Digital Commons Network^™

Design Of Regular 1d, 2d, And 3d Linkage-Based Tessellations, Alden D. Yellowhorse, Nathan Brown, Larry L. Howell

Faculty Publications

Linkage origami is one effective approach for addressing stiffness and accommodating panels of finite size in origami models and tessellations. However, successfully implementing linkage origami in tessellations can be challenging. In this work, multiple theorems are presented that provide criteria for designing origami units or cells that can be assembled into arbitrarily large tessellations. The application of these theorems is demonstrated through examples of tessellations in two and three dimensions.

“Are These People Real?”: Designing And Playtesting An Alternative Reality, Educational Simulation, Jason K. Mcdonald, Jonathan Balzotti, Melissa Franklin, Jessica Haws, Jamin Rowan

Faculty Publications

In this design case, we report our design and playtest of a form of alternative reality, educational simulation that we call a playable case study (PCS). One of the features that make our simulations unique is how they are designed to implement a principle called This Is Not a Game, or TINAG, meaning that the affordances we design into the simulation suggest to students that the experience they are having is real, in contrast to the way the artificial nature of the experience is highlighted in many computer games. In this case, we describe some challenges we encountered in designing …

A Design Approach To Fully Compliant Multistable Mechanisms Employing A Single Bistable Mechanism, Yanjie Gou, Guimin Chen, Larry L. Howell

Faculty Publications

A fully compliant multistable mechanism is a monolithic structure that is capable of staying at multiple positions without power input, and has many applications including switches, valves, positioners. However, it is difficult to design such a mechanism because of the complexities of the multistable behavior, the practical stress limits and the buckling constraints. This paper discusses the design approach for fully compliant multistable mechanisms which employs a single bistable mechanism and several end-effectors connected in series. The force-displacement characteristics of the end-effectors are derived using the pseudo-rigid-body model. The design approach to the fully compliant multistable mechanism is provided to …

Autonomous Single-Molecule Manipulation Based On Reinforcement Learning, Bernhard Ramsauer, Grant J. Simpson, Johannes J. Cartus, Andreas Jeindl, Victor García-López, James M. Tour, Leonhard Grill, Oliver T. Hofmann

Faculty Publications

Building nanostructures one-by-one requires precise control of single molecules over many manipulation steps. The ideal scenario for machine learning algorithms is complex, repetitive, and time-consuming. Here, we show a reinforcement learning algorithm that learns how to control a single dipolar molecule in the electric field of a scanning tunneling microscope. Using about 2250 iterations to train, the algorithm learned to manipulate the molecule toward specific positions on the surface. Simultaneously, it generates physical insights into the movement as well as orientation of the molecule, based on the position where the electric field is applied relative to the molecule. This reveals …

Are Denisons In A Political Bubble, Miles Williams, Paul Djupe

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Zero Torque Compliant Mechanisms Employing Pre-Buckled Beams, Pietro Bilancia, Samuel Porter Smith, Giovanni Berselli, Spencer P. Magleby, Larry L. Howell

Faculty Publications

The concept of a statically balanced mechanism with a single rotational degree of freedom is presented. The proposed device achieves static balancing by combining positive stiff- ness elements and negative stiffness elements within a nuclear domain. Two designs are discussed. The first is composed of an Archimedean spiral and two pinned-pinned pre-buckled beams. The overall mechanism is modeled via an analytical approach and the element dimensions are optimized. The optimal configuration is then tested through finite element analysis (FEA). A second approach replaces the spiral beam with elastic custom-shaped spline beams. An FEA optimization is performed to determine the shape …

Conceptualizing Stable States In Origami-Based Devices Using An Energy Visualization Approach, Jacob Greenwood, Larry L. Howell, Alex Avila, Spencer P. Magleby

