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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

A Simple Proof That Ricochet Robots Is Pspace-Complete, Jose Balanza-Martinez, Angel A. Cantu, Robert Schweller, Tim Wylie Jan 2024

A Simple Proof That Ricochet Robots Is Pspace-Complete, Jose Balanza-Martinez, Angel A. Cantu, Robert Schweller, Tim Wylie

Computer Science Faculty Publications

In this paper, we seek to provide a simpler proof that the relocation problem in Ricochet Robots (Lunar Lockout with fixed geometry) is PSPACE-complete via a reduction from Finite Function Generation (FFG). Although this result was originally proven in 2003, we give a simpler reduction by utilizing the FFG problem, and put the result in context with recent publications showing that relocation is also PSPACE-complete in related models.


Enhance Students’ Learning Outcomes By Redesigning Individual Learning Activities Into Group Activities For Introductory Level Physics Courses, Kalani Hettiarachchilage, Neel Haldolaarachchige Jan 2024

Enhance Students’ Learning Outcomes By Redesigning Individual Learning Activities Into Group Activities For Introductory Level Physics Courses, Kalani Hettiarachchilage, Neel Haldolaarachchige

Publications and Research

The evolution of science education is a dynamic process driven by advances in pedagogy, technology, and especially, our understanding of how students learn. Educators are exploring innovative teaching and learning methodologies such as active learning, incorporated technology, interdisciplinary approaches, flipped classrooms, personalized teaching, and many more. The goal of all these evolving methodologies is to empower students with not only a strong foundation in scientific knowledge but also with the skills and mindset required to thrive in the future world. By adopting these innovative approaches, educators can help students become effective problem solvers, critical thinkers, and life-learning citizens. Our focus …


Investigating Efficiency Of Free-For-All Models In A Matchmaking Context, Emil Gensby, Bryan S. Weber, Anders H. Christiansen Jan 2024

Investigating Efficiency Of Free-For-All Models In A Matchmaking Context, Emil Gensby, Bryan S. Weber, Anders H. Christiansen

Publications and Research

We explore several popular (and unpopular) systems for matchmaking and ranking in free-for-all (FFA) environments. The commonplace existing methods involve the reinterpretation of established two-player ranking systems (ie. Elo/Glicko) and decomposing multiplayer games into a set of multiple one-vs-one pairings. This decomposition, while commonplace, is not part of the intended use-case of these two-player ranking systems. We are the first to formally explore this ad-hoc usage and reassuringly find evidence that it converges to correct values. Second, we identify a method that appears to dominate what appears to be the most common publicly used method. At the same time, this …


Complex Dynamics Of Coral Gene Expression Responses To Low Ph Across Species, Veronica Z. Radice, Ana Martinez, Adina Paytan, Donald C. Potts, Daniel J. Barshis Jan 2024

Complex Dynamics Of Coral Gene Expression Responses To Low Ph Across Species, Veronica Z. Radice, Ana Martinez, Adina Paytan, Donald C. Potts, Daniel J. Barshis

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Coral capacity to tolerate low pH affects coral community composition and, ultimately, reef ecosystem function. Low pH submarine discharges (‘Ojo’; Yucatán, México) represent a natural laboratory to study plasticity and acclimatization to low pH in relation to ocean acidification. A previous >2‐year coral transplant experiment to ambient and low pH common garden sites revealed differential survivorship across species and sites, providing a framework to compare mechanistic responses to differential pH exposures. Here, we examined gene expression responses of transplants of three species of reef‐building corals (Porites astreoides, Porites porites and Siderastrea siderea) and their algal endosymbiont communities …


