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The Rider (2017-02-27), Jesus Sanchez

The Rider Archives

Vol.2 No.21

Searches For Continuous Gravitational Waves From Scorpius X-1 And Xte J1751-305 In Ligo’S Sixth Science Run, G. D. Meadors, E. Goetz, K. Riles, Teviet Creighton, F. Robinet

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

Scorpius X-1 (Sco X-1) and x-ray transient XTE J1751-305 are low-mass x-ray binaries (LMXBs) that may emit continuous gravitational waves detectable in the band of ground-based interferometric observatories. Neutron stars in LMXBs could reach a torque-balance steady-state equilibrium in which angular momentum addition from infalling matter from the binary companion is balanced by angular momentum loss, conceivably due to gravitational-wave emission. Torque balance predicts a scale for detectable gravitational-wave strain based on observed x-ray flux. This paper describes a search for Sco X-1 and XTE J1751-305 in LIGO science run 6 data using the TwoSpect algorithm, based on searching for …

On The Denesting Of Nested Square Roots, Eleftherios Gkioulekas

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

We present the basic theory of denesting nested square roots, from an elementary point of view, suitable for lower level coursework. Necessary and sufficient conditions are given for direct denesting, where the nested expression is rewritten as a sum of square roots of rational numbers, and for indirect denesting, where the nested expression is rewritten as a sum of fourth-order roots of rational numbers. The theory is illustrated with several solved examples.

All-Sky Search For Short Gravitational-Wave Bursts In The First Advanced Ligo Run, B. P. Abbott, R. Abbott, T. D. Abbott, M. R. Abernathy, Teviet Creighton, Mario C. Diaz, Soma Mukherjee, Volker Quetschke, Malik Rakhmanov

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

We present the results from an all-sky search for short-duration gravitational waves in the data of the first run of the Advanced LIGO detectors between September 2015 and January 2016. The search algorithms use minimal assumptions on the signal morphology, so they are sensitive to a wide range of sources emitting gravitational waves. The analyses target transient signals with duration ranging from milliseconds to seconds over the frequency band of 32 to 4096 Hz. The first observed gravitational-wave event, GW150914, has been detected with high confidence in this search; the other known gravitational-wave event, GW151226, falls below the search's sensitivity. …

Adam19: A Novel Target For Metabolic Syndrome In Humans And Mice, Lakshini Weerasekera, Caroline Rudnicka, Qing-Xiang Sang, Joanne E. Curran, Matthew P. Johnson, Eric K. Moses, Harald H. H. Goring, John Blangero, Jana Hricova, Markus Schlaich, Vance B. Matthews

School of Medicine Publications

Obesity is one of the most prevalent metabolic diseases in the Western world and correlates directly with insulin resistance, which may ultimately culminate in type 2 diabetes (T2D). We sought to ascertain whether the human metalloproteinase A Disintegrin and Metalloproteinase 19 (ADAM19) correlates with parameters of the metabolic syndrome in humans and mice. To determine the potential novel role of ADAM19 in the metabolic syndrome, we first conducted microarray studies on peripheral blood mononuclear cells from a well-characterised human cohort. Secondly, we examined the expression of ADAM19 in liver and gonadal white adipose tissue using an in vivo diet induced …

Frequency Response Reduced Order Model Of Primary Resonance Of Electrostatically Actuated Mems Circular Plate Resonators, Dumitru I. Caruntu, Reynaldo Oyervides

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

This paper deals with the amplitude-frequency response of soft AC electrostatically actuated MEMS clamped circular plates. Alternating Current (AC) frequency is near half natural frequency of the plate. This results in primary resonance of the system. Two methods are used and compared, namely the Method of Multiple Scales (MMS), and Reduced Order Model (ROM). Both methods are in excellent agreement for amplitudes less than 0.4 of the gap. For amplitudes between 0.4 and 1 of the gap only seven terms ROM accurately predicts the behavior of the system. The effects of the voltage and damping parameters on the frequency response …

A Refined Approach For Non-Negative Entire Solutions Of Δ U + Up = 0 With Subcritical Sobolev Growth, John Villavert

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

Let N≥2and 1uis a non-negative classical solution of the Lane–Emden equation, thenu≡0. The method of moving planes combined with the Kelvin transform provides an elegant proof of this theorem. A classical approach of Serrin and Zou, originally used for the Lane–Emden system, yields another proof but only in lower dimensions. Motivated by this, we further refine this approach to find an alternative proof of the Liouville type theorem in all dimensions.

