Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Can Farmers Adapt To Higher Temperatures? Evidence From India, Vis Taraz

Economics: Faculty Publications

Projections suggest that the damages from climate change will be substantial for developing countries. Understanding the ability of households in these countries to adapt to climate change is critical in order to determine the magnitude of the potential damages. In this paper, I investigate the ability of farmers in India to adapt to higher temperatures. I use a methodology that exploits short-term weather fluctuations as well as spatial variation in long-run climate. Specifically, I estimate how damaging high temperatures are for districts that experience high temperatures more or less frequently. I find that the losses from high temperatures are lower …

Volcano Infrasound Monitoring With Applications For Statistical Forecasting Of Explosions At Sakurajima (Japan), Matthew R. Vonlintig

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Volcanic eruptions are powerful natural phenomena that often occur unpredictably in time and magnitude. Nearby communities are put at risk during volcanic unrest; however, when hazards are well understood and clearly defined risk can be mitigated. This thesis addresses the problem of forecasting the likelihood of future explosive volcanic behavior by monitoring ongoing eruptive history with infrasound. I parameterize inter-event temporal behavior to determine the eruption controlling processes is material failure opposed to changes in magma and volatile supply.

I analyze data from Sakurajima, a type-example open volcano, using two local (4 km from the vent) microphone arrays, which recorded …

Cross-Scale Interactions Between Atmospheric And Hydrologic Processes In A Topographically Complex, Snow-Dominated Watershed As Revealed Through An Integrated Hydrologic Model, Miguel A. Aguayo Arias

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

In much of the world, water for agricultural, domestic, and hydroelectric power generation uses are derived from snow-dominated mountain basins. In these regions, water management requires accurate and timely knowledge of runoff generation by snowmelt. This information is used to plan reservoir releases for downstream users and is generated by models of biophysical processes associated with varying degrees of fidelity to physical processes and/or spatial heterogeneities. The large variability in the characteristic spatial and temporal scales of atmospheric forcings, land-surface water and energy balance, and groundwater flow contribute to significant uncertainties in resolved hydrologic states and fluxes. Underlying sources of …

Using Dna For Data Storage: Encoding And Decoding Algorithm Development, Kelsey Suyehira

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The recent explosion of digital data has created an increasing need for improved data storage architectures with the ability to store large amounts of data over extensive periods of time. DNA as a data storage solution shows promise with a thousand times greater increase in information density and information retention times ranging from hundreds to thousands of years. This thesis explores the challenges and potential approaches in developing an encoding and decoding algorithm for use in a DNA data storage architecture. When encoding binary data into sequences representing DNA strands, the algorithms should account for biological constraints representing the idiosyncrasies …

Pressure Waves And Tephra Dispersal From Volcanic Explosions: Models, Observations, And Instrumentation, Jacob Fortner Anderson

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Real-time study of erupting vents is important for both monitoring and scientific purposes; because direct in-situ study of erupting vents is impractical, our best tools for studying eruptions in real time involve monitoring eruptive products and waves that travel far from the volcano. The atmosphere is a particularly advantageous medium for studying propagation and transport of volcanic waves and products: acoustic waves pass through it with minimal scattering, particles follow predictable trajectories, and the atmospheric structure that affects both is well-monitored. Analyses of acoustic waves and tephra deposits can provide important information on eruptions including total explosive energy, volume, and …

Correlating The Spatial Distribution Of Snow Depth To Forest Canopy Parameters Derived From Terrestrial Laser Scans, Zachary Uhlmann

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

In nonpolar, cold climate zones, snow accounts for 17% of the total terrestrial water storage. Estimating the amount of water stored in a snowpack, the snow water equivalent (SWE), and its spatial distribution is crucial to providing water managers with parameters to predict runoff timing, duration and amount. Reservoir management, hydropower and flood forecasting depend on SWE estimates. While landscape features such as aspect and slope are dominant controls on radiative energy in non-forested areas, forest cover can shift the energy balance composition from turbulent exchange in exposed, windy sites to primarily radiative inputs in the subcanopy. Additionally, forest cover …

Investigating The Annual Water Balance Of A High-Altitude Watershed Using Near-Real Time Lidar Data Integration Into A Physically Based Snowmelt Model, Andrew R. Hedrick

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Knowledge of the amount of water stored in the mountain snowpack is crucial for flood prevention, drought mitigation, and energy production in the Western United States. In modeling terms, the most important component of the hydrologic water balance is the precipitation input to the system. Determining where and how much precipitation falls in mountain catchments, however, is the most difficult problem with regards to closing the water balance. The work presented in this dissertation details the modeling portion of the NASA Airborne Snow Observatory (ASO) using the iSnobal physically based snow model. This combination of remote sensing and modeling at …

