Digital Commons Network^™

Analytic Derivative Couplings Between Configuration-Interaction-Singles States With Built-In Electron-Translation Factors For Translational Invariance, Shervin Fatehi, Ethan Alguire, Yihan Shao, Joseph Subotnik

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

We present a method for analytically calculating the derivative couplings between a pair of configuration-interaction-singles (CIS) excited states obtained in an atom-centered basis. Our theory is exact and has been derived using two completely independent approaches: one inspired by the Hellmann-Feynman theorem and the other following from direct differentiation. (The former is new, while the latter is in the spirit of existing approaches in the literature.) Our expression for the derivative couplings incorporates all Pulay effects associated with the use of an atom-centered basis, and the computational cost is minimal, roughly comparable to that of a single CIS energy gradient. …

The Direct Role Of Enzyme Hydrolysis On Ammonium Regeneration Rates In Estuarine Sediments, Afonso C. Souza, Tamara K. Pease, Wayne S. Gardner

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Benthic ammonium (NH4 +) regeneration in coastal marine sediments has a fundamental role in nitrogen (N) cycling and N supply to primary producers. Nitrogen regeneration involves benthic microbial mineralization of organic-N, which, in turn, depends on protein hydrolysis. These processes were examined in Aransas Bay (Texas, USA) sediments by monitoring NH4 + evolution as a function of enzyme activity in controlled sediment slurries. Casein and tannic acid were added to evaluate the direct role of aminopeptidase on NH4 + production and the effects of a polyphenolic enzyme inhibitor, respectively. Casein additions increased the NH4 + concentration from 19 ± 0.3 …

User Choice Between Traditional And Computerized Methods: An Activity Perspective, Jun Sun

Information Systems Faculty Publications and Presentations

Numerous computerized methods emerge to replace traditional methods in people’s personal, work and social lives, but many are hesitant to make the transition. This study examines the factors that influence human choice between different methods. According to Activity Theory, traditional and computerized methods are both tools that a person uses for a certain task. The situated experiences with various methods shape people’s attitude toward using them later in terms of tool readiness. The understanding leads to hypothesized relationships between user-, method- and task-specific factors and the dependent variable. The results from an empirical study support that method experiences have strong …

Mayas, Spirituality, And The Unfinished History Of Conflict In Guatemala [Los Mayas, La Espiritualidad Y La Historia Incompleta Del Conflicto En Guatemala], Servando Z. Hinojosa

Anthropology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Maya spiritual practice in Guatemala has been actively challenged by mainstream religions and by pressures originating from other institutions. Many Maya ritualists have been directly reproached by religious leaders and have been targeted by a state apparatus that associates rural Maya life with insurgency. As a result, many Maya spiritual elements have been pushed to, and kept at, the margins of society. Focusing on the past two decades, this essay reviews how Mayas nevertheless maintain an active ritual life. They do this by engaging in a close relationship with the spirit-owners of the landscape, beings upon whom humans depend for …

Exposure To Cloudburst In Leh: Post Tramautic Stress Disorder And Associated Factors, Ruby Charak, Lundup Spalzes

Psychological Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Disasters of any nature whether man made or due to nature's fury are well known to cause a variety of psychological sequelae. One such natural disaster took place in August 2010 in Leh, when cloudburst triggering torrential rains, flash floods and mud slides struck Leh town of Ladakh causing massive destruction to flora and fauna. The present study aims to gauge the effect of number of trauma events previously faced by an individual, positive affect, negative affect and social support on Post Trauma Stress Disorder (PTSD) among 98 (48 female & 50 male) residents of Leh who were exposed to …

The Impact Of Chinese Purchases Of U.S. Government Debt On The Treasury Yield Curve, Radhames A. Lizardo, Andre V. Mollick

Economics and Finance Faculty Publications and Presentations

Examining monthly data from May of 1985 to May of 2008, we find that increases in Chinese purchases of U.S government debt lead to decreases in Treasury yields. The effect is stronger as the maturity increases: a one percent increase in purchases of U.S. Treasuries by Chinese investors lowers the two-year (ten-year) Treasury yield by 10 to 38 basis points (39 to 55 basis points) on average, ceteris paribus . Overall, the demand-side variable capturing Chinese purchases of U.S. Treasuries improves the cointegrating properties of U.S. interest rates. In-sample and out-of-sample forecasts reinforce that the model with Chinese purchases greatly …

