Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Classifying Surfaces With Handle Decomposition, Elizabeth Sipes

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Among topological spaces, manifolds draw a lot of interest. An
n-manifold is a space that is locally like R^n. Manifolds of dimension 2
are called surfaces. Using handle decomposition, we decompose surfaces
into k-handles, where 0< =k< =2. Techniques such as handle sliding and
handle cancellation allow us to get a more favorable representation of
our surface. We use these tools and calculation of the fundamental group
to classify all compact surfaces.

Comparison Of Push-Pull Air Curtain To Overhead Downdraft Systems On Aerosol Containment And Distribution In Controlled Environments, Manal Mutairi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Abstract

Comparison of Push-Pull Air Curtain to Overhead Downdraft Systems on Aerosol Containment and Distribution in Controlled Environments.

This dissertation looks at the ongoing issue of tiny airborne particles created during medical and dental procedures and evaluates ways to reduce the risk of exposure for healthcare workers and patients to these particles. The first study focuses on the size, how long particles stay in the air, and how far they travel from common medical procedures that create aerosols, showing that tiny particles (less than 5 µm) can stay in the air long enough to escape basic droplet controls. As a …

Preliminary Analysis Of Soil Volatile Organic Compounds As Soil Health Indicators, Thorne Taul

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Over the past decade, soil health (SH) has gained popularity due to the novelty of sustainable soil use related to human wellbeing. Soil health describes the overall quality of soil and its capacity to function over time. As interest in SH grows, researchers continue to explore new soil health indicators that can improve knowledge on how soil health is assessed and managed. Some indicators directly reflect soil health status, and some indirectly relate to processes and functions occurring within the soil. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are naturally occurring compounds that play a role in multiple soil processes. They are associated …

The Deposition, Prevalence, And Persistence Of Gunshot Residue In Standard And Less Lethal Ammunition, Liliana Claire Barbosa

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

During the discharge of a firearm, gunshot residue (GSR) is released and settles into nearby surfaces, leaving traces that can provide valuable information for forensic investigations. This study aims to improve understanding of the deposition, prevalence, and persistence of standard and less-lethal ammunition through an analytical framework that examines collection and analysis protocols, revealing connections among multiple traces for effective use in investigations and courtroom proceedings.

Research into the chemical residues of less lethal ammunition (LLA) is a critical frontier in shooting investigations. While standard leaded ammunition has over a century of established literature, the chemical fingerprints of LLA residues …

Data-Driven Methodologies For Mapping Cultural Heritage: The Case Of The National Coal Heritage Area, West Virginia, Usa, Hossain Mohammad Nahyan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The objective of this dissertation was to develop a comprehensive, data-driven spatial framework for characterizing the complex cultural landscape of the National Coal Heritage Area (NCHA) in West Virginia. By transitioning away from traditional, heuristic spatial mapping, this research integrates advanced spatial statistics, machine learning, and GIS-based methodologies to objectively quantify the physical, visual, and cultural dimensions of the post-mining environment. The research is structured around three interconnected empirical studies, each addressing a specific scale of the Landscape Character Assessment (LCA) framework to support heritage conservation and sustainable spatial planning. The first paper focused on landform classification, developing an automated …

Likelihood-Based Inference For Random Networks With Changepoints, Daniel Cirkovic, Tiandong Wang, Xianyang Zhang

Mathematical and Statistical Science Faculty Research and Publications

Generative, temporal network models play an important role in analyzing the dependence structure and evolution patterns of complex networks. Due to the complicated nature of real network data, it is often naive to assume that the underlying data-generative mechanism itself is invariant with time. Such observation leads to the study of changepoints or sudden shifts in the distributional structure of the evolving network. In this paper, we propose a likelihood-based methodology to detect changepoints in undirected, affine preferential attachment networks where, upon introduction, a new node selects one old to attach to with probability proportional to its degree. In particular, …