Half Of Atlantic Reef-Building Corals At Elevated Risk Of Extinction Due To Climate Change And Other Threats, Luis Gutierrez, Beth Polidoro, David Obura, Francoise Cabada-Blanco, Christi Linardich, Emma Pettersson, Paul Pearce-Kelly, Krista Kemppinen, Juan Jose Alvarado, Lorenzo Alvarez-Filip, Anastazia Banaszak, Pilar Casado De Amezua, James Crabbe, Aldo Croquer, Joshua Feingold, Elizabeth Goergen, Stefano Goffredo, Bert Hoeksema, Danwei Huang, Emma Kennedy, Diego Kersting, Marcelo Kitahara, Petar Kružić, Margaret Miller, Flavia Nunes, Juan Pablo Quimbayo, Andrea Rivera-Sosa, Rosa Rodríguez-Martínez, Nadia Santodomingo, Michael Sweet, Mark Vermeij, Estrella Villamizar, Greta Aeby, Khatija Alliji, Daniel Bayley, Elena Couce, Benjamin Cowburn, C. Isabel Nuñez Lendo, Sean Porter, Kaveh Samimi-Namin, Tom Shlesinger, Bryan Wilson Jan 2024

Half Of Atlantic Reef-Building Corals At Elevated Risk Of Extinction Due To Climate Change And Other Threats, Luis Gutierrez, Beth Polidoro, David Obura, Francoise Cabada-Blanco, Christi Linardich, Emma Pettersson, Paul Pearce-Kelly, Krista Kemppinen, Juan Jose Alvarado, Lorenzo Alvarez-Filip, Anastazia Banaszak, Pilar Casado De Amezua, James Crabbe, Aldo Croquer, Joshua Feingold, Elizabeth Goergen, Stefano Goffredo, Bert Hoeksema, Danwei Huang, Emma Kennedy, Diego Kersting, Marcelo Kitahara, Petar Kružić, Margaret Miller, Flavia Nunes, Juan Pablo Quimbayo, Andrea Rivera-Sosa, Rosa Rodríguez-Martínez, Nadia Santodomingo, Michael Sweet, Mark Vermeij, Estrella Villamizar, Greta Aeby, Khatija Alliji, Daniel Bayley, Elena Couce, Benjamin Cowburn, C. Isabel Nuñez Lendo, Sean Porter, Kaveh Samimi-Namin, Tom Shlesinger, Bryan Wilson

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Atlantic reef-building corals and coral reefs continue to experience extensive decline due to increased stressors related to climate change, disease, pollution, and numerous anthropogenic threats. To understand the impact of ocean warming and reef loss on the estimated extinction risk of shallow water Atlantic reef-building scleractinians and milleporids, all 85 valid species were reassessed under the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria, updating the previous Red List assessment of Atlantic corals published in 2008. For the present assessment, individual species declines were estimated based on the modeled coral cover loss (1989–2019) and projected onset of annual severe bleaching events (2020–2050) …


Data Quality Based Intelligent Instrument Selection With Security Integration, Sergei Chuprov, Raman Zatsarenko, Leon Reznik, Igor Khokhlov Jan 2024

Data Quality Based Intelligent Instrument Selection With Security Integration, Sergei Chuprov, Raman Zatsarenko, Leon Reznik, Igor Khokhlov

School of Computer Science & Engineering Faculty Publications

We propose a novel Data Quality with Security (DQS) integrated instrumentation selection approach that facilitates aggregation of multi-modal data from heterogeneous sources. As our major contribution, we develop a framework that incorporates multiple levels of integration in finding the best DQS-based instrument selection: data fusion from multi-modal sensors embedded into heterogeneous platforms, using multiple quality and security metrics and knowledge integration. Our design addresses the security aspect in the instrumentation design, which is commonly overlooked in real applications, by aggregating it with other metrics into an integral DQS calculus. We develop DQS calculus that formalizes the problem of finding the …


A Holistic Approach To Performance Prediction In Collegiate Athletics: Player, Team, And Conference Perspectives, Christopher Taber, S. Sharma, Mehul S. Raval, Samah Senbel, Allison Keefe, Jui Shah, Emma Patterson, Julie K. Nolan, N.S. Artan, Tolga Kaya Jan 2024

