Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Physical Properties Of Aqueous Imide-Based Electrolyte Solutions, Mollie Harr

Honors Capstones

In order to observe the effects that cations have on the physical properties of -TFSI [-bis(trifluoromethane sulfonyl)imide] based salts, four salts (LiTFSI, NaTFSI, Mg(TFSI)2, and Al(TFSI)3) were selected for testing. The data gathered shows that when the anion is large and bulky like -TFSI, the size of the cation does not have a large effect on the physical properties, but the oxidation state of the cation may have a significant effect. The ion-ion interactions, such as collisions, aggregation, and repulsion are more significant when the cation has a higher oxidation state due to the increased ratio of anion per molecule …

Conditional Cooperation With Longer Memory, Nikoleta E. Glynatsi, Ethan Akin, Martin A. Nowak, Christian Hilbe

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Research & Creative Works

Direct reciprocity is a wide-spread mechanism for the evolution of cooperation. In repeated interactions, players can condition their behavior on previous outcomes. A well-known approach is given by reactive strategies, which respond to the coplayer's previous move. Here, we extend reactive strategies to longer memories. A reactive-n strategy takes into account the sequence of the last n moves of the coplayer. A reactive-n counting strategy responds to how often the coplayer cooperated during the last n rounds. We derive an algorithm to identify the partner strategies within these strategy sets. Partner strategies are those that ensure mutual cooperation without exploitation. …

Draft Final Butte Treatment Lagoons (Btl) Groundwater Treatment System Routine Operations, Maintenance, And Monitoring (Om&M) Plan, Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Developing Resilient Organic Dryland Wheat Systems In The Face Of Climate Change., Jennifer R. Reeve

Funded Research Records

No abstract provided.

Increased Thermal Stability And Retained Antibacterial Properties In A Sulbactam And Amantadine Salt: Towards Effective Antibacterial-Antiviral Combination Therapies, Josephine Bicknell, Ivan Bondarenko, Alice Colatrella, Elani J. Cabrera-Vega, Jesus Daniel Loya, Delbert S. Botes, Jay L. Mellies, Gonzalo Campillo-Alvarado

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

A clinically relevant multidrug solid comprising sulbactam (β-lactamase inhibitor) and amantadine (antiviral) displays enhanced thermal stability and sustained antibacterial activity compared to starting materials.

We describe the formation of a multidrug salt comprising sulbactam (SUL, β-lactamase inhibitor) and amantadine (AMNH, antiviral). Physicochemical investigation of the SUL·AMNH salt revealed enhanced thermal stability compared to pristine starting materials. In vitro studies found that salt formation in SUL·AMNH does not disrupt antibacterial activity against model organisms Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus epidermidis. To our knowledge, we show the first β-lactamase inhibitor-antiviral salt where both components have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug …

Current Status And The Significance Of Local Wisdom Biofertilizer In Enhancing Soil Health And Crop Productivity For Sustainable Agriculture: A Systematic Literature Review, Irwandhi, Fiqriah Hanum Khumairah, Emma Trinurani Sofyan, Nadia Nuraniya Kamaluddin, Anne Nurbaity, Diyan Herdiyantoro, Tualar Simarmata

Jurnal Kultivasi

Soil fertility is recognized as a crucial factor in supporting plant growth and productivity. The utilization of biofertilizers as environmentally friendly fertilizers is aimed at enhancing soil fertility and plant productivity. This study aims to explore the potential of local material for developing local wisdom biofertilizers (LWB) for achieving sustainable agriculture. A systematic literature review was conducted using bibliometric analysis, Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews, and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) method, employing the Scopus search engine with the keywords "local AND wisdom AND biofertilizer" OR "biofertilizer" OR "local AND microorganism" OR "soil AND health OR crop AND productivity OR sustainable agriculture". …

Identifying Subject Bias In Wifi-Based Human Activity Recognition Evaluation Methods, Amany Elkelany, Robert J. Ross, Susan Mckeever

