Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Automatic Detection Of Aircraft Emergency Landing Sites, Yu-Fei Shen, Zia-Ur Rahman, Dean Krusienski, Jiang Li, Zia-Ur Rahman (Ed.), Stephen E. Reichenbach (Ed.), Mark Allen Neifeld (Ed.)

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

An automatic landing site detection algorithm is proposed for aircraft emergency landing. Emergency landing is an unplanned event in response to emergency situations. If, as is unfortunately usually the case, there is no airstrip or airfield that can be reached by the un-powered aircraft, a crash landing or ditching has to be carried out. Identifying a safe landing site is critical to the survival of passengers and crew. Conventionally, the pilot chooses the landing site visually by looking at the terrain through the cockpit. The success of this vital decision greatly depends on the external environmental factors that can impair …

Evaluation Of The Physicochemical Properties And Stability Of Solid Lipid Nanoparticles Designed For The Delivery Of Dexamethasone To Tumors, Melissa Howard

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Pre-clinical and clinical trials suggest that pre-treatment with dexamethasone (Dex) may facilitate enhanced uptake of subsequently administered chemotherapeutic agents. To reduce the side effects associated with systemic administration of Dex, solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) containing dexamethasone palmitate (Dex-P) were prepared as a means of achieving tumor-targeted drug delivery. These studies were aimed at evaluating the physicochemical properties and both the physiological and storage stability of the SLNs.

SLNs were prepared using nanotemplate engineering technology. Stearyl alcohol (SA) was used as the lipid phase with Brij^® 78 and Polysorbate 60 as surfactants and PEG6000 monostearate as a long-chain PEGylating agent. …

Petrologic, Geochemical, And Geochronologic Constraints On The Tectonic Evolution Of The Southern Appalachian Orogen, Blue Ridge Province Of Western North Carolina, Eric Douglas Anderson

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

The Blue Ridge Province of western North Carolina contains a wide variety of metamorphosed igneous and sedimentary rocks that record the tectonic effects of Precambrian and Paleozoic orogenic cycles. Tectonic interpretations of the events that led to the present configuration are varied and often conflicting. This investigation examines metamorphosed mafic rocks that are widely interpreted to have formed during the closure of ocean basins. Metabasites, and specifically eclogites, have a tendency to mark tectonic sutures and frequently preserve pressure (P), temperature (T), and age data (t) that can be gleaned from mineral equilibria and U-Pb isotopic compositions. As such, the …

Fabrication And Characterization Of Mesoscale Protein Patterns Using Atomic Force Microscopy (Afm), Pei Gao

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

A versatile AFM local oxidation lithography was developed for fabricating clean protein patterns ranging from nanometer to sub-millimeter scale on octadecyltrichlorosilane (OTS) layer of Si (100) wafer. This protein patterning method can generate bio-active protein pattern with a clean background without the need of the anti-fouling the surface or repetitive rinsing.

As a model system, lysozyme protein patterns were investigated through their binding reactions with antibodies and aptamers by AFM. Polyclonal anti-lysozyme antibodies and anti-lysozyme aptamer are found to preferentially bind to the lysozyme molecules on the edge of a protein pattern before their binding to the interior ones. It …

Interactions And Effects Of Biomolecules On Au Nanomaterial Surfaces, Manish Sethi

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Au nanoparticles are increasingly being used in biological applications. Their use is of interest based upon their unique properties that are achieved at the nanoscale, which includes strong optical absorbances that are size and aggregation state dependent. Such absorbances can be used in sensitive chemical/biological detection schemes where bioligands can be directly attached to the nanoparticle surface using facile methods. Unfortunately, a number of complications persist that prevent their wide-scale use. These limitations include minimal nanoparticle stability in biological-based media of high ionic strength, unknown surface functionalization effects using simple biomolecules, and determining the binding motifs of the ligands to …

Resource Allocation And Efficient Routing In Wireless Networks, Jianjun Yang

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

In wireless networks, devices (nodes) are connected by wireless links. An important issue is to set up high quality (high bandwidth) and efficient routing paths when one node wants to send packets to other nodes. Resource allocation is the foundation to guarantee high quality connections. In addition, it is critical to handle void areas in order to set up detour-free paths. Moreover, fast message broadcasting is essential in mobile wireless networks. Thus, my research includes dynamic channel allocation in wireless mesh networks, geographic routing in Ad Hoc networks, and message broadcasting in vehicular networks.

