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  Reaction of Phosphonium Phosphate Ionic Liquids with Iron Substrates

  Joseph Martin Hancock

  The reactions of several oil soluble phosphonium phosphate ionic liquids with iron substrates were investigated to determine their suitability as lubricant additives. The ionic liquids, dissolved in ester based lubricant base stocks were found to react with metal surfaces to form a phosphorus containing film. Scanning electron microscopy showed the deposition of a layer on the surface and x-ray fluorescence showed that the layer contained phosphorus. Infrared analysis of the film demonstrated the formation of poly phosphate chains on the material. Decomposition products from the ionic liquid were identified by GC-MS.

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  Rear Eye Vision for Enhanced Safety in Autonomous Navigation

  Arjun Udayakumar Sherly

  Rear end traffic crashes are rising alarmingly but these crashes can be avoided effectively with the help of an efficient rear end camera system that could predict the direction of the oncoming vehicle and change the navigation of parent vehicle appropriately. The proposed approach tackles the problem by providing a camera system at the rear end of the vehicle that notifies the vehicle about the acceleration and direction of the approaching object and notifies the action to be taken so as to avoid the threat or collision by employing the principle of optic flow. The optic flow of the object of interest is calculated and tracked for extracting the key features. The three prominent features that are evaluated closely are acceleration, size and the direction of the object of interest. Acceleration determines how fast the object is moving towards the rear station. Direction attribute determines whether the object is moving towards or away from the rear station. Modified Kanade Lucas Tomasi Algorithm (KLT) calculates the optical flow of object of interest. The stationary objects such as trees, street lights and buildings are ignored as the background. The modified KLT uses a Pyramidal approach to evaluate the severity of threats. Pyramidal approach at different levels takes care of objects moving at high speed that might disappear from the frame. The testing and evaluation is done in Husky robot from Clear Path Robotics and using Robot Mobility Platform 220 by Segway. In the era of exponentially growing trend in autonomy, Rear Eye Vision stands as the epitome of research in the field of autonomous navigation.

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  Reconfigurable Antenna based on Tungsten-Doped Vanadium Dioxide Thin Films

  Kuan-Chang Pan

  The main objective for this research is to study tungsten-doped vanadium dioxide (WVO2) phase change thin films. The (0.8% ratio of W) tungsten doped vanadium dioxide (WVO2) thin films were fabricated and tested. The tungsten doping shifted the transition temperature closer to room temperature, compared to 68C in undoped VO2. For this research, a coplanar waveguide (CPW) bowtie patch antenna was integrated with WVO2 thin films and the resonant frequency of the antenna can be shifted from 6.953 GHz at low temperature (20°C) to 6.538 GHz in mid temperature range (35°C) and then made inactive in high temperature range (50°C). The overall size of the CPW bowtie patch antenna is 6.45mm×6mm and the substrate of the antenna is sapphire.

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  Remote Sensing: Natural Gas Detection with Infrared (IR) Spectrum

  Benjamin E Natarian

  Currently detecting a natural gas leak requires a boots on ground approach with handheld and vehicle mounted chemical sensors. The goal of this research is to create an automatic detection system using manned or unmanned aircraft to survey a large area in a short time and narrow the leak location to a minimal search area for boots on ground isolation. The proposed system will utilize an IR sensor for data acquisition, and a custom computer vision based algorithm to detect gas leaks in the massive data stream with minimal human interaction. Specifically, the algorithm takes a combination of preprocessing, motion estimation, and machine learning to differentiate between gas leaks and normal background.