Conference papers

WiFi-based Human Activity Recognition (HAR) has emerged as a promising approach for monitoring and analysing human activities in a non-intrusive manner, leveraging WiFi signals for activity classification. Despite advancements, existing WiFi-based HAR research lacks consideration of subject (human) bias. This results in learning models performing well on individuals used in the training samples but failing to generalise to new/unseen subjects, in contrast to known good practices in machine learning. In this paper, we address this oversight directly by systematically examining the evaluation methodology for the WiFi-based HAR context. Specifically, we investigate the impact of Leave-One-Subject-Out Cross-Validation (LOSOCV) in a hybrid …

Predicting Chaotic Systems With Quantum Echo-State Networks, Erik Connerty, Ethan N. Evans, Gerasimos Angelatos, Vignesh Narayanan

Publications

Recent advancements in artificial neural networks have enabled impressive tasks on classical computers, but they demand significant computational resources. While quantum computing offers potential beyond classical systems, the advantages of quantum neural networks (QNNs) remain largely unexplored. In this work, we present and examine a quantum circuit (QC) that implements and aims to improve upon the classical echo-state network (ESN), a type of reservoir-based recurrent neural networks (RNNs), using quantum computers. Typically, ESNs consist of an extremely large reservoir that learns high-dimensional embeddings, enabling prediction of complex system trajectories. Quantum echo-state networks (QESNs) aim to reduce this need for prohibitively …

Moderate Physical Perspectivalism, Emily Adlam

Philosophy Faculty Articles and Research

Recent developments in the foundations of physics have given rise to a class of views suggesting that physically meaningful descriptions must always be relativized to a physical perspective. In this article, I distinguish between strong physical perspectivalism, which maintains that all facts must be relativized to a perspective, and moderate physical perspectivalism, which maintains that all empirically meaningful descriptions must be relativized to a perspective. I argue that scientific evidence and philosophical considerations support moderate physical perspectivalism over strong physical perspectivalism. In particular, motivations connected to epistemic humility and the social nature of science are more compatible with the moderate …

Detection Of The Orbital Modulation Of Fe Kα Fluorescence Emission In Centaurus X-3 Using The High-Resolution Spectrometer Resolve On Board Xrism, Yuto Mochizuki, Masahiro Tsujimoto, Richard L. Kelley, Bert Vander Meulen, Teruaki Enoto, Yutaro Nagai, Chris Done, Pragati Pradhan, Natalie Hell, Katja Pottschmidt, Ken Ebisawa, Ehud Behar

Publications

The Fe Kα fluorescence line emission in X-ray spectra is a powerful diagnostic tool for various astrophysical objects to reveal the distribution of cold matter around photoionizing sources. The advent of the X-ray microcalorimeter on board the XRISM satellite will bring new constraints on the emission line. We present one of the first such results for the high-mass X-ray binary Centaurus X-3, which is composed of an O-type star and a neutron star (NS). We conducted a 155 ks observation covering an entire binary orbit. A weak Fe Kα line was detected in all orbital phases at an equivalent width …

Environmental Concerns: Thinking Beyond The Traditional Elections, Muhammad Faisal Ali

CBER Conference

A sustainable future is intricately tied to maintaining a sustainable environment, both on a global scale and within individual countries. In 2023, recorded temperatures reached unprecedented highs, signaling a concerning trend toward global warming and prompting widespread alarm. These circumstances have spurred increased global attention and a shift away from intensive emission practices towards more environmentally friendly approaches. This research provides empirical evidence on the monetary value of lost environmental benefits due to the production of massive ballot papers for the elections. Focusing on the environmental impact of the 2024 General Election, the study also considers the environmental implications beyond …

Impact Of Pathogenic E. Coli In Drinking Water On The Well-Being Of Children, Aysha Khatoon

CBER Conference

Despite global advancements, unsafe drinking water is a major cause of illness, ranked as the eighth highest worldwide (Forouzanfar et al., 2015). Studies indicate that even improved water sources, can harbour faecal contamination (Shaheed et al., 2014; Bain et al., 2014b). Globally, 1.8 billion people rely on drinking water contaminated with faecal matter (Bain et al., 2014a), with pathogenic E. coli being a primary concern. In Pakistan, the situation is dire. About 25 million people, particularly children, suffer due to open defecation, leading to 53,000 child deaths annually from diarrhoea (UNICEF, 2021). Pathogenic E. coli is a significant contributor to …