Spectral Theory Of Operators On Manifolds, Paul Bracken

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

Differential operators that are defined on a differentiable manifold can be used to study various properties of manifolds. The spectrum and eigenfunctions play a very significant role in this process. The objective of this chapter is to develop the heat equation method and to describe how it can be used to prove the Hodge Theorem. The Minakshisundaram-Pleijel parametrix and asymptotic expansion are then derived. The heat equation asymptotics can be used to give a development of the Gauss-Bonnet theorem for two-dimensional manifolds.

Timing Of 29 Pulsars Discovered In The Palfa Survey, A. G. Lyne, B. W. Stappers, S. Bogdanov, R. D. Ferdman, P. C.C. Freire, V. M. Kaspi, B. Knispel, R. Lynch, Fredrick A. Jenet

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

We report on the discovery and timing observations of 29 distant long-period pulsars found in the ongoing Arecibo L-band Feed Array pulsar survey. Following discovery with the Arecibo Telescope, confirmation and timing observations of these pulsars over several years at Jodrell Bank Observatory have yielded high-precision positions and measurements of rotation and radiation properties. We have used multi-frequency data to measure the interstellar scattering properties of some of these pulsars. Most of the pulsars have properties that mirror those of the previously known pulsar population, although four show some notable characteristics. PSRs J1907+0631 and J1925+1720 are young and are associated …

Utrgv Undergraduate Catalog 2017-2018, The University Of Texas Rio Grande Valley

UTRGV Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Utrgv Graduate Catalog 2017-2018, The University Of Texas Rio Grande Valley

UTRGV Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Comparing Native Speaker Ratings And Quantitative Measures Of Oral Proficiency In Ielts Interviews, Katherine Christoffersen

Writing and Language Studies Faculty Publications

Research on second language acquisition has used various quantitative and qualitative measures to assess oral proficiency, yet there is little empirical research comparing these measures. Comparisons between quantitative measures and native speaker ratings are especially rare. Four of the most common quantitative measurements applied in L2 research include the type-token ratio as a measure of lexical diversity; the T-unit as a measure of syntactic complexity; the error-free t-unit as a measure of grammatical accuracy; and average speech rate as a measure of fluency. The present study compares these four quantitative measures of oral proficiency and one qualitative measure of oral …

Spanish Speaking Institutions And Language Assimilation In The Rio Grande Valley, Alexandre Couture Gagnon, Carlos Gutierrez-Mannix

Political Science Faculty Publications

The Rio Grande Valley in Texas, situated on the US-Mexico border, has a population of more than one million, of which more than 90% is of Latino descent.1 However, no public institutions formally function in Spanish, thus inhibiting institutional completeness2 and challenging long-term preservation of the language. Why does this population of Latino descent not demand Spanish-language service? Contrary to traditional research on institutional completeness, we consider institutions as the dependent variable and argue that the absence of institutions reflects the perception, within the population, of inferior status ascribed to Spanish when compared to English.

Identification And Characterization Of A Chemical Compound That Inhibits Methionyl-Trna Synthetase From Pseudomonas Aeruginosa, Sara Robles, Yanmei Hu, Tahyra Resto, Frank Dean, James M. Bullard

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

Background: Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen problematic in causing nosocomial infections and is highly susceptible to development of resistance to multiple antibiotics. The gene encoding methionyl-tRNA synthetase (MetRS) from P. aeruginosa was cloned and the resulting protein characterized.

