Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

How Online Platforms Are Used By Child Predators And What Are The Effective Preventive Measures?, Kayla Macpherson

Cybersecurity Undergraduate Research Showcase

As technology has evolved greatly in the twenty-first century alone, younger generations have had an opportunity to grow up with devices at their fingertips none have ever before. This accessibility has strengthened their ability of quick use, skill, and a strong feeling of comfort with using and having access to technology. There seems to be more children with access to the internet than there are without, but there is also an ongoing issue behind the screens.

A Geospatial And Binomial Logistic Regression Model To Prioritize Sampling For Per- And Polyfluorinated Alkyl Substances In Public Water Systems, Sweta Ojha, Ying Li, Nader Rezaei, Ariel Robinson, Anna G. Hoover, Kelly G. Pennell

UK CARES Faculty Publications

As health‐based drinking water standards for per‐ and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) continue to evolve, public health and environmental protection decision‐makers must assess exposure risks associated with all public drinking water systems in the United States (US). Unfortunately, current knowledge regarding the presence of PFAS in environmental systems is limited. In this study, a screening approach was established to: (1) identify and direct attention toward potential PFAS hot spots in drinking water sources, (2) prioritize sampling locations, and (3) provide insights regarding the potential PFAS sources that contaminate groundwater and surface water. Our approach incorporates geospatial data from public sources, …

Changes In Demographic Factors’ Influence On Regional Productivity Growth: Empirical Evidence From China, 2000–2010, Xiaoxi Wang, Yaojun Zhang, Danlin Yu, Xiwei Wu, Ding Li

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Improving total factor productivity is an important way for China’s economy to avoid the middle income trap. Demographic changes are believed to have significant impacts on productivity growth. Using the census and socioeconomic data of 358 prefecture cities in mainland China, this paper analyzes the changes in the global and local spatial dependence of total factor productivity. We then employ spatial regression methods to investigate the role of changes in population factors in productivity growth in 2000 and 2010. We draw three observations from the analysis. First, population density plays an important role in both years. There is an inverted …

Iowa Waste Reduction Center Newsletter, April 2022, University Of Northern Iowa. Iowa Waste Reduction Center.

Iowa Waste Reduction Center Newsletter

Contents:

--- MSEI Deadline Approaching Quickly
--- Iowa Strategic Goals Program Webinars
--- International Compost Awareness Week
--- ISOSWO Scholarship Opportunities
--- Farewell to Grant Helle, Environmental Specialist
--- Welcome, Mark Harrington
--- Congratulations UNI Graduates
--- Industry News

A New Metaphor: How Artificial Intelligence Links Legal Reasoning And Mathematical Thinking, Melissa E. Love Koenig, Colleen Mandell

Marquette Law Review

Artificial intelligence’s (AI’s) impact on the legal community expands exponentially each year. As AI advances, lawyers have more powerful tools to enhance their ability to research and analyze the law, as well as to draft contracts and other legal documents. Lawyers are already using tools powered by AI and are learning to shift their methodologies to take advantage of these enhancements. To continue to grow into their shifting role, lawyers should understand the relationship between AI, mathematics, and legal reasoning.

Enhancing The Opportunities For Adults With Autism To Find Jobs Using A Job-Matching Algorithm, Joseph T. Bills

Theses and Dissertations

Adults with autism face many difficulties when finding employment, such as struggling with interviews and needing accommodating environments for sensory issues. However, autistic adults also have unique skills to contribute to the workplace that companies have recently started to seek after, such as close attention to detail and trustworthiness. To work around these difficulties and help companies find the talent they are looking for we have developed a job-matching system. Our system is based around the stable matching of the Gale-Shapley algorithm to match autistic adults with employers after estimating how both adults with autism and employers would rank the …

Leaderboard Design Principles Influencing User Engagement In An Online Discussion, Brian S. Bovee

