Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Potential For Asymmetric Competition Among Co-Inhabiting Invasive Silver Carp And Native Shad Species In The Lower Midwest, Dalton D. Lebeda

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

In the United States, Silver Carp are an invasive voracious planktivorous fish that are capable of competing with many native fish species. Until the last decade, very little was known about how Silver Carp would interact with native fish species or how quickly their populations would expand. In the early 2000’s, established Silver Carp populations were reported in Kentucky Lake although they were reported in the Tennessee River much earlier (1987). Kentucky Lake is the first large flood storage reservoir that has been invaded by a reproducing population of Silver Carp in the United States. To date, control measures for …

Recent Land Cover Changes And Sensitivity Of The Model Simulations To Various Land Cover Datasets For China, Rezaul Mahmood

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Gene Expression Noise Enhances Robust Organization Of The Early Mammalian Blastocyst, William R. Holmes, Nabora Soledad Reyes De Mochel, Qixuan Wang, Huijing Du, Tao Peng, Michael Chiang, Olivier Cinquin, Ken Cho, Qing Nie

Department of Mathematics: Faculty Publications

A critical event in mammalian embryo development is construction of an inner cell mass surrounded by a trophoectoderm (a shell of cells that later form extraembryonic structures). We utilize multi-scale, stochastic modeling to investigate the design principles responsible for robust establishment of these structures. This investigation makes three predictions, each supported by our quantitative imaging. First, stochasticity in the expression of critical genes promotes cell plasticity and has a critical role in accurately organizing the developing mouse blastocyst. Second, asymmetry in the levels of noise variation (expression fluctuation) of Cdx2 and Oct4 provides a means to gain the benefits of …

Dynamical Processes Of Gravity Waves Propagation And Dissipation, And Statistical Characteristics Of Their Momentum Flux In The Mesosphere And Lower Thermosphere, Bing Cao

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT) (⇠80–110 km) is dominated by abundant atmospheric waves, of which gravity waves are one of the least understood due to large varieties in wave characteristics as well as potential sources. Gravity waves play an important role in the atmosphere by influencing the thermal balance and helping to drive the global circulation. But due to their sub-grid scale, the effects of gravity waves in General Circulation Models (GCMs) are mostly parameterized. The investigations of gravity waves in this dissertation are from two perspectives: the dynamical processes of gravity wave propagation and dissipation in the MLT …

Gravity Wave And Turbulence Transport In The Mesopause Region, Yafang Guo

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Vertical transport due to dissipating gravity waves and turbulence in the mesopause region (85-100 km) are analyzed with observational data obtained from a narrow-band sodium wind/temperature lidar located at Andes Lidar Observatory (ALO), Cerro Pach´on (30.25 S, 70.73 W), Chile. The Na lidar at ALO has been in regular operation since 2010. The upgrade of the lidar system in May 2014 resulted in great improvements of the signal levels, which enabled data acquisition of high temporal and vertical resolutions reaching 6 s and 25 m. Traditional data processing utilizes signals at lower resolutions, typically at 60 s and 500 m, …

Assessing Patient And Caregiver Intent To Use Mobile Device Videoconferencing For Remote Mechanically-Ventilated Patient Management, Brian R. Smith

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The Michigan Medicine adult Assisted Ventilation Clinic (AVC) supports patients with neuromuscular disorders and spinal cord injuries and their caregivers at home, helping them avoid expensive emergency department visits, hospitalization, and unnecessary or excessive treatments. Mobile device videoconferencing provides an effective capability for remote mechanically-ventilated patient management but must rely upon an unknown infrastructure comprising patient and caregiver mobile device ownership, connectivity, and experience—and intent to use the service if provided. The purpose of this study was to measure the extent of this infrastructure and the perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, and intent to use this mobile device …

The Anticancer Effects Of The Different Analogs Of Cysteine Deleted Tachyplesin On A549 Lung Cancer Cells, Nathan Riley Hendrickson

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

It has been previously shown that cysteine-deleted tachyplesin (CDT) and its many analogs display antibacterial effects. However, little has been said about its possible anticancer effects and which analogs serve as the best inhibitors of the growing cancer cells. This research focused on CDT and four of its analogs: All D-CDT, Reverse DCDT, Reverse CDT, and Serine-Control CDT. MTT assays against the A549 adenocarcinoma lung cancer cell line showed All D-CDT to be the most effective analog in preventing cancer cell growth. Hyaluronidase and apoptosis assays were performed to better understand the mechanism by which the All D-CDT is preventing …

