Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Stimuli-Responsive Hydrogel Microdomes Integrated With Genetically Engineered Proteins For High-Throughput Screening Of Pharmaceuticals, Sylvia Daunert, Sapna K. Deo, Jason Douglas Ehrick, Tyler William Browning, Leonidas G. Bachas

Chemistry Faculty Patents

A hydrogel microdome that can swell in response to a stimuli or target molecule is formed by polymerizing a mixture comprising a monomer capable of forming a hydrogel with a biopolymer. An array of hydrogel microdomes can be formed on a substrate by microspotting the mixture and polymerizing. The array can be used for high-throughput screening of analytes as well as for use as an actuator and biosensor using the swelling property of the hydrogel.

Dusty Structure Around Type-I Active Galactic Nuclei: Clumpy Torus Narrow-Line Region And Near-Nucleus Hot Dust, Rivay Mor, Hagai Netzer, Moshe Elitzur

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

We fitted Spitzer/IRS ~ 2-35 μm spectra of 26 luminous quasi-stellar objects in an attempt to define the main emission components. Our model has three major components: a clumpy torus, dusty narrow-line region (NLR) clouds, and a blackbody-like dust. The models utilize the clumpy torus of Nenkova et al. and are the first to allow its consistent check in type-I active galactic nuclei (AGNs). Single torus models and combined torus-NLR models fail to fit the spectra of most sources, but three-component models adequately fit the spectra of all sources. We present torus inclination, cloud distribution, covering factor, and …

Detections Of Water Ice, Hydrocarbons, And 3.3 ΜM Pah In Z ~ 2 Ulirgs, Anna Sajina, Henrik Spoon, Lin Yan, Masatoshi Imanishi, Dario Fadda, Moshe Elitzur

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

We present the first detections of the 3 μm water ice and 3.4 μm amorphous hydrocarbon (HAC) absorption features in z ~ 2 ULIRGs. These are based on deep rest-frame 2-8 μm Spitzer Infrared Spectrograph spectra of 11 sources selected for their appreciable silicate absorption. The HAC-to-silicate ratio for our z ~ 2 sources is typically higher by a factor of 2-5 than that observed in the Milky Way. This HAC “excess” suggests compact nuclei with steep temperature gradients as opposed to predominantly host obscuration. Beside the above molecular absorption features, we detect the 3.3 μm …

Rotationally Warm Molecular Hydrogen In The Orion Bar, Gargi Shaw, Gary J. Ferland, W. J. Henney, P. C. Stancil, N. P. Abel, E. W. Pellegrini, J. A. Baldwin, P. A. Van Hoof

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

The Orion Bar is one of the nearest and best-studied photodissociation or photon-dominated regions (PDRs). Observations reveal the presence of H₂ lines from vibrationally or rotationally excited upper levels that suggest warm gas temperatures (400-700 K). However, standard models of PDRs are unable to reproduce such warm rotational temperatures. In this paper, we attempt to explain these observations with new comprehensive models which extend from the H⁺ region through the Bar and include the magnetic field in the equation of state. We adopt the model parameters from our previous paper which successfully reproduced a wide variety of spectral …

On Quality Control Measures In Genome-Wide Association Studies: A Test To Assess The Genotyping Quality Of Individual Probands In Family-Based Association Studies And An Application To The Hapmap Data, David W. Fardo, Iuliana Ionita-Laza, Christoph Lange

Biostatistics Faculty Publications

Allele transmissions in pedigrees provide a natural way of evaluating the genotyping quality of a particular proband in a family-based, genome-wide association study. We propose a transmission test that is based on this feature and that can be used for quality control filtering of genome-wide genotype data for individual probands. The test has one degree of freedom and assesses the average genotyping error rate of the genotyped SNPs for a particular proband. As we show in simulation studies, the test is sufficiently powerful to identify probands with an unreliable genotyping quality that cannot be detected with standard quality control filters. …

