Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Produced Water: Characterization And Treatment, Ramon Antonio Sanchez Rosario

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In recent years, environmental concerns have urged companies in the energy sector to modify their industrial activities to facilitate greater environmental stewardship. For example, the practice of unconventional oil and gas extraction has drawn the ire of regulators and various environmental groups due to its reliance on millions of barrels of fresh water for hydraulic fracturing well stimulation, which is generally withdrawn from natural sources and public water supplies. Additionally, this process generates two substantial waste streams, which are collectively characterized as flowback and produced water. Whereas flowback water is comprised of various chemical additives that are used during hydraulic …

Synthesis Of Neoglycoproteins As Potential Biomarkers For Chagas Disease And Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Caused By Leishmania (Viannia) Braziliensis, Eileni Rodriguez Gil

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Protozoan parasites are responsible for causing numerous diseases in humans and mammals worldwide. Among them are Chagas disease (CD), caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi (T. cruzi), and tegumentary leishmaniasis (TL), caused by the parasite Leishmania (Viannia). Both diseases coexist in many regions of Latin America, and current hurdles to differentially diagnose them and determine chemotherapy success need to be overcome. CD can be diagnosed by traditional serological tests and polymerase chain reaction (PCR), but disadvantages of these methods are that they may produce false negatives because the antigens used in commercial CD kits are not conserved across all T.cruzi …

Computational Investigation Of Transition Metal Photoredox Catalysis: Redox Property Tuning Via Ligand Modification, Christian Fernando Sandoval Pauker

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In the last decade, photoredox catalysis has become a powerful tool in synthetic chemistry. It relies on the ability of catalytic systems that facilitate energy-demanding redox reactions thanks to photoinduced electron transfer processes. This dissertation focuses on the computational investigation of the redox properties of transition metal photoredox catalysts using density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The research systematically explores the effects of altering redox-active ligands on the thermodynamics of electron transfer events in the photoredox cycle. The electronic structure changes throughout oxidative and reductive quenching cycles are analyzed, with a particular focus on Cu(I) complexes. Through computational techniques, insights into …

Automated Composition Of Multivariable Scientific Workflows Considering Scientific Assumptions, Raul Alejandro Vargas Acosta

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Many ground-breaking scientific experiments require the execution of multiple complex scientific computations. Thus, scientific workflows (i.e., a sequence of scientific computations) have received significant attention, more specifically, the automated composition of scientific workflows. Scientific workflows that repurpose data may have unique scientific assumptions that need to be considered when composing a workflow. Workflow composition tools have enabled a wider range of stakeholders (e.g., policymakers, the general public, and researchers) to create and execute workflows; however, domain expertise is still required for these tasks. The overarching goal of this work is to further improve the automatic composition of scientific workflows by …

Agricultural Groundcover Update March 2024, Justin Laycock

Natural resources published reports

• In March, over 10% (1,577,000 ha) of the arable farmland in the south-west of Western Australia had less than 50% vegetative groundcover, which is inadequate to prevent wind erosion.

• The northern grainbelt had the highest risk of wind erosion and over 20% of this farmland had inadequate groundcover.

• About 1.3% (191,000 ha) of arable land had a high to very high risk of wind erosion because groundcover was less than 30%.

Local Existence Of Solutions To A Nonlinear Autonomous Pde Model For Population Dynamics With Nonlocal Transport And Competition, Michael R. Lindstrom

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

Highlights

• Partial differential equation models are ubiquitous in applied sciences.

• A partial differential equation based in ecology is studied for solution existence.

• Energy methods and convergence analysis lead to local classical solutions.

