Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

A Blockchain-Enabled Deep Learning Framework For Secure Omics Data Sharing And Attack Detection, Don Roosan, Md Rahatul Ashakin, Rubyat Kahn, Mazharul Karim

Computer and Data Science Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Nepenthes Megastoma (Nepenthaceae), A Micro-Endemic Pitcher Plant From Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park, Palawan, Philippines, John Charles A. Altomonte, John Paul R. Collantes, Vernaluz Mangussad, Rene Alfred Anton Bustamante, Alastair S. Robinson

Environmental Science Faculty Publications

Nepenthes megastoma is described and illustrated as a new species from the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Palawan Philippines. This carnivorous tropical pitcher plant is currently known from just three locations in the Mount Saint Paul karst formation, where it grows on vertical limestone walls. Morphologically, N. megastoma is characterised by its highly branched stems, campanulate pitchers, peltate tendril exsertion, dimorphic upper pitchers, and unidirectionally upturned female flowers. It is assessed as Critically Endangered under the IUCN Red List criteria, based on its restriction to three subpopulations comprising few total individuals. Pitcher morphology …

Artificial Intelligence (Ai) And The Anthropic Economic Index In The Mountain West, 2025, Cason Noll, Olivia K. Cheche, William E. Brown Jr.

Economic Development & Workforce

This fact sheet presents 2025 data on the state of artificial intelligence (AI) adoption among the five Mountain West states of Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah. The data are sourced from the “Anthropic Economic Index,” which provides data on Claude.ai (an AI large language model) and its adoption across all 50 U.S. states and Washington, D.C. This fact sheet focuses on Claude.ai usage, the most common topic Claude.ai has been used for, and augmentation and automation shares for each Mountain West state.

Re: Medical Monitoring Working Group Meeting Minutes, Mike Mcanulty, Eric Hassler

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Data Cleaning With Excel, Rubab Shahzad

Day Family Research Lab Workshop Series

This workshop will delve into the importance of cleaning research data and why clean data is an important part of the larger research data lifecycle. This session will also provide an overview of data cleaning and preprocessing using Microsoft Excel including a hands-on demonstration.

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User Interface And Watchstation Improvements Required For Multi-Vehicle Usv Operations, Val Schmidt, Joshua Bergeron

Faculty Publications

In October 2024, the University of New Hampshire and NOAA’s Uncrewed Systems Office embarked on a mapping mission in the Gulf of Maine, simultaneously operating two DriX Un-crewed Surface Vehicles. Goals of the project were focused on testing hypotheses related to concepts of operation, including the safety of operations, cognitive loading of operators, management of vehicle endurance, vehicle logistics, maintenance and field support, refueling and a host of others.

Sustainability As Global Citizenship: Creating High-Impact Learning Experiences In The Honors College, Timothy Jussaume Dr.

Sustainability Research & Practice Seminar Presentations

Dr. Timothy Jussaume, Honors College, presents "Sustainability as Globl Citizenship: Creating High-Impact Learning Experiences in the Honors College."

Sigma-Hole-Supported Interactions In Complexes Of Group 5 Oxyhalides (Mox3) With Insights For Their Extended Solids, Donovan Hoilette Jr., Gabriel F. Stewart, Kelling J. Donald

Chemistry Faculty Publications

The existence and nature of sigma hole type interactions in inorganic extended solids remain largely unexamined, even though the influence of such interactions for heteroorganic compounds is well known. The series of group 5 MOX₃oxyhalides are intriguing in this regard since several of the known crystal structures are molecular solids with highly polarized M centers. We examine computationally the bonding in the isolated MOX₃ molecules and their smallest clusters (MOX₃)_nwhere M = V, Nb, and Ta, and X = H, F, Cl, Br, and I. That investigation provides us with substantial evidence, based …

Likelihoods For Stochastic Gravitational Wave Background Data Analysis, Gabriele Franciolini, Mauro Pieroni, Angelo Ricciardone, Joseph D. Romano

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

We present a systematic study of likelihood functions used for stochastic gravitational wave background (SGWB) searches. By dividing the data into many short segments, one customarily takes advantage of the central limit theorem to justify a Gaussian cross-correlation likelihood. We show, with a hierarchy of ever more realistic examples—beginning with a single frequency bin and one detector, and then moving to two and three detectors with white and colored signal and noise—that approximating the exact Whittle likelihood by various Gaussian alternatives can induce systematic biases in the estimation of the SGWB parameters. We derive several approximations for the full likelihood …

Exploratory Study Of Semiconductor Nanomembranes In Em Applications, Grant D. Heileman