Light Soaking Phenomena In Organic-Inorganic Mixed Halide Perovskite Single Crystals, Hye Ryung Byun, Dae Young Park, Hye Min Oh, Gon Namkoong, Mun Seok Jeong

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Recently, organic inorganic mixed halide perovskite (MAPbX₃; MA = CH₃NH₃^+, X = Cl^-, Br^-, or I^-) single crystals with low defect densities have been highlighted as candidate materials for high-efficiency photovoltaics and optoelectronics. Here we report the optical and structural investigations of mixed halide perovskite (MAPbBr_3-xI_x) single crystals. Mixed halide perovskite single crystals showed strong light soaking phenomena with light illumination conditions that were correlated to the trapping and detrapping events from defect sites. By systematic investigation with optical analysis, we found that the …

Variable Structure Feedback Control With Application To Spacecraft With Small Thrust Propulsion Systems, Samuel J. Kitchen-Mckinley

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Small spacecrafts requiring small propulsion systems are becoming more popular for low Earth orbit. It is important for these research satellites to have accurate guidance and control systems. Small propulsion systems will also be beneficial for multiple small spacecrafts used future exploration expeditions beyond low Earth orbit. These small spacecrafts benefit from the simplicity of low thrust cold gas propulsion systems. Additionally, large spacecrafts using low thrust, high specific impulse propellants for main propulsion systems, such as ion engines, allow longer and more flexible missions, including Earth orbiting spacecraft and interplanetary spacecraft.

In order to extend the life of future …

Decision Process In Mcdm With Large Number Of Criteria And Heterogeneous Risk Preferences, Jian Liu, Hong Kuan Zhao, Zhao Bin Li, Si Feng Liu

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A new decision process is proposed to address the challenge that a large number of criteria in the multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) problem and the decision makers with heterogeneous risk preferences. First, from the perspective of objective data, the effective criteria are extracted based on the similarity relations between criterion values and the criteria are weighted, respectively. Second, the corresponding types of theoretic model of risk preferences expectations will be built, based on the possibility and similarity between criterion values to solve the problem for different interval numbers with the same expectation. Then, the risk preferences (Risk-seeking, risk-neutral and risk-aversion) …

Informing Marine Protected Area Designation And Management For Nesting Olive Ridley Sea Turtles Using Satellite Tracking, Tiffany M. Dawson, Angela Formia, Pierre D. Agamboué, Georges M. Asseko, François Boussamba, Floriane Cardiec, Emmanuel Chartrain, Philip D. Doherty, J. Michael Fay, Brendan J. Godley, Francis Lambert, Brice D. Koumba Mabert, Jean C. Manfoumbi, Kristian Metcalfe, Gianna Minton, Ivan Ndanga, Jacob Nzegoue, Carmen K. Kouerey Oliwina, Philippe Du Plessis, Guy-Philippe Sounguet, Dominic Tilley, Matthew J. Witt, Sara M. Maxwell

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Understanding the horizontal and vertical habitat of olive ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea), a threatened species, is critical for determining regions for protection and relevant gear modifications that may effectively reduce bycatch, the largest threat to this species. Satellite transmitters were used to determine the movement and dive behavior of 21 female olive ridley turtles tagged in Pongara National Park, Gabon during the 2012, 2013, and 2015 nesting seasons. A switching state-space model was used to filter the tracking data and categorize the internesting and post-nesting movements. Gridded utilization distribution (UD) home range analysis of tracking data revealed …

Fit To Predict? Ecoinformatics For Predicting The Catchability Of A Pelagic Fish In Near Real-Time, Kylie L. Scales, Elliot L. Hazen, Sara M. Maxwell, Heidi Dewar, Suzanne Kohin, Michael G. Jacox, Christopher A. Edwards, Dana K. Briscoe, Larry B. Crowder, Rebecca L. Lewison, Steven J. Bograd