Use Of Co2 Concentration Difference Or Co2 Balance To Assess Ventilation Rate Of Broiler Houses, Hongwei Xin, Hong Li, Robert T. Burns, Richard S. Gates, Douglas G. Overhults, John W. Earnest

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Ventilation rate (VR) is one of the two key elements for quantifying aerial emissions from animal production facilities. Direct, continuous measurement of building VR can be challenging and impractical under certain circumstances,e.g., naturally ventilated animal housing or a large number of ventilation fans in the building. This study examined the suitability of estimating VR of broiler houses with built‐up litter (mixture of manure and bedding), when supplemental heating was not in use, through either carbon dioxide (CO₂) balance or the relationship of VR to CO₂ concentration difference between exhaust and inlet air. The reference VR was based …

The Ionization Balance Of A Non-Equilibrium Plasma, Gary J. Ferland

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

Commentary on: Arnaud M. and Rothenflug R., 1985, A&AS, 60, 425.

Simple Square Smoothing Regularization Operators, Lothar Reichel, Qiang Ye

Mathematics Faculty Publications

Tikhonov regularization of linear discrete ill-posed problems often is applied with a finite difference regularization operator that approximates a low-order derivative. These operators generally are represented by a banded rectangular matrix with fewer rows than columns. They therefore cannot be applied in iterative methods that are based on the Arnoldi process, which requires the regularization operator to be represented by a square matrix. This paper discusses two approaches to circumvent this difficulty: zero-padding the rectangular matrices to make them square and extending the rectangular matrix to a square circulant. We also describe how to combine these operators by weighted averaging …

3d Medical Collaboration Technology To Enhance Emergency Healthcare, Greg Welch, Diane H. Sonnenwald, Henry Fuchs, Bruce Cairns, Ketan Mayer-Patel, Hanna M. Söderholm, Ruigang Yang, Andrei State, Herman Towles, Adrian Ilie, Manoj Ampalam, Srinivas Krishnan, Vincent Noel, Michael Noland, James E. Manning

Computer Science Faculty Publications

Two-dimensional (2D) videoconferencing has been explored widely in the past 15–20 years to support collaboration in healthcare. Two issues that arise in most evaluations of 2D videoconferencing in telemedicine are the difficulty obtaining optimal camera views and poor depth perception. To address these problems, we are exploring the use of a small array of cameras to reconstruct dynamic three-dimensional (3D) views of a remote environment and of events taking place within. The 3D views could be sent across wired or wireless networks to remote healthcare professionals equipped with fixed displays or with mobile devices such as personal digital assistants (PDAs). …

Orion's Bar: Physical Conditions Across The Definitive H+/H0/H2 Interface, E. W. Pellegrini, J. A. Baldwin, Gary J. Ferland, G. Shaw, S. Heathcote

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

Previous work has shown the Orion Bar to be an interface between ionized and molecular gas, viewed roughly edge-on, which is excited by the light from the Trapezium cluster. Much of the emission from any star-forming region will originate from such interfaces, so the Bar serves as a foundation test of any emission model. Here we combine X-ray, optical, infrared (IR), and radio data sets to derive emission spectra along the transition from H⁺ to H⁰ to H₂ regions. We then reproduce the spectra of these layers with a simulation that simultaneously accounts for the detailed microphysics …

Multimeric Hemicellulases Facilitate Biomass Conversion, Zhanmin Fan, Kurt Wagschal, Wei Chen, Michael D. Montross, Charles C. Lee, Ling Yuan

Plant and Soil Sciences Faculty Publications

Two highly active trifunctional hemicellulases were constructed by linking the catalytic portion of a xylanase with an arabinofuranosidase and a xylosidase, using either flexible peptide linkers or linkers containing a cellulose-binding domain. The multifunctional enzymes retain the parental enzyme properties and exhibit synergistic effects in hydrolysis of natural xylans and corn stover.