Electrical and Computer Engineering ETDs

Antenna systems are a cornerstone of modern technologies, playing an increasingly vital role in their advancement. As demand for compact, high-performance, and adaptable communication platforms grows reconfigurable antenna technologies are becoming essential. This research explores a novel front-end reconfigurable antenna system (FERAS) architecture that leverages the mechanical flexibility and photoconductive behavior of semiconductor nanomembrane (SNM) devices. By exploiting the emergent properties of ultra-thin silicon (Si) or gallium arsenide (GaAs) nanomaterials and optically exciting these samples using vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) arrays, this study develops lightweight, low-cost, deployable antenna structures for satellite communications, remote sensing, GPS, and radar. Despite their significant …

Life As An Intern For Njit Stem For Success, Christopher Tava

STEM Month

I joined the STEM for Success Team in May 2023 with two main goals. The first goal was to reach 100 hours worth of contributions, as part of a mandatory internship requirement to graduate from the Academy for Mathematics, Science, & Engineering (AMSE). I reached that goal by early October 2023, although I have been motivated to continue my work with NJIT beyond that hour target. The second goal was to accomplish something that I was proud of with the resources that the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) provided me. I had heard of former students of AMSE that …

Problems In Extremal Graph Theory And Spectral Graph Theory, Fareeha Jamal

Thesis/ Dissertation Defenses

Spectral graph theory is a subfield of algebraic graph theory that studies the matrices associated with graphs. It lives at the nexus of Linear Algebra and Combinatorics. Many intriguing results in the domains of Matrix Theory and Combinatorics have come from studying the eigenvalues of graph matrices; in fact, several open problems in both areas have been resolved. Beyond its theoretical appeal, spectral graph theory has found meaningful applications in theoretical chemistry, particularly in the mathematical classification of chemical graphs. These classifications underpin quantitative structure–property relationships (QSPRs), facilitating the prediction of physicochemical properties such as enthalpy of vaporization, molar refractivity, …

Cv: Ryan Hooper (Physics), Ryan Hooper

Physics Department Faculty Curricula Vitae

No abstract provided.

Spatial Patterns Of Salamander Density Across Human Disturbance Gradients In Warner Parks​, Siobhan M. Day

Science University Research Symposium (SURS)

Amphibians are sensitive to anthropogenic disturbance, making them valuable indicators of recreational impacts in urban parks. This study examines salamander occurrence across five research sites within Warner Parks, Nashville, Tennessee, which differ in trail density and foot traffic intensity. Salamander observations were compiled from two sources: field surveys conducted in Summer 2025 and iNaturalist records spanning the past 10 years. For spatial analysis, each site was defined by a 200 m radius buffer to include local habitat, and trail networks were further buffered at 10 m, 25 m, and 50 m to quantify salamander occurrence relative to trail proximity using …

Music's Effect On The Mental Health Of Differing Age Groups, Margaret Cleve, Kaniyah Newborn, Luke Magro

Science University Research Symposium (SURS)

Mental health disorders are a significant concern in today’s society. Music therapy has been shown to be an effective intervention for conditions such as anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), depression, and insomnia. However, it is not clear if the benefits function the same across different ages. The present study examined the influence of music on mental health across age using a publicly available dataset from Kaggle.com. We hypothesized that music listening would be associated with improved mental health outcomes regardless of age and that increased listening time would correlate with lower anxiety and depression. Results indicated that daily hours of music …

Cv: Jake Cho (Computer Science), Jake Cho

ECaMS Department Faculty Curricula Vitae

No abstract provided.

Postmortem Vitreous Humor As An Alternative Matrix To Peripheral Blood For Benzodiazepine Detection, Sara Bussey

Honors Theses

Benzodiazepines are commonly prescribed secondary drugs of abuse that cause Central Nervous System depression through the neurotransmitter gamma aminobutyric acid. While not commonly fatal on their own, benzodiazepines have a minor risk for physical dependence and abuse. They also can have cumulative effects with other medications that can lead to overdose situations; thus, they are considered secondary drugs of abuse. While peripheral blood is considered the standard for xenobiotic detection in postmortem forensic toxicology, it is important to consider the validity of alternative matrices that could be analyzed in the event that blood was not available due to circumstances like …

Fabrication Of Robust And Durable Superamphiphobic Aluminum Alloy And Zinc Surfaces Via Dual Sandblasting And Steam Treatment, Laylan Hassan, Saadi Nawzat, Tansel Karabacak