Faculty Publications

In many origami-based applications, a device needs to be maintained in one or more fold states. The origami stability integration method (OSIM) presented in this paper pro- vides an approach for graphically combining various techniques to achieve stability. Existing stability techniques are also categorized into four groups based on whether they are intrinsic or extrinsic to the origami pattern and whether they exhibit gradual or non-gradual energy storage behaviors. These categorizations can help designers select appropriate techniques for their applications. The paper also contains de- sign considerations and resources for achieving stability. Finally, two case studies are presented that use …

Temporal Variability In Soil Organic Matter Accretion Rates In Coastal Deltaic Wetlands Under Changing Depositional Environments, Yadav Sapkota, Kehui Xu, Kanchan Maiti, Patrick Inglett, John R. White

Faculty Publications

The Mississippi River Deltaic Plain experiences high relative sea level rise, limited sediment supply, and high marsh edge erosion, leading to the substantial coastal wetland and stored soil organic matter (SOM) loss. The objective of this study was to understand the SOM accumulation rates over the past 1000 years related to the changes in the depositional environment in these highly eroding coastal wetlands. Soil cores (2 m) were collected from four sites in Barataria Basin, LA and analyzed for proportion of organic and mineral matter, total C, N, P, particle size, and stable isotopic composition (δ¹³C and δ …

Solving The Valuation Challenge: The Ultra Method For Taxing Extreme Wealth, David Gamage, Brian Galle, Darien Shanske

Faculty Publications

Recent reporting based on leaked tax returns of the ultra-rich confirms what experts have long suspected: for the wealthiest Americans, paying taxes is mostly optional. Some of the country's richest have reported annual incomes that would be modest for a school teacher, even as the share of wealth held by the top .1% is at its highest in nearly a century.

Experts have long understood that one problem sits at the root cause of many of the tax system's failures to reach the very rich: valuation. Because it is difficult to appraise complex or unique assets, modern tax systems instead …

Field Applications Of Zein As A Precise Nanoscale Delivery System For Methoxyfenozide, C. A.R. Bonser, C. Tamez, J. C. White, C. E. Astete, C. M. Sabliov, J. A. Davis

Faculty Publications

When insecticides are applied in the environment, much of the product does not reach the target pest. Biopolymeric nanoparticles as nanocarriers have the potential to improve insecticide efficacy by improving absorption, coverage, and permeability while protecting the insecticide active ingredient from abiotic conditions and extending efficacy through controlled release. We conducted a series of experiments using a biopolymeric nanoparticle synthesized from zein, a biodegradable maize protein, to compare efficacy of a nanodelivered hydrophobic insect growth regulator (methoxyfenozide) against a commercial formulation. Positively charged zein nanoparticles (empty and loaded with methoxyfenozide) were compared to the formulated product, Intrepid 2F, as a …

Impact Of Nonconventional Selection By Insecticides On Susceptibility Of The Southern House Mosquito, Culex Quinquefasciatus, Vivek Pokhrel, James A. Ottea

Faculty Publications

Mosquitoes are an important target of pest control as they vector pathogens that are associated with many debilitating human diseases. Given that mosquitoes have been selected with insecticides for over 100 years, much is known about the development of insecticide resistance associated with targeted application against populations of these insects. However, off-target selection by applications of insecticides in agricultural and residential sites also impacts development of insecticide resistance and is understudied. Similarly, the impact of selecting one life stage of mosquitoes on the insecticide susceptibility of different life stages is largely unknown. Here, we show that susceptibility to chlorantraniliprole, which …

A Draft Of The Genome Of The Gulf Coast Tick, Amblyomma Maculatum, Jose M.C. Ribeiro, Natalia J. Bayona-Vásquez, Khemraj Budachetri, Deepak Kumar, Julia Catherine Frederick, Faizan Tahir, Brant C. Faircloth, Travis C. Glenn, Shahid Karim

