Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Three-Dimensional Vapor Intrusion Modeling Approach That Combines Wind And Stack Effects On Indoor, Atmospheric, And Subsurface Domains, Elham Shirazi, Kelly G. Pennell

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

Vapor intrusion (IV) exposure risks are difficult to characterize due to the role of atmospheric, building and subsurface processes. This study presents a three-dimensional VI model that extends the common subsurface fate and transport equations to incorporate wind and stack effects on indoor air pressure, building air exchange rate (AER) and indoor contaminant concentration to improve VI exposure risk estimates. The model incorporates three modeling programs: (1) COMSOL Multiphysics to model subsurface fate and transport processes, (2) CFD0 to model atmospheric air flow around the building, and (3) CONTAM to model indoor air quality. The combined VI model predicts AER …

Noteit Ios App, Waylin W. Wang, Gurjeevan Bains

Computer Science and Software Engineering

Miscommunication is a common struggle that many students face in today’s world, despite the significant technological progress that we have made. With NoteIt, we aimed to solve this issue, by allowing students to join groups based off of the courses that they are enrolled in during the current quarter. Within the app, they can send and receive messages and events from everyone else in the group, or post private reminders to themselves. Communication can range from assignment clarification to exam preparation tips. Overall the development of the application went relatively well, despite some roadblocks along the way. We were satisfied …

Degree And Neighborhood Conditions For Hamiltonicity Of Claw-Free Graphs, Zhi-Hong Chen

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

For a graph H , let σ t ( H ) = min { Σ i = 1 t d H ( v i ) | { v 1 , v 2 , … , v t } is an independent set in H } and let U t ( H ) = min { | ⋃ i = 1 t N H ( v i ) | | { v 1 , v 2 , ⋯ , v t } is an independent set in H } . We show that for a given number ϵ and given integers …

Is The State Of The Air-Sea Interface A Factor In Rapid Intensification And Rapid Decline Of Tropical Cyclones?, Alexander Soloviev, Roger Lukas, Mark A. Donelan, Brian K. Haus, Isaac Ginis

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Tropical storm intensity prediction remains a challenge in tropical meteorology. Some tropical storms undergo dramatic rapid intensification and rapid decline. Hurricane researchers have considered particular ambient environmental conditions including the ocean thermal and salinity structure and internal vortex dynamics (e.g., eyewall replacement cycle, hot towers) as factors creating favorable conditions for rapid intensification. At this point, however, it is not exactly known to what extent the state of the sea surface controls tropical cyclone dynamics. Theoretical considerations, laboratory experiments, and numerical simulations suggest that the air-sea interface under tropical cyclones is subject to the Kelvin-Helmholtz type instability. Ejection of large …

A Deep Chandra Study Of Galactic Type Ia Supernova Remnant G299.2-2.9, Seth Aaron Post

Physics Dissertations - Archive

In this thesis we perform a comprehensive analysis of Galactic Type Ia supernova remnant G299.2-2.9. For this study we analyze our deep 628 ks Chandra observation data of G299.2-2.9. G299.2-2.9 has a complex multiple shell-like structure consisting of a bright inner shell, with enhancements ("knots") in the northeastern portion of the shell, and a fainter diffuse outer shell. Our spectral analysis of the outer shells of G299.2-2.9 shows that the bright inner and faint outer shells appear to be emission features from the swept-up ambient medium (by the supernova blast wave) whose density is relatively uniform along the distance from …

Studies In Liquid And Ion Chromatography, Akinde Florence Kadjo

Chemistry & Biochemistry Dissertations - Archive

Height- and area-based quantitation approaches reduce two-dimensional data to a single value. For a calibration set, there is a single height- or area-based quantitation equation. We introduce a new quantitation method; a Width based method that consists of using the width of a peak (Wh), at any height h, (a fixed height, not a fixed fraction of the peak maximum), leading to any number of calibration curves. This particularity of width-based quantitation (WBQ) allows the quantitation of peaks over very large scales, making the quantitation of truncated peaks possible. We showed that WBQ can offer superior overall performance (lower root …