Faculty Scholarship

We present a scalable and environmentally friendly method for fabricating mechanically robust superamphiphobic coatings on aluminum alloy and zinc substrates using a dual-step process combining sandblasting (SB) and steam treatment (ST), followed by surface energy reduction with fluorinated molecules. This approach creates hierarchical micro/nano structures essential for omniphobic performance. On Al-alloy SB + ST surfaces we measured static contact angles of 162.0° (water), 156.1° (ethylene glycol), and 154.4° (peanut oil), while the corresponding Zn surfaces reached 160.1°, 156.0°, and 152.8°, respectively, with sliding angles below 5° across all tested liquids. The coatings retained high repellency after 50 tape- peeling cycles …

The State Of Our Streams: A Land Trust's Approach To Monitoring The Health Of Three Headwater Streams, Lauren Mcgrath

Sustainability Research & Practice Seminar Presentations

Lauren McGrath, Director of Watershed Protection Program, Willistown Conservation Trust, presents "The State of Our Streams: a land trust's approach to monitoring the health of three headwater streams."

Data Supporting “High-Resolution Lidar Observations Of Sedimentation-Induced Size Sorting Of Droplets Near A Laboratory Cloud Top”, Fan Yang, Yong Meng Sua, Zipei Zheng, Jesse Anderson, Hamed F. Sadi, Jae Min Yeom, Suryadey P. Singh, Pei Hou, Will Cantrell, Ernie R. Lewis, Alexander Kostinski, Raymond Shaw

Michigan Tech Research Data

Cloud optical properties and precipitation, which are crucial to weather and climate, are strongly influenced by cloud microphysical properties that are still poorly understood. Here, we develop a high-resolution time-correlated single-photon-counting lidar and apply it to observe cloud microphysical properties at one-centimeter range resolution in a convection chamber under well-controlled conditions. Together with concurrent in-situ measurements and theoretical analysis, our lidar observations indicate that although turbulent mixing tends to homogenize the cloud in the bulk region, entrainment and sedimentation cause inhomogeneities in droplet concentrations near the cloud top. Specifically, the topmost region is directly affected by entrainment, and lidar profiles …

Physical Activity And Memory Retention, Hannah Blackman, Marisa Ronner, Lindsay Biggs, Izzy Melendez

Science University Research Symposium (SURS)

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Developmental Effects On Zebrafish Embryos Exposed To Alcohol, Tamya Mchaney

Science University Research Symposium (SURS)

Zebrafish are a good organism model due to their similarities with human biology. The transparency of their embryos allows for an easier view to see the developmental stages of the embryos, and easily and accurately note any mutations or defects in any of the embryos. In addition, they make excellent candidates to track potential effects that mirror human embryos with ethanol and alcohol will have on their developmental stages. The aim of this study was to measure the genetic size developmental differences of the embryo’s lens, eyes, and heart that are given 1% alcohol and 2% alcohol. This study’s experimental …

The Effect Of Leaf Composition And Structure On Decomposition Rates In Primula Sp. And Allium Schoenoparsum, Tatum P. Fortney, Kidist Aklile, Matty Mackay, Solomon Kap

Science University Research Symposium (SURS)

Decomposition is the process by which dead organic matter is broken down by bacteria and fungi. Leaves are a prominent form of organic matter that decomposes and enriches soil by returning nutrients. In this experiment, chive and primrose leaves were investigated. Chive leaves are thinner and softer, while primrose leaves are thicker and more dense, supporting our hypothesis that Chive leaf litter will decompose faster than primrose leaf litter because chives have a lower lignin content and are structurally narrower, making them easier to decompose. For this experiment, we placed around 4 grams of both species into a series of …

Software-Defined Networking Powered By Ai-Driven Anomaly Detection, Dina Moloja, Vusumuzi Malele Prof

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

Software Defined Networking (SDN) revolutionizes network control by separating the control plane from the data plane. Although the latter improves SDN agility and scalability, it creates a security hole, particularly in a central control plane, leading to SDN environments becoming high-profile targets for advanced cybersecurity threats. Due to static and signature-based point-in-time behavior, traditional security methods are unable to keep up with modern attacks that are an anomaly to SDNs. Artificial Intelligence (AI) with its different applications and techniques, has the capability of detecting SDN cyber threats’ anomalies. This paper presents the results of a literature scoping exercise that used …

The Effect Of Leaf Composition And Structure On Decomposition Rates In Primula Sp. And Allium Schoenoparsum, Tatum P. Fortney, Darlene Panvini, Kidist Aklile, Matty Mackay, Solomon Kap

Science University Research Symposium (SURS)