Stable Isotope Geochemistry Of Bioapatite, Amanda E. Drewicz

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The Cenozoic Era was a time period where dynamic shifts in climate created for both warm-wet greenhouse environments of the mid-Miocene Climatic Optimum (MMCO), and cool-dry, glacial periods of the late Pleistocene. The Cenozoic is close to our own time period, and although past climate reconstructions cannot be used as direct analogs for future climate change, understanding previous environmental responses can help inform policy surrounding future climate change. Presented here are climate reconstructions of the interior western United States, from two different geologic time periods. Each had a different climate, that differed greatly from modern day environments. The use of …

Post-Fire Variation In Aeolian Deposition In The Northern Great Basin, Clayton Roehner

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Aeolian processes play a significant role in the redistribution of sediment and nutrients in sparsely vegetated sagebrush-steppe ecosystems. When fire is introduced to the landscape, decreased surface roughness and associated threshold friction velocities allow for the increased mobility of surface sediments and burnt organic material, mobilizing previously stable material. Once material is entrained, interactions between a dynamic atmosphere and complex topography control the spatial distribution of aeolian deposition over a landscape. Given the significant impact of fire on aeolian processes in semi-arid deserts, we posit that postfire aeolian redistribution of material is an important control on the spatial variability of …

Evaluating Stable Isotope And Geochronologic Techniques For Paleoclimate Reconstruction: Case Study Of The Santa Cruz Formation, Argentina, Robin B. Trayler

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Stable isotope analysis has become the method of choice for many studies investigating the paleoecology and paleoclimate of fossil mammal faunas. While organic tissues (collagen, keratins, proteins) persist for < 10⁵ years highly mineralized tooth enamel is resistant to alteration and degradation and faithfully preserves its isotopic composition for millions (> 10⁶) years. Reconstructing past climates from these records relies on both understanding both micro-scale mechanisms of isotope incorporation into individual teeth, and macro-scale changes in isotope compositions over hundreds of thousands or millions of years. In this dissertation I address three questions.

First, how does the geometry and …

A Com Parison Of Classical And Quantum Implement Ations Of A Random Number Generator: An Introduction To Quantum Computing, Charlotte Coffin

Honors College Theses

Quantum computers have potential to contribute to advancements in many disciplines including chemistry, material science, and artificial intelligence. As quantum computers become more accessible, there is a greater need for people to understand quantum computation to spearhead such advancements. This thesis discusses the basics of quantum computing, including fundamental concepts and a literature review. In order to demonstrate how quantum computation works, a random number generator is implemented on a quantum computer simulator and compared to a random number generator implemented on a classical computer. The results of the two experiments are compared. The results show that a quantum random …

Nonlinear Sliding Mode Observer Applied To Microalgae Growth, Rebecca J. Griffith

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Modeling biological processes, such as algae growth, is an area of ongoing research. The ability to understand the multitude of parameters that influence this system provides a platform for better understanding the dynamics of microalgae growth. Empirical modeling efforts look to understand sources of driving nutrients that influence harmful algal blooms (HABs). These harmful algal blooms are dense aggregates that have an increasingly negative impact on local economics, marine and freshwater systems, and public health. They result from a high influx of nitrogen and nutrients that drive the algae biomass to exponentially grow. This growth blocks out the sun, potentially …

Exploring Potential Water-Ice Occurrence On Asteroid 4 Vesta Using Orbital Radar Observations By The Dawn Mission, Elizabeth M. Palmer

Dissertations

Airless, differentiated planetesimals in the inner solar system were presumed to have been depleted of most of their initial volatile content during formation. However, water-ice has been discovered at the lunar poles (Li et al., 2018), is inferred to exist in polar craters on Mercury (e.g., Butler, Slade & Muhleman, 1993, and suggested to survive beneath the dusty regolith of objects in the main asteroid belt if buried at sufficient depths—at least one meter for small-bodies in the outer main-belt (Schorghofer, 2008). Hence, the study of volatile occurrence, past or present, on airless, desiccated small-bodies provides insights into the timing, …

Strong Mutation-Based Test Generation Of Xacml Policies, Roshan Shrestha

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

There exist various testing methods for XACML policies which vary in their overall fault detection ability and none of them can detect all the (killable) injected faults except for the simple policies. Further, it is unclear that what is essential for the fault detection of XACML policies. To address these issues, we formalized the fault detection conditions in the well-studied fault model of XACML policies so that it becomes clear what is essential for the fault detection. We formalized fault detection conditions in the form of reachability, necessity and propagation constraint. We, then, exploit these constraints to generate a mutation-based …

An Examination Of What Motivates Utah Residents To Adopt The Practice Of Rainwater Harvesting, D. Wayne Honaker