Faculty Publications

The Gulf Coast tick, Amblyomma maculatum, inhabits the Southeastern states of the USA bordering the Gulf of Mexico, Mexico, and other Central and South American countries. More recently, its U.S. range has extended West to Arizona and Northeast to New York state and Connecticut. It is a vector of Rickettsia parkeri and Hepatozoon americanum. This tick species has become a model to study tick/Rickettsia interactions. To increase our knowledge of the basic biology of A. maculatum we report here a draft genome of this tick and an extensive functional classification of its proteome. The DNA from a single …

Land Use And Hydrological Factors Control Concentrations And Diffusive Fluxes Of Riverine Dissolved Carbon Dioxide And Methane In Low-Order Streams, Wei Tang, Y. Jun Xu, Maofei Ni, Siyue Li

Faculty Publications

We analyzed the impacts of land use/land cover types on carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) concentration and diffusion in 1st to 4th Strahler order tributaries of the Longchuan River to the upper Yangtze River in China by using headspace equilibration method and CO2SYS program. Field sampling and measurements were conducted during the dry and wet seasons from 2017 to 2019. The average of calculated CO2 partial pressure (pCO2, mean ± SD: 2389 ± 3220 μatm) by CO2SYS program was 1.9-fold higher than the value (mean ± SD: 1230 ± 1440 μatm) 10 years ago in the Longchuan River basin, …

Using Automated Speech Processing For Repeated Measurements In A Clinical Setting Of The Behavioral Variability In The Stroop Task, Terje B. Holmlund, Alex S. Cohen, Jian Cheng, Peter W. Foltz, Jared Bernstein, Elizabeth Rosenfeld, Bruno Laeng, Brita Elvevåg

Faculty Publications

The Stroop interference task is indispensable to current neuropsychological practice. Despite this, it is limited in its potential for repeated administration, its sensitivity and its demands on professionals and their clients. We evaluated a digital Stroop deployed using a smart device. Spoken responses were timed using automated speech recognition. Participants included adult nonpatients (N = 113; k = 5 sessions over 5 days) and patients with psychiatric diagnoses (N = 85; k = 3–4 sessions per week over 4 weeks). Traditional interference (difference in response time between color incongruent words vs. color neutral words; M = 0.121 s) and facilitation …

Can Biodiversity Of Preexisting And Created Salt Marshes Match Across Scales? An Assessment From Microbes To Predators, Friedrich W. Keppeler, James R. Junker, Margaret J. Shaw, Scott B. Alford, Annette S. Engel, Linda M. Hooper-Bùi, Olaf P. Jensen, Katelyn Lamb, Paola C. López-Duarte, Charles W. Martin, Ashley M. Mcdonald, Jill A. Olin, Audrey T. Paterson, Michael J. Polito, Nancy N. Rabalais, Brian J. Roberts, Ryann E. Rossi, Erick M. Swenson

Faculty Publications

Coastal wetlands are rapidly disappearing worldwide due to a variety of processes, including climate change and flood control. The rate of loss in the Mississippi River Delta is among the highest in the world and billions of dollars have been allocated to build and restore coastal wetlands. A key question guiding assessment is whether created coastal salt marshes have similar biodiversity to preexisting, reference marshes. However, the numerous biodiversity metrics used to make these determinations are typically scale dependent and often conflicting. Here, we applied ecological theory to compare the diversity of different assemblages (surface and below-surface soil microbes, plants, …

Complete Β -Decay Patterns Of Cs 142, Ba 142, And La 142 Determined Using Total Absorption Spectroscopy, M. Wolińska-Cichocka, B. C. Rasco, K. P. Rykaczewski, N. T. Brewer, A. Fijałkowska, M. Karny, R. K. Grzywacz, K. C. Goetz, C. J. Gross, D. W. Stracener, E. F. Zganjar, J. C. Batchelder, J. C. Blackmon, S. Go, B. Heffron, J. Johnson, T. T. King, J. T. Matta, K. Miernik, M. Madurga, E. A. Mccutchan, D. Miller, C. D. Nesaraja, S. V. Paulauskas, M. M. Rajabali, S. Taylor, A. A. Sonzogni, E. H. Wang, J. A. Winger, Y. Xiao, C. J. Zachary