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  Resolving the Gene Expression bases for the Convergent Evolution of a Pigmentation Trait

  Sumant Grover, Victoria Rene Spradling

  The genetic basis by which organisms adapt to an ever changing world remains a topic of great interest to the fields of evolution, development, and conservation biology. It is understood that animal genomes contain over ten thousand genes and distantly related species possess many of the same genes due to common ancestry. What is less well understood is how new traits evolve using these shared genes and whether the genetic basis for evolution favors certain genes over others. At the heart of trait development are genes that encode proteins that regulate the expression of other genes, notably transcription factors and chromatin modifying proteins. Traits can evolve through changes in the expression patterns for these genes or through changes in which target genes they regulate. However, case studies connecting gene expression changes to trait evolution remain few in number. Additionally, it is unclear whether gene expression evolution favors alterations in certain genes over others. In order to understand how a novel trait evolves and to determine whether evolution can prefer certain gene targets for modification, we are studying the convergent evolution of fruit fly pigmentation in the lineages of Drosophila melanogaster and Drosophila funebris. These two species can be considered biological replicates for the evolution of male-specific pigmentation on the A5 and A6 abdominal segments. To understand the genes involved in the formation and evolution of these similar pigmentation patterns, we are utilizing candidate gene and comparative transcriptomic approaches. Completion of this work will provide novel insights on the genetic changes responsible for a trait’s origin, and whether development constrains evolutionary paths to certain genes.

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  Resolving the Molecular Mechanisms by Which DNA Mutations Alter the Function of a Genetic Switch

  Emily E Wey

  Each human genome possesses around a million mutations that are genetic baggage from DNA replication mistakes or “mutations” that occurred in the past. Each mutation can have one of three outcomes on an individual, these are to improve, reduce, or have no effect on health. Moreover, the effects of such mutations can depend on the presence or absence of other mutations, so called epistatic interactions. A major goal of genomic medicine is to glean diagnostic or predictive health information from the genome sequences of individuals. However, this goal remains out of reach as the effects of mutations and epistatic interactions are difficult to predict without knowing the function of the DNA sequence they reside in. This difficulty is especially heightened for mutations occurring in cis-regulatory element sequences that act as switches to control gene transcription. The research I plan to perform for my Honors Thesis is to use a fruit fly model to test hypotheses about the molecular mechanisms by which mutations alter a genetic switch’s activity and whether these mutations are subjected to the tyranny of epistatic interactions. I will study the Drosophila melanogaster dimorphic element which is a transcription-regulating switch for the bric-à-brac genes. Three mutations in the dimorphic element were identified that individually alter the level of bric-à-brac transcription. The presence or absence of epistatic interactions will be determined by measuring the activity of dimorphic elements from related species that have been engineered to possess the Drosophila melanogaster mutations. I will also test the hypothesis that these mutations impart their effects by creating or destroying binding sites for proteins known as transcription factors. The results will provide a sorely needed example where an understanding of molecular mechanisms bridges the gap between a DNA sequence and its in vivo function.

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  Resources and Improvements for Nutrition and the Treatment of Eating Disorders at the University of Dayton

  Taylor A Brodie, Lyndsay Anne Drake, Margaret G Ziegenfuss

  Research was conducted to evaluate the programs and resources that the University of Dayton offers for nutrition and eating disorders. It was determined that the dining halls offered healthy and nutritious options for students, as every place to eat on campus offers a variation of fresh fruit and vegetables. VWK’s Passports caters well to those who have a culturally diverse diet such as international students. Marycrest offers an A+ room that is designed for those who have food allergies. Only students who have expressed their allergies to the university are granted access to the room. There is a fair amount of gluten free options at every dining hall but could still use improvement. Those suffering from lactose, nut, soy and other allergies have a challenging time fulfilling their dietary needs. The A+ room does accept requests for specific food items, which is helpful for those with a restrictive diet. Eating disorders are another important consideration relating to nutritional health of campus students. The counseling center is the main resource for those suffering from an eating disorder with group and individual therapy as an option. The group session allows others dealing with a body image issue to meet each other and know they are not alone. The center offers handouts and brochures on how to spot an eating disorder and how to approach someone you know with one. A more rigorous treatment is an option but is sought at locations outside the university grounds. The main improvement for eating disorder resources would be to increase programming to raise awareness for the destructive effects that an eating disorder can have on an individual’s body, as well as increase programming for how to recognize the signs of an eating disorder in a friend or roommate.

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  Responding to the Needs of Students with Language Barriers Through Instructional Methods and Enhanced Educational Opportunities

  Meghan D Grys, Frances M Rogan

  With increasing diversity and inclusion in the classroom, decreasing language barriers among students becomes vital to ensuring their success. We will explore how assistive adaptive technology for special needs students and different instructional models for ESL and ELL students have enhanced their educational opportunities to combat language barriers.

