Digital Commons Network^™

Shape Equations For Two-Dimensional Manifolds Through A Moving Frame Variational Approach, Paul Bracken

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

A variational approach is given which can be applied to functionals of a general form to determine a corresponding Euler–Lagrange or shape equation. It is the intention to formulate the theory in detail based on a moving frame approach. It is then applied to a functional of a general form which depends on both the mean and Gaussian curvatures as well as the area and volume elements of the manifold. Only the case of a two-dimensional closed manifold is considered. The first variation of the functional is calculated in terms of the variations of the basic variables of the manifold. …

Don Reduction Of Wheat Grain Without Compromising The Lab-Scale Milling Properties Of Flour, Jikai Zhao, Xin Liu, Fengcheng Wang

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Wheat bran was investigated to be the most commonly contaminated raw material by mycotoxins. However, there are no economical and practical pretreatment methods for industrial on-line application until now. The effect of light debranning on deoxynivalenol (DON) removal, polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activity and flour quality from lab-scale milling were performed. For on-line production, the DON concentration in wheat decreased 15.89% at debranning ratio of 1.2%. For lab experiment, the maximum DON removal for wheat and flour was 23.35% and 21.95%, respectively. However, the PPO activity, browning of dough sheet and flour qualities in lab scale exhibited no significant variation. …

Gwtc-1: A Gravitational-Wave Transient Catalog Of Compact Binary Mergers Observed By Ligo And Virgo During The First And Second Observing Runs, B. P. Abbott, R. Abbott, T. D. Abbott, Teviet Creighton, Mario C. Diaz, Soma Mukherjee, Volker Quetschke, Malik Rakhmanov, Karla E. Ramirez, Wenhui Wang

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

We present the results from three gravitational-wave searches for coalescing compact binaries with component masses above 1  𝑀⊙ during the first and second observing runs of the advanced gravitational-wave detector network. During the first observing run (𝑂⁢1), from September 12, 2015 to January 19, 2016, gravitational waves from three binary black hole mergers were detected. The second observing run (𝑂⁢2), which ran from November 30, 2016 to August 25, 2017, saw the first detection of gravitational waves from a binary neutron star inspiral, in addition to the observation of gravitational waves from a total of seven binary black hole mergers, …

Research Symposium 2019 - Health Disparities: Community Engagement, The University Of Texas Rio Grande Valley. School Of Medicine

School of Medicine Publications

With the theme of “Health Disparities: Community Engagement,” this symposium aims to showcase the work done by researchers here in the Valley and beyond toward improving the health and well-being of the communities they serve and society as a whole.

Prevalence And Distribution Of Ranavirus In Amphibians From, Drew R. Davis, Jillian K. Farkas, Taylor R. Kruisselbrink, Jessa L. Watters, Elyse D. Ellsworth, Jacob L. Kerby, Cameron D. Siler

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Several infectious diseases are threatening amphibian species worldwide and have resulted in massmortality events across the globe. An emerging group of viral pathogens (ranaviruses) are documented to cause die-offs in amphibian populations worldwide, including in several regions of the U.S. Unfortunately, large gaps remain in our understanding of the distribution of this systemic pathogen in the U.S., including within the state of Oklahoma. To address this gap in our understanding, we carried out surveys of this infectious pathogen across 14 sites in seven southeastern Oklahoma counties in spring 2015, screening 17 amphibian species from this region. Using liver and tail …

Wallaby Early Science − V. Askap Hi Imaging Of The Lyon Group Of Galaxies 351, B. Q. For, Lister Staveley-Smith, Tobias Westmeier, M. Whiting, S. -H. Oh, Baerbel Koribalski, Juan P. Madrid

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

We present an HI study of the galaxy group LGG 351 using Widefield ASKAP L-band Legacy All-sky Blind Survey (WALLABY) early science data observed with the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP). LGG 351 resides behind the M 83 group at a velocity range (cz) of ∼3500–4800 km s−1 within the rich Hydra-Centaurus overdensity region. We detect 40 sources with the discovery of a tidally interacting galaxy pair and two new HI sources that are not presented in previous optical catalogues. 23 out of 40 sources have new redshifts derived from the new HI data. This study is the largest …

