Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Relative Influence Of Sea State And Mean, Turbulent, And Heterogenous Refractivity On X-Band Propagation, Douglas M. Pastore, Erin E. Hackett

Marine Science

In predicting electromagnetic wave propagation within the marine atmospheric surface layer, it is common to assume steady homogenous conditions. However, discrepancies between predicted and measured propagation remain, which could be due in-part to turbulent fluctuations of the refractive index, spatially heterogenous evaporative ducting environments, and mischaracterization of the rough ocean bottom boundary. To better understand the relative importance of these contributors, this study explores the sensitivity of X-band propagation to parameters describing sea-state conditions and refractive environments, including turbulent fluctuations and spatially heterogenous conditions. This study employs the extended Fourier Amplitude Sensitivity Test to compute sensitivity indices that evaluate the …

Probing The Nature Of Diffuse Dust Emission In The Galaxy, Addepalli Sri Udaya K Rao G

University Departments

No abstract provided.

Investigating Magnetic Precession In The Magnetized Kerr Spacetime, Ashwal D'Souza

University Departments

No abstract provided.

A Turn-Off Fluorescent Sensor For Metal Ions Quantifies Corrosion In An Organic Solvent, Lianlian Liu, Zechariah Pfaffenberger, Mark Siegel, Anuj Saini, Lydia Kisley

Faculty Scholarship

We demonstrate that the corrosion of AISI 1045 medium carbon steel and pure aluminum can be quantified by the turn-off fluorescent sensor Phen Green-SK (PGSK) in ethanol-based solutions. We first evaluate the dependence of the chelation enhanced quenching of PGSK on iron and aluminum ion concentrations. Subsequently, we apply PGSK to examine the anodic dissolution of metal corrosion. The observed time-dependent PGSK-quenching quantifies the corrosion rates of two metals over 24 h of immersion in ethanol-based solutions. The PGSK-based quantification of corrosion is compared to scanning electron microscopy and electrochemical techniques, including open circuit potential and Tafel extrapolation. The corrosion …

Path Integrals For Stochastic Process, Matlub Bux

University Departments

No abstract provided.

Supercontinuum Generation With A Ti: Sapphire Laser And Photonic Crystal Fiber, Joseph Lange

Celebrating Scholarship and Creativity Day (2018-)

A broad spectrum of visible light was produced by focusing the 50-fs, 800-nm, 5-nJ pulses from an unamplified Ti:sapphire laser into a 20-cm-long photonic crystal fiber. A prism pair was used to compensate for material dispersion of the system. Different focusing methods were investigated including beam telescopes and lenses of various focal lengths. A 3X beam expander telescope near the laser output and a 3-cm focal length achromatic lens after the prism pair were found to work best for coupling the light into the fiber which has a core diameter of 1.7 μm.

Software Development And Market Research Process Of Plasma Software Distribution, Connor Moore

Honors College Theses

When trying to find the right software for scientific research, one may have to comb through the internet to acquire a suitable tool. Much of the scientific software online is in mostly unknown web pages where the only way to find the software is to already know about it, be told about it, or find the software by pure chance. Even worse, with few verification systems in place they may try a new program only for it to turn out to be malware. The search for the right software takes time away from the scientists, slowing the overall pace of …

How Financial Beliefs And Behaviors Influence The Financial Health Of Individuals Struggling With Opioid Use Disorder, Karima Lalani, Tiffany Champagne-Langabeer

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The surge in opioid use disorder (OUD) over the past decade escalated opioid overdoses to a leading cause of death in the United States. With adverse effects on cognition, risk-taking, and decision-making, OUD may negatively influence financial well-being. This study examined the financial health of individuals diagnosed with OUD by reviewing financial beliefs and financial behaviors. We evaluated quality of life, perceptions of financial condition during active use and recovery, and total debt. We distributed a 20-item survey to 150 individuals in an outpatient treatment program for OUD in a large metropolitan area, yielding a 56% response rate. The results …

High-Density Genetic Map Construction And Qtl Mapping Of A Zigzag-Shaped Stem Trait In Tea Plant (Camellia Sinensis), Si Chen, Chenyu Zhang, Piao Mei, Jiedan Chen, Liang Chen, Chunlei Ma

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The highly unique zigzag-shaped stem phenotype in tea plants boasts significant ornamental value and is exceptionally rare. To investigate the genetic mechanism behind this trait, we developed BC1 artificial hybrid populations. Our genetic analysis revealed the zigzag-shaped trait as a qualitative trait. Utilizing whole-genome resequencing, we constructed a high-density genetic map from the BC1 population, incorporating 5,250 SNP markers across 15 linkage groups, covering 3,328.51 cM with an average marker interval distance of 0.68 cM. A quantitative trait locus (QTL) for the zigzag-shaped trait was identified on chromosome 4, within a 61.2 to 97.2 Mb range, accounting for a phenotypic …