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  Response Bias on the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5)

  Lisa E Stone

  While the validity and clinical utility of the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5; Krueger, Derringer, Markon, Watson, and Skodol, 2012) has been established (e.g. Fossati, Krueger, Markon, Borroni, & Maffei, 2013), overlap between the wording of some items and wording of the response scale anchors is a potential limitation that, to our knowledge, has yet to be explored. Questionnaire responses can be affected by many factors, including positive vs negative wording (Kalton and Schuman, 1982), scale prompt order (Krosnick & Alwin, 1987), and exposure to extraneous information (Tversky & Kahneman, 1974). The PID-5 contains the following four response scale anchors: 1) very false or often false, 2) sometimes or somewhat false, 3) sometimes or somewhat true, and 4) very true or often true. Of the 220 items that comprise the PID-5, 46 contain the words sometimes, often, or very (e.g. “sometimes you need to exaggerate to get ahead”) which could potentially bias respondents towards the response anchors containing the same words. This study will investigate whether item-wording biases responses on the PID-5. University undergraduate students (estimated N = 100) will complete the PID-5, and response frequencies on the 46 overlapping PID-5 items will be examined using chi-square and compared to response frequencies on the 174 non-overlapping items. Discussion will address the implication of these findings for clinical practice and future research.

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  Restoration of an invaded riparian zone influences stream macroinvertebrate biomass

  Caitlin Michele Buchheim

  In the Midwest USA many riparian plant communities are heavily invaded by Amur honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii: hereafter honeysuckle), creating a dense canopy over headwater streams. Management practices aim to remove riparian honeysuckle; however, it is not well understood how these practices influence stream ecosystems. In this experiment, honeysuckle was removed from a headwater stream reach with a dense honeysuckle riparian forest. We investigated how this “restoration” activity influenced in-stream macroinvertebrate biomass dynamics compared to a “control” reach where the honeysuckle invasion remained intact. We predicted removal of honeysuckle would (H1) increase overall macroinvertebrate biomass, (H2) increase in detritivore functional feeding group (FFG) biomass. In August-September 2010, honeysuckle was removed along Black Oak Park stream in Centerville-Washington Park District, OH, creating a 150-meter honeysuckle removal reach and an upstream honeysuckle (control) reach. Aquatic macroinvertebrates were collected with a Surber sampler monthly from August 2010 to December 2014 within both reaches (n = 5/reach) and identified to genus when possible. Macroinvertebrate body metrics were measured with a micrometer using Image J software. Macroinvertebrate biomass (i.e. standing stock biomass) was estimated for each taxon and FFG using length-mass allometric equations. Preliminary analyses indicated honeysuckle removal did not significantly influence macroinvertebrate biomass; although, there was a clear pattern of increased biomass in the removal reach. Collector-filterer and the collector-gatherer FFG comprised the greatest overall biomass in both reaches. These preliminary results suggest removal of Amur honeysuckle impacts the overall aquatic macroinvertebrate biomass, potentially influencing the flow of energy within the stream food web.

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  Revealing Evolutionary Mechanisms by Mapping Pigmentation Character States and Developmental Mechanisms onto a Resolved Fruit Fly Phylogenetic Tree

  Abigail M Groszkiewicz, Jesse T Hughes

  Since the origin of the 36 recognized animal phyla over 500 million years ago, subsequent evolution can be largely summarized as the diversification of physiological, behavioral, and morphological characteristics among these original 36 body plans. Diversification continues to this day and can be seen in humans as differences in coloration, lactose metabolism, and energy storage in fat tissue. As all animal characteristics are products of development, a key challenge for contemporary research is to reveal the ways in which development evolves through changes in the uses of genes. To meet this challenge, investigations must prioritize characteristics: that have recently evolved, the direction of character evolution is known, and for which the underlying genes can be studied by modern genetic manipulations. One ideal trait is the diverse coloration patterns observed on the abdominal tergites of fruit fly species from the Sophophora subgenus. Prior research has supported a scenario where melanic pigmentation limited to the male abdomen evolved once within this clade through the evolution of a sexually dimorphic pattern of expression for the bric-à-brac transcription factor genes. My research challenges this scenario by looking at the patterns of pigmentation on the abdomens of species representing the diverse Sophophora species groups and interrogating the patterns of bric-à-brac expression during the development of the abdominal tergites. Success in this work will advance the fruit fly pigmentation model as exemplar of how diversity evolves through the re-working of developmental mechanisms.