Decomposition is the process by which dead organic matter is broken down by bacteria and fungi. Leaves are a prominent form of organic matter that decomposes and enriches soil by returning nutrients. In this experiment, chive and primrose leaves were investigated. Chive leaves are thinner and softer, while primrose leaves are thicker and more dense, supporting our hypothesis that Chive leaf litter will decompose faster than primrose leaf litter because chives have a lower lignin content and are structurally narrower, making them easier to decompose. For this experiment, we placed around 4 grams of both species into a series of …

Metadata Analysis On The Relationship Between Sleep, Depression, And Cognition In Older Adults, Sara Miller, Kristie Stephens, Grayson Harris, Vincent Flegeance

Science University Research Symposium (SURS)

Metadata Analysis on the relationship between sleep, depression, and cognition in older adults

Abstract

Previous research has revealed that both sleep and depression play significant roles in influencing memory. Adequate sleep facilitates memory consolidation during rest, ultimately enhancing cognitive performance. In contrast, elevated levels of depression are associated not only with physical symptoms, but also with declines in cognitive functioning. The present study aims to determine whether the cognitive benefits of sufficient sleep duration outweigh the detrimental effects of depression on memory. We hypothesize that sleep duration will have a stronger influence on memory consolidation in older adults than depression. …

Evaluating The Effects Of Water Quality And Anthropogenic Disturbance On Salamander Species Diversity, Abundance And Health In Warner Parks, Tatum P. Fortney, Chase Kinsey

Science University Research Symposium (SURS)

Salamanders utilize cutaneous respiration, making them vulnerable to pollution, shifts in water chemistry, and habitat degradation. Increased anthropogenic habitat use may be a detriment to local salamander populations and pollution increases with land use. Understanding how water quality influences salamander abundance, diversity and physiological condition is crucial for amphibian conservation and for assessing freshwater ecosystem health, as they serve as a key bioindicator species. The objective of this study was to examine how variation in water quality parameters influences salamander species abundance, diversity and locomotor performance across stream sites within Warner Parks in Nashville, Tennessee. Field sampling was conducted weekly …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Eco-Engineered Hollow Fe2o3/Carbon Nanocomposite Spheres: Evaluating Structural, Optical, Antibacterial, And Lead Adsorption Properties, Islam Gomaa, Nikita Yushin, Mekki Bayachou, Vojislav Stani´, Inga Zinicovscaia

Chemistry Faculty Publications

This work presents a facile mechano-thermal route for the synthesis of carbon-decorated, hollow, mesoporous alpha-Fe2O3 microspheres. Comprehensive characterization (XRD, XPS, FT-IR, SEM/EDX, TGA, zeta-potential) confirmed the formation of phase-pure hematite with nanoscale crystallites (similar to 19 nm), substantial residual surface carbon (similar to 40 wt%) consistent with Fe-O-C linkages, and a positive surface charge (+15.9 mV). The hierarchical hollow/mesoporous architecture enables fast ion transport and provides extensive interior binding sites, resulting in rapid Pb(II) uptake that reaches 92% removal in approximate to 15 min at pH 5.0. The adsorption follows a Langmuir isotherm (q(max) approximate to 70.6 mg/g) and pseudo-second-order …

Efficient Multimodal Streaming Recommendation Via Expandable Side Mixture-Of-Experts, Yunke Qu, Liang Qu, Tong Chen, Quoc Viet Hung Nguyen, Hongzhi Yin

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Streaming recommender systems (SRSs) are widely deployed in real-world applications, where user interests shift and new items arrive over time. As a result, effectively capturing users' latest preferences is challenging, as interactions reflecting recent interests are limited and new items often lack sufficient feedback. A common solution is to enrich item representations using multimodal encoders (e.g., BERT or ViT) to extract visual and textual features. However, these encoders are pretrained on general-purpose tasks: they are not tailored to user preference modeling, and they overlook the fact that user tastes toward modality-specific features such as visual styles and textual tones can …

Contrasting Effects Of Impervious Cover On Riparian Plant And Soil Bacterial Communities In A Rapidly Urbanising Himalayan City, Karma Jamtsho, Mark A. Lund, David Blake, Eddie Van Etten

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Rapid urbanisation—particularly the expansion of impervious surfaces—is reshaping riparian landscapes worldwide. These areas are frequently targeted for development due to their favourable topography, abundant water resources, and aesthetic appeal. However, the impact of increasing impervious cover on soil bacterial communities in biodiverse urban riparian zones remains poorly understood, especially in developing countries, raising concerns about potential declines in essential ecosystem functions. In this study, we investigated the effects of impervious cover, quantified as the Percentage of Total Impervious Area (PTIA), on the taxonomic and functional diversity of riparian soil bacteria in Thimphu City, Bhutan. Using plot-based taxonomic profiling and metagenomic …