Mitochondria Regulate Proliferation In Adult Cardiac Myocytes, Kathryn A Helmin, Benjamin D Singer, Clara Bien Peek, Joseph Bass, Lauren Nelson, Sanjiv J Shah, Gaston Ofman, J Andrew Wasserstrom, William A Muller, Alexander V Misharin, G R Scott Budinger, Hiam Abdala-Valencia, Navdeep S Chandel, Danijela Dokic, Elizabeth Bartom, Shuang Zhang, Yuki Tatekoshi, Amir Mahmoodzadeh, Hossein Ardehali, Edward B Thorp, Paul T Schumacker

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Newborn mammalian cardiomyocytes quickly transition from a fetal to an adult phenotype that utilizes mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation but loses mitotic capacity. We tested whether forced reversal of adult cardiomyocytes back to a fetal glycolytic phenotype would restore proliferative capacity. We deleted Uqcrfs1 (mitochondrial Rieske iron-sulfur protein, RISP) in hearts of adult mice. As RISP protein decreased, heart mitochondrial function declined, and glucose utilization increased. Simultaneously, the hearts underwent hyperplastic remodeling during which cardiomyocyte number doubled without cellular hypertrophy. Cellular energy supply was preserved, AMPK activation was absent, and mTOR activation was evident. In ischemic hearts with RISP deletion, new cardiomyocytes …

2024 May 9 - Tennessee Weekly Drought Summary, Tennessee Climate Office, East Tennessee State University

Tennessee Climate Office Weekly Drought Summaries

No abstract provided.

Motion History Images: A New Method For Tracking Microswimmers In 3d, Max Riekeles, Hadi Albalkhi, Megan Marie Dubay, Jay Nadeau, Christian A. Lindensmith

Physics Faculty Publications and Presentations

Quantitative tracking of rapidly moving micron-scale objects remains an elusive challenge in microscopy due to low signal-to-noise. This paper describes a novel method for tracking micron-sized motile organisms in off-axis Digital Holographic Microscope (DHM) raw holograms and/or reconstructions. We begin by processing the microscopic images with the previously reported Holographic Examination for Life-like Motility (HELM) software, which provides a variety of tracking outputs including motion history images (MHIs). MHIs are stills of videos where the frame-to-frame changes are indicated with color time-coding. This exposes tracks of objects that are difficult to identify in individual frames at a low signal-to-noise ratio. …

Nanograv 15-Year Gravitational-Wave Background Methods, Aaron D. Johnson, Patrick M. Meyers, Paul T. Baker, Neil J. Cornish, ‪Jeffrey S. Hazboun, Tyson B. Littenberg, Joseph D. Romano, Stephen R. Taylor, Michele Vallisneri

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

Pulsar timing arrays (PTAs) use an array of millisecond pulsars to search for gravitational waves in the nanohertz regime in pulse time of arrival data. This paper presents rigorous tests of PTA methods, examining their consistency across the relevant parameter space. We discuss updates to the 15-year isotropic gravitational-wave background analyses and their corresponding code representations. Descriptions of the internal structure of the flagship algorithms enterprise and ptmcmcsampler are given to facilitate understanding of the PTA likelihood structure, how models are built, and what methods are currently used in sampling the high-dimensional PTA parameter space. We introduce a novel version …

Synthesis And Analysis Of A Novel Magnetic Surfactant, Donovan Turpin

Honors Theses

Researchers in the University of Mississippi Chemical Engineering Department have suggested that chelation of a large magnetic transition metal, namely dysprosium, into the large polar head group of a surfactant could result in a magnetic surfactant. This project was aimed at synthesizing a surfactant with a large enough head group and negative charge (specifically EDTA) to support this ion and demonstrating that the chelation process was successful. If so, the molecule would ideally be capable of forming micelles which could extract oily substances from water using a strong magnet—possibly applicable to environmental crises like oil spills.

NMR analysis has suggested, …

A Comparison Of Assessment Experiences Between Standards-Based Practices And Traditional Practices Within Secondary Mathematics Classrooms, Emily Mayes

Honors Theses

The purpose of this research was to compare assessment experiences and find ways to improve those experiences for students in two mathematics classrooms: one classroom that employs Standards-Based Grading and one classroom that uses traditional grading practices. The research examines students’ perceptions regarding their level of preparation, their anxiety levels surrounding assessment, the validity of assessments, and using assessments and grading practices to give accurate indications of student progress in their learning, given the students’ perceptions. Students in both settings voluntarily and anonymously participated in completing pre- and post-assessment free-response surveys which asked questions about students’ assessment experiences. This research …

Theoretical Spectroscopic Predictions Of Electronically Excited States, Noah R. Garrett