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  Review of Physical Rigging to Skeleton Driven Animation

  Matthew R Labadie

  Computer animation is a growing field that impacts multiple industries. From entertainment to research, it is becoming more and more important to have quick and efficient techniques which can produce reliable and accurate results. One way to approach this issue is to experiment with how 3D models are matched to skeletons. These skeletons are responsible for ultimately animating the model and thus impact the effectiveness of the animation. While an appreciable knowledge of computer science is required for such a task, it may come as a surprise to find that physical concepts have helped research groups further this effort. This paper will discuss such efforts in a manner that will be approachable by many but also offer insights into the physical concepts one might be lacking in a computer science background.

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  Rewriting the textbooks: evidence of co-limitation by macro and micronutrients

  Kiersten P Angelos, Megan M Bollheimer, Madison J Dembinski, Amanda N Finke, Kaitlin M Gawkins, Shania E Hurst, Madeline R Norman, Ryan W Reihart, Mackenzie E Ryan

  Little is known about the relative importance of factors that structure insect communities in grassland ecosystems. Macronutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, are known limiting factors in these ecosystems. Micronutrients, such as calcium, potassium, and sodium, may also be important limiting factors; however, few experiments have been done to provide evidence of their limiting effects. We are determining how micronutrients in the soil affect the insect communities in grasslands. We manipulated nitrogen and phosphorous, calcium, potassium, and sodium in every possible combination in the soil in a coastal tallgrass prairie in Texas. There were sixteen total treatments and each was replicated eight times. Insects were sampled by sweep netting and the relative abundance of insects, currently identified to order, was estimated. We also measured soil characteristics (pH, conductivity, soil moisture, the percentage of roots and root moisture). We that macronutrients actually had few effects on insect orders, but micronutrients had more, stronger effects on certain groups. Most interestingly, most orders were co-limited by nitrogen, phosphorus and sodium, a finding that has been hypothesized, but seldomly shown. These results stress a need to consider that more animals may be co-limited by combinations of macro- and micro-nutrients, and this is an extremely important implication in ecology that has been focused on just the role of macronutrients.

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  Rocket Technology and Enabling Well-Stirred Combustion

  Erin E Peiffer

  Nearly 3 billion people in the world use biomass stoves for cooking and heating their homes. Due to incomplete combustion, toxic byproducts such as soot, nitrous oxides and carbon monoxide (CO) gasses form. These toxic substances contribute to pollution and can lead to serious health issues over time if inhaled leading to approximately 4 million premature deaths each year. The formation of these toxic substances can be mitigated, in large part, by optimizing the combustion process. This optimization can be achieved, in part, through the introduction of increased turbulence intensity allowing for the so-called “well-stirred combustion regime”. Here we will be exploring the health, environmental, and social effects of biomass combustion in the developing world, the benefits of rocket technology for cooking and agricultural purposes, and the potential implementation of well-stirred combustion regimes to further improve upon this technology.

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  Role of Dpp signaling pathway in promoting survival of retinal neurons in Aβ42 mediated neurodegeneration