A Holistic Approach To Performance Prediction In Collegiate Athletics: Player, Team, And Conference Perspectives, Christopher Taber, S. Sharma, Mehul S. Raval, Samah Senbel, Allison Keefe, Jui Shah, Emma Patterson, Julie K. Nolan, N.S. Artan, Tolga Kaya

Exercise Science Faculty Publications

Predictive sports data analytics can be revolutionary for sports performance. Existing literature discusses players' or teams' performance, independently or in tandem. Using Machine Learning (ML), this paper aims to holistically evaluate player-, team-, and conference (season)-level performances in Division-1 Women's basketball. The players were monitored and tested through a full competitive year. The performance was quantified at the player level using the reactive strength index modified (RSImod), at the team level by the game score (GS) metric, and finally at the conference level through Player Efficiency Rating (PER). The data includes parameters from training, subjective stress, sleep, and recovery (WHOOP …


GröBner Bases With An Application To Tame Functions, Jessica D. Marconi Jan 2024

GröBner Bases With An Application To Tame Functions, Jessica D. Marconi

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Grobner bases are essential tools in algebraic geometry, used to simplify and solve systems of polynomial equations. These bases revolutionized computational methods in various branches of mathematics after being introduced in 1965 by Bruno Buchberger. This thesis explores the foundational concepts of Grobner bases, including their formation and properties. It also demonstrates their use in solving mathematical problems in algebraic geometry, including the ideal membership problem. As an application, we show how Grobner bases can be used to determine whether a polynomial mapping is tame. This concept is crucial for analyzing the topology near singular points and establishing whether a …


Integrating Remote Sensing With Ground-Based Observations To Quantify The Effects Of An Extreme Freeze Event On Black Mangroves (Avicennia Germinans) At The Landscape Scale, Melinda Martinez, Michael J. Osland, James B. Grace, Nicholas M. Enwright, Camille L. Stagg, Camille L. Stagg, Simen Kaalstad, Gordon H. Anderson, Elena A. Flores, Alejandro Fierro-Cabo Jan 2024

Integrating Remote Sensing With Ground-Based Observations To Quantify The Effects Of An Extreme Freeze Event On Black Mangroves (Avicennia Germinans) At The Landscape Scale, Melinda Martinez, Michael J. Osland, James B. Grace, Nicholas M. Enwright, Camille L. Stagg, Camille L. Stagg, Simen Kaalstad, Gordon H. Anderson, Elena A. Flores, Alejandro Fierro-Cabo

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Climate change is altering the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events. Quantifying ecosystem responses to extreme events at the landscape scale is critical for understanding and responding to climate-driven change but is constrained by limited data availability. Here, we integrated remote sensing with ground-based observations to quantify landscape-scale vegetation damage from an extreme climatic event. We used ground- and satellite-based black mangrove (Avicennia germinans) leaf damage data from the northern Gulf of Mexico (USA and Mexico) to examine the effects of an extreme freeze in a region where black mangroves are expanding their range. The February 2021 …


Enhancing Uptake Capability Of Green Carbon Black Recycled From Scrap Tires For Water Purification, Jiho Choi, Jihyun Kang, Huiseong Yang, Sangin Yoon, Jun-Hyun Kim, Hyun-Ho Park Jan 2024

Enhancing Uptake Capability Of Green Carbon Black Recycled From Scrap Tires For Water Purification, Jiho Choi, Jihyun Kang, Huiseong Yang, Sangin Yoon, Jun-Hyun Kim, Hyun-Ho Park

Faculty Publications – Chemistry

This study reports on the highly simple fabrication of green carbon black (GCB) generated from scrap tires with acetic acid to improve the adsorption efficiency for water purification, which is thoroughly compared with conventional carbon black (CB) obtained from petrochemicals. Unlike traditional modification processes with strong acids or bases, the introduction of a relatively mild acid readily allowed for the effective modification of GCB to increase the uptake capability of metal ions and toxic organic dyes to serve as effective adsorbents. The morphological features and thermal decomposition patterns were examined by electron microscopy and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The surface functional …