Structure And Property Calculations Of Amorphous Ceramics And Glasses Using Density Functional Theory Calculations And Empirical Potential Molecular Dynamic Simulations, Atreyi Dasmahapatra

Chemistry & Biochemistry Dissertations - Archive

The work in this thesis involves modeling amorphous ceramics and glasses using the tools of DFT and classical MD. Systems investigated include: metal-silicate glasses (in particular HfO2- SiO2), composite coatings (comprising of Zr-Si-B-C-N), and the refractory materials amorphous silicon nitride (a-Si3N4) and amorphous silicon boron nitride (a-SiBN). Modeling techniques include traditional “melt-and-quench” simulations combined with simulated annealing. Structures are further investigated for their physical and chemical properties. A brief overview of each chapter is given below: Hafnia-silica glasses (HfO2-SiO2) find applications in microelectronics and optical waveguides. I did a computational study of the thermochemistry of these compounds exploring enthalpy of …

Enantioselective Synthesis Of An Anticancer Ruthenium Polypyridyl Complex (Rpc) And Influence Of Chiral Selectivity On Dna Photocleavage, Shomita Ferdous

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses - Archive

Ruthenium polypyridyl complexes (RPCs) represent a promising therapeiutic class of drugs for transition-metal based anticancer drug development. The complex [(phen)2Ru(tatpp)Ru(phen)2] (44+) is a RPC which has shown success in both cell free and cellular assay. Unlike many other RPCs, 44+ can selectively kill malignant cells without light irradiation from external sources. This binuclear complex 44+ is a DNA intercalator containing redox-active ligand tatpp (9,11,20,22-Tetraaza tetrapyrido[3,2-a:2'3'-c:3'',2''- 1:2''',3''']-pentacene) which cleaves DNA in presence of a mild reducing agent, i.e. glutathione (GSH).1,2,3 The cellular assay (MTT assay) with different types of malignant cells has also established this as an equally potent cytotoxic agent …

Petrophysical Properties Of The Woodford Formation In The Ardmore Basin In Oklahoma, U.S.A, Benjamin Ryan

Earth & Environmental Sciences Theses - Archive

A prolific source rock in Oklahoma, the Woodford Shale has sourced petroleum reservoirs for millions of years and produced oil and gas since 1939. Not until the shale boom of the early 2000’s was the full potential of the Woodford Shale, as a reservoir, realized. The focus of this research is to characterize three (the main ones) of the four petro-physically distinct zones within the Ardmore Woodford Shale in order to investigate the ideal zone for hydrocarbon extraction. The Woodford Shale is composed of tight, organic-rich, interbedded shale and chert beds deposited along a marine slope. Due to its tight …

Nano-Scale Petrophysical Studies Of The Gothic Shale Interval In The Paradox Basin, Colorado, U.S.A., Marvin L. Dunbar

Earth & Environmental Sciences Theses - Archive

Hydrocarbon production from shale has become a main energy source for the United States. Consequently, an increased knowledge of the petrophysical properties of shale such as porosity, permeability, tortuosity, and fluid-rock interactions (e.g., contact angle, imbibition) will improve production efficiency. Because of their minute size (nanoscale), the knowledge of pore structure (i.e., pore geometry and connectivity) has proven difficult to understand. Analyzing the pore size distribution and pore connectivity of Gothic Shale from selected locations in the Montezuma County of Colorado will lead to recommendations for greater oil production efficiency, fostering innovation into a thriving, environmentally safe, oil and gas …

Mapping Structural Deformation Associated With The Formation Of The Blue Ridge Salt Dome, Mason Phillip Bonner

Earth & Environmental Sciences Theses - Archive

Geologic mapping and subsurface imaging around salt has remained difficult. Seismic imaging is difficult near salt due to the large velocity contrasts between salt and the surrounding rocks, the steeply dipping salt and sediment interface, and the presence of pinching beds on the flanks of the dome; but when combined with well control from previously drilled wells on top and on the flanks of a salt dome, a more complete profile of the subsurface structure becomes possible. Previous work has produced models of salt dome formation and the surrounding structural deformation, and when compared to seismic data, show a good …