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Although most of the earth is covered in water, a very limited amount of that water is fresh water, which is essential to our survival. Therefore, it is imperative that we do all that is possible to conserve and protect our extremely limited water resources, especially in arid regions such as the American West. While there are many ways and means to protecting and preserving our water resources, this thesis focuses on the strategy of rainwater harvesting (RWH) as it is done throughout the state of Utah. RWH is defined as taking the precipitation that falls on our built structures …

New Ca-Id-Tims Detrital Zircon Constraints On Middle Neoproterozoic Sedimentary Successions, Southwestern United States, Abigail R. Bullard

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Three related sedimentary successions located in Arizona, Utah, and California were deposited in basins on proto-North America during the early rifting of Rodinia (~780 Mya). Previous detrital zircon U-Pb maximum ages for the units are inexact, making it difficult to piece together what happened at this point in Earth history.

We report better maximum age constraints on these units obtained by subjecting detrital zircons to high-precision CA-ID-TIMS analysis, which provide more exact ²⁰⁶Pb/²³⁸U ages. These new data significantly improve the precision for the base of the ChUMP units, with an average age of 775.63 ± 0.27 Ma …

Historical Channel Change Caused By A Century Of Flow Alteration On Sixth Water Creek And Diamond Fork River, Ut, Jabari C. Jones

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Changes in the amount of water and sediment that enter a river can change its shape and size. The way that rivers change is affected by a variety of factors, including the size of the sediment in the river, and past changes to the river. The Diamond Fork River in central Utah has been altered by water delivered from the Colorado River system for over a century. Beginning in 1915, water used for irrigation was delivered through a tributary, Sixth Water Creek, with daily summer flows that were much larger than natural flows. This caused drastic change to the rivers, …

Sensitivity Of The Opal Instrument For Gravity Wave Detection, Kenneth I. Zia

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Knowing what goes on in the upper atmosphere (∼80-140 km) is very important to the space science community. There are several competing forces that influence the temperature and densities of neutral molecules in that region. OPAL (Optical Profiling of the Atmospheric Limb) is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to measure the temperature there using light from oxygen molecules (∼760 nm). To accomplish this,OPAL is built into a CubeSat (a satellite the size of a loaf of bread) to be launched from the International Space Station (ISS) at an altitude of about 400 km. This vantage point is needed …

Identifying Criticality In Market Sentiment: A Data Mining Approach, Vaibhav Sahu

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The aim of this thesis is to study and identify time periods of high activity in commodity and stock market sentiment based on a data mining approach. The method is to develop tools to extract relevant information from web searches and Twitter feeds based on the tally of certain keywords and their combinations at regular intervals. Periods of high activity are identified by a measure of complexity developed for analysis of living systems. Experiments were conducted to see if the measure of activity could be applied as a predictor of changes in stock market and commodity prices.

Inorganic Electrocatalysts For Innovative Water Splitting And Organic Upgrading, Nan Jiang

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The booming worldwide demand for energy and the increasing concerns about global warming due to fossil fuel consumption have urged the development of techniques for storing and converting renewable and clean energy resources. Electrocatlytic or photoelectrocatalytic water splitting to generate green energy carrier H₂ with sustainable energy input, like solar, has been regarded as an attractive strategy for carbon-neutral energy needs. However, the sluggish kinetics for both half reactions (HER and OER), high overpotentials and thermodynamic requirements, and H₂ and O₂ gas crossover have been regarded as the major challenges, which limit its widespread application.

On account …

Along-Shelf Connectivity And Circumpolar Gene Flow In Antarctic Silverfish (Pleuragramma Antarctica), Jilda Alicia Caccavo, Chiara Papetti, Maj Wetjen, Rainer Knust, Julian R. Ashford, Lorenzo Zane

OES Faculty Publications

The Antarctic silverfish (Pleuragramma antarctica) is a critically important forage species with a circumpolar distribution and is unique among other notothenioid species for its wholly pelagic life cycle. Previous studies have provided mixed evidence of population structure over regional and circumpolar scales. The aim of the present study was to test the recent population hypothesis for Antarctic silverfish, which emphasizes the interplay between life history and hydrography in shaping connectivity. A total of 1067 individuals were collected over 25 years from different locations on a circumpolar scale. Samples were genotyped at fifteen microsatellites to assess population differentiation and …

Cake Cam: Take Your Photo And Be In It Too, Candice Lynn Davis

Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis we explore a different kind of computer-mediated collaboration (CMC) in which two people collaborate to perform a single task in a time-sensitive asymmetric situation wherein one person is more invested in the outcome than the other is. Our conjecture is that interactive computing can quickly communicate intent, which may help mediate time-sensitive asymmetric tasks between two people. We explore this idea specifically in the context of asking a stranger to take one's picture at a tourist site. Consider a tourist handing a cell phone to a complete stranger and asking the stranger to take the tourist's picture …

The Bird And The Fish: Motion Field-Based Frame Interpolation In The Context Of A Story, Thomas Sterling Ellsworth

Theses and Dissertations

Animating by hand can be a long and challenging process in part because of the necessity of drawing every frame by hand. 3D animation media minimize this problem with the use of automatically interpolated frames, but despite significant research no universally acceptable techniques have been demonstrated for 2 dimensional interpolation. In this paper we explore computer-assisted optimizations to the animation pipeline. Specifically, we utilize 3D motion fields to create more realistic in-between frames for sets of 2D ``key frames.'' We demonstrate our method by using it to create 2D special effects for a 30-second clip of an animated short film.