Antibody-Driven Assembly Of Plasmonic Core–Satellites To Increase The Sensitivity Of A Sers Vertical Flow Immunoassay, Eunice Ebbah, Anthony Amissah, Jun-Hyun Kim, Jeremy D. Driskell Jan 2024

Antibody-Driven Assembly Of Plasmonic Core–Satellites To Increase The Sensitivity Of A Sers Vertical Flow Immunoassay, Eunice Ebbah, Anthony Amissah, Jun-Hyun Kim, Jeremy D. Driskell

Faculty Publications – Chemistry

Here, we describe a SERS-based vertical flow assay as a platform technology suitable for point-of-care (POC) diagnostic testing. A capture substrate is constructed from filter paper embedded with spherical gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and functionalized with an appropriate capture antibody. The capture substrate is loaded into a filtration device and connected to a syringe to rapidly and repeatedly pass the sample through the sensor for efficient antigen binding. The antigen is then labeled with a SERS-active detection probe. We show that only a few Raman reporter molecules, exclusively located adjacent to the plasmonic capture substrate, generate detectible signals. To maximize the …


Diastereoselective Synthesis Of The Hiv Protease Inhibitor Darunavir And Related Derivatives Via A Titanium Tetrachloride-Mediated Asymmetric Glycolate Aldol Addition Reaction, Jordan M. Witte, Emmanuel Ayim, Christopher J. Sams, Jasmine B. Service, Caitlyn C. Kant, Lillian Bambalas, Daniel Wright, Austin Carter, Kelly Moran, Isabella G. Rohrig, Gregory M. Ferrence, Shawn R. Hitchcock Jan 2024

Diastereoselective Synthesis Of The Hiv Protease Inhibitor Darunavir And Related Derivatives Via A Titanium Tetrachloride-Mediated Asymmetric Glycolate Aldol Addition Reaction, Jordan M. Witte, Emmanuel Ayim, Christopher J. Sams, Jasmine B. Service, Caitlyn C. Kant, Lillian Bambalas, Daniel Wright, Austin Carter, Kelly Moran, Isabella G. Rohrig, Gregory M. Ferrence, Shawn R. Hitchcock

Faculty Publications – Chemistry

Darunavir is a potent HIV protease inhibitor that has been established as an effective tool in the fight against the progression of HIV/AIDS in the global community. The successful application of this drug has spurred the development of derivatives wherein strategic regions (e.g., P1, P1’, P2, and P2’) of the darunavir framework have been structurally modified. An alternate route for the synthesis of darunavir and three related P1 and P1’ derivatives has been developed. This synthetic pathway involves the use of a Crimmins titanium tetrachloride-mediated oxazolidine-2-thione-guided asymmetric glycolate aldol addition reaction. The resultant aldol adduct introduces the P1 fragment of …


Immobilization Of Thiol-Modified Horseradish Peroxidase On Gold Nanoparticles Enhances Enzyme Stability And Prevents Proteolytic Digestion, Faith E. Breausche, Annelise Somerlot, Jason Walder, Kwame Osei, Samuel Okyem, Jeremy D. Driskell Jan 2024

Immobilization Of Thiol-Modified Horseradish Peroxidase On Gold Nanoparticles Enhances Enzyme Stability And Prevents Proteolytic Digestion, Faith E. Breausche, Annelise Somerlot, Jason Walder, Kwame Osei, Samuel Okyem, Jeremy D. Driskell

Faculty Publications – Chemistry

The specificity and efficiency of enzyme-mediated reactions have the potential to positively impact many biotechnologies; however, many enzymes are easily degraded. Immobilization on a solid support has recently been explored to improve enzyme stability. This study aims to gain insights and facilitate enzyme adsorption onto gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) to form a stable bioconjugate through the installation of thiol functional groups that alter the protein chemistry. In specific, the model enzyme, horseradish peroxidase (HRP), is thiolated via Traut’s reagent to increase the robustness and enzymatic activity of the bioconjugate. This study compares HRP and its thiolated analog (THRP) to deduce the …