Honors Theses

The quest for faster computation of anharmonic vibrational frequencies of both ground and excited electronic states has led to combining coupled cluster theory harmonic force constants with density functional theory (DFT) cubic and quartic force constants for defining a quartic force field (QFF) utilized in conjunction with vibrational perturbation theory at second order (VPT2). This work shows that explicitly correlated coupled cluster theory at the singles, doubles, and perturbative triples level [CCSD(T)-F12] provides accurate anharmonic vibrational frequencies and rotational constants when conjoined with any of B3LYP, CAM-B3LYP, BHandHLYP, PBE0, and ωB97XD for roughly one-quarter of the computational time of the …

Development Of The Xl-Calibur Hard X-Ray Polarimetry Mission And Insights Into Blazar Markarian 501 Through X-Ray Polarimetric Observations With The Imaging X-Ray Polarimetry Explorer (Ixpe), Lindsey Lisalda

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

X-ray polarimetry is a new tool for exploring the geometries and underlying physical processes at work in cosmic X-ray sources. This thesis focuses on the roles of two X-ray polarimetry missions, IXPE and XL-Calibur, to measure the polarization of the X-rays from black holes and neutron stars. By covering a wide energy range, 2-8 keV for IXPE and 15-80 keV for XL-Calibur, and utilizing different measurement techniques, these missions offer complementary insights into the physics of compact X-ray sources. Both missions are suited to study the X-rays emitted by the jets of AGNs and blazars, which are often polarized due …

Complete Pick Spaces And Operator Inequalities, Georgios Tsikalas

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is concerned with the treatment of three different research topics, all lying at the interface of complex analysis and operator theory. The first chapter is based on two distinct research projects, both revolving around complete Pick spaces. These are reproducing kernel Hilbert spaces that host an analogue of the Pick interpolation theorem for multipliers. First, we study a generalized inner-outer factorization in the setting of a particular complete Pick space over the annulus. The second project deals with the characterization of interpolating sequences for multipliers between certain pairs of function spaces that enjoy an analogue of the complete …

Re: Request For Change (Rfc-Rmap-2024-001), Mike Mcanulty

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Αb-Crystallin Phosphorylation Induces A Condensatopathy To Worsen Post-Myocardial Infarction Cardiomyopathy, Md Moydul Islam

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Rare genetic mutations in proteins expressed in cardiomyocytes lead to proteotoxic cardiomyopathies which are characterized by widespread protein-aggregate pathology. However, the mechanistic link between proteotoxicity and protein-aggregates in the more common ischemic cardiomyopathy remains unclear. Our study revealed the mis-localization of desmin, actin, and α-actinin to protein-aggregates in the myocardium of patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy and in mouse hearts undergoing post-myocardial infarction ventricular remodeling. These findings mimic observations in autosomal-dominant cardiomyopathy resulting from the R120G mutation in the chaperone protein CRYAB where desmin is mis-localized into the aggregates. Importantly, we observed increased phosphorylation of CRYAB at serine-59 (pS59-CRYAB) and its …

Infrared Magneto-Spectroscopy Of Correlated Electron Systems In Graphene, Yashika Kapoor

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures represent a novel class of artificial materials created by layering atomically thin planar crystals and offer a promising platform for band structure engineering. Here, we focus on a vdW heterostructure of monolayer graphene (G) coupled to a hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN). We utilize cyclotron resonance (CR) spectroscopy as a primary investigative tool for probing the interacting Dirac fermions in graphene. This work presents a system capable of conducting broadband far- to mid-infrared CR spectroscopy in high magnetic fields and ultra-low temperatures. Our study investigates the influence of the h-BN substrate on the properties of graphene …

Examining Galaxy Bulge Regions With The Sloan Digital Sky Survey, Sarah E. Draves, Ariyeh Maller

Publications and Research

Nearly all of the ordinary matter in the universe is located in galaxies, which are made up stars, gas, dust, and black holes, and range in size from a few thousand to a few hundred thousand light years across. Galaxies come in different shapes, but many of them are spiral shaped, and some of those have a central bulge region that is distinct from the rest of the galactic disk. This project used a large data set of galaxies that had their bulge and disk components separated to see what correlations those fractions of each galaxy have with other galaxy …

The Use Of Repurposed Whole Textiles To Modify The Mechanical And Hydrogeological Properties Of Green Roof Media And Granular Soils, Angelis Almanzar-Chevalie, Yehya Elfgeeh, Calvin O. Walters Jr.

Publications and Research

This study investigates using repurposed whole textiles to modify the mechanical and hydrogeological properties of lightweight Green Roof media and granular pavement soils.