The quality of connections in a …

Ignition Of A Large Volume Plasma With A Plasma Jet, M. Laroussi, M. A. Akman

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Here we report on a method to generate a long plasma plume and to ignite a large volume plasma by means of the jet. The plasma plume is generated by our tube reactor and then introduced into a chamber where the pressure is controlled. We discovered there are three operating phases:Aphasewhere the plume length remains approximately constant, followed by a second phase where the jet increases in length as the pressure decreases. Then at pressures below 70 Torr a mode transition occurs where the plume length decreases and the plasma expands until the entire chamber is filled.

Unitary-Quantum-Lattice Algorithm For Two-Dimensional Quantum Turbulence, Bo Zhang, George Vahala, Linda L. Vahala, Min Soe

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Quantum vortex structures and energy cascades are examined for two-dimensional quantum turbulence (2D QT) at zero temperature. A special unitary evolution algorithm, the quantum lattice algorithm, is employed to simulate the Bose-Einstein condensate governed by the Gross-Pitaevskii (GP) equation. A parameter regime is uncovered in which, as in 3D QT, there is a short Poincare recurrence time. It is demonstrated that such short recurrence times are destroyed by stronger nonlinear interaction. The similar loss of Poincare recurrence is also seen in the 3D GP equation. Various initial conditions are considered in an attempt to discern if 2D QT exhibits inverse …

Poincare Recurrence And Spectral Cascades In Three-Dimensional Quantum Turbulence, George Vahala, Jeffrey Yepez, Linda L. Vahala, Min Soe, Bo Zhang, Sean Ziegeler

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

The time evolution of the ground state wave function of a zero-temperature Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) gas is well described by the Hamiltonian Gross-Pitaevskii (GP) equation. Using a set of appropriately interleaved unitary collision-stream operators, a qubit lattice gas algorithm is devised, which on taking moments, recovers the Gross-Pitaevskii (GP) equation under diffusion ordering (time scales as length²). Unexpectedly, there is a class of initial states whose Poincaré recurrence time is extremely short and which, as the grid resolution is increased, scales with diffusion ordering (and not as length³). The spectral results of J. Yepez et al. …

Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance Of Single Silver Nanoparticles Studied By Dark-Field Optical Microscopy And Spectroscopy, Wei Cao, Tao Huang, Xiao-Hong Nancy Xu, Hani E. Elsayed-Ali

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) of Ag nanoparticles (NPs) with different shapes and disk-shaped Ag NP pairs with varying interparticle distance is studied using dark-field optical microscopy and spectroscopy (DFOMS). Disk-, square-, and triangular-shaped Ag NPs were fabricated on indium tin oxide-coated glass substrates by electron beam lithography. The LSPR spectra collected from single Ag NPs within 5×5 arrays using DFOMS exhibited pronounced redshifts as the NP shape changed from disk to square and to triangular. The shape-dependent experimental LSPR spectra are in good agreement with simulations using the discrete dipole approximation model, although there are small deviations in the …

Anisotropic Response Of Nanosized Bismuth Films Upon Femtosecond Laser Excitation Monitored By Ultrafast Electron Diffraction, Ahmed R. Esmail, Hani E. Elsayed-Ali

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

The lattice response of 5 nm thick bismuth film to femtosecond laser excitation is probed by ultrafast electron diffraction. The transient decay time after laser excitation is greater for diffraction from (012) lattice planes compared to (110) planes and is reduced for both planes with the increased laser fluence. These results indicate that different energy coupling mechanisms to the lattice occur depending on the crystal direction. The behavior of the diffraction peak width indicates partial disorder of the film upon photoexcitation that increases together with the laser fluence. © 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3652919]

New Photovoltaic Acceptors: Synthesis And Characterization Of Functionalized C-Fused Anthradithiophene Quinones, Kerri Shelton

