Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Modeling Free-Carrier Absorption And Avalanching By Ultrashort Laser Pulses, Jeremy R. Gulley

Faculty and Research Publications

In the past decade it was demonstrated experimentally that negatively-chirped laser pulses can lower the surface LIDT for wide band-gap materials by decreasing the number of photons required for photoionization on the leading edge of the pulse. Similarly, simulations have shown that positively-chirped pulses resulting from selffocusing and self-phase modulation in bulk dielectrics can alter the onset of laser-induced material modifications by increasing the number of photons required for photoionization on the leading edge of the pulse. However, the role of multi-chromatic effects in free-carrier absorption and avalanching has yet to be addressed. In this work a frequency-selective model of …

Pólya’S Theorem With Zeros, Mari Castle, Victoria Powers, Bruce Reznick

Faculty and Research Publications

Let be the real polynomial ring in variables. Pólya’s Theorem says that if a homogeneous polynomial is positive on the standard -simplex , then for sufficiently large all the coefficients of are positive. We give a complete characterization of forms, possibly with zeros on , for which there exists so that all coefficients of have only nonnegative coefficients, along with a bound on the needed.

Two-Loop Corrections To W And Z Boson Production At High Pt, Nikolaos Kidonakis

Faculty and Research Publications

We present new results for the complete two-loop corrections in the soft approximation for W and Z boson production at large transverse momentum. Analytical expressions for the NNLO approximate corrections are used to calculate transverse momentum distributions. Results for the W boson pT distribution at Tevatron and LHC energies are presented.

Second-Order Approximate Corrections For Qcd Processes, Nikolaos Kidonakis

Faculty and Research Publications

I present generalized formulas for approximate corrections to QCD hard-scattering cross sections through second order in the perturbative expansion. The approximate results are based on recent two-loop calculations for soft and collinear emission near threshold and are illustrated by several applications to strong-interaction processes in hadron colliders.

Top Quark Theoretical Cross Sections And Pt And Rapiditiy Distributions, Nikolaos Kidonakis

Faculty and Research Publications

I present theoretical results for the top quark pair total cross section, and for the top quark transverse momentum and rapidity distributions at Tevatron and LHC energies. I also present results for single top quark production in the t- and s-channels and also via associated production with a W boson. The calculations include approximate NNLO corrections that are derived from NNLL soft-gluon resummation.

Top Quark Rapidity Distribution And Forward-Backward Asymmetry, Nikolaos Kidonakis

Faculty and Research Publications

I present results for the top quark rapidity distribution at Large Hadron Collider and Tevatron energies, including higher-order corrections from threshold resummation. Approximate next-to-next-to-leading-order (NNLO) results are obtained by adding the NNLO soft-gluon corrections at next-to-next-to-leading-logarithm level to the exact next-to-leading-order calculation. Theoretical predictions are shown for the rapidity distribution, including the scale dependence of the distributions. The forward-backward asymmetry at the Tevatron is also calculated.

Cacao Use And The San Lorenzo Olmec, Terry G. Powis, Ann Cyphers, Nilesh W. Gaikwad, Louis Grivetti, Kong Cheong

Faculty and Research Publications

Mesoamerican peoples had a long history of cacao use—spanning more than 34 centuries—as confirmed by previous identification of cacao residues on archaeological pottery from Paso de la Amada on the Pacific Coast and the Olmec site of El Manatí on the Gulf Coast. Until now, comparable evidence from San Lorenzo, the premier Olmec capital, was lacking. The present study of theobromine residues confirms the continuous presence and use of cacao products at San Lorenzo between 1800 and 1000 BCE, and documents assorted vessels forms used in its preparation and consumption. One elite context reveals cacao use as part of a …

Next-To-Next-To-Leading-Order Collinear And Soft Gluon Corrections For T-Channel Single Top Quark Production, Nikolaos Kidonakis

Faculty and Research Publications

I present the resummation of collinear and soft-gluon corrections to single top quark production in the t channel at next-to-next-to-leading logarithm accuracy using two-loop soft anomalous dimensions. The expansion of the resummed cross section yields approximate next-to-next-to-leading-order cross sections. Numerical results for t-channel single top quark (or single antitop) production at the Tevatron and the LHC are presented, including the dependence of the cross sections on the top quark mass and the uncertainties from scale variation and parton distributions. Combined results for all single top quark production channels are also given.

The Minimum-Norm Least-Squares Solution Of A Linear System And Symmetric Rank-One Updates, Xuzhou Chen, Jun Ji

Faculty and Research Publications

In this paper, we study the Moore-Penrose inverse of a symmetric rank-one perturbed matrix from which a finite method is proposed for the minimum-norm least-squares solution to the system of linear equations Ax = b. This method is guaranteed to produce the required result.

Renormalization Group Evolution Of Collinear And Infrared Divergences, Nikolaos Kidonakis

Faculty and Research Publications

I discuss collinear and infrared divergences in QCD cross sections with massless and massive final-state particles. I present the two-loop renormalization group evolution and resummation in terms of anomalous dimensions, and I show specific results for a variety of QCD hard-scattering processes.

Top Quark Cross Sections And Differential Distributions, Nikolaos Kidonakis

Faculty and Research Publications

I present results for the top quark pair total cross section and the top quark transverse momentum distribution at Tevatron and LHC energies. I also present results for single top quark production. All calculations include NNLO corrections from NNLL threshold resummation.