Assessing University Students' Behavior Toward Environmental Sustainability In Pakistan; A Case Study Of Islamabad And Rawalpindi, Shahla Rani

CBER Conference

The rising temperature and unsustainable environmental conditions are worldwide issues, posing critical threats to the ecosystem and human well-being. According to the Environmental Performance Index (EPI) 2022, Pakistan ranks second last among 180 countries, highlighting severe environmental challenges. This study aims to understand the current state of students' behavior toward the environment using the theory of planned behavior. By understanding these behaviors, the research seeks to determine whether students' actions align with sustainable practices. Additionally, the study will review environmental policies in Pakistan and internationally, focusing on the extent to which these policies incorporate behavioral aspects. This research intends to …

Analyzing Food Security Trends Amidst Environmental Challenges: A Convergence Perspective, Faisal Azeem Abbassi, Muhammad Jamil

CBER Conference

This study aims to test the existence of convergence in global food security from 2012 to 2022. It contributes to the existing literature by connecting two empirical findings: first, income per capita is a significant determinant of countries’ state of food security, and second, the neoclassical growth model predicts income per capita to converge over time. These findings suggest the possibility of convergence in global food security. This study employs Phillips and Sul’s (2007) club convergence methodology on the Global Food Security Index (GFSI) 2022 model, developed by Economist Impact for 113 countries. Results indicate an absence of global convergence …

Role Of Greenfield Investment, Institutional Quality, And Economic Activities On Environmental Performance In Belt & Road Initiative Countries, Jamal Hussain, Sajid Hassan

CBER Conference

Researchers have produced varying conclusions on the matter of coexistence of economic activities with the protection or improvement of environmental performance. This study investigates the association between greenfield investments, economic activity, institutional quality, and environmental performance in Belt & Road Initiative (BRI) countries from 2003 to 2022. Yale University's Environmental Performance Index (EPI) assesses environmental performance. Advanced second-generation econometrics estimation approaches address concerns like cross-sectional dependence, potential endogeneity, and heterogeneity. Further analysis is employed across four income-level sub-panels: lowincome (LI), lower-middle-income (LMI), upper-middle-income (UMI), and high-income (HI) countries, covering the years 2003 to 2021 to validate reliability and consistency. This …

Customer Data And The Digital Age, Mahdi Ansari

CBER Conference

Data is widely regarded as the most valuable resource in today’s economy, yet its value often eludes precise quantification. This paper examines customer data as an intangible capital asset and addresses the challenge of measuring its impact. A novel database was created by merging Compustat with online clickstream data capturing the activity of approximately 200 million users, providing proxies for data inflow based on visit metrics. The analysis documents that the distribution of firms’ customer data stocks follows a rightskewed log-normal pattern with a fat tail. Additionally, a positive relationship emerges between sales and data inflow, data stock, profit, and …

If You Can’T Beat Them Join Them: Empirical Assessment Into How Integrating Conventional Taxis On The Uber App Impacts Conventional Taxi Ridership, Shahmeer Mohsin

CBER Conference

Since the emergence of ride-hailing platforms like Uber, conventional taxi ridership has taken a severe hit. Taxi-hailing apps like Curb and Arro have allowed conventional taxis to jump on the platform economy bandwagon and offer a similar service to ride-hailing platforms. Despite the emergence of these taxi-hailing apps, strong lock-in effects and high switching costs of popular ride-hailing platforms (Uber, Lyft, etc.) restrict the ridership volumes of conventional taxis. Recently, the ride-hailing platform, Uber has started to add conventional taxis on its app under increasing pressure from Cities and conventional taxi associations. Such integrations have the potential of increasing conventional …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Metal-Organic Framework Nanostructures And Evaluation Of Their Photocatalytic Activity, James Kegere