Methods: MetRS was kinetically evaluated and the KM for its three substrates, methionine, ATP and tRNAMet were determined to be 35, 515, and 29 μM, respectively. P. aeruginosaMetRS was used to screen two chemical compound libraries containing 1690 individual compounds.

Results: A natural product compound (BM01C11) was identified that inhibited the aminoacylation function. The compound inhibited P. aeruginosa MetRS with an …

Models For The Residual Life Of Railroad Bearing Grease In Laboratory And Industry Applications, Douglas Timmer, Constantine Tarawneh, Robert Jones

Manufacturing & Industrial Engineering Faculty Publications

Adequate lubrication in railroad bearings is crucial to the safe operation of these components. An investigation of the residual life of railroad bearing grease was conducted in a laboratory setting. The data was collected using a split-split-plot design of experiments. The Oxidation Induction Time (OIT), which is the time required for the remaining antioxidants in a sample of grease to be consumed in a test, is the response variable for this study. Low values of OIT indicate small remaining amounts of antioxidants in the grease and thus small remaining residual life in the grease. OIT measurements were made using differential …

Development Of Disaster Management In Turkey: From 1999 Kocaeli Earthquake To 2011 Van Earthquake, Mert Tolon, Kağan Cenk Mızrak

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

The natural disasters that have occurred in Turkey are categorized as % 61 earthquakes, followed by landslides, floods, rock falls, fires and storms. Between the years of 1903 and 2000, there have been nearly 150 earthquakes in Turkey which led to damage and this is a challenge for Turkey. The management and plans of these natural disasters in Turkey were first developed in 1959. In 1999, with the magnitude of 7.4, The Kocaeli and Duzce earthquakes affected a region of Turkey that constitutes % 23 of the country’s population. After that, in 2000 necessary laws have been prepared and enacted. …

Electric Ion Dispersion As A New Type Of Mass Spectrometer, Michael R. Lindstrom, Iain Moyles, Kevin Ryczko

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

At the 2014 Fields-MPrime Industrial Problem Solving Workshop, PerkinElmer presented a design problem for mass spectrometry. Traditionally, mass spectrometry is done via three methods: using magnetic fields to deflect charged particles whereby different masses bend differently; using a time-of-flight procedure where particles of different mass arrive at different times at a target; and using an electric quadrupole that filters out all masses except for one very narrow band. The challenge posed in the problem was to come up with a new design for mass spectrometry that did not involve magnetic fields and where mass fractions could be measured in an …

Fish Assemblage Structure Indicates Limited Restoration Progress Over A Lustrum Of A Severely Degraded Estuary In Southern Tamaulipas, Mexico, Alejandro Fierro-Cabo, Carlos E. Cintra-Buenrostro

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Today the biggest incentive to attempt the restoration and protection of estuarine systems is their widely recognized ecological and economic importance. In the reconstruction of an estuary where the original aquatic communities disappeared before the restoration interventions, the fish assemblage is an adequate source of indicators of initial recovery. Following substantial restoration efforts, this study reports on the biannual for a lustrum monitoring and assessment of a severely degraded estuary (Garrapatas) in terms of its fish assemblage using a reference estuary (Barberena) in Tamaulipas, Mexico. Twenty fishes were associated with the restoring and reference estuaries. Species composition (richness, abundance, dominance) …

Effect Of Different Debranning Degrees On The Qualities Of Whole Wheat Flour And Chinese Steamed Bread, Jikai Zhao, Fengcheng Wang, Wenjun Fu, Mengjie Wang

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Abstract: Strong gluten, middle-strong gluten and middle gluten wheat were used as raw materials to obtain whole wheat flour by dry debranning process, and the effect of different debranning degrees on the quality of wheat kernel, whole wheat flour and Chinese steamed bread was evaluated. The results showed that the ash content, hardness index and thousand kernel weight of wheat kernels were decreased with increasing debranning degree by 0.17%, 1.0–1.5 and 1.74–1.82 g, respectively, whereas the volume weight was increased by 22.0–23.4 g/L. The contents of ash and damaged starch in whole wheat flour were decreased by 0.12%–0.14% and 1.0–2.1 …