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Stable organic semiconductors are critical to produce inexpensive, efficient and flexible thin film organic solar cells. A current chemical focus is the synthesis of stable, electron-accepting materials to be utilized as an acceptor layer in photovoltaics.¹ The Anthony group has shown that the functionalization of pentacene with suitable electron withdrawing groups provides a catalog of suitable acceptors for this purpose.² These pentacenes can be further modified to pack in a unique 1-dimensional "sandwich herringbone" crystal packing, leading to improved device current.³ To improve the stability of acene acceptors, we have taken two hetero-atom themed approaches. First, we …

Development Of Novel Electrophilic Ruthenium(Ii) And Iridium(Iii) Complexes And Their Applications As Homogeneous Catalysts, Ryan R. Ketcham

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Our aim was to develop the synthetic potential and reaction chemistry of Ir³⁺ and Ru²⁺ electrophiles by preparing well-characterized complexes whose properties are controllable by modification of the ancillary ligand environment Specifically, we prepared a series of ruthenium complexes to serve as selective hydrogenation and hydrogenolysis catalysts of furan derivatives. We also expanded the synthesis of electrophilic Ir³⁺ di-thiolate complexes. These types of compounds could eventually serve as catalysts precursors for the addition of weak nucleophiles to alkynes and nitriles.

Fate Of Stable Isotope Label During Predation Of 15N-Tagged Wild-Type Escherichia Coli By Protozoa, Ashley M. Barton

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Currently, bacterial movement in karst aquifers is not well understood. Use of stable isotopes to label non-pathogenic Escherichia coli as a particulate groundwater tracer in karst systems has been examined in previous studies. Loss of the stable isotope signal is anticipated in traces greater than 500 m in length. Potential loss of ¹⁵N due to predation by protozoa was examined. Filter-sterilized water from Royal Spring in Georgetown, Kentucky, was inoculated with a mixture of either Tetrahymena pyriformis or Colpoda steinii and ¹⁵N-enriched E. coli and stored in the dark at 14°C. Samples were analyzed for their nitrogen isotope …

Robust Integral Of Neural Network And Sign Of Tracking Error Control Of Uncertain Nonlinear Affine Systems Using State And Output Feedback, Qinmin Yang, Sarangapani Jagannathan, Youxian Sun

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper presents a novel state and output feedback control law for the tracking control of a class of multi-input-multi-output (MIMO) continuous time nonlinear systems with unknown dynamics and disturbance input. First the state feedback-based control law is designed which consists of the robust integral of a neural network (NN) output plus the sign of the tracking error signal multiplied with an adaptive gain. the two-layer NN learns the system dynamics in an online manner while the NN residual reconstruction errors and the bounded system disturbances are overcome by the error sign signal. Both of the NN output and error …

Do We Need M&S Science?, Jose J. Padilla, Saikou Y. Diallo, Andreas Tolk

VMASC Publications

No abstract provided.

Stochastic Optimal Control Design For Nonlinear Networked Control System Via Neuro Dynamic Programming Using Input-Output Measurements, Hao Xu, Sarangapani Jagannathan

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Neuro dynamic programming (NDP) techniques for optimal control of nonlinear network control system (NNCS) are not addressed in the literature. Therefore, in this paper, a novel NNCS representation incorporating the unknown system uncertainties and network imperfections is introduced first by using input and output measurements. Then, an online neural network (NN) identifier is introduced to estimate the control coefficient matrix. Subsequently, the critic NN and action NN are employed along with the NN identifier to determine the forward-in-time, time-Based stochastic optimal control of NNCS without using value and policy iterations. Instead, value function and control inputs are updated at every …

Investigation Of Synthetic Methods For Preparation Of 2O-Amino Derivatives Of 5-Amino- 1, 10-Phenanthroline: Applications To Cu+2 Based Impedance Sensors, Satish B. Chunchu

