Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Hydra Effects In Stable Communities And Their Implications For System Dynamics, Michael H. Cortez, Peter A. Abrams

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications

A hydra effect occurs when the mean density of a species increases in response to greater mortality. We show that, in a stable multispecies system, a species exhibits a hydra effect only if maintaining that species at its equilibrium density destabilizes the system. The stability of the original system is due to the responses of the hydra-effect species to changes in the other species’ densities. If that dynamical feedback is removed by fixing the density of the hydra-effect species, large changes in the community make-up (including the possibility of species extinction) can occur. This general result has several implications: (1) …

Yeast For Mathematicians - A Ferment Of Discovery, Matthew Lewis, James A. Powell

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications

In addition to the memorization, algorithmic skills and vocabulary which are the default focus in many mathematics classrooms, professional mathematicians are expected to creatively apply known techniques, construct new mathematical approaches and communicate with and about mathematics. We propose that students can learn these professional, higher-level skills through Laboratory Experiences in Mathematical Biology which put students in the role of mathematics researcher creating mathematics to describe and understand biological data. Here we introduce a laboratory experience centered on yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) growing in a small capped flask with a jar to collect carbon dioxide created during yeast growth …

Expression Profiles Of Mirna Subsets Distinguish Human Colorectal Carcinoma And Normal Colonic Mucosa, Daniel F. Pellatt, John R. Stevens, Roger K. Wolff, Lila E. Mullany, Jennifer S. Herrick, Wade Samowitz, Martha L. Slattery

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications

OBJECTIVES: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, non-protein-coding RNA molecules that are commonly dysregulated in colorectal tumors. The objective of this study was to identify smaller subsets of highly predictive miRNAs.

METHODS: Data come from population-based studies of colorectal cancer conducted in Utah and the Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program. Tissue samples were available for 1,953 individuals, of which 1,894 had carcinoma tissue and 1,599 had normal mucosa available for statistical analysis. Agilent Human miRNA Microarray V.19.0 was used to generate miRNA expression profiles; validation of expression levels was carried out using quantitative PCR. We used random forest analysis and verified findings …

Approximating Optimal Release In A Deterministic Model For The Sterile Insect Technique, Sergio Ramirez, Luis F. Gordillo

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications

Cost/benefit analyses are essential to support management planning and decisions before launching any pest control program. In particular, applications of the sterile insect technique (SIT) are often prevented by the projected economic burden associated with rearing processes. This has had a deep impact on the technique development and its use on insects with long larval periods, as often seen in beetles. Under the assumptions of long adult timespan and multiple mating, we show how to find approximate optimal sterile release policies that minimize costs. The theoretical framework proposed considers the release of insects by pulses and finds approximate optimal release …

Individual-Based Modeling: Mountain Pine Beetle Seasonal Biology In Response To Climate, Jacques Regniere, Barbara J. Bentz, James A. Powell, Remi St-Amant

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications

Over the past decades, as significant advances were made in the availability and accessibility of computing power, individual-based models (IBM) have become increasingly appealing to ecologists (Grimm 1999). The individual-based modeling approachprovides a convenient framework to incorporate detailed knowledge of individuals and of their interactions within populations (Lomnicki 1999). Variability among individuals is essential to the success of populations that are exposed to changing environments, and because natural selection acts on this variability, it is an essential component of population performance. © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2015.

Linear Operators That Preserve Graphical Properties Of Matrices: Isolation Numbers, Leroy B. Beasley, Seok-Zun Song, Young Bae Jun

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications

Let A be a Boolean {0, 1} matrix. The isolation number of A is the maximum number of ones in A such that no two are in any row or any column (that is they are independent), and no two are in a 2 × 2 submatrix of all ones. The isolation number of A is a lower bound on the Boolean rank of A. A linear operator on the set of m × n Boolean matrices is a mapping which is additive and maps the zero matrix, O, to itself. A mapping strongly preserves a set, S, if it …

Stability Of Traveling-Wave Solutions For A Schrodinger System With Power-Type Nonlinearities, Nghiem Nguyen, Rushun Tian, Zhi-Qiang Wang

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications

In this article, we consider the Schrodinger system with powertype nonlinearities, (Formula presented) where j = 1,...,m, u_j are complex-valued functions of (x, t) 2 R^N+1, a, b are real numbers. It is shown that when b > 0, and a + (m - 1)b > 0, for a certain range of p, traveling-wave solutions of this system exist, and are orbitally stable.