Masters Theses & Doctoral Dissertations

Along with the popularity of gamification, there has been increased interest in using leaderboards to promote engagement with online learning systems. The existing literature suggests that when leaderboards are designed well they have the potential to improve learning, but qualitative investigations are required in order to reveal design principles that will improve engagement. In order to address this gap, this qualitative study aims to explore students' overall perceptions of popular leaderboard designs in a gamified, online discussion. Using two leaderboards reflecting performance in an online discussion, this study evaluated multiple leaderboard designs from student interviews and other data sources regarding …

Mineralogy, Isotope Geochemistry And Geothermometry Of The Lowry Deposit, Black Butte Copper Project, Meagher County, Montana, John Allard

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

The Black Butte Copper Project is a sedimentary rock hosted, Cu-rich massive sulfide deposit hosted in rocks of the ca. 1.5-1.325 Ga Mesoproterozoic Belt Supergroup. Copper-bearing sulfides, mainly chalcopyrite and tennantite, are hosted in debris flows, black shale, dolostone and sedimentary pyrite layers of the Newland Fm. of the Lower Belt Group in the Helena Embayment, an E-W striking limb of the greater NNW trending Belt Basin. Mineralization is hosted within two separate but contemporaneous deposits, Johnny Lee, which hosts Cu sulfides in an upper and lower sulfide zone within sedimentary pyrite and debris flow conglomerates, and Lowry, where Cu …

Geology And Geochronology Of The East Dome Complex Within The Hog Heaven Volcanic Field, Flathead County, Montana, Ethan Coppage

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

This study describes the style and timing of volcanic activity and mineralization in the East Dome Complex (EDC) of the 55-km2 Eocene-Oligocene Hog Heaven Volcanic Field (~36-30 Ma; HHVF) located in northwestern Montana. The HHVF consists of three NE-aligned, predominantly high-K rhyodacitic dome complexes (1.8-4.9 wt. % K2O; 63.2-72.9 wt. % SiO2) formed near the crest the Purcell Anticlinorium, a major Cordilleran fold-thrust belt structure deforming metasedimentary rocks of the Mesoproterozoic Belt Supergroup. Dome emplacement was controlled by a NE-striking fault associated with a pull-apart basin formed between two overlapping, NW-trending dextral oblique-slip faults. The objective of this study is …

Mineralogy And Fluid Inclusion Study Of The Marget Ann Mine Of The Butte Mining District, Silver Bow County, Montana, Tiffany Ostenburg

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Butte, Montana, is a famous example of a zoned, polymetallic, porphyry-lode deposit. Whereas over a century of previous work has focused on the porphyry-style mineralization and centrally located, copper-rich lode deposits, relatively little has been written on the outer, silver-rich veins. The Marget Ann mine, in the northern portion of the district, was chosen for this study because of ease of access to the mine dumps as well as archived samples of high-grade vein mineralization. In addition, the Marget Ann mine is somewhat unique in Butte because gold has been found there and previously recorded in the veins. The main …

An Examination Of The Impacts Of Beaver Dam Mimicry Structures On Groundwater Surface-Water Interactions In Lower Mountain Riparian Systems, Mercedes D. Salazar

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Beaver dam analogs (BDAs) are a low cost, low disturbance stream restoration technique that may improve surface-water/groundwater interactions and wetland connectivity. BDAs are intended to imitate the effects of natural beaver dams by slowing stream velocity, promoting infiltration, increasing dry-season streamflow, aggrading the streambed, and capturing organic matter and other nutrients. This study was conducted to evaluate the degree to which these objectives were being met at a study site on Perkins Gulch, southwest Montana, USA. The Perkins Gulch study area can be summarized by four gauging sites that separate three reaches along the creek. By detailing background processes and …

Surface Water/Groundwater Interactions And Hydrogeochemical Characterization Of The Elkhorn Mine And Mill, Beaverhead County, Montana, Tyler Kamp