  Neha Gogia, Jason N Kleppel, Ankita Sarkar

  Alzheimer's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder with no known cure to date. One cause of Alzheimer's neuropathy is the generation of Amyloid-beta-42 (Aβ42) aggregates that trigger cell death by unknown mechanisms. Using a transgenic Drosophila eye model misexpressing human Aβ42, we observed the AD-like neuropathy. In a forward genetic screen we have identified Decapentaplegic (Dpp), a morphogen, as one of the genetic modifiers of Aβ42 mediated neurodegeneration. Dpp acts as the ligand for the Dpp pathway, which exhibits suppression of retinal neuron’s cell death. The Dpp signaling pathway involves several key components. We examined the Dpp signaling pathway and its members in modifying Aβ42 mediated neuropathy. We have demonstrated that upregulating Dpp signaling pathway, by misexpressing Dpp (using UAS dpp) and Thickveins (using UAS tkv) can rescue Aβ42 mediated neurodegeneration. The number of dying cells marked with TUNEL staining was also reduced and the axonal targeting was restored from the retina to the brain, which was marked by 24B10 staining. We will test the role of Dpp signaling in Aβ42 plaques mediated neurodegeneration. Furthermore, we will analyze, if these modifiers act independent and/or parallel of each other or whether they have a linear relationship in triggering neurodegenerative response due to accumulation of Aβ42. The results from our studies will be presented.

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  Role of Relish/NFkB Apoptosis Pathway in Amyloid-beta 42 Mediated Neurodegeneration inAlzheimer’s Disease

  Steven G Borchers, Neil William Glenn, Neha Gogia

  Alzheimer’s disease (hereafter AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder which affects the cognitive functions of the patients. This disease does not have a cure at this point. One of the reasons for the manifestation of AD is the accumulation of amyloid-beta-42 (Aβ42) plaques. Several animal models have been developed to study AD. We have developed a Drosophila eye model where human Aβ42 is misexpressed in the differentiating eye, which triggers neuronal death in the retinal neurons of the eye. Our lab has identified that a soy based protein, Lunasin, can be employed to block Aβ42 mediated cell death. Lunasin is known to block inflammation through downregulating the NFkB pathway. This pathway leads to the translation of apoptotic proteins included in the jun-N Terminal Kinase (JNK) pathway. We have developed transgenic flies which can produce both (human Aβ42 and soy protein Lunasin) in the Drosophila eye protein. These flies have normal eyes as Lunasin blocks Aβ42 mediated neurodegeneration. I want to test how Lunasin prevents neuronal death observed in our Aβ42 accumulation model in Drosophila eye. I propose to genetically change the activity of NFKB pathway kinases Relish and Cactus in transgenic flies where we have introduced human Aβ42 and Lunasin. I have generated transgenic and mutant flies which can be used for gain- of-function as well loss-of-function of these pathway members to observe their effect on Aβ42 neurodegenerative phenotype. I will observe these interactions at three developmental time points of larval eye imaginal disc, pupal retina and the adult eye. By the end of the twelve-week program, I expect to have significant amount of data to address this hypothesis and generate new insight into the mechanism by which Aβ42 mediated neurodegeneration occurs in AD. These studies will have significant bearing on use of NFKB members as biomarkers or druggable targets for AD in future.

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  Service Employment Trends and Stock Price Movements in the Consumer Staples and Consumer Discretionary Sectors from 2009-2016

  Luke A Bir

  Financial economists consider price movements in stocks a function of both fundamental and macroeconomic factors. In this study, I examine the relationship between U.S. service employment, a large component of total U.S. employment, and two market sectors that rely on consumer spending for sales and earnings growth. Using regression analysis, I regress service employment on the consumer staples SPDR price index(XLP) and the consumer discretionary SPDR price index (XLY). I test the hypothesis that the regression coefficients (B) are greater than zero. The time period for the analysis is 2009-2016, which is also marked by an aggressive policy of monetary easing and a sustained rebound in the stock market.

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  Significant Effects on the Performance of a Proof-of-Concept STAR Device