Abstract

In this paper, we prove that a particular nondegenerate, nonlinear, autonomous parabolic partial differential equation with nonlocal mass transfer admits the local existence of classical solutions. The equation was developed to qualitatively describe temporal changes in population densities over space through accounting for location desirability and fast, long-range travel. Beginning with sufficiently regular initial conditions, through smoothing the PDE and employing energy arguments, we obtain a sequence …

3d Analysis Of Fe-Ti Oxides And How They Affect Crystal-Plastic Deformation In Atlantis Bank, Southwest Indian Ridge, Sarah Hill

Master's Theses

This project focuses on the importance of the relationship between Fe-Ti oxide abundance and interconnectivity, and crystal-plastic deformation in Atlantis Bank, Southwest Indian Ridge by utilizing Micro-CT scanning. This was done through comparing the Micro-CT scans of 15 samples from three different Ocean Drilling Program and International Ocean Discovery Program drill holes using the Nikon NIS Advanced Research 3-D visualization program and producing plots and statistics from MATLAB. Results indicate a wide range of textures across a range of crystal-plastic fabric intensity and Fe-Ti oxide abundance. Ultimately, there was a generally positive relationship between depth, CPF intensity, and Fe-Ti oxide …

Satellite Image Analysis And Sidewalk Classification Using Deep Learning Models, Subeksha Khanal

Master's Theses

Lack of sidewalk pavement can contribute to pedestrian fatalities and injuries in the USA. Although many researchers have conducted research on sidewalk detection, there are not many publicly available datasets that we would work on for sidewalk classification. In this study, I conducted classification tasks using pretrained CNN models including VGG16 and ResNet50. I extended these models by adding custom layers at the top of pretrained layers, employing various techniques to improve the classification accuracy.

The dataset comprises 4,731 images of sidewalk based on occlusion levels, including images where the sidewalk is visible from overhead and instances where sidewalk is …

Agricultural Producer And Non-Producer Perceptions Of Crop Residue Burning: A Focus On Arkansas, Jillian Hyink, Ryan Bresnahan, Brandon R. Mcfadden, Aaron M. Shew, James Mitchell

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Faculty Publications and Presentations

Agricultural producers adopt management practices that positively and negatively affect the lives of non-producers in their communities. CRB has important environmental and human health implications, and local non-producers might have different perceptions and attitudes from agricultural producers about crop residue burning. In this paper, we use a multi-stakeholder approach to study the issue of crop residue burning (CRB). Survey data were collected from a sample of producers in Arkansas who burn crop residue and a sample of non-producers who resided in the same counties as the producers. Non-producers may not be willing to compensate producers at an amount that would …

Electrocatalytic Degradation Of Bisphenol A Using Nickel Sulfide Supported On Graphene Oxide And Cobalt Sulfide Supported On Graphene Oxide Composite Materials, Katherine Ellynn Wright

Theses and Dissertations

The degradation of bisphenol A (BPA) by nickel sulfide supported on graphene oxide (NiS/GO) and cobalt sulfide supported on graphene oxide (CoS/GO) composite materials was investigated. The catalysts were studied to determine the optimal conditions for BPA degradation using electrocatalysis. Electrocatalytic trials were performed using varying parameters, which included electrolyte concentrations of 1.0 g/L, 2.0 g/L, and 4.0 g/L Na2SO4, pHs of 2, 4, and 6, and constant currents of either 0.100 A or 0.200 A. During the reaction samples were taken before the current was applied and 30 minutes and 60 minute intervals to observe the degradation of …

Synthesis Of Thermoresponsive Poly(N-Isopropyl Acrylamide) Based Core-Shell And Hollow Shell Nanogel With Tunable Core And Shell Thickness, Mohamad Hijazi, Molla R. Islam

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Nanogels have emerged as a notably safer and more effective means for drug delivery, primarily due to their adjustable drug-loading capabilities. Hollow-core nanoparticles offer some unique properties that are desirable for drug delivery applications. Initially, silica core nanoparticles were synthesized using the Stöber process at different temperatures where Tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) undergoes hydrolysis in the presence of ethanol and then a condensation reaction to form silica nanoparticles. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Optical Microscopy (OM) analysis revealed that the size of silica core particles varied with the synthesis temperature (300 nm at 30°C to 150 at 60°C). The core silica particles …