Usable Security And Privacy For Secure Messaging Applications, Elham Vaziripour

Theses and Dissertations

The threat of government and corporate surveillance around the world, as well as the publicity surrounding major cybersecurity attacks, have increased interest in secure and private end-to-end communications. In response to this demand, numerous secure messaging applications have been developed in recent years. These applications have been welcomed and publically used not just by political activists and journalists but by everyday users as well. Most of these popular secure messaging applications are usable because they hide many of the details of how encryption is provided. The strength of the security properties of these applications relies on the authentication ceremony, wherein …

Improving The Quality Of Neural Machine Translation Using Terminology Injection, Duane K. Dougal

Theses and Dissertations

Most organizations use an increasing number of domain- or organization-specific words and phrases. A translation process, whether human or automated, must also be able to accurately and efficiently use these specific multilingual terminology collections. However, comparatively little has been done to explore the use of vetted terminology as an input to machine translation (MT) for improved results. In fact, no single established process currently exists to integrate terminology into MT as a general practice, and especially no established process for neural machine translation (NMT) exists to ensure that the translation of individual terms is consistent with an approved terminology collection. …

Penetration Depth Variation In Atomic Layer Deposition On Multiwalled Carbon Nanotube Forests, David Alan Kane

Theses and Dissertations

Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) of Al2O3 on tall multiwalled carbon nanotube forests shows concentration variation with the depth in the form of discrete steps. While ALD is capable of extremely conformal deposition in high aspect ratio structures, decreasing penetration depth has been observed over multiple thermal ALD cycles on 1.3 mm tall multiwalled carbon nanotube forests. SEM imaging with Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy elemental analysis shows steps of decreasing intensity corresponding to decreasing concentrations of Al2O3. A study of these steps suggests that they are produced by a combination of diffusion limited delivery of precursors with increasing precursor adsorption site …

Flow Adaptive Video Object Segmentation, Fanqing Lin

Theses and Dissertations

We tackle the task of semi-supervised video object segmentation, i.e, pixel-level object classification of the images in video sequences using very limited ground truth training data of its corresponding video. Recently introduced online adaptation of convolutional neural networks for video object segmentation (OnAVOS) has achieved good results by pretraining the network, fine-tuning on the first frame and training the network at test time using its approximate prediction as newly obtained ground truth. We propose Flow Adaptive Video Object Segmentation (FAVOS) that refines the generated adaptive ground truth for online updates and utilizes temporal consistency between video frames with the help …

Oxidation Of Carbon Monoxide Over Ceria And Alumina Supported Palladium Catalysts, John Davis Gary

Theses and Dissertations

Palladium catalysts on both Al2O3 and CeO2, supports were studied for efficacy in low temperature carbon monoxide oxidation. Calcination temperatures were varied between 500-900°C for alumina supported catalysts and shown to have no significant difference in activity. X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy studies revealed structural changes associated with palladium states and reacted catalysts and displayed a change from palladium oxide (PdO) to native palladium oxide (PdOx) and elemental palladium (Pd). Activity studies were conducted on all catalysts synthesized and indicated that Pd/Al2O3 achieved 100% CO conversion at 150°C when calcined at 500°C and pretreated with reduction process. Pd/CeO2 showed higher activity and …

Sem/Edx Analysis Of Bronze Disease, Brian Pauley, Nicole Bishop

Fall 2018 - Chemical Analysis Class Projects

Bronze disease is a type of self-progressing corrosion of bronze. This degradation is thought to be caused by humidity but proliferated through the formation of chlorine containing compounds that further react with the air. The origination of the bronze disease in this artifact is thought to have arisen from the tanning process used in the surrounding leather. It is highly probable that potassium chloride was used in the tanning process, providing the initial chlorides that cause bronze disease. The damage that this corrosion can cause can destroy priceless artifacts. An understanding of the bronze disease structure and chemical composition is …

Ft-Mir-Atr Of Organic Residues From Inside Peruvian Sacrificial Jars, Warren Rouse, Dr. Joshua Sebree

Fall 2018 - Chemical Analysis Class Projects

This project used various solvents in an attempt to determine the identity of the contents of Peruvian jars to determine their purpose.