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

The formation of acid mine drainage (AMD) and the contaminants associated with it have been described by some as the largest environmental problem facing the U.S. mining industry. Heavy metals associated with the drainage, such as copper, cadmium, and zinc affect the water quality of streams and can cause acute or chronic toxicity to invertebrates and fish (Martin, 1992& Padrillah et al., 2018). Elkhorn Creek in the Pioneer Mountains of southwest Montana is one of these impacted creeks. The historic Elkhorn Mine and Mill complex has historically attributed to the creek’s contamination and has undergone remediation. However, the problem has …

Making Net Zero Matter, Albert C. Lin

Washington and Lee Law Review

In recent months, dozens of countries and thousands of businesses have pledged to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions. However, net zero often means different things to different entities, and it is often uncertain how net zero pledges—which set targets years or decades from the present—will be met. This Article considers the motivations behind net zero pledges, highlights the underappreciated role of carbon removal in net zero efforts, and identifies mechanisms for encouraging the accomplishment of net zero goals. Two key strategies are essential to making net zero targets matter. First, society should develop and implement accountability and enforcement mechanisms …

Systematic Integration Of Applications Into The Surface Biology And Geology (Sbg) Earth Mission Architecture Study, Christine M. Lee, Nancy F. Glenn, E. Natasha Stavros, Jeff Luvall, Karen Yuen, Stephanie Schollaert Uz

Geosciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

The Surface Biology and Geology (SBG) concept is the first National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Earth mission to develop and implement systematic integration of science application needs at the architecture study stage. Prior NASA mission concept and planning activities presumed that science measurement needs would encompasss application measurement needs and so did not explicitly evaluate and include applications at this stage. However, the effort presented here identified, documented and integrated application needs that would not have been included by considering research science needs only. First, a low latency of no greater than 24 hr was identified as the optimal …

A Damaged Reputation: Nuclear Depictions In Entertainment Media, Alexander Cannon

Chemistry & Biochemistry Student Scholarship

This paper, originally written for Dr. Adamus Liotta in an honors chemistry class, explores the possibility of a significant influence over public common sense found in the depictions of entertainment media. Through careful analysis and interpretation of Godzilla, The Simpsons, Fallout, and Call of Duty, this paper finds a synergy throughout this diverse range of audience, medium and historical origin, which culminates in an effect much greater than the sum of its parts. This effect frames nuclear science, of any kind, in a hyperbolically catastrophic and horrific light, reinforcing an excessively cautious, pessimistic public perspective on nuclear technology …

Using Sport As A Tool For Sustainable Development: International Organizations And Sustainability, Hank Young

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

For hundreds of years, sports have provided a platform of entertainment that serves its main core purpose of bringing groups of people together. Today it is a global tradition that promotes an inclusive society and allows an educational experience for the athlete and the fan. Sports are a possible catalyst in striving for global objectives. The United Nations created the Millenium Development Goals which were eight goals proposed in the year 2000. Aimed to work toward the biggest problems we as a global community face. Fast forward fifteen years and the new Sustainable Development Goals are created. They consist of …

The Relationship Between Substrate Composition, Community Structure And Feeding Preferences Of Parrot Fishes (Scaridae) In Anmardub, Guna Yala Coastal Reefs, Caitlin Amman

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Coral reefs are important marine ecosystems, as they support biodiversity and generate buffer zones, yet their abundance is incredibly limited globally. One of the main threats that coral reefs face is excessive macroalgal coverage, which limits sunlight from reaching corals, and thus, limits the energy that can reach them. Parrot fish (Scaridae) are keystone herbivores, as they consume macroalgae growing on corals, which aids in reef survivability. While there is previous research on the abundances, sizes, and feeding habits of Scaridae species in the Caribbean, there is no published research on how community structure and feeding preferences of parrot fishes …

Groundwater Modeling Of The West Plains, Wa, Erin L. Toulou, Chad Pritchard Phd, Lauren Stachowiak Phd