A Shortcut For Multiple Testing On The Directed Acyclic Graph Of Gene Ontology, Garrett Saunders, John R. Stevens, S. Clay Isom

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications

Background: Gene set testing has become an important analysis technique in high throughput microarray and next generation sequencing studies for uncovering patterns of differential expression of various biological processes. Often, the large number of gene sets that are tested simultaneously require some sort of multiplicity correction to account for the multiplicity effect. This work provides a substantial computational improvement to an existing familywise error rate controlling multiplicity approach (the Focus Level method) for gene set testing in high throughput microarray and next generation sequencing studies using Gene Ontology graphs, which we call the Short Focus Level.

Results: The Short Focus …

Carrying Biomath Education In A Leaky Bucket, James A. Powell, Brynja R. Kohler, James W. Haefner, Janice Bodily

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications

In this paper, we describe a project-based mathematical lab implemented in our Applied Mathematics in Biology course. The Leaky Bucket Lab allows students to parameterize and test Torricelli’s law and develop and compare their own alternative models to describe the dynamics of water draining from perforated containers. In the context of this lab students build facility in a variety of applied biomathematical tools and gain confidence in applying these tools in data-driven environments. We survey analytic approaches developed by students to illustrate the creativity this encourages as well as prepare other instructors to scaffold the student learning experience. Pedagogical results …

New Symbolic Tools For Differential Geometry, Gravitation, And Field Theory, Ian M. Anderson, Charles G. Torre

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications

DifferentialGeometry is a Maple software package which symbolically performs fundamental operations of calculus on manifolds, differential geometry, tensor calculus, spinor calculus, Lie algebras, Lie groups, transformation groups, jet spaces, and the variational calculus. These capabilities, combined with dramatic recent improvements in symbolic approaches to solving algebraic and differential equations, have allowed for development of powerful new tools for solving research problems in gravitation and field theory. The purpose of this paper is to describe some of these new tools and present some advanced applications involving: Killing vector fields and isometry groups, Killing tensors, algebraic classification of solutions of the Einstein …

Rank 2 Distributions Of Monge Equations: Symmetries, Equivalences, Ex-Tensions, Ian M. Anderson, B. Kruglikov

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications

By developing the Tanaka theory for rank 2 distributions, we completely classify classical Monge equations having maximal finite-dimensional symmetry algebras with fixed (albeit arbitrary) pair of its orders. Investigation of the corresponding Tanaka algebras leads to a new Lie-Backlund theorem. We prove that all flat Monge equations are successive integrable extensions of the Hilbert-Cartan equation. Many new examples are provided.

Leading Students To Investigate Diffusion As A Model Of Brine Shrimp Movement, Brynja R. Kohler, Rebecca J. Swank, James W. Haefner, James A. Powell

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications

Integrating experimental biology laboratory exercises with mathematical modeling can be an effective tool to enhance mathematical relevance for biologists and to emphasize biological realism for mathematicians. This paper describes a lab project de-signed for and tested in an undergraduate biomathematics course. In the lab, students follow and track the paths of individual brine shrimp confined in shallow salt water in a Petri dish. Students investigate the question, “Is the movement well characterized as a 2-dimensional random walk?” Through open, but directed discussions, students derive the corresponding partial differential equation, gain an understanding of the solution behavior, and model brine shrimp …

Superposition Formulas For Darboux Integrable Exterior Differential Sys-Tems, Ian M. Anderson, Mark E. Fels, Peter J. Vassiliou

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications

In this article we solve an inverse problem in the theory of quotients for differential equations. We characterize a family of exterior differential systems that can be written as a quotient of a direct sum of two associated systems that are constructed from the original. The fact that a system can be written as a quotient can be used to find the general solution to these equations. Some examples are given to demonstrate the theory.

Exterior Differential Systems With Symmetry, Ian M. Anderson, Mark E. Fels

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications

We use the theory of reduction of exterior differential systems with symmetry to study the problem of using a symmetry group of a differential equation to find noninvariant solutions.