Molecular And Biochemical Responses Of Hypoxia Exposure In Atlantic Croaker Collected From Hypoxic Regions In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico, Md. Saydur Rahman, Peter Thomas

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

A major impact of global climate change has been the marked increase worldwide in the incidence of coastal hypoxia (dissolved oxygen, DOhif-α; neuronal nitric oxide synthase, nNOS; and insulin-like growth factor binding protein, igfbp mRNAs and protein carbonyl (PC, an oxidative stress indicator) content were elevated several-fold in brain and liver tissues of croaker collected from nGOM hypoxic sites. All of these molecular and biochemical biomarkers were also upregulated ~3-10-fold in croaker brain and liver tissues within 1–2 days of hypoxia exposure in controlled laboratory experiments. These results suggest that hif-αs, nNOS and igfbp-1 transcripts and PC contents …

The Use Of Employment/Vocational Rehabilitation Services For Persons With Hiv/Aids And Substance Abuse: A Potential Health Benefit, Abdoulaye Diallo, Chia Vang, Belinda Rivas, Antonio Aguirre, Carl Flowers

School of Rehabilitation Services & Counseling Faculty Publications

This study investigates Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) services related to competitive employment closure among non-Hispanic Blacks (NHB), non-Hispanic Whites (NHW), and Hispanics with HIV/AIDS and substance use disorder (SUD). Data of 4150 was extracted from the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA-911) database. Descriptive statistics and multi-variate analysis showed consumers who received SSI and Medicare were less likely to be employed than those who did not, and, NHW who received rehabilitation counseling and guidance benefited the most compared to NHB who did not. Rehabilitation counselors can assist minorities with HIV/AIDS and SUD secure employment given the positive effects of employment for this population. …

Universal Shape Replicators Via Self-Assembly With Attractive And Repulsive Forces, Cameron Chalk, Erik D. Demaine, Martin L. Demaine, Eric Martinez, Robert Schweller, Luis Vega, Tim Wylie

Computer Science Faculty Publications

We show how to design a universal shape replicator in a self- assembly system with both attractive and repulsive forces. More precisely, we show that there is a universal set of constant-size objects that, when added to any unknown holefree polyomino shape, produces an unbounded number of copies of that shape (plus constant-size garbage objects). The constant-size objects can be easily constructed from a constant number of individual tile types using a constant number of preprocessing self-assembly steps. Our construction uses the well-studied 2-Handed Assembly Model (2HAM) of tile self-assembly, in the simple model where glues interact only with identical …

Impact Of The Capillary Pressure-Saturation Pore-Size Distribution Parameter On Geological Carbon Sequestration Estimates, Chu-Lin Cheng, Edmund Perfect, T. Edward Yu, Michael J. Gragg

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Cost estimates for geologic carbon sequestration (GCS) are vital for policy and decision makers evaluating carbon capture and storage strategies. Numerical models are often used in feasibility studies for the different stages of carbon injection and redistribution. Knowledge of the capillary pressure-saturation function for a selected storage rock unit is essential in applications used for simulating multiphase fluid flow and transport. However, the parameters describing these functions (e.g. the van Genuchten m pore size distribution parameter) are often not measured or neglected compared to other physical properties such as porosity and intrinsic permeability. In addition, the use of average …

Linear And Nonlinear Effects Of Temperature And Precipitation On Ecosystem Properties In Tidal Saline Wetlands, Laura C. Feher, Michael J. Osland, Kereen T. Griffith, James B. Grace, Rebecca J. Howard, Camille L. Stagg, Nicholas M. Enwright, Ken W. Krauss, Christopher A. Gabler, Richard H. Day, Kerrylee Rogers