The Gene Silencing Protein Morc-1 Topologically Entraps Dna And Forms Multimeric Assemblies To Cause Dna Compaction., Hyeongjun Kim, Linda Yen, Somsakul P. Wongpalee, Jessica A. Kirshner, Nicita Mehta, Yan Xue, Jonathan B. Johnston, Alma L. Burlingame, John K. Kim, Joseph J. Loparo, Steve E. Jacobsen

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

Highlights

• Caenorhabditis elegans MORC-1 traps DNA loops

• Recruitment of additional MORC-1s cause further loop trapping and DNA compaction

• MORC-1 assemblages become topologically entrapped on DNA

• MORC-1 forms discrete foci in vivo and can phase transition in vitro

Summary

Microrchidia (MORC) ATPases are critical for gene silencing and chromatin compaction in multiple eukaryotic systems, but the mechanisms by which MORC proteins act are poorly understood. Here, we apply a series of biochemical, single-molecule, and cell-based imaging approaches to better understand the function of the Caenorhabditis elegans MORC-1 protein. We find that MORC-1 binds to DNA in a length-dependent but sequence non-specific …

Tribological And Thermal Transport Performance Of Sio2-Based Natural Lubricants, Jaime Taha-Tijerina, Karla Aviña, Jose Manual Diabb

Informatics and Engineering Systems Faculty Publications

Fluids and lubricants are critical for the mechanical manufacturing processing of metals, due to a high amount of friction generated, also reflected as heat, could wear and damage tooling and machine components. The proper application of lubricants increases machinery lifetime, decreases long-term costs, and energy and time consumption due to the maintenance or components exchange/repairs. Besides being non-renewable, mineral oils bring consequences to the environment due to their low biodegradability and could affect the user with respiratory and skin diseases. Recently, due to an increase in environmental awareness, the search of biocompatible and efficient lubricants has become a technology goal. …

Comparing Physical And Simulated Performance Of A Deterministic And A Bio-Inspired Stochastic Foraging Strategy For Robot Swarms, Qi Lu, Antonio D. Griego, G. Matthew Fricke, Melanie E. Moses

Computer Science Faculty Publications

Designing resource-collection algorithms for relatively simple robots that are effective given the noise and uncertainty of the real world is a challenge in swarm robotics. This paper describes the performance of two algorithms for collective robot foraging: the stochastic central-place foraging algorithm (CPFA) and the distributed deterministic spiral algorithm (DDSA). With the CPFA, robots mimic the foraging behaviors of ants; they stochastically search for targets and share information to recruit other robots to locations where they detect multiple targets. With the DDSA, robots travel along pre-planned spiral paths; robots detect the nearest targets first and, in theory, guarantee eventual complete …

Raman Spectroscopy And Molecular Bases Of Elasticity: Sebs-Graphite Composites, Dorina M. Chipara, Denis M. Panaitescu, Karen Lozano, Raluca Augusta Gabor, Cristian Andi Nicolae, Mircea Chipara

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

For polymer-based (nano)composites, the strain/stress induced by reinforcing agents within the polymer may be identified and quantified at molecular level by Raman spectroscopy. The manuscript focuses on correlations between mechanical properties of composites and their Raman spectra, with emphasis on the displacements of the position(s) of Raman lines due to local strains/stress. Investigations on polystyrene-(ethylene-co-butylene)-styrene block copolymers filled with various amounts of graphite are reported. The modifications of Raman's parameters (line intensity, position, and width) upon the loading with graphite are analyzed. Raman revealed a strong dampening of molecular vibrations within the polymer, upon the loading with graphite, …

Removal Of As (Iii) And As (V) From Potable Water Using Zno Nanoparticles, Grecia Torreblanca Baez

Theses and Dissertations

Heavy metal and toxic element contamination of the environment has been increasing with increasing industrialization. Arsenic has become an element of particular concern because of its toxicity, which is oxidation state dependent. As(III) is observed to be much more toxic than As(V), as well the removal is more difficult than As(V) in traditional water treatment technology. In the present study, As (III) and As(V) removal was investigated using a zinc oxide nanomaterial that was synthesized using a titration/precipitation technique, and characterized using powder x-ray diffraction. In the present study, the kinetics of adsorption, the adsorption isotherms as well as the …

2-Hyponormality On Unilateral Weighted Shifts, Juan G. Benitez

Theses and Dissertations

Given the concept of a normal operator, several weaker notions have been proposed in order to extend the properties of normal operators to a wider range of operators. One such notion is that of k-hyponormal operators. In this document, we focus our attention on the 2-hyponormality of weighted shift operators over a discrete Hilbert space. It will be shown that if a certain relation between the weights α = ( α0, α1,...) of a weighted shift Wα is satisfied, then the 2-hyponormality of Wα implies the hyponormality of Wαm for any m = 2, 3,....