Dancetag: Using Sensors To Improve Feedback Given To Dance Students, Yanelly Mego

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

The structure of dance classrooms has remained unchanged for several years. Very little, if any, technology has been incorporated to improve the quality of teaching. This has motivated our research project, whose goal is to capture dance movements with wearable sensors, to develop DANCETAG (Data Analytics and Notation with Captured Event Tagging). This is a platform that allows the gathering of data captured by Sony’s Mocopi sensors and annotating them with the dancer's movements. The Mocopi sensors make up a motion capture system. It is comprised of six small, round sensors that can be attached to velcro straps and clips. …

Spin Disorder Control Of Topological Spin Texture, Hongrui Zhang, Yu-Tsun Shao, Xiang Chen, Binhua Zhang, Tianye Wang, Fanhao Meng, Kun Xu, Peter Meisenheimer, Xianzhe Chen, Xiaoxi Huang, Piush Behera, Sajid Husain, Tiancong Zhu, Hao Pan, Yanli Jia, Nick Settineri, Nathan Giles-Donovan, Zehao He, Andreas Scholl, Alpha N'Diaye, Padraic Shafer, Archana Raja, Changsong Xu, Lane W. Martin, Michael F. Crommie, Jie Yao, Ziqiang Qiu, Arun Majumdar, Laurent Bellaiche, David A. Muller, Robert J. Birgeneau, Ramamoorthy Ramesh

Physics Faculty Publications and Presentations

Stabilization of topological spin textures in layered magnets has the potential to drive the development of advanced low-dimensional spintronics devices. However, achieving reliable and flexible manipulation of the topological spin textures beyond skyrmion in a two-dimensional magnet system remains challenging. Here, we demonstrate the introduction of magnetic iron atoms between the van der Waals gap of a layered magnet, Fe₃GaTe₂, to modify local anisotropic magnetic interactions. Consequently, we present direct observations of the order-disorder skyrmion lattices transition. In addition, non-trivial topological solitons, such as skyrmioniums and skyrmion bags, are realized at room temperature. Our work highlights …

Algorithm-Based Linearly Graded Compositions Of Gesn On Gaas (001) Via Molecular Beam Epitaxy, Calbi Gunder, Mohammad Zamani-Alavijeh, Emmanuel Wangila, Fernando Maia De Oliveira, Aida Sheibani, Serhii Kryvyi, Paul C. Attwood, Yuriy I. Mazur, Shui-Qing Yu, Gregory J. Salamo

Physics Faculty Publications and Presentations

The growth of high-composition GeSn films in the future will likely be guided by algorithms. In this study, we show how a logarithmic-based algorithm can be used to obtain high-quality GeSn compositions up to 16% on GaAs (001) substrates via molecular beam epitaxy. Herein, we use composition targeting and logarithmic Sn cell temperature control to achieve linearly graded pseudomorph Ge_1−xSn_x compositions up to 10% before partial relaxation of the structure and a continued gradient up to 16% GeSn. In this report, we use X-ray diffraction, simulation, secondary ion mass spectrometry, and atomic force microscopy to analyze and …

An Improved Bayesian Pick-The-Winner (Ibpw) Design For Randomized Phase Ii Clinical Trials, Wanni Lei, Maosen Peng, Xi K. Zhou

COBRA Preprint Series

Phase II clinical trials play a pivotal role in drug development by screening a large number of drug candidates to identify those with promising preliminary efficacy for phase III testing. Trial designs that enable efficient decision-making with small sample sizes and early futility stopping while controlling for type I and II errors in hypothesis testing, such as Simon’s two-stage design, are preferred. Randomized multi-arm trials are increasingly used in phase II settings to overcome the limitations associated with using historical controls as the reference. However, how to effectively balance efficiency and accurate decision-making continues to be an important research topic. …