Thesis/ Dissertation Defenses

Reticular materials have enlisted tremendous interest from researchers across the globe in the last two decades. This heightened interest stems from the novelty in structure and chemistry that renders them peerless in multiple fields such as medicine, energy, and environment. On the environmental research front these materials have found applications in mitigation of different pollutants such as CO₂ which is the most important greenhouse gas through storage and conversion, catalysis of CO₂ conversion into useful products. Furthermore, these materials have also proven to be effective sorbent materials for many toxic compounds that find their way into freshwater systems …

Na2B12Si6Se18: A Novel B12-Cluster-Containing Quaternary Selenoborate Framework Material, Gopabandhu Panigrahi, Hunter B. Tisdale, Gregory Morrison, Hans Conrad Zur Loye

Faculty Publications

We report the successful synthesis of the new quaternary, three-dimensional Na₂B₁₂Si₆Se₁₈ material using a solid-state synthesis route. This compound is characterized by a unique framework structure that features the rare icosahedral [B₁₂]¹⁰⁺ cation which is connected via Si2Se6 polyhedral units into a 3D framework structure with Na+ ions located inside the channels. The Na₂B₁₂Si₆Se₁₈ compound crystallizes in the cubic crystal system in the space group Im, with lattice parameter a = 11.91110(10) Å and unit cell volume of 1689.88(4) ų. …

Antibiotic Resistance Of Laboratory E. Coli Strains, Alexis H. Hart

Honors Projects

Antibiotic resistance is an ongoing global health crisis. The prevalence and distribution of antibiotic resistance in environmental microbial communities have become climactic areas of investigation due to their far-reaching implications for ecosystem health, human well-being, and the sustainability of antimicrobial efficacy.

12.09.2024 Orsp Connect, Liz Williamson

ORED Newsletter

Employee Profiles

In Person Account Reconciliation and Tableau Training

NSF Proposals with Consultant or Professional Services

Sd-Weat: Towards Robustly Measuring Bias In Input Embeddings For Artificial Intelligence Language Models, Magnus Gray

Theses and Dissertations

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming industries and markets, from healthcare to entertainment, revolutionizing decision-making processes. However, as AI grow more influential, they also risk amplifying existing biases, potentially leading to harmful consequences. Recent advancements in large language models (LLMs), such as GPT-4 and Llama, have heightened concerns about bias in natural language processing (NLP) tasks, driving the need for robust methods to detect and mitigate bias. Current approaches, such as the Word Embedding Association Test (WEAT) and its sentence-level extension the Sentence Encoder Association Test (SEAT) often fall short in capturing the nuances of biases in the input embeddings …

Development Of A Rapid Method For Pfas Detection And Quantitation In Human Hair, Justin M. Allen

Student Theses

In recent years, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have emerged as a critical focus in environmental and public health research due to their persistent nature and widespread use in products ranging from non-stick cookware to firefighting foams. These "forever chemicals" resist degradation, posing significant ecological and human health risks. While extensive studies have explored PFAS in environmental matrices, research into their presence in human hair remains limited, with only a handful of studies addressing this biomarker's potential. This thesis aims to develop a robust analytical method for detecting PFAS in human hair, leveraging its unique properties to provide a long-term …

On The Benefits Of Directness In Virtual Characters For Motivational Interviews, Michael O'Mahony, Cathy Ennis, Robert Ross

Conference papers

Understanding the factors influencing successful engagement with Embodied Conversational Agents (ECAs) remains a significant challenge. This understanding could be used to personalise agents to users to improve interactions. Some studies have shown that simulating personalities in healthcare agents can improve effectiveness and engagement. However, it is not yet well understood how variations of agent personality can be leveraged to improve user engagement with Motivational Interviewing (MI) ECAs. Specifically how the balance between agent warmth and directness can be controlled in an MI agent to improve likeability and engagement. We conducted an online Wizard-of-Oz (WoZ) mediated study of two variants of …

Residential Metals Abatement Program Investigation Summary Report After The Bell Child Care Center, Environmental Resource Management (Erm)

