids to specifically target cancer …

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Electron Beam Characterization Of Carbon Nanostructures, Eric Samuel Mandell

Dissertations

Atom-thick carbon nanostructures represent a class of novel materials that are of interest to those studying carbon's role in fossil fuel, hydrogen storage, scaled-down electronics, and other nanotechnology. Electron microscope images of "edge-on" graphene sheets show linear image features due to the projected potential of the sheets. Here, intensity profiles along these linear features can measure the curvature of the sheet, as well as the shape of the sheet (i.e. hexagonal, triangular). Also, electron diffraction powder profiles calculated for triangular graphene sheet shapes show a broadening of the low-frequency edge of diffraction rings, in comparison to those calculated for hexagonal …

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Rendering Principal Direction Contour Lines With Oriented Textures, Kelly Gallagher

All Theses

In this paper we explore the use of contour lines in computer graphics as a means of conveying shape to the end-user. Contour lines provide an alternative to traditional realistic rendering styles and may even provide a more appropriate visualization for certain situations. For our images, contour line orientation is established in accordance with principal curvature directions.
We present a method for rendering a texture, oriented in the principal curvature direction, across a traditionally-modeled geometric surface that effectively forms suggestive contour lines to enhance the visualization of that surface. We further extend the method to create animated contour textures, wherein …

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Risk Characterization For Boron And Aquatic Plants And Animals, Basma Damiri

All Theses

In aqueous mixtures, boron can be toxic to plants or animals at relatively low concentrations. Boron may occur at concentrations that can pose risk to plants used in constructed wetland treatment systems designed to treat constituents of concerned in a complex matrix such as flue gas desulfurization water and boron may adversely affect survival, growth, and consequently, plant performance. The three major objectives of this research are: 1) to measure responses of Typha latifolia (seed germination and root and shoot elongation) and Schoenoplectus californicus early seedlings (survival, and shoot and root elongation) to aqueous exposures of boron in diluted FGD …

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A Middle-Ware Level Client Cache For A High Performance Computing I/O Simulator, Michael Bassily

All Theses

This thesis describes the design and run time analysis of the system level middle-ware cache for Hecios. Hecios is a high performance cluster I/O simulator. With Hecios, we provide a simulation environment that accurately captures the performance characteristics of all the components in a clusterwide parallel file system. Hecios was specifically modeled after PVFS2. It was designed to be extensible and to easily allow for various component modules to be easily replaced by those that model other system types. Built around the OMNeT++ simulation package, Hecios' inner-cluster communication module is easily adaptable to any TCP/IP based protocol and all standard …

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Evaluation Of Equalization Basins As Initial Treatment For Flue Gas Desulfurization Waters, Meg Iannacone

All Theses

Coal-fired power plants are introducing flue gas desulfurization (FGD) scrubbers to reduce sulfur dioxide and mercury emissions in order to meet air quality standards. FGD scrubber systems utilize a mixture of limestone, water, and organic acids to precipitate sulfur compounds. The resulting FGD water and associated particulates often contain constituents of concern including chlorides, inorganic elements (Hg, As, and Se), and sulfates that must be treated before discharge. Constructed wetland treatment systems, consisting of an equalization basin followed by wetland reactors, present a viable option to efficiently treat FGD waters. Equalization basins are designed to cool and homogenize FGD water …

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Thermodynaimic Study Of Nucleic Acids Recognition By Aminoglycosides , Hongjuan Xi

All Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Since the origin of first aminoglycosides antibiotics, streptomycin, isolated by Selman Waksman about 60 years ago, a number of aminoglycosides antibiotics were discovered to treat different infections. Neomycin class aminoglycosides were found to originally target the A site 16S rRNA in the 30S subunit of the ribosome within the Gram-negative bacteria. In addition to its antibacterial effect, aminoglycosides were also found to binding to various other viral RNA structures such as TAR and RRE of HIV, Group I introns and hammerhead ribozyme, implying its potential to be used as antiviral reagent.