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The ocean is a dynamic environment inhabited by a diverse array of highly migratory species, many of which are under direct exploitation in targeted fisheries. The timescales of variability in the marine realm coupled with the extreme mobility of ocean-wandering species such as tuna and billfish complicates fisheries management. Developing ecoinformatics solutions that allow for near real-time prediction of the distributions of highly mobile marine species is an important step towards the maturation of dynamic ocean management and ecological forecasting. Using 25 years (1990-2014) of NOAA fisheries' observer data from the California drift gillnet fishery, we model relative probability of …

Developing Pulse Shape Discrimination Techniques To Identify Alpha Particles, Neutrons, And Gamma Rays, Emily Hudson , '17

Senior Theses, Projects, and Awards

The purpose of this project was to develop pulse shape discrimination (PSD) methods that would be applied to background measurements for the Mitchell Institute Neutrino Experiment at Reactor, or MivER, collaboration. The purpose of the MivER experiment is to detect coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering (CEvNS). Pulse shape discrimination is an analysis method used to distinguish between different particles by the shapes of their waveforms. I wrote my analysis code in Python while my research partner wrote her code in C++. We tried a variety of PSD methods. In one method, we curve fit the …

Critical Decisions In Metaproteomics: Achieving High Confidence Protein Annotations In A Sea Of Unknowns, Emma Timmins-Schiffman, Damon H. May, Molly Mikan, Michael Riffle, Chris Frazar, H. R. Harvey, William S. Noble, Brook L. Nunn

OES Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Community Production Modulates Coral Reef Ph And The Sensitivity Of Ecosystem Calcification To Ocean Acidification, Thomas M. Decarlo, Anne L. Cohen, George T. F. Wong, Fuh-Kwo Shiah, Steven J. Lentz, Kristen A. Davis, Kathryn E. F. Shamberger, Pat Lohmann

OES Faculty Publications

Coral reefs are built of calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) produced biogenically by a diversity of calcifying plants, animals, and microbes. As the ocean warms and acidifies, there is mounting concern that declining calcification rates could shift coral reef CaCO3 budgets from net accretion to net dissolution. We quantified net ecosystem calcification (NEC) and production (NEP) on Dongsha Atoll, northern South China Sea, over a 2 week period that included a transient bleaching event. Peak daytime pH on the wide, shallow reef flat during the nonbleaching period was ~8.5, significantly elevated above that of the surrounding open ocean (~8.0-8.1) as …

Effects Of Climate Oscillations On Wildland Fire Potential In The Continental United States, Shelby A. Mason, Peter E. Hamlington, Benjamin D. Hamlington, W. Matt Jolly, Chad M. Hoffman

OES Faculty Publications

The effects of climate oscillations on spatial and temporal variations in wildland fire potential in the continental U.S. are examined from 1979 to 2015 using cyclostationary empirical orthogonal functions (CSEOFs). The CSEOF analysis isolates effects associated with the modulated annual cycle and the El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). The results show that, in early summer, wildland fire potential is reduced in the southwest during El Nino but is increased in the northwest, with opposite trends for La Nina. In late summer, El Nino is associated with increased wildland fire potential in the southwest. Relative to the mean, the largest impacts of …

Widespread Infilling Of Tidal Channels And Navigable Waterways In The Human-Modified Tidal Deltaplain Of Southwest Bangladesh, C. Wilson, S. Goodbred, C. Small, J. Gilligan, S. Sams, B. Mallick, R. Hale

OES Faculty Publications

Since the 1960s, ~5000 km² of tidal deltaplain in southwest Bangladesh has been embanked and converted to densely inhabited, agricultural islands (i.e., polders). This landscape is juxtaposed to the adjacent Sundarbans, a pristine mangrove forest, both well connected by a dense network of tidal channels that effectively convey water and sediment throughout the region. The extensive embanking in poldered areas, however, has greatly reduced the tidal prism (i.e., volume of water) transported through local channels. We reveal that >600 km of these major waterways have infilled in recent decades, converting to land through enhanced sedimentation and the direct blocking …

Metagomics: A Web-Based Tool For Peptide-Centric Functional And Taxonomic Analysis Of Metaproteomics Data, Michael Riffle, Damon H. May, Emma Timmins-Schiffman, Molly P. Mikan, Daniel Jaschob, William S. Noble, Brook L. Nunn