  Amnah M Altaher, Bipin Karki, Matthew O Worsham

  The unreliable electrical supply to medical clinics in remote areas of India makes it difficult to safely store vaccines and other medications. The ETHOS (Engineers in Technical Humanitarian Opportunities of Service-learning) program at the University of Dayton, in conjunction with the SAAP (Solar Alternatives and Associated Programmes) group in Bihar India, are developing a novel solar-thermal adsorptive refrigeration system for use at these clinics that does not require electricity and uses safe, environmentally friendly, and widely available materials as the refrigerant and adsorbent. This refrigeration system uses ethanol as a refrigerant and activated carbon as the adsorbent, and can achieve refrigeration temperatures as low as 2.2°C. The team conducted a screening experiment using a two to the third factorial design with two randomized blocks to identify significant effects on the refrigerator’s performance. The control variables in the device were ethanol volume, activated carbon mass, carbon bed orientation, and number of carbon beds. The experiment indicated that the specific uptake gram of ethanol per gram of activated carbon decreases with the amount of activated carbon. Experimental results suggested that diffusion into the carbon bed is a limiting factor during the adsorption step. The working of bench scale STAR system on full cycle operation (adsorption-desorption) was also analyzed. The performance on multiple cycles showed minimum refrigeration temperature, amount of ethanol desorbed, and variation of refrigeration temperature on each cycle. The amount of ethanol desorbed after desorption cycle was comparatively less due to orientation of system. Future research will be focused on orientation of system and further characterize the ratio of adsorption (ethanol - activated carbon) pair to be used.

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  Simulation of an Automatic Commercial Ice Maker

  Haithem Abualasaad Murgham

  Automatic commercial ice making machines that produce a batch of cube ice at regular intervals are known as “cubers”. Such machines are commonly used in food service, food preservation, hotel, and health service industries. The machines are typically rated for the weight of ice produced over a 24 hour period at ambient air temperatures of 90 °F and water inlet temperature of 70 °F. These cubers typically utilize an air-cooled, vapor-compression cycle to freeze circulating water flowing over an evaporator grid. Once a sufficient amount ice is formed, a valve switches to enable a harvest mode. The U.S. Department of Energy has set a target of reducing energy usage by 10 - 15% by 2018. Engineering models are not publicly available to assist designers in achieving the new energy regulations. This work presents an engineering simulation model that addresses this need. This model simulates the transient operation of a cuber ice machine based on fundamental principles and generalized correlations. The model calculates time-varying changes in the system properties and aggregates performance results as a function of machine capacity and environmental conditions. Rapid “what if” analyses can be readily completed, enabling engineers to quickly evaluate the impact of a variety of system design options. Simulation results from the model were compared with the experimental data of a fully instrumented, standard 500 lb capacity ice machine, operating under various ambient air and water inlet temperatures. Key aggregate measures of the ice machine’s performance are: 1) cycle time (duration of freeze plus harvest cycles), 2) energy input per 100 lb of ice, and 3) energy usage during 24 hours. For these measures, the model’s accuracy is within 5% for a variety of operating conditions.

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  Simulation of Lagrangian point orbits using Python

  Hunter Reed Johnston

  The study of Lagrangian points, also known as libration points, has become a focus of much astrodynamical research, with possible uses for low-thrust trajectory optimization for a plethora of spacecraft missions. Lagrangian points are positions in any orbital configuration of two large bodies (ie. Earth and Moon) where a small object can maintain a stable position in relation to the larger bodies. A few planets in our solar system have natural satellites orbiting these points and in the Earth-Moon system, artificial satellites have been placed in libration point orbits for a variety of purposes. To utilize these orbits and study these 3-body problems, simulations are very useful in visualizing the three-dimensional, quasi-periodic orbits. This research looks to model satellite orbits around these Lagrangian points using Python programming language to predict position and velocity of the object relative to the Lagrangian point fixed coordinate system. Using Python’s plethora of visual graphics packages, the three-dimensional, quasi-period nature of the orbits will be effectively modeled and displayed to produce a greater understanding of the nature of these types of orbits.

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  Single Image Super-resolution for Polarimetric Imagery

  Garrett C Sargent

  Physical quantities associated with an optical field are the intensity, wavelength, coherence, and polarization. Typically, intensity of optical radiation across a scene over a waveband of interest is gathered. However, unlike polarization, this information does not provide information about the vector nature of the optical field. Polarization information describes the scene’s surface features, shape, shading, and roughness. As an example, polarization is particularly useful for infrared data where there may be little to no contrast in a scene, due to all the objects being in equilibrium with the background. Polarization information can be used to suppress the background and provide enhanced contrast where there was little to no contrast before. Polarization has many other useful applications, one of which is tracking objects that may contain no contrast difference in infrared data but are visible when polarization information is available. Such an example would be tracking small RC aircraft, where most of the aircraft is lost in the background in the infrared data but clearly distinguished with polarimetric information. Extra information can also be added to the polarimetric data through single-image super-resolution techniques. This is particularly useful for recovering high frequency components that are lost due to the nature of acquiring polarimetric imagery. Research suggests additional resolution can be obtained and applied to polarimetric data using state-of-the-art single-image super-resolution techniques.

