Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Conserved Patterns Of Integrated Developmental Plasticity In A Group Of Polyphenic Tropical Butterflies, Erik Van Bergen, Dave Osbaldeston, Ullasa Kondandaramaiah, Oskar Brattström, Kwaku Aduse-Poku, Paul M. Brakefield

Publications and Research

Background: Developmental plasticity is thought to have profound macro-evolutionary effects, for example, by increasing the probability of establishment in new environments and subsequent divergence into independently evolving lineages. In contrast to plasticity optimized for individual traits, phenotypic integration, which enables a concerted response of plastic traits to environmental variability, may affect the rate of local adaptation by constraining independent responses of traits to selection. Using a comparative framework, this study explores the evolution of reaction norms for a variety of life history and morphological traits across five related species of mycalesine butterflies from the Old World tropics.

Results: Our data …

Equivalence Between A Harmonic Form And A Closed Co-Closed Form In Both Lq And Non-Lq Spaces, Lina Wu

Publications and Research

For a differential k-form ω on a complete non-compact manifold, we establish an equivalent relation between a harmonic form and a closed co-closed form. We extend this equivalence from ω in L^2 spaces to ω with 2-balanced growth including L^2 spaces and non-L^2 spaces. Especially for a simple differential k-form ¯ω on a complete non-compact manifold, we generalize this equivalence from ¯ω in L^q spaces to ¯ω with 2-balanced growth including L^q spaces and non-L^q spaces for 2 ≤ q < 3. Our research findings recapture the work of Andreotti and Vesentini. Our ideas and calculation methods in this paper could provide a new way of broadening L^q spaces to non-L^q spaces in a variety of energy for differential forms.

Nnll Resummation For The Associated Production Of A Top Pair And A Higgs Boson At The Lhc, Alessandro Broggio, Andrea Ferroglia, Ben D. Pecjak, Li Lin Yang

Publications and Research

We study the resummation of soft gluon emission corrections to the production of a top-antitop pair in association with a Higgs boson at the Large Hadron Collider. Starting from a soft-gluon resummation formula derived in previous work, we develop a bespoke parton-level Monte Carlo program which can be used to calculate the total cross section along with differential distributions. We use this tool to study the phenomenological impact of the resummation to next-to-next-to-leading logarithmic (NNLL) accuracy, finding that these corrections increase the total cross section and the differential distributions with respect to NLO calculations of the same observables.

Brane Brick Models In The Mirror, Sebastian Franco, Sangmin Lee, Rak-Kyeong Seong, Cumrun Vafa

Publications and Research

Brane brick models are Type IIA brane configurations that encode the 2d N = (0; 2) gauge theories on the worldvolume of D1-branes probing toric Calabi-Yau 4-folds. We use mirror symmetry to improve our understanding of this correspondence and to provide a systematic approach for constructing brane brick models starting from geometry. The mirror configuration consists of D5-branes wrapping 4-spheres and the gauge theory is determined by how they intersect. We also explain how 2d (0; 2) triality is realized in terms of geometric transitions in the mirror geometry. Mirror symmetry leads to a geometric unification of dualities in different …

Climate Change Across Seasons Experiment (Ccase): A New Method For Simulating Future Climate In Seasonally Snow-Covered Ecosystems, Pamela H. Templer, Andrew B. Reinmann, Rebecca Sanders-Demott, Patrick O. Sorensen, Stephanie M. Juice, Francis Bowles, Laura E. Sofen, Jamie L. Harrison, Ian Halm, Lindsey Rustad, Mary E. Martin, Nicholas Grant

Publications and Research

Climate models project an increase in mean annual air temperatures and a reduction in the depth and duration of winter snowpack for many mid and high latitude and high elevation seasonally snow-covered ecosystems over the next century. The combined effects of these changes in climate will lead to warmer soils in the growing season and increased frequency of soil freeze-thaw cycles (FTCs) in winter due to the loss of a continuous, insulating snowpack. Previous experiments have warmed soils or removed snow via shoveling or with shelters to mimic projected declines in the winter snowpack. To our knowledge, no experiment has …

Health Care Resource Utilization And Costs Of California Medicaid Patients With Schizophrenia Treated With Paliperidone Palmitate Once Monthly Or Atypical Oral Antipsychotic Treatment, Jacqueline A. Pesa,, Dilesh Doshi, Li Wang, Huseyin Yuce, Onur Baser

Publications and Research

Objective: To compare all-cause health care utilization and costs between patients with schizophrenia treated with once monthly paliperidone palmitate (PP1M; Invega Sustenna1) and atypical oral antipsychotic therapy (OAT).