Fluorescent Excitation Of Balmer Lines In Gaseous Nebulae: Case D, V. Luridiana, S. Simón-Díaz, M. Cerviño, R. M. González Delgado, R. L. Porter, Gary J. Ferland

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

Nonionizing stellar continua are a potential source of photons for continuum pumping in the hydrogen Lyman transitions. In the environments where these transitions are optically thick, de-excitation occurs through higher series lines. As a result, the emitted flux in the affected lines has a fluorescent contribution in addition to the usual recombination one; in particular, Balmer emissivities are systematically enhanced above case B predictions. The effectiveness of such a mechanism in H II regions and the adequacy of photoionization models as a tool to study it are the two main focuses of this work. We find that photoionization models of …

Properties Of Warm Absorbers In Active Galaxies: A Systematic Stability Curve Analysis, Susmita Chakravorty, Ajit K. Kembhavi, Martin Elvis, Gary J. Ferland

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

Signatures of warm absorbers are seen in soft X-ray spectra of about half of all type 1 Seyfert galaxies observed and in some quasars and blazars. We use the thermal equilibrium curve to study the influence of the shape of the ionizing continuum, density and the chemical composition of the absorbing gas on the existence and nature of the warm absorbers. We describe circumstances in which a stable warm absorber can exist as a multiphase medium or one with continuous variation in pressure. In particular, we find the following results: (i) the warm absorber exists only if the spectral index …

Integration Of An Extended Octagonal Ring Transducer And Soil Coulterometer For Identifying Soil Compaction, Santosh K. Pitla, Larry G. Wells, Scott A. Shearer

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

The soil coulterometer is an "on-the-go" electro-mechanical system which collects impedance force data at multiple depths using an oscillating coulter. During the initial testing (summer 2006), only vertical soil impedance force data was collected using a pressure sensor. To improve the performance of the coulterometer, an extended octagonal ring transducer was integrated into the system to collect both the horizontal and vertical impedance forces given by the soil. In the summer of 2007, data was collected using the revised sensor from a typical central Kentucky field setting in a 0.8-ha (2-acre) plot. Four passes were made with the coulterometer. Seventy …

Four Rivers Basin: Cumberland, Tennessee, Ohio, Mississippi, Daniel I. Carey

Map and Chart--KGS

The Four Rivers Basin includes over 4 ,700 square miles in all or parts of 17 counties. The basin contains more than 10,700 miles of streams.

More than 720 miles of streams assessed in the basin by the Kentucky Division of Water do not support designated uses for warm-water aquatic habitat, fish consumption, primary contact recreation, or secondary contact recreation. Not all streams have been assessed. The percentage of assessed streams not supporting uses was: warm-water aquatic habitat (58 percent); fish consumption (14 percent); primary contact recreation (76 percent); secondary contact recreation (30 percent). Nearly 125 miles of streams have …

The Three-Dimensional Dynamic Structure Of The Inner Orion Nebula, C. R. O'Dell, W. J. Henney, N. P. Abel, Gary J. Ferland, S. J. Arthur

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

The three-dimensional structure of the brightest part of the Orion Nebula is assessed in the light of published and newly established data. We find that the widely accepted model of a concave blister of ionized material needs to be altered in the southwest direction from the Trapezium, where we find that the Orion-S feature is a separate cloud of very optically thick molecules within the body of ionized gas, which is probably the location of the multiple embedded sources that produce the optical and molecular outflows that define the Orion-S star formation region. Evidence for this cloud comes from the …

Green/Tradewater River Basin In Kentucky, Daniel I. Carey

Map and Chart--KGS

The total area of the Green/Tradewater River Basin is 11,500 square miles, including 410 square miles in Tennessee. More than one-fouth of Kentucky lies in the basin, including all or parts of 35 Kentucky counties. The basin contains nearly 23,600 miles of streams, including 1,580 miles in Tennessee. The Green River Basin contains over 9,230 square miles, including 410 square miles in Tennessee.