Evidence For A Spectral Break Or Curvature In The Spectrum Of Astrophysical Neutrinos From 5 Tev To 10 Pev, Karen Andeen

Physics Faculty Research and Publications

We report improved measurements of the all flavor astrophysical neutrino spectrum with IceCube by combining complementary neutrino samples in two independent analyses. Both analyses show evidence of a harder spectrum at energies below  ∼30  TeV compared to higher energies where the spectrum is well characterized by a power law. The spectrum is better described by a log parabola or a broken power law, the latter being the preferred model. Both, however, reject a single power law over an energy range 5 TeV–10 PeV with a significance  >4⁢𝜎, providing new constraints on properties of cosmic neutrino sources.

Infimum Dimension Nash Embeddings For 2d Projective Shape Analysis, Robert L. Paige, Vic Patrangenaru

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Research & Creative Works

Vector embeddings make complicated data extracted from networks, words and images, more amendable to data science applications. At the present time, the Veronese-Whitney (VW) matrix embedding of the real projective space is the state of the art for making inference about digital images from an uncalibrated camera, such as a cell phone or security camera. In this work we consider vector embeddings for the projective shape data and in particular determine the minimum dimension isometric (distance-preserving or Nash) vector embedding for a projective space. We determine such an embedding for the projective plane in closed-form. From this embedding we determine …

A Fully Discrete Semi-Implicit Numerical Scheme And Its Optimal Error Estimates For Cahn-Hilliard-Mhd Model With Variable Density, Dongmei Duan, Fuzheng Gao, Xiaoming He, Yanping Lin

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper proposes and analyzes a fully discrete semi-implicit unconditionally energy stable numerical scheme to solve the Cahn-Hilliard Magnetohydrodynamics (Cahn-Hilliard-MHD) model with variable density. The unconditional energy stability and optimal L² error estimates are established for the fully discrete scheme. Major challenges in error estimation arise from the variable density, the strong nonlinearities, and the multi-physics coupling of the model. Under the mathematical induction framework, the Ritz quasi-projection and the Stokes quasi-projection, proposed in [SIAM J. Numer. Anal., 61(3):1218-1245, 2023], are utilized to avoid the gradient terms of the projection errors. The H⁻¹ superconvergence error estimates of Ritz …

A 1d Symmetric Interior Penalty Discontinuous Galerkin Solver In Rust, William Aey

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This honors project will build a 1D Symmetric Interior Discontinuous Galerkin (SIPDG) solver in Rust for Stum-Liouville type problems such as the Poisson equation, with Robin, Dirichlet, and Neumann boundary conditions. The work will cover the full pipeline: starting from the strong form of the PDE, deriving the DG weak form, implementing element and interface operators, and assembling or apply the discrete operator. Rust's safety and concurrency (e.g, via Rayon) will be used to explore serial and parallel performance. A test-driven development approach will be used to maintain a strong suite of tests. The project will result in a documented …

Printer For Music Box, Chad Lewis, Caleb Murawski, Zion Smith, Bryan Tibbs

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The traditional method of creating music box sheet music involves manually punching holes into a paper strip using a hand-operated hole punch. This process involves precise knowledge of each note’s location and the ability to achieve perfect accuracy for hours.

The goal of this system is to automate this process, significantly reducing the time required while greatly improving the accuracy of the resulting music box playback. The user simply uploads a MIDI file of their choice into a user-friendly application. Here, the file is modified based on the user’s needs and sent to an automated hole-punching system to punch the …

An Investigation Into The Potential Role Of Thioester Bonds In Prebiotic Atp Synthesis, Adam J. Ruf

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

In this project I will attempt to show a potential prebiotic pathway for the synthesis of ATP. This pathway involves the use of thioester bond containing molecules, as derivatives of these bonds have been shown to exhibit enzyme-like catalytic properties. Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy will be utilized to characterize each step of the pathway to ensure it is successful.