Resource Allocation, Level Of International Diversification And Firm Performance, Aziz Bakay, Ahmed Elkassabgi, Murad Moqbel

Information Systems Faculty Publications and Presentations

This paper investigates the threads between international diversification and firm performance, resource allocation to R&D and capital expenditure. The context of this study is a resource-based view and transaction costs theory. Firms that are going international, benefit from the resources available to them outside their home country as well as from the utilization of their core competencies in other countries. Regression models without interactive terms indicate that resource allocation significantly impacts firm performance. Capital expenditure is positively associated with return on assets, while research and development expenditure undermines the firm’s performance. Analyses suggest that there is no thorough relation between …

Fabrication Of Mineralized Collagen From Bovine Waste Materials By Hydrothermal Method As Promised Biomaterials, Faheem A. Sheikh, M. A. Kanjwal, Javier Macossay-Torres, Muneeb A. Muhammad, Travis Cantu, Ioannis S. Chronakis, N. A. M. Barakat, Hak Yong Kim

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

In the present study, we aimed to produce mineralized-collagen by hydrothermal process. A simple method not depending on additional foreign chemicals has been employed to isolate the mineralized-collagen fibers from bovine waste. The process of extraction involves the use of hydrothermal method from available bovine bones. The structural and morphological properties of the collagen fibers were characterized by using scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. These results indicated well received collagen fibers, having a diameter less than 1 μm and with established mineral content in the individual fibers. The X-ray diffraction showed the crystalline feature of the obtained nano-compounds. …

Genetic Influence On The Working Memory Circuitry: Behavior, Structure, Function And Extensions To Illness, Katherine H. Karlsgodt, Peter Bachman, Anderson M. Winkler, Carrie E. Bearden, David C. Glahn

School of Medicine Publications and Presentations

Working memory is a highly heritable complex cognitive trait that is critical for a number of higher-level functions. However, the neural substrates of this behavioral phenotype are intricate and it is unknown through what precise biological mechanism variation in working memory is transmitted. In this review we explore different functional and structural components of the working memory circuitry, and the degree to which each of them is contributed to by genetic factors. Specifically, we consider dopaminergic function, glutamatergic function, white matter integrity and gray matter structure all of which provide potential mechanisms for the inheritance of working memory deficits. In …

A Gravitational Wave Observatory Operating Beyond The Quantum Shot-Noise Limit: Squeezed Light In Application, J. Abadie, B. P. Abbott, T. D. Abbott, M. R. Abernathy, Matthew Benacquista, Teviet Creighton, H. Daveloza, Maria E. Diaz, R. Grosso, Soumya Mohanty, Soma Mukherjee, Volker Quetschke, Joseph D. Romano, Robert Stone, A. S. Stroeer

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications and Presentations

Around the globe several observatories are seeking the first direct detection of gravitational waves (GWs). These waves are predicted by Einstein's general theory of relativity(1) and are generated, for example, by black-hole binary systems(2). Present GW detectors are Michelson-type kilometre-scale laser interferometers measuring the distance changes between mirrors suspended in vacuum. The sensitivity of these detectors at frequencies above several hundred hertz is limited by the vacuum (zero-point) fluctuations of the electromagnetic field. A quantum technology-the injection of squeezed light(3)-offers a solution to this problem. Here we demonstrate the squeezed-light enhancement of GEO 600, which will be the GW observatory …

A Comprehensive Method For Fractionating Soil Organic Matter Not Protected And Protected From Decomposition By Physical And Chemical Mechanisms, César Plaza, José M. Fernández, Engil Isadora Pujol Pereira, Alfredo Polo