Coupled Geochemical And Nano-Petrophysical Study Of The Utica Play, Appalachian Basin, Ohio, U.S.A., Dillon Worley

Earth & Environmental Sciences Theses - Archive

Being more extensive than the Marcellus Play, the Utica Play covers from New York state in the north to northeastern Kentucky and Tennessee in the south. The Utica Play is a stacked play consisting of organic-rich mudstones from upper Ordovician units of Utica Shale, Point Pleasant, and the Logana member of the Lexington/Trenton Limestone. This study will focus on the pore structure and rock-fluid interaction and with relation to the rocks geochemical properties to assess the Utica Play. To achieve this research purpose, 7 core samples and 16 cuttings, with different maturities were collected from various wells, to study rocks …

Nanopetrophysics Characterization Of The Mancos Shale Formation In The San Juan Basin Of Northwestern New Mexico, U.S.A., Richard Kalteyer

Earth & Environmental Sciences Theses - Archive

The Mancos Shale of the San Juan Basin is no stranger to the drilling of oil and gas, but traditional exploration within the region has predominantly been limited to the use of conventional vertical wells. Due to the recent advances in drilling and completion technologies, a large focus of oil and gas exploration has shifted towards the development of unconventional reservoirs. Because of these significant breakthroughs, it comes as no surprise that an increased interest in further developing the Mancos Shale has taken place. However, like most unconventional plays, low porosity and extremely low permeability characterize the Mancos Shale. These …

Statistical Estimation In Multivariate Normal Distribution With A Block Of Missing Observations, Yi Liu

Mathematics Dissertations - Archive

Missing observations occur quite often in data analysis. We study a random sample from a multivariate normal distribution with a block of missing observations, here the observations missing is not at random. We use maximum likelihood method to obtain the estimators from such a sample. The properties of the estimators are derived. The prediction problem is considered when the response variable has missing values. The variances of the mean estimators of the response variable under with and without extra information are compared. We prove that the variance of the mean estimator of the response variable using all data is smaller …

Usarray Imaging Of North American Continental Crust, Xiaofei Ma

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The layered structure and bulk composition of continental crust contains important clues about its history of mountain-building, about its magmatic evolution, and about dynamical processes that continue to happen now. Geophysical and geological features such as gravity anomalies, surface topography, lithospheric strength and the deformation that drives the earthquake cycle are all directly related to deep crustal chemistry and the movement of materials through the crust that alter that chemistry.

The North American continental crust records billions of years of history of tectonic and dynamical changes. The western U.S. is currently experiencing a diverse array of dynamical processes including modification …

The Investigation Of Gravity Waves In The Mesosphere / Lower Thermosphere And Their Effect On Sporadic Sodium Layer, Xuguang Cai

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Gravity waves in the atmosphere are the waves with gravity and buoyancy force as the restoring forces. Gravity waves will significantly impact the Mesosphere Lower / Thermosphere (MLT), and the breaking of gravity waves is the key factor to cause the cool summer and warm winter in the Mesopause region. Therefore, it is important for us to investigate gravity waves. In this dissertation, we mainly use USU Na lidar data to explore gravity waves in the MLT. The exploration is made up of two projects. One is the investigation of gravity wave breaking and the associated dynamic instability by USU …

Exploring And Describing The Spatial And Temporal Dynamics Of Medusahead In The Channeled Scablands Of Eastern Washington Using Remote Sensing Techniques, Timothy M. Bateman

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Medusahead is a harmful weed that is invading public lands in the West. The invasion is a serious concern to the public because it can reduce forage for livestock and wildlife, increase fire frequency, alter important ecosystem cycles (like water), reduce recreational activities, and produce landscapes that are aesthetically unpleasing. Invasions can drive up costs that generally require taxpayer’s dollars. Medusahead seedlings typically spread to new areas by attaching itself to passing objects (e.g. vehicles, animals, clothing) where it can quickly begin to affect plants communities. To be effective, management plans need to be sustainable, informed, and considerate to invasion …