Green Roof Media Green roofs aim to bring the advantages of suburban agriculture to urban environments while improving energy efficiency and enhancing stormwater management in public, commercial, and residential buildings. Previous studies by City Tech undergraduate research assistants demonstrated significant modification in hydrogeological properties when incorporating textile fabric up to 3% textile by weight (%Tex) at an aspect ratio of 1:1. The effects of mixing repurposed whole textile fiber with Green Roof media is evaluated with regards …

Machine Learning: Face Recognition, Mohammed E. Amin

Publications and Research

This project explores the cutting-edge intersection of machine learning (ML) and face recognition (FR) technology, utilizing the OpenCV library to pioneer innovative applications in real-time security and user interface enhancement. By processing live video feeds, our system encodes visual inputs and employs advanced face recognition algorithms to accurately identify individuals from a database of photos. This integration of machine learning with OpenCV not only showcases the potential for bolstering security systems but also enriches user experiences across various technological platforms. Through a meticulous examination of unique facial features and the application of sophisticated ML algorithms and neural networks, our project …

A Nlp Approach To Automating The Generation Of Surveys For Market Research, Anav Chug

Honors College Theses

Market Research is vital but includes activities that are often laborious and time consuming. Survey questionnaires are one possible output of the process and market researchers spend a lot of time manually developing questions for focus groups. The proposed research aims to develop a software prototype that utilizes Natural Language Processing (NLP) to automate the process of generating survey questions for market research. The software uses a pre-trained Open AI language model to generate multiple choice survey questions based on a given product prompt, send it to a targeted email list, and also provides a real-time analysis of the responses …

Integration Of Agent Models And Meta Reinforcement Learning (Meta-Rl) Algorithms For Car Racing Experiment, Vidyavarshini Holenarasipur Jayashankar

Student Research Symposium

Introduction: Achieving optimal performance in 2D racing games presents unique challenges, requiring adaptive strategies and advanced learning algorithms. This research explores the integration of sophisticated agent models with Meta Reinforcement Learning (Meta-RL) techniques, specifically Model-Agnostic Meta-Learning (MAML) and Proximal Policy Optimization (PPO), to enhance decision-making and adaptability within these simulated environments. We hypothesize that this innovative approach will lead to marked improvements in game performance and learning efficiency.

Methods: In our experimental setup, we applied MAML for its rapid adaptation capabilities and PPO for optimizing the agents' policy decisions within a 2D racing game simulator. The objective was …

Securing The Internet Of Things At Scale, Steven L. Willoughby

Student Research Symposium

The world of the connected “Internet of Things” (IoT), including the "Industrial Internet of Things" (IIoT) is expanding to include more devices which observe and influence our daily lives, routines, locations, and even our state of health. But have the underlying protocols by which they communicate this data kept pace with the need to protect our privacy and security?

My talk will introduce my research into an approach to better secure this information flow using appropriate access controls without sacrificing performance. I will assess the historical challenges and simple access controls applied to IoT networking protocols and how they can …

Improving Tattle-Tale K-Deniability, Nicholas G.E. Morales

Student Research Symposium

Ensuring privacy for databases is an ongoing struggle. While the majority of work has focused on using access control lists to protect sensitive data these methods are vulnerable to inference attacks. A set of algorithms, referred to as Tattle-Tale, was developed that could protect sensitive data from being inferred however its runtime performance wasn’t suitable for production code. This set of algorithms contained two main subsets, Full Deniability and K-Deniability. My research focused on improving the runtime or utility of the K-Deniability algorithms. I investigated the runtime of the K-Deniability algorithms to identify what was slowing the process down. Aside …

Extreme Precipitation Climatology Of The Contiguous U.S., Amy M. Johnson

Student Research Symposium

Extreme precipitation can cause flooding, landslides, loss of life and assets. Across the Contiguous United States (CONUS), concurrent to global warming, many communities have experienced increases in the amount of rain falling during the most extreme precipitation events and climate models project further increases for most of the CONUS. There is a need to comprehensively study the extreme precipitation climatology across the CONUS to understand what is within the observed range of extreme precipitation and the weather that drives it. Modern Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications 2 (MERRA-2) atmospheric reanalysis data for the period of 1980-2023 is used …

A Novel Caching Algorithm For Efficient Fine-Grained Access Control In Database Management Systems, Anadi Shakya

Student Research Symposium

Fine-grained access Control (FGAC) in DBMS is vital for restricting user access to authorized data and enhancing security. FGAC policies govern how users are granted access to specific resources based on detailed criteria, ensuring security and privacy measures. Traditional methods struggle with scaling policies to thousands, causing delays in query responses. This paper introduces a novel caching algorithm designed to address this challenge by accelerating query processing and ensuring compliance with FGAC policies. In our approach, we create a circular hashmap and employ different replacement techniques to efficiently manage the cache, prioritizing entries that are visited more frequently. To evaluate …