2022 Symposium

Located in Eastern Washington in the West Plains Region sits a plateau of Columbia River Basalts between Deep Creek, Hangman Creek, and south of the Spokane River. Primarily in Airway Heights, the amount of drinking water as well as the quality of the water has affected residents in the area. The most recent issue is PFAS contamination, which is thought to negatively affect human health and is found in drinking water wells across the West Plains. We can interpret subsurface geology using new well logs from Fairchild Air Force Base and in the Palisades area. When using ArcGIS PRO, well …

Exploring Multi-Functional Blue-Green Infrastructure: Re-Designing Stormwater Ponds Over The Cape Flats Aquifer, Kennedy M. Hill , '23

Senior Theses, Projects, and Awards

Water-sensitive urban design is becoming increasingly important for urban water security and climate adaptation, especially as drought becomes more frequent and intense in semi-arid countries like South Africa. There is therefore more interest in multi-functional blue-green infrastructure, given its integration of urban water resource management, ecological services, as well as social amenity into one space. This paper explored the use of native Western Cape vegetation in the Rondevlei Park Pond in Rondevlei, Mitchells Plain to support multi-functionality. Based on literature, more than half of the native plants identified at the Pond provided at least one ecological service that attributes to …

The Development Of Inhibitors For Sars-Cov-2 Orf8, My Thanh Thao Nguyen

CSB and SJU Distinguished Thesis

An unexpected outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 caused a worldwide pandemic in 2020. Many repurposed drugs were tested, but there are currently only three FDA approved antivirals (Merck’s antiviral Molnupiravir, Pfizer’s antiviral Paxlovid, and Remdisivir).1 Most of the antiviral drugs tested SARS-CoV-2 main protease and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase. However, it is important to explore different drug targets of SARS-CoV-2 to prepare for the virus mutations of the future. This research looks at an alternative approach in which SARSCoV- 2 Open Reading Frame 8 (ORF8), which has been shown to be a rapidly evolving hypervariable gene, was chosen to be the protein of …

Sars-Cov-2 Main Protease Inhibitors Repurposed For Hiv-1 Protease Binding, Jacob Minkkinen

CSB and SJU Distinguished Thesis

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-CoV-2) led to the COVID-19 global pandemic, with over 460 million cases of infection and over 6 million deaths since the start of the pandemic. SARS-CoV-2 is a retrovirus that utilizes a main protease (Mpro). Mpro is a catalytic cys/his protease. Several treatments were proposed to stop the pandemic including repurposing drugs to inhibit the Mpro. Another retrovirus that uses a protease is human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) which has been a global epidemic for 40 years and is a devastating disease that attacks the immune system. HIV-1 has infected 79.5 million people and has killed an …

Using Remote Sensing Technologies In Relocating Lubrak Village And Visualizing Flood Damages, Ronan Wallace

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

As weather patterns change across the world, there are communities impacted by climate change that are left unnoticed. In the Himalayan mountain range, communities have suffered, experiencing an increase in flash flooding and droughts. For Lubrak Village in Lower Mustang, the community faces the threats of flash flooding. Over the last ten years, the amount of flash flooding has increased, occurring more than once each monsoon season. After every flood, concrete-like sediment is left behind, hardening across the riverbed and increasing its elevation. As the riverbed elevation increases, this sediment encroaches on Lu-brak Village’s agricultural fields and ancient mud buildings, …

2022 April - Tennessee Monthly Climate Report, Tennessee Climate Office, East Tennessee State University

Tennessee Climate Office Monthly Reports

No abstract provided.