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Climate greatly influences the structure and functioning of tidal saline wetland ecosystems. However, there is a need to better quantify the effects of climatic drivers on ecosystem properties, particularly near climate‐sensitive ecological transition zones. Here, we used climate‐ and literature‐derived ecological data from tidal saline wetlands to test hypotheses regarding the influence of climatic drivers (i.e., temperature and precipitation regimes) on the following six ecosystem properties: canopy height, biomass, productivity, decomposition, soil carbon density, and soil carbon accumulation. Our analyses quantify and elucidate linear and nonlinear effects of climatic drivers. We quantified positive linear relationships between temperature and above‐ground productivity …

Microwave-Induced Bismuth Triiodide-Catalyzed Facile Synthesis Of Octahydroxanthenes, Ashlee Chavez, Jessica Cruz, Alexdra Munoz, Ram Naresh Yadav, Debasish Bandyopadhyay, Bimal K. Banik

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

Microwave-induced reaction of 1,3-cyclohexanedione with numerous aldehydes using bismuth iodide is performed successfully toward the synthesis of important octahydroxanthenes. A most probable mechanism is suggested to explain the formation of products.

Microwave-Induced Paal-Knorr Reaction With Ammonium Chloride: Synthesis Of Pyrroles, Debasish Bandyopadhyay, Bimal K. Banik

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

An expeditious microwave-induced synthesis of pyrroles using commercially available 2,5- dimethoxytetrahydrofuran and primary amines in the presence of ammonium chloride has been achieved in excellent yield.

Carbon Dioxide-Mediated Preparation Of Pyrroles In Water Following Paal Knorr Method, Ram Naresh Yadav, Bimal K. Banik

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

Carbon dioxide-mediated new reaction of 2,5-hexanedione and primary amino compounds in water-THF produced N-substituted pyrroles in excellent yield. This method for the preparation of pyrroles is novel, simple, and efficient.

Non-Traditional Examination: A Study To Improve Academic And Research Performance Of Undergraduate Organic Chemistry Students#, Bimal K. Banik, Ram Naresh Yadav, Sunena Chandra

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

An investigation of conducting a presentation examination instead of a classical written examination method on academic and research performance of undergraduate chemistry students was performed at the University of Texas-Pan American. The results suggest that chemistry students do much better in the presentation examination compared to the written examination at the advanced organic chemistry course. But, the performances of the students in the lower level courses are mixed. However, students do much better in research work when presentation examination was conducted.

Dihydropyridines As Calcium Channel Blockers: An Overview, Thelma Salazar, Andres Gonzalez, Debasish Bandyopadhyay

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

Cardiovascular disease remains one of the leading causes of death in the United States. It is estimated that 1 in every 3 American adults suffer from high blood pressure. Hypertension, a precursor to most cardiovascular diseases, continues to grow at an alarming rate and is seldom managed carefully. Attempts have been made to manage hypertension and reduce the morbidity and mortality of the cardiovascular organ through methods including diets, increased amount of exercise, and medications. Many commercial drugs have been derived from dihydropyridine due to its antihypertensive property. Dihydropyridine derivatives work by acting as calcium channel blockers blocking the intake …

Efectos Del Cambio Climático En La Interacción Planta-Hormiga: Una Mini Revisión Sobre La Tolerancia Térmica, Florencio Luna Castellanos, Mariana Cuautle, Teresa Patricia Feria-Arroyo, Citlalli Castillo Guevara

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

Sin duda alguna el clima está cambiando debido al aumento de la concentración de gases de efecto invernadero en la atmósfera provocado por la acción humana. Dichos cambios van a tener un efecto importante en algunas actividades humanas tales como la agricultura y también pueden afectar enormemente la distribución geográfica de los organismos vivos y por tanto sus interacciones. Las hormigas y las plantas tienen una larga historia evolutiva de interacción. La actividad de las hormigas y su relación con las plantas en los últimos años ha tenido un número creciente de estudios que están poniendo de relieve su papel …