From an elevation of 1,384 feet on a ridge in Lincoln County, water flows west 385 miles down the Green River to its confluence with the Ohio River east of Henderson at an elevation of 342 feet. …

Salt River Basin, Daniel I. Carey

Map and Chart--KGS

The Salt River Basin and adjacent Ohio River drainages include over 4,150 square miles in all or parts of 19 counties. The basin contains more than 9,600 miles of streams.

Over 660 miles of streams assessed in the basin by the Kentucky Division of Water do not support designated uses for warm-water aquatic habitat, fish consumption, or primary contact recreation (swimming). Not all streams have been assessed. The percentage of assessed streams not supporting uses was: warm-water aquatic habitat (38 percent); fish consumption (36 percent); primary contact recreation (86 percent). Over 100 miles of streams have been declared special use …

Licking River Basin, Daniel I. Carey

Map and Chart--KGS

Nearly 9,600 miles of streams flow through the Licking River Basin's 3,700 square miles in 22 counties. From a hill in southern Magoffin County 1,600 feet above sea level, the Licking River runs northwest down to the Ohio River at 448 feet above sea level.

The underlying rocks in the basin are, in general, dominated by shale. This creates a large number of perennial streams in the basin and provides a foundation for ponds and lakes, but also limits the potential for water wells. There are 29,000 acres of wetland in the basin.

Residents draw about 24 million gallons of …

Upper Cumberland River Basin In Kentucky, Daniel I. Carey

Map and Chart--KGS

The Upper Cumberland River Basin covers over 7,300 square miles, 5,180 in Kentucky and 2,130 in Tennessee. All or parts of 20 Kentucky counties lie in the basin. The basin contains nearly 15,100 miles of streams, 10,430 in Kentucky and 4,640 in Tennessee. From the headwaters of Looney Creek in Harlan County, 4,100 feet above sea level, and the Poor Fork in Letcher County, runoff flows down the Upper Cumberland River west to an elevation of 460 feet at the Kentucky-Tennessee line. The river and its tributaries are a blessing and a bane: They provide for recreation, drinking water, and …

Kentucky River Basin, Daniel I. Carey

Map and Chart--KGS

The Kentucky River Basin's nearly 7,000 square miles in 42 counties contain 16,000 miles of streams. From a hill in Letcher County 3,250 feet above sea level, and the Kentucky River runs down the Eastern Kentucky Coal Field, Knobs, and Bluegrass Regions to the Ohio River at 420 feet above sea level.

Along the way the river washes rocks laid down as sediments over a period of 150 million years—past the 300-million-year-old sandstone, siltstone, shale, and Camp Nelson limestones at the base of the Kentucky River Palisades in central Kentucky.

Residents draw about 100 million gallons of water per day …

Big Sandy/Little Sandy And Tygarts Creek Basins, Daniel I. Carey

Map and Chart--KGS

Nearly 7,600 miles of streams flow through the basin's 3,440 square miles in 14 counties to the Tug Fork, Big Sandy River, and Ohio River. The Tygarts Creek–Little Sandy River Basin includes 1,160 square miles. The Big Sandy River Basin has 2,285 square miles in Kentucky and 1,950 square miles in West Virginia and Virginia. There are nearly 17,000 acres of wetlands, including water bodies.

Residents draw about 27 million gallons of water per day (mgd) from streams and reservoirs in the basin. About three in five residents are on public water; other households rely primarily on domestic wells. Only …

The Mississippian Section At Paddys Bluff, Crittenden County, Kentucky, Ron Counts, F. Brett Denny, James C. Hower, Zakaria Lasemi, Rodney D. Norby, Paul E. Potter, Scott Waninger, David A. Williams

Map and Chart--KGS

Paddys Bluff (Figs. 1-3) is located on the south side of the Illinois Basin on the Cumberland River, 1.7 miles downstream from Dycusburg in Crittenden County, Ky., in Carter coordinate section 23-I-16 and ecoregion 71f of the Western Highland Rim of Kentucky (Woods and others, 2002). This bluff is on a right-descending bend 18 liver miles above its junction with the Ohio River at Smithland, Livingston County. The bluff (Figs. 4A, B) is locally famous as the location for a scene from the classic 1962 film, "How the West Was Won,' a winner of three Academy Awards, starling James Stewart, …

Mapped Karst Groundwater Basins In The Tell City And Part Of The Jasper 30 X 60 Minute Quadrangles, Joseph A. Ray, Jack R. Moody, Robert J. Blair, James C. Currens, Randall L. Paylor

Map and Chart--KGS

No abstract provided.

