Digital Commons Network^™

Excess Of Glucocorticoid Induces Cardiac Dysfunction Via Activating Angiotensin Ii Pathway, Sreerupa Ghose Roy, Priyanka De, Debasri Mukherjee, Vivek Chander, Aditya Konar, Debasish Bandyopadhyay, Arun Bandyopadhyay

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

Background: Glucocorticoid is widely used as an anti-inflammatory drug in various diseases however excess of it often causes cardiovascular complications. The present study was undertaken to understand the molecular mechanism of glucocorticoid-induced cardiac dysfunction.

Methods: Rats were treated daily with synthetic glucocorticoid, dexamethasone with or without mifepristone or losartan up to 15 days. Hemodynamic parameters were measured by PV-loop method using Millar's instrument. Cardiac remodelling, fibrosis and oxidative stress were monitored after 15 days.

Results: The systolic blood pressure was increased whereas the heart beat and cardiac output (n=6) were decreased by dexamethasone. Dexamethasone caused increase in the heart …

Analysis Of Rotating Flow Around A Growing Protein Crystal, Daniel N. Riahi, Charles W. Obare

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

We consider the problem of steady flow around a growing protein crystal in a medium of its solution in a normal gravity environment. The whole flow system is assumed to be rotating with a constant angular velocity about a vertical axis which is anti-parallel to the gravity vector. Convective flow takes place due to the solute depletion around the growing crystal which leads to a buoyancy driven flow. Such convective flow can produce inhomogeneous solute concentration, which subsequently generate non-uniformities in the crystal’s structure finalizing lower quality protein crystal. Using scaling analysis within a diffusion boundary layer around the crystal, …

Adolescents’ Educational Outcomes: Racial And Ethnic Variations In Peer Network Importance, Franklin Goza, Igor Ryabov

Sociology Faculty Publications

Little attention has been paid to the role of peer social capital in the school context, especially as a predictor of adolescents’ academic outcomes. This study uses a nationally representative (N = 13,738, female = 51%), longitudinal sample and multilevel models to examine how peer networks impact educational achievement and attainment. Results reveal that, in addition to those factors typically associated with academic outcomes (e.g., school composition), two individual-level peer network measures, SES and heterogeneity, had significant effects. Although educational attainment was generally worse in low SES schools, for all ethnic groups higher attainment was associated with attending schools …

Uwb Antennas For Medical Imaging, Khabat Ebnabbasi

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Ultra-Wide Band (UWB) Microwave for imaging applications; especially in the medical field, is a new method to overcome the inherent invasive features of X-ray imaging. In this work a new systematic and detailed design for the Tapered Slot Antenna (TSA) as a UWB antenna in microwave imaging systems for medical applications is presented. Among TSAs, the Vivaldi antenna was selected and the reasons to replace the horn antenna imaging systems are illustrated. In the first chapter the previous designs for microwave imaging and the outline of this work are given, Chapter Two covers the design of the Vivaldi antenna's different …

Search For Gravitational Waves From Low Mass Binary Coalescences In The First Year Of Ligo’S S5 Data, B. P. Abbott, R. Abbott, Matthew Benacquista, Teviet Creighton, Mario C. Diaz, R. Grosso, K. Hayama, H. Lei, Soumya Mohanty, Soma Mukherjee, Malik Rakhmanov, Joseph D. Romano, Robert Stone

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

We have searched for gravitational waves from coalescing low mass compact binary systems with a total mass between 2M⊙ and 35M⊙ and a minimum component mass of 1M⊙ using data from the first year of the fifth science run of the three LIGO detectors, operating at design sensitivity. Depending on the mass, we are sensitive to coalescences as far as 150 Mpc from the Earth. No gravitational-wave signals were observed above the expected background. Assuming a population of compact binary objects with a Gaussian mass distribution representing binary neutron star systems, black hole–neutron star binary systems, and binary black hole …

Luminescent Properties Of Ensemble And Individual Erbium-Doped Yttrium Oxide Nanotubes, Yuanbing Mao, Xia Guo, Thai Tran, Kang L. Wang, C. Ken Shih, Jane P. Chang