Methods: This was a retrospective claims-based analysis among adult California Medicaid (Medi-Cal) patients with schizophrenia having 2 claims for PP1M or OAT from 1 July 2009 to 31 December 2013 and continuous health plan enrollment for 1 year pre- and post-index date (PP1M or OAT initiation date). Baseline characteristics were reported descriptively. Propensity score matching with a 1:1 greedy match method was used to create two matched cohorts. Treatment patterns, all-cause health …

Evolution Of Complex Target Selex To Identify Aptamers Against Mammalian Cell-Surface Antigens, Prabodhika R. Mallikaratchy

Publications and Research

The demand has increased for sophisticated molecular tools with improved detection limits. Such molecules should be simple in structure, yet stable enough for clinical applications. Nucleic acid aptamers (NAAs) represent a class of molecules able to meet this demand. In particular, aptamers, a class of small nucleic acid ligands that are composed of single-stranded modified/unmodified RNA/DNA molecules, can be evolved from a complex library using Systematic Evolution of Ligands by EXponential enrichment (SELEX) against almost any molecule. Since its introduction in 1990, in stages, SELEX technology has itself undergone several modifications, improving selection and broadening the repertoire of targets. This …

Discovering Liouville-Type Problems For P-Energy Minimizing Maps In Closed Half-Ellipsoids By Calculus Variation Method, Lina Wu

Publications and Research

The goal of this project is to investigate constant properties (called the Liouville-type Problem) for a p-stable map as a local or global minimum of a p-energy functional where the domain is a Euclidean space and the target space is a closed half-ellipsoid. The First and Second Variation Formulas for a p-energy functional has been applied in the Calculus Variation Method as computation techniques. Stokes’ Theorem, Cauchy-Schwarz Inequality, Hardy-Sobolev type Inequalities, and the Bochner Formula as estimation techniques have been used to estimate the lower bound and the upper bound of the derived p-Harmonic Stability Inequality. One challenging point in …

Teaching And Learning Mathematics In The Ar/Vr Environment, Alexander Vaninsky

Publications and Research

This presentation discusses teaching and learning mathematics in augmented (AR) or virtual (VR) reality created by a combination of goggles and earphones. It claims that interactive learning in such an environment is more attractive and efficient. It increases motivation and interest in the subject matter. The approach is underlain by the findings of educational neuroscience considering the learning process as the formation of domains in the brain forming mathematics knowledge centers. The teaching process provides sensory excitation and establishes connections among these and other domains. Hardware and software are available in the market. The suggested approach allows for practical implementation …

Supergroups In Critical Dimensions And Division Algebras, Čestmir Burdik, Sultan Catto, Yasemin Gürcan, Amish Khalfan, Levent Kurt, V. Kato La

Publications and Research

We establish a link between classical heterotic strings and the groups of the magic square associated with Jordan algebras, allowing for a uniform treatment of the bosonic and superstring sectors of the heterotic string.

What’S Brewing? A Statistics Education Discovery Project, Marla A. Sole, Sharon L. Weinberg

Publications and Research

We believe that students learn best, are actively engaged, and are genuinely interested when working on real-world problems. This can be done by giving students the opportunity to work collaboratively on projects that investigate authentic, familiar problems. This article shares one such project that was used in an introductory statistics course. We describe the steps taken to investigate why customers are charged more for iced coffee than hot coffee, which included collecting data and using descriptive and inferential statistical analysis. Interspersed throughout the article, we describe strategies that can help teachers implement the project and scaffold material to assist students …

Recovery And Resilience Of Urban Stream Metabolism Following Superstorm Sandy And Other Floods, Alexander J. Reisinger, Emma J. Rosi, Heather A. Bechtold, Thomas R. Doody, Sujay S. Kaushal, Peter M. Groffman

Publications and Research

Urban streams are exposed to multiple different stressors on a regular basis, with increased hydrological flashiness representing a common urban stream stressor. Stream metabolism, the coupled ecosystem functions of gross primary production (GPP) and ecosystem respiration (ER), controls numerous other ecosystem functions and integrates multiple processes occurring within streams. We examined the effect of one large (Superstorm Sandy) and multiple small and moderately sized flood events in Baltimore, Maryland, to quantify the response and recovery of urban stream GPP and ER before and after floods of different magnitudes. We also compared GPP and ER before and after Superstorm Sandy to …