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Rapid Characterization Of Exoplanet Atmospheres With The Exoplanet Transmission Spectroscopy Imager, Luke M. Schmidt, Ryan J. Oelkers, Erika Cook, Mary Anne Limbach, Darren L. Depoy, Jennifer L. Marshall, Landon Holcomb, Willians Pena, Jacob Purcell, Enrique Gonzalez Vega

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

The Exoplanet Transmission Spectroscopy Imager (ETSI) amalgamates a low-resolution slitless prism spectrometer with custom multi-band filters to simultaneously image 15 spectral bandpasses between 430 and 975 nm with an average spectral resolution of R = λ / δ λ ∼ 20 . ETSI requires only moderate telescope apertures ( ∼ 2 m ), is capable of characterizing an exoplanet atmosphere in as little as a single transit, enabling the selection of the most interesting targets for further characterization with other ground and space-based observatories, and is also well suited to multi-band observations of other variable and transient objects. This enables …

Orbital Thinking: Planetary Orbit As A Model For Neurodivergent Thought Experiences In Animation, Thomas Labow

Honors Projects

As an artist diagnosed with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD, the aim of my research is to artistically explore neurodivergent experiences using gravity-assisted space flight as a visual metaphor for episodic memory and the pivot between correlated ideas. “Orbit of Attention” is a short animated film that visualizes interconnected mental processes through the use of a character-driven narrative. The creative choice of depicting ideas as planets is inspired by the gravity-assisted flight path of the Voyagers’ grand tour of the solar system. In visualizing unconventional thought processes, “orbital thinking” was used to model episodic memory. As a research project, this film …

Ultraviolet And Blue Stimulated Emission From Cs Alkali Vapor Pumped Using Two-Photon Absorption And Four-Wave Mixing, Ricardo C. Davila, Christopher A. Rice, Nathan B. Terry, Glen P. Perram

Faculty Publications

Stimulated emission on the ultraviolet and blue transitions in Cs has been achieved by pumping via two-photon absorption and four-wave mixing for the pump transition 6²S½ → 8²D_3/2,5/2. The emission performance of the optically pumped cesium vapor laser operating in ultraviolet and blue has been extended to 650 nJ/pulse for 387 nm, 1 to 3 μ J / pulse for 388 nm, 200 nJ/pulse for 455 nm, and 500 nJ/pulse for 459 nm. Emission performance improves dramatically as the cesium vapor density is increased, and no scaling limitations associated with energy pooling or …

Methods In Environmental Studies, Erika Dunagan, Maya Mendoza, Posey Graber, Alex Cullins, Emma Mcginnis, Ally Nepomuceno, Isabella Buchan

Featured Student Work

This publication is a collection of undergraduate research conducted in the Methods in Environmental Studies course at the University of San Francisco in Fall 2024. The student-led projects explore the intersections of place, policy, ecology, and cultural identity through applied environmental research methodologies. Topics include a decolonial examination of the Forest Park Mound Group and Indigenous resilience in St. Louis; a comparative study of Navajo cosmology and ecological justice; a social and environmental impact assessment of Costa Rica’s National Decarbonization Plan; a psychogeographical analysis of Golden Gate Park and its impact on the psyche, emotions, behaviour, and health of urban …

A Summer Class Exploring Computer Science With Educators Of Deaf And Hard Of Hearing Students, Meghan L. Mcsherry, Becca A. Leininger, Maria L. Johnson, Annmarie P. Thomas, Susan Outlaw, Douglas C. Orzolek

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

The purpose of this research project was to design, deliver, and informally assess the content and methodology of an introductory course focused on the block-based coding language, Scratch, for educators of Deaf and Hard of Hearing students (N=20). Prior work by The Playful Learning Lab examined various STEM resources and their effect on student perception of STEM topics and content retention when utilized for Deaf and Hard of Hearing K-12 students. Previous research has shown that computer science and programming resources and curricula available today are not fully accessible for Deaf and Hard of Hearing K-12 students. Educators and teachers …