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The main purpose of this project is to synthesize 2^o - derivatives of 5-amino-1, 10- phenanthroline (5-aphen) for application as self-assembled monolayers on gold interdigitated electrode array chips in standard impedance and impedance resonance-based Cu²⁺ sensors. Potential applications include monitoring Cu²⁺ leaching from anti-fouling coatings on ship hulls. The importance of the planned secondary alkyl amino derivatives will be to test their binding properties to the gold surface through dithiocarbamate linkages by monitoring the IDE impedance signal. Practical sensor development requires good impedance response, maximum binding to the gold IDE chip, and maximum long term stability of …

Paley-Wiener Theorems With Respect To The Spectral Parameter, Susanna Dann

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

One of the important questions related to any integral transform on a manifold M or on a homogeneous space G/K is the description of the image of a given space of functions. If M=G/K, where (G,K) is a Gelfand pair, then harmonic analysis on M is closely related to the representations of G and the direct integral decomposition of L^2(M) into irreducible representations of G. R^n can be realized as the quotient R^n=E(n)/SO(n), where E(n) is the orientation preserving Euclidean motion group. The pair (E(n), SO(n)) is a Gelfand pair. Hence this realization of R^n comes with its own natural …

Towards Transient Growth Analysis And Design In Iterative Learning Control, Douglas A. Bristow, John R. Singler

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In this article the problem of bounding transient growth in iterative learning control (ILC) is examined. While transient growth is not a desirable property, the alternative, robust monotonic convergence, leads to fundamental performance limitations. to circumvent these limitations, this article considers the possibility that some transient growth, if properly limited, is a viable and practical option. Towards this end, this article proposes tools for analysing worst-case transient growth in ILC. the proposed tools are based on pseudospectra analysis, which is extended to apply to ILC of uncertain systems. Two practical problems in norm-optimal ILC weighting parameter design are considered. Using …

Classroom Manipulative To Engage Students In Mathematical Modeling Of Disease Spread: 1 + 1 = Achoo!, H. Gaff, M. Lyons, G. Watson

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Infectious diseases ranging from the common cold to cholera affect our society physically, emotionally, ecologically, and economically. Yet despite their importance and impact, there remains a lack of effective teaching materials for epidemiology and disease ecology in K-12, undergraduate, and graduate curricula [2]. To address this deficit, we've developed a classroom lesson with three instructional goals: (1) Familiarize students on basic concepts of infectious disease ecology; (2) Introduce students to a classic compartmental model and its applications in epidemiology; (3) Demonstrate the application and importance of mathematical modeling as a tool in biology. The instructional strategy uses a game-based mathematical …

Crystallization And Preliminary X-Ray Crystallographic Analysis Of Ligand-Free And Arginine-Bound Forms Of Thermotoga Maritima Arginine-Binding Protein, Alessia Ruggiero, Jonathan D. Dattelbaum, Anna Pennacchio, Luisa Iozzion, Maria Staiano, Matthew S. Luchansky, Bryan S. Der, Rita Berisio, Sabato D'Auria, Luigi Vitagliano

Chemistry Faculty Publications

The arginine-binding protein from Thermotoga maritima (TmArgBP) is an arginine-binding component of the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transport system in this hyperthermophilic bacterium. This protein is endowed with an extraordinary stability towards thermal and chemical denaturation. Its structural characterization may provide useful insights for the clarification of structure– stability relationships and for the design of new biosensors. Crystallization trials were set up for both arginine-bound and ligand-free forms of TmArgBP and crystals suitable for crystallographic investigations were obtained for both forms. Ordered crystals of the arginine adduct of TmArgBP could only be obtained by using the detergent LDAO as an additive …

Charge Saturation And Neutral Substitutions In Halomethanes And Their Group 14 Analogues, Bernard K. Wittmaack, Chad Crigger, Matthew Guarino, Kelling J. Donald

Chemistry Faculty Publications

A computational analysis of the charge distribution in halomethanes and their heavy analogues (MH_4-nX_n: M= C, Si, Ge, Sn, Pb; X = F, Cl, Br, I) as a function of _n uncovers a previously unidentified saturation limit for fluorides when M ≠ C. We examine the electron densities obtained at the CCSD, MP2(full), B3PW91, and HF levels of theory for 80 molecules for four different basis sets. A previously observed substituent independent charge at F in fluoromethanes is shown to be a move toward saturation that is restricted by the low polarizability of C. This limitation …