Pipeline For Variable Star Detection And Eclipsing Binary Characterization, Moises Castillo

Theses and Dissertations

Stars have been observed and recorded since ancient times. Practices of documenting brightness led to observations of variability. Optical CCD observations of eclipsing binary stars were made with instruments at UTRGV Dr. Cristina Valeria Torres Memorial Astronomical Observatory. There are two main goals for this project. The first goal is to create a pipeline written in python (lightcurator) that creates a framework for detecting variable stars. The pipeline starts by creating a list of ccd frames written in FITS format of an eclipsing binary star observation. These object frames are expected to be already reduced, but lightcurator provides tools to …

Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Materials For Piezoelectric/Triboelectric Nanogenerator, Aminur Rashid Chowdhury

Theses and Dissertations

Nanogenerator has been a major focus among researchers of recent time due to its versatile use in everyday life. Though the discovery of the piezoelectricity and the triboelectricity dates back to 19th century, the use of these phenomena has not been in practical use till 2006. In this study we demonstrate the practical application of piezoelectric and triboelectric nanogenerator comprised of different copolymer and piezoelectric ceramic. The largely known piezoelectric polymer Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) has also been utilized. The enhancement of piezoelectric properties of PVDF has been achieved by utilizing surface activation of accommodating ceramic. The Li doped ZnO has …

Analysis Of The Cnn Algorithm In Target Recognition By Using The Mstar Database, Ligang Zou

Theses and Dissertations

With the rapid development of artificial intelligence technology and the emergence of a large number of innovative theories, the concept of deep learning is widely used in object detection, speech recognition, language translation and other fields. One of the important practices is target recognition in SAR images. Although it shows certain effectiveness in some researches, when using deep learning algorithm, there are still many problems that have not yet been solved. For example, people do not have a good understanding of how convolution works and the impact of convolution on the algorithm, although convolution works well in the CNN algorithm. …

Empirical Bayes Estimators And Borel-Tanner Distribution, Celestina Ruby Soltero

Theses and Dissertations

The motivation for this paper stems from the role Borel-Tanner (BT) distribution has as the distribution of the total outbreak number in epidemics modeled by branching processes. We briefly review Borel-Tanner distribution and its applications. In Chapter II we outline the Bayes decision problem, a construction for an Empirical Bayes (EB) estimator proposed by Liang [9] and discuss risk analysis. In Chapter III, the importance of randomization addressed and a classical construction of a monotonized EB estimator proposed by Houwalingen [14] is outlined. Lastly in Chapter IV we use R software to perform a Monte Carlo simulation and conduct a …

Enhancing Transport In Classical And Quantum Systems Using Non-Hermiticity, Fatemeh Mostafavi

Theses and Dissertations

Non-Hermiticity, the presence of gain and loss in the structures, provides a flexible platform to utilize the wave propagation in classical and quantum system. Here in this thesis by using this advantage we aim to enhance the transport in both realms.

Energy Harvesting Techniques To Power Onboard Railway Bearing Condition Monitoring Systems, Jacob Nathaniel Bensen

Theses and Dissertations

Limitations of the standard wayside hotbox detection system as a method to identify failing railway bearings severely inhibit the reliability and safety of rail transport. An onboard bearing condition monitoring system would address and ameliorate the issues present in the current detection system. The onboard system would provide more frequent and reliable information regarding bearing condition. For the system to succeed in reducing maintenance time and preventing bearing failure, a method of providing the system with sufficient energy to power its instrumentation is necessary. The instrumentation location environment poses a significant challenge. The device must be placed on the steel …

A Time-Varying True Individual Effects Model With Endogenous Regressors, Levent Kutlu, Kien C. Tran, Mike G. Tsionas

School of Economics and Finance Faculty Publications

We propose a fairly general individual effects stochastic frontier model, which allows both heterogeneity and inefficiency to change over time. Moreover, our model handles the endogeneity problems if either at least one of the regressors or one-sided error term is correlated with the two-sided error term. Our Monte Carlo experiments show that our estimator performs well. We employed our methodology to the US banking data and found a negative relationship between return on revenue and cost efficiency. Estimators ignoring time-varying heterogeneity or endogeneity did not perform well and gave very different estimates compared to our estimator.