School of Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

The objective of this work was to describe a method for isolating meaningful and measurable soil organic matter (SOM) pools that differ in the mechanisms by which they are protected from decomposition. The proposed method is appropriate for soil C stabilization and sequestration studies. Unlike previous fractionation schemes, this procedure allows free SOM located between aggregates (unprotected C pool) and SOM occluded within both macroaggregates and microaggregates (C weakly and strongly protected by physical mechanisms, respectively) to be recovered separately, freed from the soil mineral matrix and the mineral-associated SOM pool (C pool protected by chemical mechanisms) and thus well …

Collaborating With A Killer: The Unique Perspective Of Prison Life From A Man On Death Row, Gordon A. Crews, Angela D. Crews

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications and Presentations

This presentation describes the process and difficulties of developing a collaborative working relationship with Stephen C. Stanko, a man currently serving two death sentences in South Carolina for the murders of two people and the sexual assault and attempted murder of a third. Mr. Stanko and Dr. Gordon Crews first worked together on a book from 2000-2004 when Stanko was serving a 10-year sentence for kidnapping and assault with intent to kill. In April 2005, only 8 months after Stanko was released from that sentence, he committed the crimes for which he is currently facing death. Since then, the Crews’ …

Infrared And Upconversion Spectroscopic Studies Of High Er3+Content Transparent Yag Ceramic, M. Pokhrel, G. A. Kumar, P. Samuel, K. I. Ueda, T. Yanagitani, H. Yagi, D. K. Sardar

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications and Presentations

In this article, we report the detailed spectroscopic studies of high Er3+content (50%) transparent YAG ceramic co-doped with nominal Cr3+ content (0.1 mol %). Various radiative and non-radiative spectroscopic properties such as radiative decay time, fluorescence branching ratio, emission/absorption cross sections, internal radiative quantum yields of the infrared and the upconverted emission bands are explored using standard experimental and theoretical methods and compared with YAG single crystal. Results show that although the non-radiative losses are high for 50% Er doped ceramic; several radiative spectral properties are almost in agreement with those for the single crystal YAG. Furthermore, because of the …

The Properties Of The Stellar Nuclei With The Host Galaxy Morphology In The Acsvcs, Hyun-Chul Lee

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications and Presentations

We have revisited the ACS Virgo Cluster Survey (ACSVCS), a Hubble Space Telescope program to obtain ACS/WFC g and z bands imaging for a sample of 100 early-type galaxies in the Virgo Cluster. In this study, we examine 51 nucleated early-type galaxies in the ACSVCS in order to look into the relationship between the photometric and structural properties of stellar nuclei and their host galaxies. We morphologically dissect galaxies into five classes. We note that (1) the stellar nuclei of dwarf early-type galaxies (dS0, dE, and dE,N) are generally fainter and bluer with g > 18.95 and (g-z) < 1.40 compared to some brighter and redder counterparts of the ellipticals (E) and lenticular galaxies (S0), (2) the g-band half-light radii of stellar nuclei of all dwarf early-type galaxies (dS0, dE, and dE,N) are smaller than 20 pc and their average is about 4 pc, and (3) the colors of red stellar nuclei with (g - z) > 1.40 in bright …

Tidal Perturbations To The Gravitational Inspiral Of J0651+2844, Matthew J. Benacquista, Kelly Holley-Bockelmann

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications and Presentations

The recently discovered J0651+2844 is a detached, eclipsing white dwarf binary with an orbital period of 765 s. We investigate the prospects for the detection of gravitational radiation from this system and estimate the effect of the tidal deformation of the low-mass component on the period evolution of the system. Because of the high inclination of the system, the amplitude of the gravitational waves at Earth will be as much as a factor of two lower than that from an optimally oriented system. The dominant contribution of tidal corrections to the period evolution comes from the increase in rotational energy …

Genome-Wide Association Study Identifies Loci Influencing Concentrations Of Liver Enzymes In Plasma, John C. Chambers, Weihua Zhang, Joban Sehmi, Xinzhong Li, Mark N. Wass, Pim Van Der Harst, Hilma Holm, Serena Sanna, Maryam Kavousi, Chun Xu