A Study Of Quantitative Reasoning Instructors’ Choices And Motivations When Teaching Quantitative Reasoning For The First Time, Trish Ann Harding

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study delves into the instructional decision-making processes of post-secondary instructors teaching quantitative reasoning (QR) courses for the first time. The study aims to address the gap in understanding how first-time QR instructors navigate the complexities of curriculum design and pedagogical strategies, and how these experiences contribute to their professional development. The research questions center on identifying the instructional decisions made by these instructors, exploring the factors influencing their decision-making, and understanding the impact of exercising agency has on their professional development. Through in-depth exploration, this study seeks to shed light on the challenges and opportunities faced by first-time …

Studies Of Novel And Well-Defined Dinickel Architectures Utilizing An N-Atom Bridge, David Anthony De Los Santos

Theses and Dissertations

There has been a growing interest in organometallic chemistry to utilize late Earth-abundant metals towards challenging molecular functionalization of abundant feedstocks to value-added products. There is precedent of utilizing cooperativity to try and address some of the shortcomings of traditional mononuclear complexes by integrating metal-metal and or metal-ligand cooperativity to facilitate multi-electron transformations. The utility of a redox-noninnocent scaffold allows for the metal centers to be stable over a range of oxidation states, using the ligand to store electrons. Despite recent progress, complexes harnessing cooperative states towards challenging transformations is still an emerging field. Our group has synthesized a multinucleating …

Models Of Functional Redundancy In Ecological Communities, Sandra Annie Tsiorintsoa

All Dissertations

Functional redundancy is the number of taxa that perform a given function within a given community. In most systems, high levels of functional redundancy are important, because they contribute to ecosystem stability. However, we currently have very little understanding of why functional redundancy varies among communities. One possible factor that could affect functional redundancy is environmental complexity. Many studies show that simplified ecosystems harbor communities with lower taxon diversity. What is less clear is if this simplicity and lower taxon diversity also affects functional redundancy. To answer this question, we use metacommunity models to explore the connection between environmental complexity …

Artificial Intelligence-Powered Assessment Of Pathologic Response To Neoadjuvant Atezolizumab In Patients With Nsclc: Results From The Lcmc3 Study, Sanja Dacic, William D Travis, Jennifer M Giltnane, Filip Kos, John Abel, Junya Fujimoto, Jon Ritter, Farah Khalil, Yi Liu, Amaro Taylor-Weiner, Murray Resnick, Hui Yu, Fred R Hirsch, Paul A Bunn, David P Carbone, Valerie Rusch, David J Kwiatkowski, Bruce E Johnson, Jay M Lee, Stephanie R Hennek, Ilan Wapinski, Alan Nicholas, Ann Johnson, Katja Schulze, Mark G Kris, Ignacio I Wistuba

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Introduction: Pathologic response (PathR) by histopathologic assessment of resected specimens may be an early clinical end point associated with long-term outcomes with neoadjuvant therapy. Digital pathology may improve the efficiency and precision of PathR assessment. LCMC3 (NCT02927301) evaluated neoadjuvant atezolizumab in patients with resectable NSCLC and reported a 20% major PathR rate.

Methods: We determined PathR in primary tumor resection specimens using guidelines-based visual techniques and developed a convolutional neural network model using the same criteria to digitally measure the percent viable tumor on whole-slide images. Concordance was evaluated between visual determination of percent viable tumor (n = …

A Review Of Student Attitudes Towards Keystroke Logging And Plagiarism Detection In Introductory Computer Science Courses, Caleb Syndergaard

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

The following paper addresses student attitudes towards keystroke logging and plagiarism prevention measures. Specifically, the paper concerns itself with changes made to the “ShowYourWork” plugin, which was implemented to log the keystrokes of students in Utah State University’s introductory Computer Science course, CS1400. Recent work performed by the Edwards Lab provided insights into students’ feelings towards keystroke logging as a measure of deterring plagiarism. As a result of that research, we have concluded that measures need to be taken to enable students to have more control over their data and assist students to feel more comfortable with keystroke logging. This …