Comparing Cmaq Forecasts With A Neural Network Forecast Model For Pm2.5 In New York, Samuel D. Lightstone, Fred Moshary, Barry Gross

Publications and Research

Human health is strongly affected by the concentration of fine particulate matter (PM2.5). The need to forecast unhealthy conditions has driven the development of Chemical Transport Models such as Community Multi-Scale Air Quality (CMAQ). These models attempt to simulate the complex dynamics of chemical transport by combined meteorology, emission inventories (EI’s), and gas/particle chemistry and dynamics. Ultimately, the goal is to establish useful forecasts that could provide vulnerable members of the population with warnings. In the simplest utilization, any forecast should focus on next day pollution levels, and should be provided by the end of the business day (5 p.m. …

Disk Heating, Galactoseismology, And The Formation Of Stellar Halos, Kathryn V. Johnston, Adrian M. Price-Whelan, Maria Bergemann, Chervin F. P. Laporte, Ting S. Li, Allyson A. Sheffield, Steven R. Majewski, Rachael S. Beaton, Branimir Sesar, Sanjib Sharma

Publications and Research

Deep photometric surveys of the MilkyWay have revealed diffuse structures encircling our Galaxy far beyond the “classical” limits of the stellar disk. This paper reviews results from our own and other observational programs, which together suggest that, despite their extreme positions, the stars in these structures were formed in our Galactic disk. Mounting evidence from recent observations and simulations implies kinematic connections between several of these distinct structures. This suggests the existence of collective disk oscillations that can plausibly be traced all the way to asymmetries seen in the stellar velocity distribution around the Sun. There are multiple interesting implications …

Existence Conditions Of Super-Replication Cost In A Multinomial Model, Mei Xing

Publications and Research

This paper gives a theorem for the continuous time super-replication cost of European options in an unbounded multinomial market. An approximation multinomial scheme is put forward on a finite time interval [0,1] corresponding to a pure jump Levy model with unbounded jumps. Under the assumption that the expected underlying stock price at time 1 is bounded, the limit of the sequence of the super-replication cost in a multinomial model is proved to be greater than or equal to an optimal control problem. Furthermore, it is discussed that the existence conditions of a super-replication cost and a liquidity premium for the …

Case Study Of Undergraduate Research Projects In Vector Analysis, Alexander Vaninsky, Willy Baez Lara, Madieng Diao, Analilia Mendez

Publications and Research

This paper presents two examples of the undergraduate research projects in vector analysis conducted under the first author’s supervision at one of the community colleges that is an integral part of a large city university. The projects were accomplished by the students pursuing associated degrees in engineering, during their sophomore year. One project was to obtain an explicit formula for the curvature of a curve in plane defined implicitly in rectangular or polar coordinates. Another project was aimed to develop an alternative procedure for finding potential function for a vector field in space based on simultaneous integration. Participation in these …

Circular Dichroistic Impacts Of 1‑(3-Dimethylaminopropyl)-3- Ethylurea: Secondary Structure Artifacts Arising From Bioconjugation Using 1‑Ethyl-3-[3-Dimethylaminopropyl]Carbodiimide, Matthew B. Kubilius, Raymond S. Tu

Publications and Research

1-Ethyl-3-[3-dimethylaminopropyl]carbodiimide (EDC) is a commonly used reagent for bioconjugation and peptide synthesis. Both EDC and the corresponding urea derivative, 1-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-3-ethylurea (EDU), are achiral. As the reagent is active in aqueous solutions, it is a common choice for the study of evolving secondary structural changes via circular dichroism. This work highlights the effect of EDU on spectropolarimetric measurements, namely, the problematic absorption profile at low wavelengths (190−220 nm). We demonstrate that EDU is capable of erroneously indicating structural changes, particularly loss of α-helical character, through masking of the characteristic minimum at 208 nm. However, if the concentrations of the EDU in …

Evaluation Of Extratropical Cyclone Precipitation In The North Atlantic Basin: An Analysis Of Era-Interim, Wrf, And Two Cmip5 Models, James F. Booth, Catherine M. Naud, Jeff Willison

Publications and Research

The representation of extratropical cyclones (ETCs) precipitation in general circulation models (GCMs) and a weather research and forecasting (WRF) model is analyzed. This work considers the link between ETC precipitation and dynamical strength and tests if parameterized convection affects this link for ETCs in the North Atlantic Basin. Lagrangian cyclone tracks of ETCs in ERA-Interim reanalysis (ERAI), the GISS and GFDL CMIP5 models, and WRF with two horizontal resolutions are utilized in a compositing analysis. The 20-km resolution WRF model generates stronger ETCs based on surface wind speed and cyclone precipitation. The GCMs and ERAI generate similar composite means and …