Defending A Soho Network Against Mitm Attacks, Braeden J. Wise

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Cybersecurity is a vast domain that consists of many threats that target sensitive information found on wired and wireless networks. One of those threats is a man-in-the-middle (MITM) attack, which involves an attacker situating themselves between a sender and a receiver to intercept or redirect network traffic. These kinds of attacks can run rampant on a small office home office (SOHO) network due to the vulnerabilities and lack of enterprise level tools. The intent of this project is to perform and defend against MITM attacks for a SOHO network. In the context of the project, three MITM attacks will be …

Analyzing Network Traffic And Data Exfiltration Via Smb In Post-Vm Escape Scenarios, Noah M. Disanza

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Virtual machines (VMs) play a crucial role in modern IT infrastructure environments by providing isolation and enhanced security, among other things, for both personal and corporate systems. VMs are heavily rely upon to safely test malware, manage infrastructure, and reduce risk to host systems. This reliance is so substantial that the idea of reducing risk to the host system is believed to be erasing risk entirely. However, this mindset has shown to be challenged time and time again by the emergence of exploits known as virtual machine escapes. These exploits allow malicious actors to break out of the virtualized environment …

Reconstructing Lost Voices, Lana Tamim

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This project uses digital text mining tools (OCR, NLP, sentiment analysis, and topic modeling) to analyze 19th–20th-century newspaper archives, focusing on how marginalized groups (women, immigrants, or labor workers) were historically portrayed. Many historical newspapers were dominated by elite voices, so this project aims to recover silenced or misrepresented perspectives by identifying hidden patterns in language, frequency of coverage, sentiment, and shifts in public perception over time. Using machine learning and visualization tools, the project will create interactive maps and timelines showing how representation evolved across regions.

Codezip: A University-Based Coding Practice And Collaboration Platform, Manoj Khatri

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This project proposes the development of CodeZip, a university-exclusive web platform designed to help University of Akron students practice coding problems, prepare for technical interviews, and engage in collaborative learning. CodeZip ensures a secure environment by restricting access to users with @uakron.edu email addresses via Clerk API authentication.

The goal of this honors project is to expand CodeZip into an intelligent, interactive system. Planned enhancements include AI-generated problem hints, automated grading with performance analytics, and a visual dashboard to track learning progress. These features will provide personalized guidance, encourage collaboration between students and alumni, and create a dynamic platform that …

Pipeline Corrosion And Relevant Microbial Influence, Renee E. Bamberger

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This study investigated the role of microbial activity and oxygen availability in the corrosion of carbon steel pipelines with a focus on microbially influenced corrosion (MIC). Sediment collected from Old Woman Creek, Ohio, was used to simulate natural soil conditions, and carbon steel coupons were incubated under four treatments: nonsterile oxic, nonsterile anoxic, autoclaved oxic, and autoclaved anoxic over 85 days. Corrosion was assessed through mass loss measurements and the analysis of pH, sulfate, chloride, and dissolved iron concentrations. The greatest mass loss was observed in autoclaved oxic conditions, contrary to the initial hypothesis that microbial activity would greatly enhance …

Secure The Database: A Red Team, Blue Team Analysis Of Sql Injection, Andrew N. Miller

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

SQL injection (SQLi) attacks are a type of cyberattack that seeks to bypass website logins and gain entry to sensitive information. These pose a significant danger to organizations holding confidential user information. Personally Identifiable Information (PII) like physical addresses, emails, phone numbers, social security numbers are at risk of theft. Login credentials like usernames, passwords, and other sensitive information like financial details and social security numbers are also exposed through SQLi attacks. SQLi attacks harm the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of people’s identity. Additionally, data breaches that reach public battention harm the reputation and trust of organizations. SQLi attacks rank …