Theory Of Director Fluctuations About A Hedgehog Defect In A Nematic Drop, O. Stenull, A. De La Cotte, S. Ettinger, Peter J. Collings, A. G. Yodh, T. C. Lubensky

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Works

We present calculations of eigenmode energies and wave functions of both azimuthal and polar distortions of the nematic director relative to a radial hedgehog trapped in a spherical drop with a smaller concentric spherical droplet at its core. All surfaces interior to the drop have perpendicular (homeotropic) boundary conditions. We also calculate director correlation functions and their relaxation times. Of particular interest is a critical mode whose energy, with fixed Frank constants, vanishes as the ratio μ = R₂/R₁ increases toward a critical value μ_c, where R₂ is the radius of the drop and …

Physics 315 (Medical Physics), Ronald Koder

Open Educational Resources

No abstract provided.

Pack It Out Utah: Usu Water Quality Extension Leads Utah’S Statewide Trails And Waterways Cleanup, Lauren Houskeeper, Hope Braithwaite

Outcomes and Impact Quarterly

Utah’s public lands have experienced a surge in outdoor recreation which has led to an increase in garbage on trails, parks, neighborhoods, and eventually, in our waterways. In response, Utah State University Water Quality Extension initiated an annual statewide cleanup to raise awareness and facilitate the proper disposal of litter. During the cleanup events in 2020 and 2021, over 11,000 pounds of trash were removed from our public lands and waterways.

The Analysis And Remediation Of Excess Fluoride In Drinking Water In Isle Of Wight County, Va, Kaleigh Beale

Longwood Senior Theses

Excess fluoride in drinking water can cause fluorosis or brown and yellow staining of the enamel of teeth. In extreme cases, severe damage to teeth and bone structure can develop. In 1993, the World Health Organization set a limit of 1.5 ppm as acceptable for drinking water; however, in Isle of Wight County, Virginia, recent water quality reports detected levels of fluoride as high as 4 ppm. The purpose of this study was to investigate several detection and remediation methods of fluoride in drinking water. Detection methods included an ion selective electrode (ISE), dye-based colorimetric methods, and an at-home testing …

Synthesis And Evaluation Of Gallate Esters As Alternatives To Traditional Parabens, Marcia Reeves

Longwood Senior Theses

Parabens are esters of p-hydroxybenzoates that are commonly found in everyday consumer products as well as pharmaceuticals. They are often used in commercial products to prevent bacterial growth as well as to provide extended shelf life, but they have been shown to activate estrogen receptors in vivo, a contributing factor in human breast cancer proliferation. Our lab has previously generated a multitude of paraben derivatives that do not exhibit estrogenic activity. Many of these derivatives may have other safety concerns, but gallate esters appear to have the least hazardous properties. The estrogenic, antimicrobial, and antioxidant properties of the gallate ester …

Towards Improved Inertial Navigation By Reducing Errors Using Deep Learning Methodology, Hua Chen, Tarek M. Taha, Vamsy P. Chodavarapu

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Autonomous vehicles make use of an Inertial Navigation System (INS) as part of vehicular sensor fusion in many situations including GPS-denied environments such as dense urban places, multi-level parking structures, and areas with thick tree-coverage. The INS unit incorporates an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) to process the linear acceleration and angular velocity data to obtain orientation, position, and velocity information using mechanization equations. In this work, we describe a novel deep-learning-based methodology, using Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN), to reduce errors from MEMS IMU sensors. We develop a CNN-based approach that can learn from the responses of a particular inertial sensor …

Los Impactos Del Cambio Climático En Las Comunidades Aymaras En Putre, El Valle De Azapa Y Arica, Lindsey Kaufman

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Research Question: How is climate change affecting Aymara communities in Putre, the valley of Azapa, and Putre?

Objectives: To understand the effects of climate on communities by 1) describing which environmental problems exist and their impact on agriculture and ranching, 2) understanding the patterns of migration away from the ancestral land, 3) exploring the connections to the social determinants of health that exist with these change, and 4) analyzing the significance of these changes in the agriculture for the communities’ traditions and connection to the land.

Background: Aymara communities have historically inhabited agricultural and ranching lands in …