Health & Biomedical Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Concentrations of liver enzymes in plasma are widely used as indicators of liver disease. We carried out a genome-wide association study in 61,089 individuals, identifying 42 loci associated with concentrations of liver enzymes in plasma, of which 32 are new associations (P = 10−8 to P = 10−190). We used functional genomic approaches including metabonomic profiling and gene expression analyses to identify probable candidate genes at these regions. We identified 69 candidate genes, including genes involved in biliary transport (ATP8B1 and ABCB11), glucose, carbohydrate and lipid metabolism (FADS1, FADS2, GCKR, JMJD1C, HNF1A …

Polycyclic Aromatic Compounds As Anticancer Agents: Evaluation Of Synthesis And In Vitro Cytotoxicity, Debasish Bandyopadhyay, Jose C. Granados, John D. Short, Bimal K. Banik

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are considered to be significant environmental carcinogens. Additionally, various planar ring systems are capable of intercalating with DNA, leading to a number of drugs that possess chemotherapeutic activity. In this study, three new polyaromatic compounds with a side chain were synthesized, and spectroscopic as well as elemental analyses were performed. The addition of the long chains to either chrysene or pyrene caused a red-shift in the spectral emission when compared to the corresponding polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons itself. Furthermore, the cytotoxicity of the three novel polyaromatic compounds was evaluated in vitro in a panel of cultured mammalian …

Sages, Seers, And Saints: Creativity And Liminality In British Romantic Prose, Darlene Leifson

Journal of South Texas English Studies

No abstract provided.

Roaring Fissures: Marginal Success In Middleton And Dekker’S Roaring Girl, Laila Abdalla

Journal of South Texas English Studies

No abstract provided.

Within Language, Through Language, Beyond Language: The Portmanteau-Word Neologism As Agent And Emblem Of Contingent Change., Nicholas Webber

Journal of South Texas English Studies

No abstract provided.

An American’S Sunrise, Miriam Hernández

Journal of South Texas English Studies

No abstract provided.

Review Of Heldris De Cornuälle’S Silence: A Thirteenth-Century French Romance. Sarah Roche-Mahdi (Editor), 1992. 393 Pages. (Paperback, $19.95). Isbn-13:9780937191323., Daniel J. Pérez

Journal of South Texas English Studies

No abstract provided.

Review Of Suvir Kaul’S Eighteenth-Century British Literature And Postcolonial Studies. Edinburgh: Edinburgh Up, 2009. 240 Pages. ($36.00). Isbn-13: 978-0748634552, Journal Of South Texas English Studies

Journal of South Texas English Studies

No abstract provided.

Review Of Tana French’S Faithful Place. New York: Penguin, 2010. 416 Pages. (Hardback $25.95). Isbn-13: 9780670021871., Journal Of South Texas English Studies

Journal of South Texas English Studies

No abstract provided.

Race, Gender, And Imposed Identities In Nella Larsen’S Quicksand, Emily January Petersen

Journal of South Texas English Studies

No abstract provided.

Three Poems, Prakash Kona

Journal of South Texas English Studies

No abstract provided.

Contributor Biographies, Journal Of South Texas English Studies

Journal of South Texas English Studies

No abstract provided.

Two Poems, Timothy A. Collins

Journal of South Texas English Studies

No abstract provided.

Land Grab Or Legal Title Transfer? Reviewing The Evidence For Land Title Fraud In 19th Century South Texas, Elmer Sierra, William R. Yaworsky, Amy Frazier

Anthropology Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

[Diabetes Mellitus As A Risk Factor For Dementia In The Mexican Elder Population] Diabetes Mellitus Como Factor De Riesgo De Demencia En La Población Adulta Mayor Mexicana, Silvia Mejía-Arango, Clemente Zúñiga-Gil

School of Medicine Publications and Presentations

Introduction: Diabetes and dementia are growing problems throughout the world and especially in developing countries.

Aim: To determine the risk of developing dementia in subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Patients and methods: Diabetic elders free of dementia from the Mexican Health and Aging study, a prospective community-based cohort research were followed after two years. Socio-demographic factors, comorbid conditions and type of diabetes treatment were analyzed in subjects who become demented.

Results: At baseline, 749 participants (13.8%) had diabetes mellitus. During the follow-up period (mean: 2.02 years; range: 1-3 years), 306 of 749 persons with diabetes mellitus developed dementia, yielding …