Furthermore, previous studies in our laboratory discovered a …

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Constructed Wetlands For The Landscape Nursery Industry: Nutrient Assimilation And Removal, Sarah White

All Dissertations

Runoff from nursery operations is considered a potential non-point source contamination. Water quality and quantity are quickly becoming important factors that drive management practices at these facilities. Constructed wetland systems (CWS) are a management tool that can be used by nursery operations to improve water quality both for recycling within nursery production areas and for eventual release from nursery production areas into surrounding surface waters. The overall goal of this research was to optimize nutrient removal efficiencies in CWS. To accomplish this goal, I characterized the following: (1) the P sorption and desorption capacity of several substrates; (2) the effect …

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Hybrid Image/Model Based Gaze-Contingent Rendering, Hunter Murphy

All Dissertations

A non-isotropic hybrid image/model based gaze-contingent rendering technique utilizing ray casting on a GPU is discussed. Empirical evidence derived from human subject experiments indicates an inverse relationship between a peripherally degraded scene's high-resolution inset size and mean search time, a trend consistent with existing image-based and model-based techniques. In addition, the data suggest that maintaining a target's silhouette edges decreases search times when compared to targets with degraded edges. Benefits of the hybrid technique include simplicity of design and parallelizability, both conducive to GPU implementation.

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Lithium-Conducting Ionic Melt Electrolytes From Oligomeric Ethylene Glycols: Synthesis And Characterization, Boutros Hallac

All Dissertations

Commercial lithium ion cells consist of electrolytes that undergo salt concentration polarization which is acute upon high discharge currents. This type of polarization occurs as a result of the mobility of more than one ionic species in the presence of an electric field. One way to overcome it is by employing a material that would allow the mobility of one ionic species. This thesis will describe the synthesis and characterization of several fluorosulfonimide and fluorosulfonate based ionic liquids/melts as electrolytes having lithium as the only mobile ion. These materials were prepared by the nucleophilic addition reaction of a deprotonated polyether …

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Water Quality Dynamics Of Lake James In The Catawba River Basin Of North Carolina, Susan Stokes

All Dissertations

Lake James is the uppermost hydropower reservoir in the Catawba River drainage in North Carolina. The Lake James Assessment (LJA) was a descriptive study initiated between Clemson University and Duke Energy Corporation to explore the physical, chemical and biological dynamics of this oligotrophic reservoir from spring 1997 through fall 1999 (Schindler 1997). The goals of this study were to ascertain the primary drivers for the chemical dynamics of Lake James, to assess the quantities of constituents entering and leaving the reservoir, where these chemicals were incorporated within the reservoir basins, and to evaluate the efficacy of the LJA chemical budget …

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Studies Of The Stability And Potential Applications Of Pyrrolidinofullerenes And Other Fullerene Derivatives, Olena Lukoyanova

All Dissertations

Over the last decade, the variety of chemically modified fullerenes and their potential applications has increased significantly. Among fullerene derivatives, pyrrolidinofullerenes are one of the most widely synthesized types since they can be easily and efficiently obtained via simple reactions from both empty and endohedral fullerenes. Although fullerenes in general and pyrrolidinofullerenes in particular have been considered for numerous applications in electronic and optoelectronic devices, photovoltaics, medicinal chemistry, etc., their potential application in the evolving field of molecular electronics has not been extensively explored. The envisioned role of the fullerenes usually involves storage or transport of electrons. Therefore, studies of …

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Issues In Model Selection, Minimax Estimation, And Censored Data Analysis, Meng Zhao

All Dissertations

In this dissertation, we address several research problems in statistical inference. We obtain results in the following four directions: linear model selection, minimax estimation of linear functionals, Bayes type estimators for the survival functions based on right censored data, and estimation of survival functions based on doubly censored data.