Large Telescope Mount For Long Exposure Photos, Payne M. Landis, Anna J. Gray

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

When viewing the stars through a telescope, it is common that the object you are viewing drifts out of view. Many amateur astronomers seek to capture long exposure images of the stars, planets, and galaxies with commercially available sky tracking telescope mounts. The complication is that these telescope mounts are both incredibly expensive and have low weight limits. These issues limit accessibility to these products based on the telescope. For each person, telescope parameters determine the amount of light and magnification that can be viewed, which then determines exposures time for adequate photo results. The options on the market for …

Machine Learning For Economists, John Luke Gallup

Economics Faculty Publications and Presentations

Explication of machine learning algorithms and their usefulness for economic research. The prediction algorithms of Random Forest, Gradient Boost Machines, Neural Networks and Support Vector Machines are built from simple steps applied at large scale to generate surprisingly precise nonlinear estimates. Although useful for processing and interpreting new forms of data, their application to economics research is limited because they do not provide readily interpretable evidence of the causes of outcomes.

Data And Code For: Combined Effects Of Forest Fire And Climate Warming On Seasonal Snow In The Western Oregon Cascades, Joseph D. Vigil

Environmental Science and Management Datasets

This dataset supports a study examining the combined effects of forest fire and climate warming on seasonal snow in the Breitenbush watershed of the western Oregon Cascades. The archive includes daily SnowModel snow water equivalent outputs for forested, current post-fire, mid-century, and end-century climate scenarios; field meteorological and manual snow observations; station metadata; modified SnowModel code used to represent post-fire snow-albedo decay; and R code used to calculate snow metrics and statistical comparisons reported in the associated manuscript. Derived results and documentation are included to support reproduction of the primary analyses.

Nebraska Test 2305: Claas Arion 660, Nebraska Tractor Test Lab

Nebraska Tractor Tests

ABOUT THE TEST REPORT AND USE OF THE DATA The test data contained in this report are a tabulation of the results of a series of tests. Due to the restricted format of these pages, only a limited amount of data and not all of the tractor specifications are included. The full OECD report contains usually about 30 pages of data and specifications. The test data were obtained for each tractor under similar conditions and therefore, provide a means of comparison of performance based on a limited set of reported data. EXPLANATION OF THE TEST PROCEDURES Purpose The purpose of …

Nebraska Test 2308: John Deere 9r 540 Single Turbo (Chassis Serial Numbers 1rw9540xxsx090001 And Higher), Nebraska Tractor Test Lab

Nebraska Tractor Tests

ABOUT THE TEST REPORT AND USE OF THE DATA The test data contained in this report are a tabulation of the results of a series of tests. Due to the restricted format of these pages, only a limited amount of data and not all of the tractor specifications are included. The full OECD report contains usually about 30 pages of data and specifications. The test data were obtained for each tractor under similar conditions and therefore, provide a means of comparison of performance based on a limited set of reported data. EXPLANATION OF THE TEST PROCEDURES Purpose The purpose of …

The Case For Friction In Ai-Mediated Information Seeking And Learning, Susan G. Archambault, Priya Kizhakkethil

Librarian Publications & Presentations

Introduction. This paper challenges the assumption that frictionless AI-mediated information seeking represents progress. We argue that AI systems eliminating productive friction, such as uncertainty, exploration, and reflective processes, undermine intellectual virtues essential for critical thinking in an AI-saturated information environment.

Method. This conceptual article employs a theory synthesis approach, drawing on library information science (LIS) theories of information behaviour, experience, and literacy, virtue epistemology, and human–computer interaction (HCI) friction design literature.

Analysis. We map intellectual virtues such as curiosity, thoroughness, and intellectual humility onto the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education, building …

Gender Differences In The Association Between Adverse Childhood Experiences And Drug Use: Findings From A Community-Based Survey In China, Hongyun Fu, Elizabeth Monk-Turner, Xiushi Yang

Department of Pediatrics Faculty Publications

Background

While adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are widely recognized risk factors for behavioral health problems, including drug use, prior research has largely been conducted in Western countries, focused primarily on males, and relied on convenience samples without comparison groups of nonusers. Limited work has examined the impact of ACEs on drug use in non-Western contexts. This study examines gender differences in the relationship between ACEs and drug use in China, using data from a population-based probability sample survey.