Promoting Thermal Conductivity Of Alumina-Based Composite Materials By Systematically Incorporating Modified Graphene Oxide, Nawon Lee, Jinsol Park, Nayeon Jang, Sehui Lee, Dayeon Kim, Sanggin Yun, Tae Woo Park, Jun-Hyun Kim, Hyun-Ho Park Jan 2024

Promoting Thermal Conductivity Of Alumina-Based Composite Materials By Systematically Incorporating Modified Graphene Oxide, Nawon Lee, Jinsol Park, Nayeon Jang, Sehui Lee, Dayeon Kim, Sanggin Yun, Tae Woo Park, Jun-Hyun Kim, Hyun-Ho Park

Faculty Publications – Chemistry

Small amounts of thermally conductive graphene oxide (GO) and modified GO are systematically introduced as a second filler to thermal interface materials (TIMs) consisting of alumina (Al2O3) particles and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). The surface of GO is covalently linked with an organic moiety, octadecylamine (ODA), to significantly improve the miscibility and dispersity of GO across the TIM matrix. Subsequently, two series of PDMS-Al2O3 composite TIMs are manufactured as a function of GO and ODA-GO content (0.25 wt%–2.5 wt%) to understand the effect of these second additives. The incorporation of GO into the Al2O3-PDMS composite materials generally increases the thermal conductivity (TC), …


Identifying Quantum Interference Effects From Joint Conductance–Thermopower Statistics, Justin P. Bergfield Jan 2024

Identifying Quantum Interference Effects From Joint Conductance–Thermopower Statistics, Justin P. Bergfield

Faculty Publications – Chemistry

Although quantum effects are thought to dominate the heat and charge transport through molecular junctions, large uncertainties in chemical structure, lead-molecule coupling strengths, and energy levels make it difficult to definitively identify these effects from the measured thermopower S and conductance G distributions alone. Here, we develop a simple statistical method to identify destructive quantum interference features (nodes) through the anticorrelation between simultaneously measured G and S values. We find these correlations can be used to unambiguously identify far-detuned nodes, even when G and S distributions alone cannot. As an example, we consider several para- and meta-configured systems, including benzenediamine …


Assessment Of Conjugation Pathways In N-Methylporphyrins That Are Fused To Acenaphthylene, Phenanthrene Or Pyrene: Evidence For The Presence Of Alternative Aromatic Circuits, Jared S. Salrin, Brian G. Carpenter, Deyaa Abusalim, Timothy D. Lash Jan 2024

Assessment Of Conjugation Pathways In N-Methylporphyrins That Are Fused To Acenaphthylene, Phenanthrene Or Pyrene: Evidence For The Presence Of Alternative Aromatic Circuits, Jared S. Salrin, Brian G. Carpenter, Deyaa Abusalim, Timothy D. Lash

Faculty Publications – Chemistry

Acenaphtho-, phenanthro-, and pyrenopyrrole esters, readily available from Barton-Zard reactions of ethyl isocyanoacetate with nitroarenes, were reacted with methyl iodide and KOH in DMSO to give N-methylpyrroles and subsequent cleavage of the ester moieties was accomplished with KOH in ethylene glycol at 200 °C. Condensation with two equiv of an acetoxymethylpyrrole in refluxing acetic acid-2-propanol afforded a series of annulated tripyrranes. Cleavage of the terminal tert-butyl ester groups with trifluoroacetic acid, followed by condensation with a diformylpyrrole and oxidation with FeCl3, gave N-methyl acenaphtho-, phenanthro-, and pyrenoporphyrins. The N-methyl substituent effectively freezes the tautomeric equilibria to maximize interactions between the …