Twentieth Century Channel Change Of The Green River In Canyonlands National Park, Utah, Alexander E. Walker

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Since the early 20^th century, river channels of the Colorado River basin have narrowed, decreasing available riparian and aquatic habitat. Changes are considered to be the result of three major factors: wide-spread water development, increasing hydroclimate variability and the invasion of non-native tamarisk (Tamarix spp.), altering flow regime and sediment supply. Different studies have reached different conclusions about the relative roles of flow regime, sediment supply and tamarisk in causing narrowing.

I investigated channel change in the lower Green River within Canyonlands National Park to describe channel changes in the 20^th century and understand the roles …

Artificial Olfactory System For Multi-Component Analysis Of Gas Mixtures., Alexander Aleksandrovich Larin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Gas analysis is an important part of our world and gas sensing technology is becoming more essential for various aspects of our life. A novel approach for gas mixture analysis by using portable gas chromatography in combination with an array of highly integrated and selective metal oxide (MOX) sensors has been studied. We developed a system with small size (7 x 13 x 16 inches), low power consumption (~10 W) and absence of special carrier gases designed for portable field analysis (assuming apriori calibration). Low ppb and even sub-ppb level of detection for some VOCs was achieved during the analysis …

Application Of Machine Learning And Statistical Learning Methods For Prediction In A Large-Scale Vegetation Map, Carla M. Brookey

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Original analyses of a large vegetation cover dataset from Roosevelt National Forest in northern Colorado were carried out by Blackard (1998) and Blackard and Dean (1998; 2000). They compared the classification accuracies of linear and quadratic discriminant analysis (LDA and QDA) with artificial neural networks (ANN) and obtained an overall classification accuracy of 70.58% for a tuned ANN compared to 58.38% for LDA and 52.76% for QDA.

Because there has been tremendous development of machine learning classification methods over the last 35 years in both computer science and statistics, as well as substantial improvements in the speed of computer hardware, …

Effects Of Ocean Warming And Acidification On Fertilization Success And Early Larval Development In The Green Sea Urchin, Lytechinus Variegatus, Brittney L. Lenz

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Climate change is predicted to affect the larval stages of many marine organisms. Ocean warming can reduce larval survival and hasten larval development, whereas ocean acidification can delay larval development. Ocean acidification is especially concerning for marine organisms that develop and grow calcified shells or skeletons in an environment undersaturated with calcium carbonate minerals. This study assessed the effects of ocean warming and acidification on the fertilization and larval development of the green sea urchin, Lytechinus variegatus, a tropical species common in Florida and the Caribbean. After spawning, gametes were fertilized and embryos/larvae were reared at: 1) 28°C and …

Variation In Coral Recruitment And Juvenile Distribution Along The Southeast Florida Reef Tract, Leah M. Harper

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Coral recruitment in Southeast Florida is being outpaced by mortality, resulting in population declines in many species. Identifying the coral species most likely to recruit and survive on Southeast Florida reefs and evaluating spatial variation in recruitment and survivorship is crucial for managing decreasing coral populations. This study focuses on 12 sites in Broward and Miami-Dade counties that have served as long-term stations for monitoring adult coral cover and demographics. At each site, thirty-two 225cm² grooved terracotta settlement tiles were attached to the substrate in winter of 2015 and retrieved in winter of 2016 to evaluate scleractinian and octocoral …

Exploring Oculus Rift: A Historical Analysis Of The ‘Virtual Reality’ Paradigm, Chastin Gammage

ART 108: Introduction to Games Studies

This paper will first provide background information about Virtual Reality in order to better analyze its development throughout history and into the future. Next, this essay begins an in-depth historical analysis of how virtual reality has developed prior to 1970, a pivotal year in Virtual Reality history, followed by an exploration of how this development paradigm shifted between the 1970's and the turn of the century. The historical analysis of virtual reality is concluded by covering the modern period from 2000-present. Finally, this paper examines the layout of the virtual reality field in respect to he history and innovations presented.