OES Faculty Publications

Metaproteomics is the characterization of all proteins being expressed by a community of organisms in a complex biological sample at a single point in time. Applications of metaproteomics range from the comparative analysis of environmental samples (such as ocean water and soil) to microbiome data from multicellular organisms (such as the human gut). Metaproteomics research is often focused on the quantitative functional makeup of the metaproteome and which organisms are making those proteins. That is: What are the functions of the currently expressed proteins? How much of the metaproteome is associated with those functions? And, which microorganisms are expressing the …

Spatial Patterns Of Sea Level Variability Associated With Natural Internal Climate Modes, Weiqing Han, Gerald A. Meehl, Detlef Stammer, Aixue Hu, Benjamin Hamlington, Jessica Kenigson, Hindumathi Palanisamy, Philip Thompson

OES Faculty Publications

Sea level rise (SLR) can exert significant stress on highly populated coastal societies and low-lying island countries around the world. Because of this, there is huge societal demand for improved decadal predictions and future projections of SLR, particularly on a local scale along coastlines. Regionally, sea level variations can deviate considerably from the global mean due to various geophysical processes. These include changes of ocean circulations, which partially can be attributed to natural, internal modes of variability in the complex Earth's climate system. Anthropogenic influence may also contribute to regional sea level variations. Separating the effects of natural climate modes …

Phytoplankton Plastid Proteomics: Cracking Open Diatoms To Understand Plastid Biochemistry Under Iron Limitation, Skyler J. Nunn, Phoebe Dreux Chappell, Kristofer Gomes, Anasthasia Bonderenko, Bethany D. Jenkins, Brook L. Nunn

OES Faculty Publications

Diatoms, such as Thalassiosira pseudonana, are important oceanic primary producers, as they sequester carbon dioxide (CO₂) out of the atmosphere, die, and precipitate to the ocean floor. In many areas of the world’s oceans, phytoplankton, such as diatoms, are limited in growth by the availability of iron (Fe). Fe is an essential nutrient for phytoplankton, as it is central in the electron transport chain component of photosynthesis. Through this study, we examined if Fe-limitation makes a significant difference in the proteins expressed within the chloroplast, the power source for diatoms. Here, we utilized a new plastid isolation technique specific …

Clustering-Based Online Player Modeling, Jason M. Bindewald, Gilbert L. Peterson, Michael E. Miller

Faculty Publications

Being able to imitate individual players in a game can benefit game development by providing a means to create a variety of autonomous agents and aid understanding of which aspects of game states influence game-play. This paper presents a clustering and locally weighted regression method for modeling and imitating individual players. The algorithm first learns a generic player cluster model that is updated online to capture an individual’s game-play tendencies. The models can then be used to play the game or for analysis to identify how different players react to separate aspects of game states. The method is demonstrated on …

Neural Network Predictions Of A Simulation-Based Statistical And Graph Theoretic Study Of The Board Game Risk, Jacob Munson

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

We translate the RISK board into a graph which undergoes updates as the game advances. The dissection of the game into a network model in discrete time is a novel approach to examining RISK. A review of the existing statistical findings of skirmishes in RISK is provided. The graphical changes are accompanied by an examination of the statistical properties of RISK. The game is modeled as a discrete time dynamic network graph, with the various features of the game modeled as properties of the network at a given time. As the network is computationally intensive to implement, results are produced …

Second Law Of Gravitational Thermodynamics In The Locally Rotationally Symmetric Bianchi Type-Ii Universe, Murat Korunur

Turkish Journal of Physics

In this work, under the assumption that the universe is locally rotationally symmetric (LRS) Bianchi type-II and filled with anisotropic dark fluid (dark energy and dark radiation), we investigate whether the generalized second law of thermodynamics (GSLT) is still valid. We also consider another important condition for LRS Bianchi type-II spacetimes whereby the model expansion $\theta $ is proportional to the shear $\sigma $, which leads to $B=A^{n}$ (where n is a constant and A and B are the metric potentials). Based on this, we derive a general circumstance for the GSLT and find that its validity depends on the …

Digitized Engineering Notebook, Bhargav Bolugoddu, Venkata Sharath Madamraju, Shamili Meneni, Anil Kuma Tanneru