Methods:

Cross-sectional data were collected in 2019 from one city in Yunnan Province in Southwest China and one city in Guangdong Province …

Nebraska Test 2304: Claas Arion 630, Nebraska Tractor Test Lab

Nebraska Tractor Tests

ABOUT THE TEST REPORT AND USE OF THE DATA The test data contained in this report are a tabulation of the results of a series of tests. Due to the restricted format of these pages, only a limited amount of data and not all of the tractor specifications are included. The full OECD report contains usually about 30 pages of data and specifications. The test data were obtained for each tractor under similar conditions and therefore, provide a means of comparison of performance based on a limited set of reported data. EXPLANATION OF THE TEST PROCEDURES Purpose The purpose of …

Nebraska Test 2310: John Deere 9rx 540 Single Turbo (Chassis Serial Numbers 1rw9540xxsx828001 And Higher), Nebraska Tractor Test Lab

Nebraska Tractor Tests

ABOUT THE TEST REPORT AND USE OF THE DATA The test data contained in this report are a tabulation of the results of a series of tests. Due to the restricted format of these pages, only a limited amount of data and not all of the tractor specifications are included. The full OECD report contains usually about 30 pages of data and specifications. The test data were obtained for each tractor under similar conditions and therefore, provide a means of comparison of performance based on a limited set of reported data. EXPLANATION OF THE TEST PROCEDURES Purpose The purpose of …

Nebraska Test 2309: John Deere 9rt 540 Single Turbo (Chassis Serial Numbers 1rw9540xxsx929001 And Higher), Nebraska Tractor Test Lab

Nebraska Tractor Tests

ABOUT THE TEST REPORT AND USE OF THE DATA The test data contained in this report are a tabulation of the results of a series of tests. Due to the restricted format of these pages, only a limited amount of data and not all of the tractor specifications are included. The full OECD report contains usually about 30 pages of data and specifications. The test data were obtained for each tractor under similar conditions and therefore, provide a means of comparison of performance based on a limited set of reported data. EXPLANATION OF THE TEST PROCEDURES Purpose The purpose of …

An Introduction To Field Excursions For The 2026 Geological Society Of America Cordilleran Section Meeting In Loreto, Baja California Sur, México, Scott E.K. Bennett, Michael H. Darin, Genaro Martínez Gutiérrez

Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The 122nd annual meeting of the Geological Society of America (GSA) Cordilleran Section will be held in Loreto, Baja California Sur, México, an idyllic and historic Sonoran Desert city nestled on the eastern shore of the Baja California peninsula. The 2026 Loreto meeting marks a milestone for GSA as it is the first time in the Section’s century-plus history that the meeting has been held on the Baja California peninsula and only the third time that the meeting has been held in México. Thus, the 2026 Loreto meeting and related field trips represent a meaningful expansion of the Section’s engagement …

Pahina: Precision-Aware Hierarchical In-Network Aggregation For Edge Distributed Training, Yingpu Nian, Bo Yi, Qiang He, Xingwei Wang, Geyong Min, Keqin Li, Sajal K. Das

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

The rise of edge intelligence is driving distributed machine learning toward a new paradigm of edge-collaborative computing. To overcome the severe communication bottleneck in this paradigm, In-Network Aggregation is a critical enabling technology. However, its effectiveness is fundamentally undermined by the profound resource heterogeneity of edge networks. Specifically, edge devices, adapting to hardware constraints, operate at varying numerical precisions, leading to significant data inflation as gradients are aggregated. Compounding this, unevenly distributed network resources and traditional, precision-oblivious routing strategies often misallocate critical, high-precision gradients to low-quality paths. This mismatch creates severe network congestion, crippling the efficiency of distributed training. To …