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

The luminescent properties, including cathodoluminescence and photoluminescence, of the erbium-doped yttrium oxide (Er3+: Y2 O3) nanotubes (NTs) have been systematically studied. These NTs were synthesized by a hydrothermal treatment followed by a dehydration process. Cathodoluminescent measurements show that every Er3+: Y2 O3 NT is luminescent under electron excitation. In the near-infrared region, sharp, well-resolved, pump-power-dependent, and thermally stable photoluminescence was observed from ensemble NTs. Individual NTs also present characteristic luminescent emissions in the same spectral region. These properties make these NTs promising for applications in display, bioanalysis, and telecommunication.

The Collegian (2009-05-04), Linet Cisneros

UTB/TSC Archives - The Collegian [Newspaper]

Vol. 61, No. 30

Synthesis And Characterization Of Two Metal-Organic Frameworks, Roxanna Schaffino Moore

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Herein, the design and synthesis of two metal-organic frameworks, Zn 4O(FMA)3 (FMA = fumaric acid) and Zn2(CNC) 2(DPT) (CNC = 4-carboxycinnamic acid; DPT = 3,6-Di-4-pyridy1-1,2,4,5-tetrazine) via solvothermal methods are reported. Zn4O(FMA)3 was isolated as light yellow cubic crystals and Zn2(CNC)2(DPT) as light pink-block shaped crystals. The structures of both MOFs were characterized by single X-ray diffraction. Integrity of both MOFs were determined via powder X-ray diffraction and thermal gravimetric analysis. Zn4O(FMA) 3 is an isoreticular MOF exhibiting 6.8 Å pores taking up 5.2 wt % of hydrogen gas at 40 bar and 77K. Zn2(CNC)2(DPT) is a 3D primative cubic net …

Similar Districts With Different Results: Using The Baldrige Scale To Understand Outcome Differences In Rural School Districts In The Lower Rio Grande Valley, Miguel Angel Gonzalez

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The research for this study describes the organizational characteristics and the personnel behaviors distinctive to high-achieving rural school districts. A comparison between two rural school districts, one high-achieving and the other low-achieving was completed using a survey instrument. The Baldrige National Quality Program instrument was administered used as the instrument from which seven dependent variables were utilized: (a) leadership, (b) strategic planning, (c) student, stakeholder, and market focus, (d) measurement, analysis, and knowledge management, (e) faculty and staff focus, (f) process management, and (g) perceptions of organizational performance. Fifty-eight teachers and administrators were sampled from two rural school districts in …

Electrospinning Polystyrene Reinforced With Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes: Parameters For Obtaining Nanofibers With Enhanced Thermal Properties, Ana Veronica Rodriguez Ybarra

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Various concentrations of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were dispersed in a polystyrene matrix in order to determine the optimal MWCNT concentration that would enhance the thermal properties of the composite. The MWCNTs were dispersed in the polystyrene matrix by high energy sonication and then electrospun. The microstructural characterization such as fiber diameter, fiber orientation, fiber morphology, porosity, cross-section shape, and surface roughness of the nanofibers electrospun from these composites were made by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Spectroscopic characterization for these nanofibers was conducted using Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy was utilized to establish a nanotube/matrix …

Completing Chemistry Taks Objective 4(9d): The Effect Of Flash Animation, Judith B. Dano

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This study examines the effect of flash animation on learning effectiveness. The main goal of the study was to verify if using flash animation on learning chemistry concepts particularly Chemistry TAKS Objective 4 (9D) will have an impact on students learning achievement. The subjects in this study were 10th grade students from PSJA Memorial High School. Two class sections were randomly assigned as the treatment group each with 20 subjects (n=40) and another two class sections were assigned as the control group (n=40). The treatment group was exposed to flash animation while the control group had the traditional lecture type …

The Effect Of Instructor Nonverbal Immediacy Behaviors And Feedback Sensitivity On Student Affective Learning Outcomes In Writing Conferences, Laura Martin