Faculty Publications

Background: The β decays of fission products produced in nuclear fuel are important for nuclear energy applications and fundamental science of reactor antineutrinos. In particular, nuclear reactor safety is related to the decay modes of radioactive neutron-rich nuclei, primarily via the emission of γ rays, neutrons, and electrons. Additionally nuclear reactors are the most powerful man-made source of antineutrinos emitted during the β decay of fission products. These antineutrinos are used to inspect fundamental properties of leptons as well as informing reactor operation. However, the majority of data on complex decays of fission products collected in the evaluated nuclear data …

A Reference Genome For Bluegill (Centrarchidae: Lepomis Macrochirus), William B. Ludt, Eamon C. Corbett, Jerry Kattawar, Prosanta Chakrabarty, Brant C. Faircloth

Faculty Publications

North American sunfishes (Family Centrarchidae) are among the most popular sportfish throughout the United States and Canada. Despite the popularity of sunfishes, their ecological importance, and their extensive stocking and aquacultural history, few molecular studies have examined the evolutionary relationships and species boundaries among members of this group, many of which are known to hybridize. Here, we describe a chromosome-scale genome assembly representing Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus), one of the most widespread centrarchid species. By combining long-read, Oxford Nanopore sequencing data with short-insert, whole-genome and HiC sequence reads, we produced an assembly (Lm_LA_1.1) having a total length of 889 Mb including …

Atmospheric Density Inversion Based On Swarm-C Satellite Accelerometer, Lirong Yin, Lei Wang, Jiawei Tian, Zhengtong Yin, Mingzhe Liu, Wenfeng Zheng

Faculty Publications

We used the Swarm-C accelerometer data to invert the orbital atmospheric density in this study. First, the Swarm-C satellite mission data were obtained from the ESA’s public data platform, and preliminary data error correction was performed. This paper refers to the calibration method of GRACE-A satellite accelerometer data. It adds linear temperature correction on the original basis. Moreover, this study’s accelerometer data correction results were compared with the data correction results published by the ESA. In order to explore the influence of light radiation on the accelerometer, we established a geometric model of Swarm-C to simulate the physical shape of …

Syndepositional Uptake Of Uranium, Molybdenum And Vanadium Into Modern Bahamian Carbonate Sediments During Early Diagenesis, Evan Magette, Adam Turner, Yongbo Peng, Achim D. Herrmann

Faculty Publications

Syndepositional diagenesis is a complicating factor when interpreting geochemical proxies in carbonate sedimentary environments. Previous studies have suggested that carbonate deposits may preserve the geochemical and isotopic signatures of seawater that can be used for paleo-redox reconstructions. However, more work is necessary to understand how these trace metals are preserved. The present study examines shallow marine carbonate sediments from the Bahamas to better understand diagenetic effects on trace metal uptake and sequestration. Analysis of diagenetic effects and trace metal uptake follows a multi-method approach, combining sequential extraction, stable isotope analyses, and rare earth elemental analysis. Stable isotopes track bacterial sulfate …

Subinertial Sea Surface Heights Anomalies Estimated Using High Frequency Radar Surface Current Data In The Mississippi Bight, Uchenna Nwankwo, Stephan Howden, Dmitri Nechaev, Brian Dzwonkowski

Faculty Publications

Sea level studies in the Mississippi Bight (MSB) are less abundant than in other coastal waters of USA. This study investigates the subinertial (time scales >2 days) sea level anomalies in the MSB shelf. The diagnostics of the terms in the invariant form of the momentum equation were computed to determine which terms have the most influence on the anomalies in sea level. It was determined that at subinertial scales the geostrophic balance is the dominant balance in the MSB while the non-linear and time derivative terms are insignificant relative to the Coriolis term. A Least Squares procedure was applied …