All Capstone Projects

Digitized Engineering Notebook is a Web site application that simulates and transforms the characteristics of a paper notebook used for recording details of laboratory works into a digital version of such notebook. This is a web based application developed using the technologies like C#.Net, Asp.Net 4.0, Sql server 2014 as Database, JavaScript, CSS and few scripts and styles. Since the notebook is a permanent, documented and primary record of what you are doing in the laboratory: Digitized Engineering Notebook allows users to store records of text, data, and images to a database, and at the same time provides functionalities for …

Digitized Engineering Notebook, Sandeep Kumar Gudivada, Venkata Mahesh Kumar Gunturu, Bharat Vajrala

All Capstone Projects

Digitized Engineering Notebook is a fully operational web application which designed in a perspective to replace the traditional notebook of students with a complete digital feature. The noticeable functionalities of this project include front page with welcome message and a menu for navigation. The administrator will have access to edit the content in the database. The project leader and the team members can edit the content in the project. User will have option to create a new project or edit and can select existing project. Project leader will have accesses to add or remove members from the team and can …

Digitized Engineering Notebook, Naga Venkata Sandeep Kavuru, Shravan Kumar Redd Nareddy, Alekya Veeravalli, Ashwini Yarlagadda

All Capstone Projects

Digitized Engineering Notebook is a Web Based Application which is subject to the project status and their development reports and statistics. All the engineering students and professionals who work on the development of projects and mechanical applications maintain their notes and design process and other important attributes for the project. A General Engineering Notebook consists of Images, prototype sketches, development phases, data, and even text. These notebooks help the team members keep up with their work progress and make some important updates and notifications for themselves. However, this has a drop back by delaying the work and they take a …

Purification And Analysis Of A Pteroic Acid Conjugate, Naveen Kumar Ganji

All Capstone Projects

(FR) is overexpressed on the cell membrane in cancer tissues and activated macrophages associated with rheumatoid conditions. However, FR is restricted in normal healthy tissues. Folic acid has shown high affinity to folate receptors and thus can be used in targeting the tumor cells. Folic acid residue, pteroic acid is also used in several studies that are involved in targeting cancer cells. Several examples include technetium -99m radiotracer labelled pteroyl-lys conjugates, pteroic acid-conjugated nitroheterocyclic phosphoramidates..

In this project, we were successfully able to conjugate pteroic acid with polyethylene Glycol-Amine to create an elegant building block(pte-PEG-amine) for synthesis of future imaging …

Synthesis And Analysis Of Folate Histidine, Alexander Kampner

All Capstone Projects

A compound was specifically designed to further aid research on the detection and treatment of folate receptor positive cancer cells. A small but complex peptide chain was commercially produced to have a flexible glycine spacer and a six-histidine tag. Histidine tagging was chosen for its ability to bind to nickel. The compound in this report was purified and analyzed by HPLC and confirmed via mass spectrometry. This binding capacity and the ability of folate conjugates to bind to cancer cell receptors have both been explored for the past quarter of a century [1-3]. Folate conjugates have been successfully used as …

Gsu Event Portal, Ram Mohan Reddy Annapureddy, Gaana Priya Appecherla, Sindhura Kanikanti, Harika Muthyala

All Capstone Projects

This is Event Portal for event registration provides organizers to create, promote, manage and sell events of all types and sizes. The platform is mobile friendly, simple-to-navigate interfaces and design flow to enable organizers to manage events, and help users browse events and buy tickets with ease, the fundamental thought behind plotting this application is that organizer can design events as indicated by his requirements, needs and spending plan. We designed database to effectively store, get to and keep up information from the database and can be utilized for future usage. Our Event Portal is particularly configured to diminish the …

The Effect Of Sintering In Different Atmospheres On Superconductivity Parameters Of Ybco, Mehmet Başoğlu

Turkish Journal of Physics

YBa$_{2}$Cu$_{3}$O$_{7}$ (Y123) is a superconductor material discovered in 1987 and its transition temperature is above the liquid nitrogen temperature. It is known that superconductor samples produced by the solid-state reaction route are very often sintered in air atmosphere. However, in the presented work, Y123 was prepared by the same technique using a sintering ambient composed of a mixture of oxygen and argon gases for the first time. Critical current densities of the samples were calculated using results of magnetization measurements. It was obtained from magnetization analysis that all the samples exhibited superconductor character. It was also observed that the sample …