Stabilizing Carbon-Lithium Stars, Nancy Perez-Peralta, Maryel Contreras, William Tiznado, John Stewart, Kelling J. Donald, Gabriel Merino

Chemistry Faculty Publications

We have explored in silico the potential energy surfaces of the C₅Li_n^n-6 (n = 5, 6, and 7) clusters using the Gradient Embedded Genetic Algorithm (GEGA) and other computational strategies. The most stable forms of C₅Li_5-^- and C₅Li₆ are two carbon chains linked by two lithium atoms in a persistent seven membered ring capped by two Li atoms. The other Li atoms are arrayed on the edge of the seven membered ring. In contrast, the global minimum structure for C₅Li₇⁺ is a bicapped star …

Synthesis, Assembly, And Characterization Of Monolayer-Protected Gold Nanoparticle Films For Protein Monolayer Electrochemistry,, Tran T. Doan, Michael H. Freeman, Adrienne R. Schmidt, Natalie T. Nguyen, Michael C. Leopold

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Colloidal gold nanoparticles protected with alkanethiolate ligands called monolayer protected gold clusters (MPCs) are synthesized and subsequently incorporated into film assemblies that serve as adsorption platforms for protein monolayer electrochemistry (PME). PME is utilized as the model system for studying electrochemical properties of redox proteins by confining them to an adsorption platform at a modified electrode, which also serves as a redox partner for electron transfer (ET) reactions. Studies have shown that gold nanoparticle film assemblies of this nature provide for a more homogeneous protein adsorption environment and promote ET without distance dependence compared to the more traditional systems modified …

Study Of Differential Cross Section Using Different Bound State Potentials, Ass'ad I. Ass'ad

Turkish Journal of Physics

In this study, heavy ion reactions of ^6Li + (^{58}Ni, ^{28}Si, ^{12}C) and ^7Li + ^{12}C are studied using different bound state potentials, within the framework of the Distorted Wave Bourn Approximation (DWBA) calculations. Woods-Saxon potential is expressed as the optical potential in the initial and final channels together with a Coulomb potential. The calculations of the angular distributions are found to be in a good agreement with the experimental data. The extracted spectroscopic factors are reasonable.

A Quantum Theory Of The Scattering Of Soft X-Ray From Compton Effect Caused Electron Standing Wave In The Materials, Biswajit Mallick

Turkish Journal of Physics

In the present investigation, low-energy x-rays (

Uis Mapping Grades, Ph. Häuselmann

International Journal of Speleology

No abstract provided.

Effective Size And Expansion Energy Of A Bose-Einstein Condensate In A 3d Non-Cubic Optical Lattice, Shemi S. M. Soliman

Turkish Journal of Physics

This work is devoted to study the temperature dependence of the effective size and expansion energy E_{x,z} of a Bose-Einstein condensate in a 3D non-cubic optical lattice. Correction due to the finite size, interatomic interaction and the deepness of the lattice potential are given simultaneously. The calculated results show that these two parameters increase with the lattice depth or the relative frequency at temperature less than the transition temperature, (T < T_o); yet it has little effect at temperatures higher than the transition temperature (T > T_o). Both the effective size and expansion energy follow a characteristic temperature dependence, i.e. , E \propto(T/T_0)^4 if T < T_0 and , E \propto (T/T_0) if T > T_0. For a 3D non cubic optical potential the effect of …

Analytical Expression For Mode-Coherence Coefficient Of A Uniformly-Distributed Wave Propagating In Different Homogeneous Media, Noor Ezzulddin Naji

Turkish Journal of Physics

Presented is a derivation of an analytical expression for the mode-coherence coefficients of uniform-distributed wave propagating within different homogeneous media-as in the case of hyperbolic Gaussian beams-and a simple method involving the superposition of two such beams is proposed. The results obtained from this work are very applicable to study and analysis of Hermite-Gaussian beam propagation, especially in the problems of radiation-matter interaction, and laser beam propagation such as employed in free-space and fiber optical communications.