A Renewed Analysis Of The Expedited Actions Rules In Texas Courts, Paula Hannaford-Agor, Lindsey Wylie, Miriam Hamilton, Brittany K. T. Kauffman, Logan Cornett, James Swearingen, Michael Houlberg, Jeffrey Tsunekawa, Michael Smith, Sheri Woodfin,

Faculty Publications

In October 2021, the Texas Office of Court Administration (OCA) and the National Center for State Courts (NCSC) returned to the question of whether the Expedited Action Rules (EARs) adopted in 2012 in Texas were continuing to have a positive impact on civil case processing. With new funding from the State Justice Institute (SJI), the NCSC, OCA, and the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System at the University of Denver, set out to replicate a 2016 study. Using the same research methods, the project team gathered data from the district and county courts in Dallas, Fort Bend, …

Differentiating The Edd And The Phd In Higher Education: A Survey Of Characteristics And Trends, Holly A. Foster, Steven Chesnut, James Thomas, Courtney Robinson

Faculty Publications

Purpose: Higher education, as a field of study, is one of the few programmatic areas that offer two doctoral degrees: The Doctor of Education (EdD) and the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). In the United States, the two degrees are often conflated. Conversations, to this point, have done more to contribute to the theoretical debate than to operationally distinguish between the two degree paths.

Method: The current study analyzed data collected from a review of the 188 doctoral programs at 145 institutions listed with the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE). Results: Results suggest that while there …

Sootlib: A Soot Model Library For Combustion Simulation, Victoria B. Stephens, Joshua Bedwell, Alex J. Josephson, Keturah Oldham, David O. Lignell

Faculty Publications

Soot formation in combustion is an important process that affects radiative heat transfer, flame temperatures, and emissions with health and environmental impacts. Soot formation involves complex chemistry for nucleation, growth, oxidation, and coagulation processes. The soot particles vary widely in size and accurate modeling requires representation of the particle size distribution (PSD). Modeling soot is not trivial, and is only one of several physical processes active in combustion systems. This paper presents a software package called SootLib, which is an open-source library for modeling soot formation and other aerosol systems. SootLib is written in C++, is documented with Doxygen, and …

Electron Energization By Inertial Alfvén Waves In Density Depleted Flux Tubes At Jupiter, P. A. Damiano, P. A. Delamere, E.-H. Kim, J. R. Johnson, C. S. Ng

Faculty Publications

Juno satellite observations have illustrated substantial examples of broadband electron energization up to 105–106 eV levels. In order to explain these observations, we use a hybrid gyrofluid kinetic-electron model in an untilted dipolar topology to illustrate energization to high levels in weak current conditions by inertial Alfvén waves close to the Jupiter ionosphere for ambient plasma densities and magnetic field perturbations inferred from Juno satellite observations. The key to the high energization is the extremely low densities evident in the observations which necessitates the acceleration of electrons to very high velocities in order to carry the field-aligned current.

Lies,Damn Lies, And Kamikaze Lies: Protecting Falsehoods In The Name Of Truth, Doris Deltosto Brogan

Faculty Publications

Despite calls to reverse New York Times v. Sullivan and abandon the reckless disregard standard for public figure defamation cases--calls offered by two Supreme Court Justices, a number of legal scholars and some members of the popular press-- this article demonstrates that Sullivan’s protections have never been more relevant or more necessary, particularly in light of an epidemic of malicious, often strategic falsity, as well as overt assaults on the institutional press by powerful actors. We need Sullivan now more than ever. Further, for Sullivan to do its work effectively, it must be reinforced by two other legal protections: robust …

Maternal And Infant Outcomes Of Syrian And Palestinian Refugees, Lebanese And Migrant Women Giving Birth In A Tertiary Public Hospital In Lebanon: A Secondary Analysis Of An Obstetric Database, Stephen J. Mccall, Tanya C. El Khoury, Hala Ghattas Ph.D., Shady Elbassuoni, Mhd Hussein Murtada, Zeina Jamaluddine, Christine Haddad, Aya Hussein, Amina Krounbi, Jocelyn Dejong, Janoub Khazaal, Rabih Chahine

Faculty Publications

Objectives This study aims to assess whether the characteristics, management and outcomes of women varied between Syrian and Palestinian refugees, migrant women of other nationalities and Lebanese women giving birth at a public tertiary centre in Beirut, Lebanon.