Sand And Pumice Filter Amended With Activated Carbon And Biochar For Phosphorus Retention, James Jihoon Kang, Marissa Davila, Sergio I. Mireles, Jungseok Ho

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Phosphorus (P) loss via stormwater runoff is a water quality concern. The objective of this study was to investigate two commercial biochars relative to an activated carbon as an additive to geomedia (sand and pumice) for P removal. The batch adsorption experiment was conducted to assess P sorption of the geomedia and carbon materials while the leaching experiment was conducted in sand and pumice columns amended with carbon materials (5 % by weight). The batch adsorption test revealed that only activated carbon showed an appreciable P adsorption up to 19 %. Tested biochar materials showed no adsorption capacity for P …

On The Role Of Sidewalls In The Transition From Straight To Sinuous Bedforms, ‪Nadim Zgheib, S. Balachandar

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

We present results from direct numerical simulation on the transition from straight-crested to sinuous-crested bedforms. The numerical setup is representative of turbulent open channel flow over an erodible sediment bed at a shear Reynolds number of Reτ = 180. The immersed boundary method accounts for the presence of the bed. The simulations are two-way coupled such that the turbulent flow can erode and modify the bed, and in turn, the bed modifies the overlying flow. Coupling from the flow to the bed occurs through the Exner equation, while back coupling from the bed to the flow is achieved by …

Safedb: Spark Acceleration On Fpga Clouds With Enclaved Data Processing And Bitstream Protection, Han-Yee Kim, Rohyoung Myung, Boeui Hong, Heonchang Yu, Taeweon Suh, Lei Xu, Weidong Shi

Computer Science Faculty Publications

This paper proposes SafeDB: Spark Acceleration on FPGA Clouds with Enclaved Data Processing and Bitstream Protection. SafeDB provides a comprehensive and systematic hardware-based security framework from the bitstream protection to data confidentiality, especially for the cloud environment. The AES key shared between FPGA and client for the bitstream encryption is generated in hard-wired logic using PKI and ECC. The data security is assured by the enclaved processing with encrypted data, meaning that the encrypted data is processed inside the FPGA fabric. Thus, no one in the system is able to look into clients' data because plaintext data are not exposed …

A Search For A High-Order Excitation Of Surface Phonon Polaritons On Silicon Carbide Metasurfaces, Md Litan Ali

Theses and Dissertations

Metasurfaces promise a control of light in free and confined spaces like optical waveguides using subwavelength-scale nanostructures. In this work, we experimentally investigate a variety control of light in more confined spaces which is localized surface waves of light. A control of surface waves has been challenged because of a lack of efficient nanostructures. For example, conventional and widely used metallic nanostructures have a high coupling efficiency of light due to free charge carriers but the charge carriers induce a high optical power loss. We recently designed and fabricated metal/dielectric multilayer aperture on ionic crystal, which shows a strong resonance …

Global Existence And Propagation Speed For A Generalized Camassa-Holm Model With Both Dissipation And Dispersion, Qiaoyi Hu, Zhijun Qiao

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

In this paper, we study a generalized Camassa–Holm (gCH) model with both dissipation and dispersion, which has (N+1)-order nonlinearities and includes the following three integrable equations: the Camassa–Holm, the Degasperis–Procesi, and the Novikov equations, as its reductions. We first present the local well-posedness and a precise blow-up scenario of the Cauchy problem for the gCH equation. Then, we provide several sufficient conditions that guarantee the global existence of the strong solutions to the gCH equation. Finally, we investigate the propagation speed for the gCH equation when the initial data are compactly supported.