Teaching Size And Power Properties Of Hypothesis Tests Through Simulations, Suleyman Taspinar, Osman Dogan

Publications and Research

In this study, we review the graphical methods suggested in Davidson and MacKinnon (Davidson, Russell, and James G. MacKinnon. 1998. “Graphical Methods for Investigating the Size and Power of Hypothesis Tests.” The Manchester School 66 (1): 1–26.) that can be used to investigate size and power properties of hypothesis tests for undergraduate and graduate econometrics courses. These methods can be used to assess finite sample properties of various hypothesis tests through simulation studies. In addition, these methods can be effectively used in classrooms to reinforce students’ understanding of basic hypothesis testing concepts such as Type I error, Type II error, …

A Novel Approach For Library Materials Acquisition Using Discrete Particle Swarm Optimization, Daniel A. Sabol

Publications and Research

The academic library materials acquisition problem is a challenge for librarian, since library cannot get enough funding from universities and the price of materials inflates greatly. In this paper, we analyze an integer mathematical model by considering the selection of acquired materials to maximize the average preference value as well as the budget execution rate under practical restrictions. The objective is to improve the Discrete Particle Swarm Optimization (DPSO) algorithm by adding a Simulate Annealing algorithm to reduce premature convergence. Furthermore, the algorithm is implemented in multiple threaded environment. The experimental results show the efficiency of this approach.

Gauge-Invariant Variables And Entanglement Entropy, V. Parameswaran Nair, Dimitra Karabali, Abhishek Agarawal

Publications and Research

The entanglement entropy (EE) of gauge theories in three spacetime dimensions is analyzed using manifestly gauge-invariant variables defined directly in the continuum. Specifically, we focus on the Maxwell, Maxwell-Chern-Simons (MCS), and nonabelian Yang-Mills theories. Special attention is paid to the analysis of edge modes and their contribution to EE. The contact term is derived without invoking the replica method and its physical origin is traced to the phase space volume measure for the edge modes. The topological contribution to the EE for the MCS case is calculated. For all the abelian cases, the EE presented in this paper agrees with …

Rules And Mechanisms For Efficient Two-Stage Learning In Neural Circuits, Tiberiu Teşileanu, Bence Ölveczky, Vijay Balasubramanian

Publications and Research

Trial-and-error learning requires evaluating variable actions and reinforcing successful variants. In songbirds, vocal exploration is induced by LMAN, the output of a basal ganglia-related circuit that also contributes a corrective bias to the vocal output. This bias is gradually consolidated in RA, a motor cortex analogue downstream of LMAN. We develop a new model of such two-stage learning. Using stochastic gradient descent, we derive how the activity in ‘tutor’ circuits (e.g., LMAN) should match plasticity mechanisms in ‘student’ circuits (e.g., RA) to achieve efficient learning. We further describe a reinforcement learning framework through which the tutor can build its teaching …

Electron Correlations In An Excited State Of A Quantum Dot In A Uniform Magnetic Field, Marlina Slamet, Viraht Sahni

Publications and Research

Electron correlations in a two-electron two-dimensional ‘artificial atom’ or quantum dot (with harmonic confining potential) in the presence of a uniform magnetic field in an excited singlet state are studied via quantal density functional theory (QDFT). QDFT allows for the separation of the electron correlations due to the Pauli exclusion principle and Coulomb repulsion, as well as the determination of the contribution of these correlations to the kinetic energy. The QDFT mapping is from the excited state of the quantum dot to one of noninteracting fermions in their ground state possessing the same basic variables of the density and physical …

Generalization Of The Schrödinger Theory Of Electrons, Viraht Sahni

Publications and Research

The Schrödinger theory for a system of electrons in the presence of both a static and time-dependent electromagnetic field is generalized so as to exhibit the intrinsic self-consistent nature of the corresponding Schrödinger equations. This is accomplished by proving that the Hamiltonian in the stationary-state and time-dependent cases {\hat{H}; \hat{H}(t)} are exactly known functionals of the corresponding wave functions {\Psi; \Psi(t)}, i.e. \hat{H} = \hat{H}[\Psi] and \hat{H}(t) = \hat{H}[\Psi(t)]. Thus, the Schrödinger equations may be written as \hat{H}[\Psi]\Psi = E[\Psi]\Psi and \hat{H}[\Psi(t)]\Psi(t) = i\partial\Psi(t)/\partial t. As a consequence the eiegenfunctions and energy eigenvalues {\Psi; E} of the stationary-state equation, and …