The Oral-Microbiome-Brain Axis: A Thorough Review On The Relationship Between Periodontitis And Alzheimer’S Disease And A Proposed Innovative Application Of Biomagnetism As A Means Of Alternative Therapy., Taha Al Hassan, Noah Al-Hassan, Maria Quiñones-Peña, Juan Lopez-Alvarenga, Seratna Guadarrama-Beltran Jan 2024

The Oral-Microbiome-Brain Axis: A Thorough Review On The Relationship Between Periodontitis And Alzheimer’S Disease And A Proposed Innovative Application Of Biomagnetism As A Means Of Alternative Therapy., Taha Al Hassan, Noah Al-Hassan, Maria Quiñones-Peña, Juan Lopez-Alvarenga, Seratna Guadarrama-Beltran

MEDI 9331 Scholarly Activities Clinical Years

The relationship between periodontitis and Alzheimer's disease (AD) has garnered significant attention due to the potential influence of chronic oral inflammation on neurodegenerative processes. Our hypothesis is supported by the oral-microbiome-brain axis and highlights the possibility that chronic periodontitis contributes to cognitive decline by promoting systemic inflammation and neuroinflammation, mediated by specific pathogenic microorganisms within the oral microbiome. Our findings reveal a strong association between elevated levels of Porphyromonas gingivalis and Treponema denticola, red complex bacteria, and markers of systemic inflammation, such as C-reactive protein (CRP) and pro-inflammatory cytokines. Additionally studies have demonstrated that beta amyloid plaque in rat …


Reinforcement Learning: Applying Low Discrepancy Action Selection To Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient, Aleksandr Svishchev Jan 2024

Reinforcement Learning: Applying Low Discrepancy Action Selection To Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient, Aleksandr Svishchev

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Reinforcement learning (RL) is a subfield of machine learning concerned with agents learning to behave optimally by interacting with an environment. One of the most important topics in RL is how the agent should explore, that is, how to choose actions in order to rate their impact on long-term reward. For example, a simple baseline strategy might be uniformly random action selection. This thesis investigates the heuristic idea that agents will learn faster if they explore by factoring the environment’s state into their decision and intentionally choose actions which are as different as possible from what they have previously observed. …


Exploring The Consistency Of Flow Regimes Within And Among Ecoregions Of The Southeastern United States, Frank Paul Braun Iv Jan 2024

Exploring The Consistency Of Flow Regimes Within And Among Ecoregions Of The Southeastern United States, Frank Paul Braun Iv

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Human manipulation of river systems has long been a known contributor to the loss of freshwater biodiversity. By accounting for environmental causes of hydrologic variation among rivers, we can better understand how ecoregion mediates flow regimes and forecast species that may be at risk. Presumably, natural variation associated with ecoregion boundaries exerts strong influence on flow regimes, and may mediate relationships between other features (e.g., land use, dam operations) and hydrology. However, such between-ecoregion variation is poorly investigated, particularly at fine spatial and temporal scales. I characterized 10 hydrologic metrics, representing the five key dimensions of the flow regime (magnitude, …


Bringing Gans To Medieval Times: Manuscript Translation Models, Tonilynn M. Holtz Jan 2024

Bringing Gans To Medieval Times: Manuscript Translation Models, Tonilynn M. Holtz

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The Generative Adversarial Networks (GAN) recently emerged as a powerful framework for producing new knowledge from existing knowledge. These models aim to learn patterns from input data then use that knowledge to generate output data samples that plausibly appear to belong to the same set as the input data. Medieval manuscripts study has been an important research area in the humanities field for many decades. These rare manuscripts are often times inaccessible to the general public, including students in scholars, and it is of a great interest to provide digital support (including, but not limited to translation and search) for …


Assessing Performance Optimization Strategies In Cloud-Native Environments Through Containerization And Orchestration Analysis, Daniel E. Ukene Jan 2024

Assessing Performance Optimization Strategies In Cloud-Native Environments Through Containerization And Orchestration Analysis, Daniel E. Ukene