Inferring A Hierarchical Input Type For An Sql Query, Santosh Aryal

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

SQL queries are a common method to retrieve information from databases, much like asking a detailed question and getting a precise answer. Plug-and-play queries simplify the process of querying. In a Plug-and-play SQL query a programmer sketches the shape of the input to the query as a hierarchy. But the programmer could make a mistake in specifying the hierarchy and it takes programmer time and effort to specify the hierarchy. A better solution is to automatically infer the hierarchy from a query. This thesis presents a system to infer a hierarchical input type for an SQL query. We consider two …

Empowering Graphics: A Distributed Rendering Architecture For Inclusive Access To Modern Gpu Capabilities, Taylor Anderson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Modern rendering software requires powerful GPUs with the latest hardware features in order to utilize all of the newest rendering techniques. Many users do not have access to this hardware, and rely on remote server farms or reduced performance to achieve usable results. In this thesis, the software is designed and created to allow for a user to share the resources of their computer with another, modeling a split-screen setup like was common in the past, but without requiring users to be in the same location.

By designing the software from the ground up to support this, instead of adding …

Bacteria Synergized With Pd-1 Blockade Enhance Positive Feedback Loop Of Cancer Cells-M1 Macrophages-T Cells In Glioma, Jiajie Zhang, Xinyi Yan, Qi Zhang, Di Wu, Zhong Chen

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Cancer immunotherapy is an attractive strategy because it stimulates immune cells to target malignant cells by regulating the intrinsic activity of the immune system. However, due to lacking many immunologic markers, it remains difficult to treat glioma, a representative "cold" tumor. Herein, to wake the "hot" tumor immunity of glioma, Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg) is customized with a coating to create an immunogenic tumor microenvironment and further prove the effect in combination with the immune checkpoint agent anti-PD-1, exhibiting elevated therapeutic efficacy. This is accomplished not by enhancing the delivery of PD-1 blockade to enhance the effect of immunotherapy, but by …

Australian Non-Perennial Rivers: Global Lessons And Research Opportunities, Margaret Shanafield, Melanie Blanchette, Edoardo Daly, Naomi Wells, Ryan M. Burrows, Kathryn Korbel, Gabriel C. Rau, Sarah Bourke, Gresley Wakelin-King, Aleicia Holland, Timothy Ralph, Gavan Mcgrath, Belinda Robson, Keirnan Fowler, Martin S. Andersen, Songyan Yu, Christopher S. Jones, Nathan Waltham, Eddie W. Banks, Alissa Flatley, Catherine Leigh, Sally Maxwell, Andre Siebers, Nick Bond, Leah Beesley, Grant Hose, Jordan Iles, Ian Cartwright, Michael Reid, Thiaggo De Castro Tayer, Clément Duvert

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Non-perennial rivers are valuable water resources that support millions of humans globally, as well as unique riparian ecosystems. In Australia, the Earth's driest inhabited continent, over 70% of rivers are non-perennial due to a combination of ancient landscape, dry climates, highly variable rainfall regimes, and human interventions that have altered riverine environments. Here, we review Australian non-perennial river research incorporating geomorphology, hydrology, biogeochemistry, ecology, and Indigenous knowledges. The dominant research themes in Australia were drought, floods, salinity, dryland ecology, and water management. Future research will likely follow these themes but must address emerging threats to river systems due to climate …

Influence Of The Atlantic Inflow On Trace Metal Enrichments In Sediments And Particulate Matter Of The Nw Alboran Sea (Sw Mediterranean), Albert Palanques, Pere Puig, Pere Masqué, Enrique Isla