Evaluating Responses Of Benthic Macrofauna To Artificial Reef Presence In The Gulf Of Mexico, Douglas Faircloth

Theses and Dissertations

Artificial reef research has long concerned itself with the interactions of fishes and has tended to favor commercially valuable species. Because of this, a larger yet less known group that heavily benefits fishes have been overlooked; benthic macrofauna. Benthic macrofauna are marine invertebrates that live below the sediment-water interface and play many roles in the ecosystem. Macrofauna are important prey items, ecosystem engineers, and bioindicators, as well as being ubiquitous in the marine environment. Since macrofauna have been largely ignored in this field, not much is known regarding their interaction with the placement of artificial reefs. To try and fill …

Developing Multispectral Imaging Techniques To Determine Canopy Coverage And Carbon Storage Of Seagrasses In The Gulf Of Mexico, Ivy Michelle Hinson

Theses and Dissertations

Although seagrass beds provide global ecosystem services, coverage is in rapid decline, with the capacity of seagrasses to sequester carbon of special concern. Current seagrass monitoring methods are labor intensive and may not offer a complete picture of coverage. Remote sensing offers the ability to oversee landscapes but water in coastal environments presents challenges, as the commonly used near-infrared wavelength dissipates in water.

This project aimed to provide reliable methodology to assess seagrass coverage using multispectral imagery taken from an unmanned aerial vehicle and to provide evidence for the link between seagrass coverage and stored belowground carbon for common seagrasses …

Fabrication Of Core–Shell Cofe2o4@Hap Nanoparticles: A Novel Magnetic Platform For Biomedical Applications, D. Karthickraja, S. Karthi, G. A. Kumar, Gamage Chamath Dannangoda, Karen S. Martirosyan, E. L. Girija

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

Core–shell CoFe2O4@HAp magnetic nanoparticles were successfully prepared by a simple two-step hydrothermal process, and their physicochemical and magnetic properties were studied. X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy of the as-synthesized samples reveal that the nanoparticles are composed of both phases (HAp@CoFe2O4). The core–shell formation was confirmed by TEM and from the magnetization studies using a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), and the ferromagnetic nature of the synthesized core–shell nanoparticles at room temperature was confirmed by saturation magnetization (Ms) and coercivity values of 9.04 emu g−1 and 0.1 T, respectively. It has been observed that heat treatment enhanced the …

Adaptive Responses Of Animals To Climate Change Are Most Likely Insufficient, Viktoriia Radchuk, Thomas Reed, Céline Teplitsky, Martijn Van De Pol, Anne Charmantier, Christopher Hassall, Peter Adamík, Frank Adriaensen, Markus P. Ahola, Karl S. Berg

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences (Formerly Dept. of Biology)

Biological responses to climate change have been widely documented across taxa and regions, but it remains unclear whether species are maintaining a good match between phenotype and environment, i.e. whether observed trait changes are adaptive. Here we reviewed 10,090 abstracts and extracted data from 71 studies reported in 58 relevant publications, to assess quantitatively whether phenotypic trait changes associated with climate change are adaptive in animals. A meta-analysis focussing on birds, the taxon best represented in our dataset, suggests that global warming has not systematically affected morphological traits, but has advanced phenological traits. We demonstrate that these advances are adaptive …

Properties Of A Class Of Mean Dependent On A Parameter, Paul Bracken

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

Some properties of a new class of binary symmetric mean Mp(a,b) which depends on two positive numbers a and b, as well as a positive parameter p, are investigated. The logarithmic mean and arithmetic mean are two members of this class. It is shown that, for all values of the parameter p, the set of p-dependent means Mp(a,b) is bounded above by the mean M∞(a,b).

Instructors’ Rationales And Strategies For Teaching History Of Science In Preservice Settings, Noushin Nouri, William F. Mccomas, Gerardo J. Aponte-Martinez

Teaching and Learning Faculty Publications

This multiple-case study examined the rationales and instructional strategies for teaching history of science (HOS) of 16 instructors of a history of science course for undergraduate preservice teachers in the USA. Based on instructor syllabi, instructional materials, and instructor interviews, we conducted single-case and cross-case analyses to identify why they teach HOS (rationales), how they teach HOS (instructional strategies), and what possible relationships might underlie instructor rationales and their instructional strategy choices for teaching HOS. We found 10 rationales in three overarching categories (knowledge, skills, and attitudes) and 9 active-learning instructional strategies. Moreover, we found that instructors with skills rationales …