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of teacher nonverbal immediacy and verbal feedback sensitivity on affective learning outcomes in one-on-one writing conferences. The assumption is that if the teacher-student relationship is made stronger through the use of teacher nonverbal immediacy behaviors, then verbal feedback can be more direct and task-oriented, thereby allowing teachers to be more efficient in their evaluation. The hypotheses presented are that students who experience an immediate instructor during a writing conference will have more affect for the teacher, more affect for writing conferences, and more affect for writing in general than students …

Impact Of Flash Animation In Learning Concepts Of Matter Among Elementary Students, Rhodora S. Santos

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This study examines the instructional effect of flash animation on students' achievement in learning specific concepts of matter. The subjects used in this study were 5th-grade students of the researcher from Dan Ramirez Elementary. Each class or section of these students was randomly assigned as the control group (n = 20) and the experimental group (n =20). The subjects in the control group were exposed to traditional textbook reading while the subjects in the experimental group were exposed to flash animation. To measure the students' achievement from the concepts learned, a pre-test and a post test were both administered to …

Use Of Distractor Analysis In Evaluating Instructional Effectiveness: A Method For Diagnosing Item Error Response Patterns To Improve Teaching And Learning, Eduardo Cancino

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the use of a method of distractor analysis for diagnosing item error response patterns and determine the effect of this intervention on student achievement levels on state administered spring mathematics assessments. Distractor Pattern Functioning was the treatment provided to teachers in this research study to evaluate examinee group performance on the incorrect answers by determining categorical patterns of group distractor selection. Methodology. This quantitative research reviewed four years of 3rd , 4th , and 5th grade mathematics Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) data. Three school districts selected for this study …

Stress Responses To Salinity In A Native Fresh Water Snake (Nerodia Rhombifer), Joana A. Cordoba

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Salinity stress at 0 ppt, 9 ppt, 18 ppt, and 27 ppt was investigated in Nerodia rhombifer, a fresh water snake. The purpose of this study was to establish if exposure to salinity could elicit a hormonal response in the form of corticosterone. Salinity treatment 27 ppt was lethal for 50% of the snakes. Factors such as population and gender differences were not significant, p=0.748 and p=0.135, respectively. Exposure to the different salinities did not significantly affect the overall mass of the animal, p=0.951. A significant increase in circulating corticosterone was noted in salinity treatments 0 ppt and 18 ppt, …

A Comparative Study Of Risk Factors Involved In Diabetes Between Texas And Other States, Andres Padilla Oviedo

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Diabetes is a serious concern in the United States and Texas is a state with high percentage of diabetes. The risk factors contributing to diabetes are current smoking, high blood cholesterol, hypertension, physical inactivity etc. In this thesis, we would like to identify the crucial risk factors for Texas. This motivates us to use the online data resources for a comparative study between Texas and other states. Looking at the data, we decide to use independent sample t-tests and independent sample non parametric tests [Wilcoxon Mann Whitney] for such comparative studies. This analysis has two parts – in the first …

The Pan American (2009-04-23), J. R. Ortega

UTPA Archives - The Pan American Newspaper

Vol. 65, No. 28

The Collegian (2009-04-20), Linet Cisneros

UTB/TSC Archives - The Collegian [Newspaper]

Vol. 61, No. 28

The Collegian (2009-04-06), Linet Cisneros

UTB/TSC Archives - The Collegian [Newspaper]

Vol. 61, No. 27

Utpa Commencement – Spring 2009, University Of Texas-Pan American

Edinburg Archives - Legacy Commencement Programs

No abstract provided.

Utb/Tsc Commencement – Spring 2009, University Of Texas At Brownsville, Texas Southmost College

Brownsville Archives - Legacy Commencement Programs

No abstract provided.

Tempo2: A New Pulsar Timing Package - Iii. Gravitational Wave Simulation, G. Hobbs, F. Jenet, K. J. Lee, J. P.W. Verbiest, D. Yardley, R. Manchester, A. Lommen, W. Coles, R. Edwards, C. Shettigara

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

Analysis of pulsar timing data sets may provide the first direct detection of gravitational waves. This paper, the third in a series describing the mathematical framework implemented into the TEMPO2 pulsar timing package, reports on using TEMPO2 to simulate the timing residuals induced by gravitational waves. The TEMPO2 simulations can be used to provide upper bounds on the amplitude of an isotropic, stochastic, gravitational wave background in our Galaxy and to determine the sensitivity of a given pulsar timing experiment to individual, supermassive, binary black hole systems. © 2009 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2009 RAS.