Coffee To Go! Modeling Thermoclines In Multivariable Calculus, Andrea Bruder, Brynja R. Kohler

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications

While mathematical modeling is an integral process in applied mathematics, students rarely encounter genuine modeling opportunities in their calculus courses. Here we introduce a laboratory experience as a natural starting point for calculus students to investigate multivariable functions. A layered system of coffee and milk serves as a physical model for temperature gradients in lakes or the atmosphere, where temperature depends on both a temporal and spatial variable. Students create, observe, and collect temperature data of their own, graph the data, and develop mathematical models to fit the data. We require students to write a report about their findings. This …

Transverse Group Actions On Bundles, Ian M. Anderson, Mark E. Fels

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications

An action of a Lie group G on a bundle is said to be transverse if it is projectable and if the orbits of G on E are diffeomorphic under π to the orbits of G on M. Transverse group actions on bundles are completely classified in terms of the pullback bundle construction for G-invariant maps. This classification result is used to give a full characterization of the G invariant sections of E for projectable group actions.

Games To Teach Mathematical Modelling, James A. Powell, Jim S. Cangelosi, Ann M. Harris

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications

We discuss the use of in-class games to create realistic situations for mathematical modelling. Two games are presented which are appropriate for use in post-calculus settings. The first game reproduces predator-prey oscillations and the second game simulates disease propagation in a mixing population. When used creatively these games encourage students to model realistic data and apply mathematical concepts to understanding the data.

Asymptotic Conservation Laws In Classical Field Theory, Ian M. Anderson, Charles G. Torre

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications

A new, general, field theoretic approach to the derivation of asymptotic conservation laws is presented. In this approach asymptotic conservation laws are constructed directly from the field equations according to a universal prescription which does not rely upon the existence of Noether identities or any Lagrangian or Hamiltonian formalisms. The resulting general expressions of the conservation laws enjoy important invariance properties and synthesize all known asymptotic conservation laws, such as the Arnowitt-Deser-Misner energy in general relativity.

Symmetries Of The Einstein Equations, Ian M. Anderson, C. Torre

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications

We classify all generalized symmetries of the vacuum Einstein equations in four spacetime dimensions. They consist of constant scalings of the metric, and of the infinitesimal action of generalized spacetime diffeomorphisms. Our results rule out a large class of possible ‘‘observables’’ for the gravitational field, and suggest that the vacuum Einstein equations are not integrable.

Introduction To The Variational Bicomplex, Ian M. Anderson

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications

The variational bicomplex was first introduced in the mid 1970's as a means of studying the inverse problem of the calculus of variations. This is the problem of characterizing those differential equations which are the Euler-Lagrange equations for a classical, unconstrained variational problem. Since then, the variational bicomplex has emerged as an effective means for studying other formal, differential-geometric aspects of the calculus of variations. Moreover, it has been shown that the basic variational bicomplex constructed to solve the inverse problem can be modified in various ways and that the cohomology groups associated with these modified bicomplexes are relevant to …

On The Existence Of Global Variational Principles, Ian M. Anderson, T. Duchamp

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications

In studying physical phenomena one frequently encounters differential equations which arise from a variational principle, i.e. the equations are the Euler-Lagrangequations obtained from the fundamental (or action) integral of a problem in the calculus of variations. Because solutions to the Euler-Lagrange equations determine the possible extrema of the fundamental integral, the first step in the solution of a given problem in the calculus of variations is to obtain the appropriate Euler-Lagrange equations. This state of affairs suggests the so-called inverse problem, viz. does a given differential equation arise from a variational principle and, if so, what is the Lagrangian for …

On The Structure Of Divergence-Free Tensors, Ian M. Anderson

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications

Contravariant rank two tensors which are divergence‐free on one index and which are constructed from the metric tensor, an auxiliary collection of arbitrary tensor fields, and the first and second partial derivatives of these quantities are classified. The results generalize existing mathematical arguments in support of the Einstein field equations

A Characterization Of The Einstein Tensor In Terms Of Spinors, Ian M. Anderson, D. Lovelock

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications

All tensors of contravariant rank two which are divergence‐free on one index, concomitants of a spinor field σ_iAX′ together with its first two partial derivatives, and scalars under spin transformations are constructed. The Einstein and metric tensors are the only candidates.