Methods This was a secondary data analysis of routinely collected data from the public Rafik Hariri University Hospital (RHUH) between January 2011 and July 2018. Data were extracted from medical notes using text mining machine learning methods. Nationality was categorised into Lebanese, Syrian, Palestinian and migrant women of other nationalities. The main outcomes were diabetes, pre-eclampsia, placenta accreta spectrum, hysterectomy, uterine rupture, …

Search For Rare Decays B+→D (*)+SΗ, D (*)+ SK̅, D+ Η, And D+ K0, M. Kumar, V. Bhardwaj, K. Lalwani, I. Adachi

Faculty Publications

We present a study of rare decay modes B+→D⁺_Sh⁰, B+→D^*+_S h⁰, and B+→D+h⁰, where h⁰ denotes the neutral meson η or K⁰, using a data sample of (772±10)×10⁶   BB̅ events produced at the Υ(4S) resonance. The data were collected by the Belle detector operating at the asymmetric-energy KEKB collider. We find no evidence for these decays, so we set upper limits at the 90% confidence level on the branching fractions of B+→D⁺ _S h⁰, D^*+ _S h⁰, …

Turbulent Mixing Simulation Using The Hierarchical Parcel-Swapping (Hips) Model, Tommy Starick, Masoomeh Behrang, David O. Lignell, Heiko Schmidt, Alan R. Kerstein

Faculty Publications

Turbulent mixing is an omnipresent phenomenon that permanently affects our everyday life. Mixing processes also
plays an important role in many industrial applications. The full resolution of all relevant flow scales often poses a major challenge to the numerical simulation and requires a modeling of the small-scale effects. In transported Probability Density Function (PDF) methods, the simplified modeling of the molecular mixing is a known weak point. At this place, the Hierarchical Parcel-Swapping (HiPS) model developed by A.R. Kerstein [J. Stat. Phys. 153, 142-161 (2013)] represents a computationally efficient and novel turbulent mixing model. HiPS simulates the effects of turbulence …

Three- And Four-Point Functions In Cpt -Even Lorentz-Violating Scalar Qed, Brett Altschul, L. C.T. Brito, J. C.C. Felipe, S. Karki, A. C. Lehum, A. Yu Petrov

Faculty Publications

The renormalization of quantum field theories usually assumes Lorentz and gauge symmetries, besides the general restrictions imposed by unitarity and causality. However, the set of renormalizable theories can be enlarged by relaxing some of these assumptions. In this work, we consider the particular case of a CPT-preserving but Lorentz-breaking extension of scalar QED. For this theory, we calculate the one-loop radiative corrections to the three- and four-point scalar-vector vertex functions, at the lowest order in the Lorentz-violation parameters, and we explicitly verify that the resulting low-energy effective action is compatible with the usual gauge invariance requirements. With these results, we …

Changes In The Mechanical Performance Of An Ortho-Planar Spring After Aging Tests, Lucas F. L. Santos, Larry L. Howell, Jose J. R. D’Almeida

Faculty Publications

This paper analyzed an ortho-planar spring (OPS) compliant mechanism and evaluated its mechanical performance after hygrothermal and ultraviolet radiation aging tests. The aging analysis performed here addresses the performance of compliant mechanisms after aging processes which can help inform the design of future compliant mechanisms. ASTM D638 tensile test type I samples were also submitted to aging to serve as a comparison for OPS samples. The samples were submitted to three different kinds of aging conditions, namely water immersion, oil immersion, and ultraviolet radiation. In conclusion, tensile samples showed significant statistical changes in Young's modulus and elongation at break, whereas …