Automated Refactoring Of Legacy Java Software To Default Methods, Raffi Khatchadourian, Hidehiko Masuhara

Publications and Research

Java 8 default methods, which allow interfaces to contain (instance) method implementations, are useful for the skeletal implementation software design pattern. However, it is not easy to transform existing software to exploit default methods as it requires analyzing complex type hierarchies, resolving multiple implementation inheritance issues, reconciling differences between class and interface methods, and analyzing tie-breakers (dispatch precedence) with overriding class methods to preserve type-correctness and confirm semantics preservation. In this paper, we present an efficient, fully-automated, type constraint-based refactoring approach that assists developers in taking advantage of enhanced interfaces for their legacy Java software. The approach features an extensive …

Bulk Viscous Corrections To Screening And Damping In Qcd At High Temperatures, Qianqian Du, Adrian Dumitru, Yun Guo, Michael Strickland

Publications and Research

Non-equilibrium corrections to the distribution functions of quarks and gluons in a hot and dense QCD medium modify the “hard thermal loops” (HTL). The HTLs determine the retarded, advanced, and symmetric (time-ordered) propagators for gluons with soft momenta as well as the Debye screening and Landau damping mass scales. We compute such corrections to a thermal as well as to a non-thermal fixed point. The screening and damping mass scales are sensitive to the bulk pressure and hence to (pseudo-) critical dynamical scaling of the bulk viscosity in the vicinity of a second-order critical point. This could be reflected in …

The Impact Of New York State's 2016 Mold Licensing Requirement On Indoor Air Quality Assessments, Angelo Lampousis, Mark Drozdov

Publications and Research

As of January 2016, New York joined a select number of states in regulating mold. The New York State Department of Labor has approved mold-related training courses in three levels, ranging from two to four days. These include the mold abatement worker, mold remediation contractor, and mold assessor courses. In this presentation we share the experience obtained to date from delivering the above referenced courses and challenges as an approved training provider. We also evaluate the relative effectiveness of the mode of delivery as it relates to different audiences.

Detecting Broken Pointcuts Using Structural Commonality And Degree Of Interest, Raffi Khatchadourian, Awais Rashid, Hidehiko Masuhara, Takuya Watanabe

Publications and Research

Pointcut fragility is a well-documented problem in Aspect-Oriented Programming; changes to the base-code can lead to join points incorrectly falling in or out of the scope of pointcuts. Deciding which pointcuts have broken due to base-code changes is a daunting venture, especially in large and complex systems. We present an automated approach that recommends pointcuts that are likely to require modification due to a particular base-code change, as well as ones that do not. Our hypothesis is that join points selected by a pointcut exhibit common structural characteristics. Patterns describing such commonality are used to recommend pointcuts that have potentially …

Dynamical Systems Modeling To Identify A Cohort Of Problem Drinkers With Similar Mechanisms Of Behavior Change, Kidist Maxwell, Rebecca Everett, Sijing Shao, Alexis Kuerbis, Lyric Stephenson, H. T. Banks, Jon Morgenstern

Publications and Research

One challenge to understanding mechanisms of behavior change (MOBC) completely among individuals with alcohol use disorder is that processes of change are theorized to be complex, dynamic (time varying), and at times non-linear, and they interact with each other to influence alcohol consumption. We used dynamical systems modeling to better understand MOBC within a cohort of problem drinkers undergoing treatment. We fit a mathematical model to ecological momentary assessment data from individual patients who successfully reduced their drinking by the end of the treatment. The model solutions agreed with the trend of the data reasonably well, suggesting the cohort patients …

Schrödinger Theory Of Electrons In Electromagnetic Fields: New Perspectives, Viraht Sahni, Xiao-Yin Pan

Publications and Research

The Schrödinger theory of electrons in an external electromagnetic field is described from the new perspective of the individual electron. The perspective is arrived at via the time-dependent "Quantal Newtonian" law (or differential virial theorem). (The time-independent law, a special case, provides a similar description of stationary-state theory). These laws are in terms of "classical" fields whose sources are quantal expectations of Hermitian operators taken with respect to the wave function. The laws reveal the following physics: (a) in addition to the external field, each electron experiences an internal field whose components are representative of a specific property of the …