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Trace metal contents and fluxes in downward particulate matter and dated sediment cores of the NW Alboran Sea are analysed in this study with the aim of assessing the role of the Atlantic inflow on their transport. Increases in Zn, Cu and Pb were detected in downward particulate matter collected by sediment traps after river flooding events and after the Aznalcollar mining spill. Their arrival coincided within the recently estimated time range for river particles discharged into the Gulf of Cádiz to reach the Alboran Sea, indicating that their transfer is enhanced during events of increased river inputs of contaminated …

The Influence Of Methyl Orange On The Co2-Brine Wettability Of Organic-Acid-Aged Calcite Samples: Implications For Co2 Geo-Storage, Fatemah Alhammad, Mujahid Ali, Nurudeen Yekeen, Muhammad Ali, Mohammadreza Kamali, Stefan Iglauer, Alireza Keshavarz

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The underground storage of CO2 in a depleted carbonate formation is a suitable method for limiting its anthropogenic release and minimize global warming. The rock wettability is an essential factor controlling the mechanisms of CO2 trapping and its containment safety in the geo-storage formation. The geo-storage rock contains innate organic acids which alters the wettability of the rock surface from the hydrophilic condition to the hydrophobic state, thus reduce the CO2 storage capacity. In this study, methyl orange which is a toxic dye that is generally released into environment was used as wettability modifier to change the wettability of stearic …

A Comparative Analysis Of Field Electron Emission From Carbon Black Embedded Within Insulated Copper Hollowed Wires And Glass Tubes, Hatem A. Al-Braikat, Ahmad M D Jaber, Adel M. Abuamr, Mazen A. Madanat, Aseel A. Al-Jbarart, M-Ali H. Al-Akhras, Marwan S. Mousa

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

In this study, two different methods are used to investigate carbon black as a cold field electron emitter. The first method is to incorporate carbon black into a specially designed insulated copper hollowed wire. The wire has a cup-shaped structure created by electrochemical etching. The second method involves the incorporation of carbon black into narrow glass tubes. A Comparative analyses is carried out to evaluate the effectiveness of each method. To evaluate the performance of the samples, the current-voltage characteristics will be examined using field electron microscopes. This analysis will provide an understanding of the emission of the carbon black …

Philosophy In Science: Can Philosophers Of Science Permeate Through Science And Produce Scientific Knowledge?, Thomas Pradeu, Maël Lemoine, Mahdi Khelfaoui, Yves Gingras

Presidential Fellows Articles and Research

Most philosophers of science do philosophy ‘on’ science. By contrast, others do philosophy ‘in’ science (PinS), that is, they use philosophical tools to address scientific problems and to provide scientifically useful proposals. Here, we consider the evidence in favour of a trend of this nature. We proceed in two stages. First, we identify relevant authors and articles empirically with bibliometric tools, given that PinS would be likely to infiltrate science and thus to be published in scientific journals (‘intervention’), cited in scientific journals (‘visibility’), and sometimes recognized as a scientific result by scientists (‘contribution’). We show that many central figures …

Upcycling Of Sugar Refining Mud Solid Waste As A Novel Adsorbent For Removing Methylene Blue And Congo Red From Wastewater, Aly Reda Aly, Abdel Ghafar El-Demerdash, Wagih Sadik, Essam El Rafy, Tamer Shoeib

Faculty Journal Articles

The feasibility of utilizing the mud solid waste (MSW) produced during the carbonation process of sugar refining as a cost-effective and environmentally friendly alternative for the water removal of methylene blue (MB) and Congo red (CR), being highly utilized organic dyes representing cationic and anionic species, respectively is presented. Prior to its use, the MSW was dried at 110 °C for 24 h and sieved through a 100-mesh screen. The chief constituent of the MSW utilized was CaCO3, with a point of zero charge (PZC) found at pH 8.4 and 7.96 m2 g−1 total surface area. XRD and FTIR data …

Draft Final Revised Residential Metals Abatement Program (Rmap) Quality Assurance Project Plan (Qapp) (Residential Parcels), Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.