Notes From The Director, The Mcnair Team

McNair Scholars Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Full Issue, The Mcnair Team

McNair Scholars Research Journal

No abstract provided.

A Swift Guide To Butterflies Of North America, Second Edition., Ann B. Swengel

The Prairie Naturalist

As soon as I got my hands on A Swift Guide to Butterflies of North America, I immediately checked the species account for Aphrodite Fritillary (Speyeria aphrodite). The prairie version of this species can be sufficiently different from the typically illustrated nominate subspecies such that it must be specifically explained as being distinct. This book passed my first test—describing details that were not only essential for identifying this fritillary species but also for realizing how similar its underside can be to our prairie specialty, the stunning Regal Fritillary (S. idalia).

Much of my research on butterflies occurs in grasslands. For …

Avian Diversity, Abundance, And Nest Success Among Managed Prairies And Agricultural Plots In Oklahoma And Texas, Phillip J. Leonard, Douglas R. Wood, Wayne E. Meyer

The Prairie Naturalist

Over the last 50 years, grassland birds experienced rapid declines due to habitat loss and degradation as a result of agricultural practices. Our objective was to document the diversity, abundance, and nest success of bird communities using managed prairie and agricultural plots at the Tishomingo National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in southern Oklahoma and Hagerman NWR in northern Texas. From April 1 to July 15, 2013–2014, point count surveys, nest searches, nest monitoring, and vegetation sampling were conducted among three habitat treatments: managed prairie, unharvested wheat, and fallow agricultural plots. Species richness values for potential nesting species were higher in managed …

Severe Drought Impacts Female Pheasant Physiology In Southwest Nebraska, Jessica A. Laskowski, Gwen C. Bachman, Joseph J. Fontaine

The Prairie Naturalist

In 2012, Nebraska experienced one of the worst droughts since the 1930s, accompanied by abnormally high temperatures. We studied the impacts of the 2012 summer drought on female ring-necked pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) body condition and baseline and stress-induced corticosterone concentrations (CORT). We hypothesized that drought conditions would reduce pheasant body condition, increase chronic stress resulting in elevated baseline CORT levels, and down-regulate pheasant stress response to acute stressors, resulting in reduced stress-induced CORT concentrations. In southwestern Nebraska, we captured female pheasants in 2012 (pre-drought) and 2013 (post-drought). Pheasants had poorer body condition after the drought. Although female CORT measures were …

Energy Sprawl Solutions, Nicola Koper

The Prairie Naturalist

Energy sprawl affects all the major conservation issues of our age, from habitat loss and fragmentation to anthropogenic noise and climate change. As such, minimizing and solving its associated problems should be a key focus for conservation biologists. Kiesecker and Naugle provide an impressive and compact book that focusses on solving environmental and social problems likely to result from a transition from non- renewable to far less efficient renewable energy sources.

Energy Sprawl Solutions summarizes numerous relevant peer-reviewed academic papers, and outlines management and planning implications of each one, ultimately resolving these into fairly clear prescriptive recommendations for moving forward. …

Unique Nesting Behavior By Trumpeter Swans (Cygnus Buccinator), Heather M. Johnson, Michael Forsberg, Letitia Reichart, Mark P. Vrtiska

The Prairie Naturalist

Nesting behavior by Trumpeter swans (Cygnus buccinator) has been well documented for most populations. Both sexes cooperate in nest construction, which takes 11–35 days to complete (Hansen et al. 1971, Cooper 1979). Nests generally range from 1.5–3.6 meters in diameter and 1.5 meters in height and are typically built on solid structures such as a muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) house or an island (Hansen et al. 1971, Cooper 1979). However, we discovered an atypical Trumpeter swan nest built of cattail (Typha angustifolia L.) located on Vaughn Lake, in Cherry County, Nebraska on 13 May 2016.

We monitored the atypical nest by …