Microwave-Assisted Ruthenium Trichloride-Catalyzed Synthesis Of Pyrrole Fused With Indole System In Water, Debasish Bandyopadhyay, Antara Banik, Sahil Bhatta, Bimal K. Banik

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

A simple and efficient microwave-induced ruthenium trichloride-catalyzed synthesis of pyrrole fused with indole system in water is developed by reacting commercially available isatin and 4-hydroxyproline.

Detecting A Stochastic Gravitational-Wave Background: The Overlap Reduction Function, Lee Samuel Finn, Shane L. Larson, Joseph D. Romano

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

Detection of a gravitational-wave stochastic background via ground or space-based gravitational-wave detectors requires the cross correlation of the response of two or more independent detectors. The cross correlation involves a frequency-dependent factor—the so-called overlap reduction function or HellingsDowns curve—that depends on the relative geometry of each detector pair, i.e., the detector separations and the relative orientation of their antenna patterns (beams). An incorrect formulation of this geometrical factor has appeared in the literature, leading to incorrect conclusions regarding the sensitivity of proposed detectors to a stochastic gravitational-wave background. To rectify these errors and as a reference for future work we …

Pulsar Timing And Spacetime Curvature, Teviet Creighton, Fredrick A. Jenet, Richard H. Price

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

We analyze the effect of weak field gravitational waves on the timing of pulsars, with particular attention to gauge invariance, that is, to the effects that are independent of the choice of coordinates. We find (1) the Doppler shift cannot be separated into gauge invariant gravitational wave and kinetic contributions; (2) a gauge invariant separation can be made for the time derivative of the Doppler shift in which the gravitational wave contribution is directly related to the Riemann tensor, and the kinetic contribution is that for special relativity; (3) the gaugedependent effects in the Doppler shift play no role in …

The Contribution Of Halo White Dwarf Binaries To The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna Signal, Ashley J. Ruiter, Krzysztof Belczynski, Matthew Benacquista, Kelly Holley-Bockelmann

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

Galactic double white dwarfs were postulated as a source of confusion limited noise for the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA), the future space-based gravitational wave observatory. Until very recently, the Galactic population consisted of a relatively well-studied disk population, a somewhat studied smaller bulge population and a mostly unknown, but potentially large halo population. It has been argued that the halo population may produce a signal that is much stronger (factor of ∼5 in spectral amplitude) than the disk population. However, this surprising result was not based on an actual calculation of a halo white dwarf population, but was derived …

All-Sky Ligo Search For Periodic Gravitational Waves In The Early Fifth-Science-Run Data, B. P. Abbott, R. Abbott, Matthew Benacquista, Teviet Creighton, Mario C. Diaz, R. Grosso, K. Hayama, Soumya Mohanty, Soma Mukherjee, Malik Rakhmanov, Joseph D. Romano

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

We report on an all-sky search with the LIGO detectors for periodic gravitational waves in the frequency range 50–1100 Hz and with the frequency’s time derivative in the range −5×10−9–0  Hz s−1. Data from the first eight months of the fifth LIGO science run (S5) have been used in this search, which is based on a semicoherent method (PowerFlux) of summing strain power. Observing no evidence of periodic gravitational radiation, we report 95% confidence-level upper limits on radiation emitted by any unknown isolated rotating neutron stars within the search range. Strain limits below 10−24 are obtained over a 200-Hz band, …

The Collegian (2009-02-23), Linet Cisneros

UTB/TSC Archives - The Collegian [Newspaper]

Vol. 61, No. 22

The Collegian (2009-02-16), Linet Cisneros

UTB/TSC Archives - The Collegian [Newspaper]

Vol. 61, No. 21

The Pan American (2009-02-12), J. R. Ortega

UTPA Archives - The Pan American Newspaper

Vol. 65, No. 19