Characterization Of Ceriporiopsis Subvermispora Bicupin Oxalate Oxidase Expressed In Pichia Pastoris, Patricia Moussatche, Alexander Angerhofer, Witcha Imaram, Eric Hoffer, Kelsey Uberto, Christopher Brooks, Crystal Bruce, Daniel Sledge, Nigel G. J. Richards, Ellen W. Moomaw

Faculty and Research Publications

Oxalate oxidase (E.C. 1.2.3.4) catalyzes the oxygen-dependent oxidation of oxalate to carbon dioxide in a reaction that is coupled with the formation of hydrogen peroxide. Although there is currently no structural information available for oxalate oxidase fromCeriporiopsis subvermispora (CsOxOx), sequence data and homology modeling indicate that it is the first manganese-containing bicupin enzyme identified that catalyzes this reaction. Interestingly, CsOxOx shares greatest sequence homology with bicupin microbial oxalate decarboxylases (OxDC). We show that CsOxOx activity directly correlates with Mn content and other metals do not appear to be able to support catalysis. EPR spectra indicate that the Mn is present …

Counting The Impossible: Sampling And Modeling To Achieve A Large State Homeless Count, Jennifer L. Priestley, Jane Massey

Faculty and Research Publications

Objective: Using inferential statistics, we develop estimates of the homeless population of a geographically large and economically diverse state -- Georgia.

Methods: Multiple independent data sources (2000 U.S. Census, the 2006 Georgia County Guide, Georgia Chamber of Commerce) were used to develop Clusters of the 150 Georgia Counties. These clusters were used as "strata" to then execute traified sampling. Homeless counts were conducted within the sample counties, allowing for multiple regression models to be developed to generate predictions of homeless persons by county.

Results: In response to a mandate from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, the State …

Sharp Asymptotics Of The Lp Approximation Error For Interpolation On Block Partitions, Yuliya Babenko, Tatyana Leskevich, Jean-Marie Mirebeau

Faculty and Research Publications

Adaptive approximation (or interpolation) takes into account local variations in the behavior of the given function, adjusts the approximant depending on it, and hence yields the smaller error of approximation. The question of constructing optimal approximating spline for each function proved to be very hard. In fact, no polynomial time algorithm of adaptive spline approximation can be designed and no exact formula for the optimal error of approximation can be given. Therefore, the next natural question would be to study the asymptotic behavior of the error and construct asymptotically optimal sequences of partitions. In this paper we provide sharp asymptotic …

An Approach To Nearest Neighboring Search For Multi-Dimensional Data, Yong Shi, Li Zhang, Lei Zhu

Faculty and Research Publications

Finding nearest neighbors in large multi-dimensional data has always been one of the research interests in data mining field. In this paper, we present our continuous research on similarity search problems. Previously we have worked on exploring the meaning of K nearest neighbors from a new perspective in PanKNN [20]. It redefines the distances between data points and a given query point Q, efficiently and effectively selecting data points which are closest to Q. It can be applied in various data mining fields. A large amount of real data sets have irrelevant or obstacle information which greatly affects the effectiveness …

Which Chessboards Have A Closed Knight's Tour Within The Rectangular Prism?, Joseph Demaio, Mathew Bindia

Faculty and Research Publications

A closed knight's tour of a chessboard uses legal moves of the knight to visit every square exactly once and return to its starting position. In 1991 Schwenk completely classified the m x n rectangular chessboards that admit a closed knight's tour. In honor of the upcoming twentieth anniversary of the publication of Schwenk's paper, this article extends his result by classifying the i x j x k rectangular prisms that admit a closed knight's tour.

Impulse-Momentum Diagrams, David Rosengrant

Faculty and Research Publications

Multiple representations are a valuable tool to help students learn and understand physics concepts. Furthermore, representations help students learn how to think and act like real scientists. These representations include: pictures, free‐body diagrams, energy bar charts, electrical circuits, and, more recently, computer simulations and animations. However, instructors have limited choices when they want to help their students understand impulse and momentum. One of the only available options is the impulse‐momentum bar chart. The bar charts can effectively show the magnitude of the momentum as well as help students understand conservation of momentum, but they do not easily show the actual …

Drift And The Risk-Free Rate, Anda Gadidov, M. C. Spruill

Faculty and Research Publications

It is proven, under a set of assumptions differing from the usual ones in the unboundedness of the time interval, that, in an economy in equilibrium consisting of a risk-free cash account and an equity whose price process is a geometric Brownian motion on [0,∞), the drift rate must be close to the risk-free rate; if the drift rate μ and the risk-free rate r are constants, then r = μ and the price process is the same under both empirical and risk neutral measures. Contributing in some degree perhaps to interest in this mathematical curiosity is the fact, based …

Establishing Open-Ended Assessments: Investigating The Validity Of Creative Exercises, Scott E. Lewis, Janet L. Shaw, Kathryn A. Freeman

Faculty and Research Publications

Open-ended assessments, defined as assessments with a large set of possible correct answers, by nature lend themselves to concerns regarding accurate and consistent grading. This article describes one particular open-ended assessment, named Creative Exercises (CE), designed for promoting students' interconnection of concepts in a college general chemistry setting. The article presents evidence concerning several aspects of validity, including the extent scores represent chemistry knowledge and the extent scoring is consistent across three graders. The evidence is also presented in the context of what is known about concept maps, a commonly employed open-ended assessment in chemistry. Implications for the administration of …