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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Casimir Effect In Quantum Physics, Matthew James Urfer

Masters Theses

Numerical Approximations Of Differential Equations And Applications In Maple, Joyce Zimmerman

Masters Theses

Extending The Information Partition Function: Modeling Interaction Effects In Highly Multivariate, Discrete Data, Paul C. Cannon

Theses and Dissertations

Preparation Of Divalent And Trivalent Antigens For Immunogical Studies On Degranulation Of Mast Cells And Preparation Of Ceragenins For Antiviral Studies Against Vaccinia Virus., Dianliang Geng

Theses and Dissertations

Pyridinium Bisretinoids: Synthesis And Photoactivated Cytotoxicity, Junping Gao

Theses and Dissertations

A Unified Framework For Solving Multiagent Task Assignment Problems, Kevin Cousin

Theses and Dissertations

Chromatic Number Of The Alphabet Overlap Graph, G(2, K , K-2)., Jerry Brent Farley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

New Technique For Imputing Missing Item Responses For An Ordinal Variable: Using Tennessee Youth Risk Behavior Survey As An Example., Andaleeb Abrar Ahmed

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Packings And Coverings Of Various Complete Digraphs With The Orientations Of A 4-Cycle., Melody Elaine Cooper

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Examining Significant Differences Of Gunshot Residue Patterns Using Same Make And Model Of Firearms In Forensic Distance Determination Tests., Heather Lewey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Probability And Statistics For Third Through Fifth Grade Classrooms., Melissa Taylor Mckinnon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Self-Management Of Type 2 Diabetes In Appalachina Women., Melissa Joy Magness

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Decomposition, Packings And Coverings Of Complete Digraphs With A Transitive-Triple And A Pendant Arc., Janice Gail Lewenczuk

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Settling For Limited Privacy: How Much Does It Help?, Anna M. Shubina

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

Study Of The Reproducibility Of Proteomics Methods And Variability Of Fruit Fly Proteomes., Thomas Franklin Culwell

Theses and Dissertations

A Hybrid Multi-Robot Control Architecture, Daylond J. Hooper

Theses and Dissertations

Iron Sequestration In Lake Sediments From Artificial Hypolimnetic Oxygenation: Richard B. Russell Reservoir, Amanda Elrod

All Theses

Pyridinium Bis-Retinoids A2-Dopamine And A2-Cadaverine: Implications In Age-Related Macular Degeneration And Cancer, Mckenzie Ruth Pew

Theses and Dissertations

Electron Beam Characterization Of Carbon Nanostructures, Eric Samuel Mandell

Dissertations

Rendering Principal Direction Contour Lines With Oriented Textures, Kelly Gallagher

All Theses

Risk Characterization For Boron And Aquatic Plants And Animals, Basma Damiri

All Theses

A Middle-Ware Level Client Cache For A High Performance Computing I/O Simulator, Michael Bassily

All Theses

Evaluation Of Equalization Basins As Initial Treatment For Flue Gas Desulfurization Waters, Meg Iannacone

All Theses

Thermodynaimic Study Of Nucleic Acids Recognition By Aminoglycosides , Hongjuan Xi

All Dissertations

Constructed Wetlands For The Landscape Nursery Industry: Nutrient Assimilation And Removal, Sarah White

All Dissertations

Hybrid Image/Model Based Gaze-Contingent Rendering, Hunter Murphy

All Dissertations

Lithium-Conducting Ionic Melt Electrolytes From Oligomeric Ethylene Glycols: Synthesis And Characterization, Boutros Hallac

All Dissertations

Water Quality Dynamics Of Lake James In The Catawba River Basin Of North Carolina, Susan Stokes

All Dissertations

Studies Of The Stability And Potential Applications Of Pyrrolidinofullerenes And Other Fullerene Derivatives, Olena Lukoyanova

All Dissertations

Issues In Model Selection, Minimax Estimation, And Censored Data Analysis, Meng Zhao

All Dissertations