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  Slip Tendency Analysis of Bedrock Structure in southeast Ohio and northwest West Virginia

  Graydon Leo Konzen

  This study identifies possible fault and joint systems at risk of seismic failure along an uncharacteristically straight segment of the Ohio River bounding Washington County, Ohio that we hypothesize to be structurally controlled. Previous work documents a regional basement structure known as the Rome Trough coinciding with this segment of the Ohio River. Publically available oil and gas well data have been used to generate structure contour and isopach maps of upper Paleozoic strata in order to confirm that these structural trends could also be related to shallow faults. In tandem with subsurface data, field investigation of bedrock evidence reveals widespread jointing and rare faulting that appears to parallel the trend of modern stream systems, including the Ohio River itself. Slip tendency analysis in the context of the regional stress regime shows which of these systems are at risk of induced seismicity under the influence of increased pore fluid pressures associated with deep wastewater injection. These results in conjunction with the recent occurrence of minor seismicity in the vicinity of several deep wastewater injection wells suggest the need for cautious environmental assessment as oil and gas production expands into the study area.

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  Specific Wavelength Absorbance of Pollutants and its Effect on Photovoltaic Cells

  Nicholas M Maertz

  Air pollution is a growing problem in cities across the world, from the thick smog in Beijing to the haze above Los Angeles. These pollutants decrease atmospheric visibility and the amount of light that is able to reach the surface of the Earth. Decreased insolation will have an effect on photovoltaic systems. Since photovoltaics operate in the visible light region of the electromagnetic spectrum, this pollution can cause a decrease in electrical output for these systems. In this work an introductory study of the transmittance of light as a function of wavelength through pollutants will be analyzed to determine if the absorbance of specific wavelengths has a significant effect on the output of photovoltaic cells. In addition, a summary of research in the literature on the overall attenuation of light by haze and smog will be given.

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  Spherical Linkages Analysis and Synthesis by Special Unitary Matrices for Solution via Numerical Algebraic Geometry

  Saleh M Almestiri

  Numerical algebraic geometry is the field that studies the computation and manipulation of the solution sets of systems of polynomial equations. The goal of this research is to formulate spherical linkages analysis and design problems via a method suited to employ the tools of numerical algebraic geometry. Specifically, equations are developed using special unitary matrices that naturally use complex numbers to express sphysical and joint parameters in a mechanical system. Unknown parameters expressed as complex numbers readily admit solution by the methods of numerical algebraic geometry. This work illustrates their use by analyzing the spherical four-bar and Watt I linkages. I addition, special unitary matrices are utilized to solve the five orientation synthesis of a spherical four-bar linkage. Additionally, synthesis equation were formulated for Watt I linkage. The numerical algebraic geometry software used throughout is Bertini.

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  Spontaneous Anti-Ferromagnetic Change of State on a 2D Ising Lattice Simulation via Metropolis Monte-Carlo

  John A Hennen

  The Ising Model has been a staple demonstration tool of thermal properties since 1920. It proves an attractive basis for exploring statistical mechanical properties of stochastic processes, and the power of computational methods in modeling stochastic processes. Using a nearest neighbor coupling energy model on the 2-D surface with periodic boundary conditions, it is proposed to model magnetic spin evolution in varying temperature. We randomly assign either spin up or spin down to each lattice point and utilize a Monte-Carlo approach to the Metropolis-Hastings algorithm to ascertain whether nearest neighbors are in a stationary state or not. The anti-ferromagnetic state of nearest neighbors (all neighbors having opposite spin) will only remain if the lattice temperature remains below a certain point. By initializing with random spin, applying nearest-neighbor coupling energies and periodically reducing the temperature, we will see a sudden state change where the lattice goes from randomly spinned, to perfectly anti-ferromagnetic and this will occur at a consistent state change temperature.