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This thesis comprises three distinct, yet interconnected studies addressing critical aspects of web infrastructure management. We begin by studying containerization via Docker and its impact on web server performance, focusing on Apache and Nginx hosted on virtualized environments. Through meticulous load testing and analysis, we provide insights into the comparative performance of these servers, adding users of this technology know which webservers to leverage when hosting their webservice along alongside the infrastructure to host it on. Next, we expand our focus to examine the performance of caching systems, namely Redis and Memcached, across traditional VMs and Docker containers. By comparing …


Scattering Of Electromagnetic Radiation By Bianisotropic Spheres, Maxwell A. Wallace Jan 2024

Scattering Of Electromagnetic Radiation By Bianisotropic Spheres, Maxwell A. Wallace

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Modern developments in materials science have led to the increased demand for the ability to control electromagnetic radiation at scales smaller than ever. One of the most important areas of research for controlling the manipulation of electromagnetic radiation, has been the studying of novel optical metamaterials, including the most general and complex form, bianisotropic metamaterials (BAMs). With modern developments in nano- engineering, paired with the advancement of more robust theoretical studies of BAMs, the demand for more novel BAM technologies has increased. With the advent of research of unbounded BAM media, as well as the recent extensions of Mie theory …


Characterization Of Carbon Nanotube/Polystyrene Composites Prepared Via Microwave-Induced Polymerization, Hubert Agamasu Jan 2024

Characterization Of Carbon Nanotube/Polystyrene Composites Prepared Via Microwave-Induced Polymerization, Hubert Agamasu

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs), with their excellent mechanical properties, are well suited to the production of composites with good strength-to-weight ratio. However, the use of nanotubes as reinforcement is hampered by the lack of interaction between their inert surfaces and matrices. This, coupled with the van der Waal’s interactions between individual nanotubes, leads to agglomeration of CNTs in media. Functionalization is an efficient means to disperse nanotubes as well as increase their reactivity. The irradiation of CNTs with microwaves generates instantaneous, localized heating, being used in this work to trigger the rapid, thermal, free radical polymerization of styrene. Under microwaves, olefin-functionalized …


Enumeration Of Lattice Paths With Restrictions, Vince White Jan 2024

Enumeration Of Lattice Paths With Restrictions, Vince White

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Lattice path enumeration, through the lens of Catalan numbers, plays a crucial role in combinatorics. This thesis delves into enumerations of some of the most common lattice paths – north-east paths, up-down paths, and Dyck paths – with restrictions applied. The first restriction is counting north-east lattice paths that only cross the diagonal line, y=x, once. The second form of lattice paths with restrictions is up-down paths that cross the x-axis exactly once and fall to a fixed depth of k. While working through this module, a novel proof for a known integer sequence was used, then applied to generate …


A Comparative Analysis Of A Family Of Advanced Iterative Optimization Methods In Nonlinear Regression, Tanmoy Kumar Debnath Jan 2024

A Comparative Analysis Of A Family Of Advanced Iterative Optimization Methods In Nonlinear Regression, Tanmoy Kumar Debnath

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Classical statistical supervised learning optimization techniques like the Gauss-Newton Iterative Method (GNIM), Weighted Gauss-Newton Iterative Method (WGNIM), Reweighted Gauss-Newton Iterative Method (RGNIM), and Levenberg-Marquart (LM) algorithm extend the nonlinear least squares method. The WGNIM improves model fitting by controlling heteroscedasticity in the linear and nonlinear models. A comparative analysis of the GNIM, WGNIM, RGNIM, and LM methods for fitting nonlinear models is presented. A step-wise diagnosis for structural multicollinearity in the reweighted linearized model is investigated via the Variance Inflation Factor (VIF) to determine variance inflation in the sequence of estimators for the model parameters. Under restricted multicollinearity levels in …


Mathematical Modeling Of Coupled Heat And Mass Transfer In Metal-Hydride Hydrogen Storage Systems, Muhammad Hasnain Jan 2024