Summary Of Kentucky River Watershed Watch 2009 Water Sampling Results, Kentucky Water Resources Research Institute, Kentucky River Authority

Kentucky River Watershed Watch

No abstract provided.

Electron-Impact Excitation Of O Ii Fine-Structure Levels, R. Kisielius, P. J. Storey, Gary J. Ferland, F. P. Keenan

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

Effective collision strengths for forbidden transitions among the five energetically lowest fine-structure levels of O II are calculated in the Breit–Pauli approximation using the R-matrix method. Results are presented for the electron temperature range 100–100 000 K. The accuracy of the calculations is evaluated via the use of different types of radial orbital sets and a different configuration expansion basis for the target wavefunctions. A detailed assessment of previous available data is given, and erroneous results are highlighted. Our results reconfirm the validity of the original Seaton and Osterbrock scaling for the optical O II ratio, a matter of some …

Collisional Heating As The Origin Of Filament Emission In Galaxy Clusters, G. J. Ferland, A. C. Fabian, N. A. Hatch, R. M. Johnstone, R. L. Porter, P. A. M. Vanhoof, R. J. R. Williams

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

It has long been known that photoionization, whether by starlight or other sources, has difficulty in accounting for the observed spectra of the optical filaments that often surround central galaxies in large clusters. This paper builds on the first of this series in which we examined whether heating by energetic particles or dissipative magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) wave can account for the observations. The first paper focused on the molecular regions which produce strong H₂ and CO lines. Here we extend the calculations to include atomic and low-ionization regions. Two major improvements to the previous calculations have been made. The model …

The Location And Kinematics Of The Coronal-Line Emitting Regions In Active Galactic Nuclei, J. R. Mullaney, M. J. Ward, C. Done, Gary J. Ferland, N. Schurch

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

We use the photoionization code CLOUDY to determine both the location and the kinematics of the optical forbidden, high-ionization line (hereafter, FHIL) emitting gas in the narrow line Seyfert 1 galaxy Ark 564. The results of our models are compared with the observed properties of these emission lines to produce a physical model that is used to explain both the kinematics and the source of this gas. The main features of this model are that the FHIL emitting gas is launched from the putative dusty torus and is quickly accelerated to its terminal velocity of a few hundred km s …

Uncertainties In Theoretical Hei Emissivities: Hii Regions, Primordial Abundance And Cosmological Recombination, R. L. Porter, Gary J. Ferland, Keith B. Macadam, P. J. Storey

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

A number of recent works in astronomy and cosmology have relied upon theoretical He I emissivities, but we know of no effort to quantify the uncertainties in the atomic data. We analyse and assign uncertainties to all relevant atomic data, perform Monte Carlo analyses, and report standard deviations in the line emissivities. We consider two sets of errors, which we call ‘optimistic’ and ‘pessimistic’. We also consider three different conditions, corresponding to prototypical Galactic and extragalactic H IIregions and the epoch of cosmological recombination. In the extragalactic H II case, the errors we obtain are comparable to or larger than …

Kentucky Water Resources Research Institute Annual Technical Report Fy 2008, Kentucky Water Resources Research Institute, University Of Kentucky

KWRRI Annual Technical Reports (USGS’s 104b Grant Program)

The 2008 Annual Technical Report for Kentucky consolidates reporting requirements of the Section 104(b) base grant award into a single document that includes: 1) a synopsis of each research project conducted with grant funds during the period, 2) citations for related publications, reports, and presentations, 3) a description of information transfer activities, 4) a summary of student support during the reporting period, and 5) notable awards and achievements during the year.