Mathematical Modeling Of Coupled Heat And Mass Transfer In Metal-Hydride Hydrogen Storage Systems, Muhammad Hasnain

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

As a promising clean energy carrier hydrogen has recently gained significant interest, but its efficient and safe storage is a major challenge. Compared to the gaseous state and liquid state, metal hydrides (MH) offer a potentially more effective storage approach for hydrogen. However, the main challenge in this approach is the low thermal conductivity of the MH bed that leads to low heat transfer and ultimately to higher charging and discharging times. The purpose of this work is to develop an in-house comprehensive heat and mass transfer model for hydrogen sorption in MH reactors to simulate the dynamic behavior of …


The De Rham Cohomology Of A Lie Group Modulo A Dense Subgroup, Brant Clark Jan 2024

The De Rham Cohomology Of A Lie Group Modulo A Dense Subgroup, Brant Clark

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Let $H$ be a dense subgroup of a Lie group $G$ with Lie algebra $\LG$. We show that the (diffeological) de Rham cohomology of $G/H$ equals the Lie algebra cohomology of $\LG/\LH$, where $\LH$ is the ideal \mbox{$\{Z\in\LG:\e{tZ}\in H \text{ for all } t\in\RR\}$}


Geoelectrical And Hydrochemical Characterization Of Submarine Groundwater Discharge In Florida Bay, Ifeanyi Emmanuel Eze Jan 2024

Geoelectrical And Hydrochemical Characterization Of Submarine Groundwater Discharge In Florida Bay, Ifeanyi Emmanuel Eze

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Florida Bay, situated at the southern tip of Everglades National Park and underlain by the Miami Limestone formation, is an ecosystem of global significance. Over the past century, the bay has faced threats such as droughts, seagrass mortality, and hypersalinity. Despite various studies and management efforts, the dynamics of submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) in the region remain underexplored. Given that SGD plays a significant role in the chemical dynamics of coastal ecosystems, it warrants thorough investigation. This study aims to characterize the spatial and temporal patterns of SGD in Florida Bay by surveying three basins – Rankin, Whipray, and Rabbit …


Concentration Effects Of Ytterbium(Iii) Ions On The Physical, Structural, Thermal, And Optical Properties Of Barium Phosphate Glasses, Richard Amesimenu Jan 2024

Concentration Effects Of Ytterbium(Iii) Ions On The Physical, Structural, Thermal, And Optical Properties Of Barium Phosphate Glasses, Richard Amesimenu

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Ytterbium(III)-doped glasses are widely known for their application in near-infrared (NIR) lasers and nowadays attract attention for solar spectral conversion in photovoltaic cells. In this study, the effects of ytterbium(III) concentration on the physical, structural, optical, and thermal characteristics of Yb-doped phosphate glasses were investigated. The glasses were synthesized using the melt-quenching technique with nominal compositions of 50P2O5:(50 – xBaO):xYb2O3 (x = 0, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 3.0 and 4 mol%). The properties were then examined by density and related parameters, X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier transform-infrared …


Investigating The Ultrafast Dissociation Dynamics Of Energetic Materials Using Femtosecond Time-Resolved Mass Spectrometry, Jacob M. Shusterman Jan 2024

Investigating The Ultrafast Dissociation Dynamics Of Energetic Materials Using Femtosecond Time-Resolved Mass Spectrometry, Jacob M. Shusterman

Theses and Dissertations

Shock initiation of energetic materials produces cations and anions that can contribute to initial endothermic chemical reactions which lead to detonation. Hence, knowledge of the initial dissociation pathways of ionized energetic molecules is important for advancing the understanding of initiation mechanisms and meeting longstanding goals of the Department of Defense. Despite their potential importance, these transient charged species are difficult to detect in detonation experiments and are often ignored in molecular dynamics modeling of shocked energetic materials. However, the technique of pump-probe femtosecond time-resolved mass spectrometry (FTRMS) paired with complementary theoretical calculations can be used to elucidate initial unimolecular dissociation …