Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Unfolding Smooth Prismatoids, Nadia Benbernou, Patricia Cahn, Joseph O'Rourke

Computer Science: Faculty Publications

We define a notion for unfolding smooth, ruled surfaces, and prove that every smooth prismatoid (the convex hull of two smooth curves lying in parallel planes), has a nonoverlapping “volcano unfolding.” These unfoldings keep the base intact, unfold the sides outward, splayed around the base, and attach the top to the tip of some side rib. Our result answers a question for smooth prismatoids whose analog for polyhedral prismatoids remains unsolved.

Central And North America (Nearctic), E. M. Gese, M. Bekoff

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Coyotes appear slender with “a long, narrow, pointed nose; small rounded nose pads; large pointed ears; slender legs; small feet; and a bushy tail...” (Young and Jackson 1951). Size varies geographically (Young and Jackson 1951) (Table 4.1.1), although adult males are heavier and larger than adult females. They range in color from pure grey to rufous; melanistic coyotes are rare (Young and Jackson 1951). Fur texture and color varies geographically: northern subspecies have long coarse hair, coyotes in the desert tend to be fulvous in color, while coyotes at higher latitudes are darker and more grey (Young and Jackson 1951). …

Controlling Dissociative Adsorption For Effective Growth Of Carbon Nanotubes, Vijaya Kayastha, Yoke Khin Yap, Svetlana Dimovski, Yury Gogotsi

Department of Physics Publications

Dissociative adsorption has been widely simplified as part of the vapor–liquid–solid (VLS) growth model. We found that the addition of specific carrier gases can critically modify the growth rate and growth density of multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWNTs). These results were explained by dissociative adsorption of C₂H₂ molecules and a solid-core VLS growth model. Based on these integrated mechanisms, vertically aligned MWNTs were grown with an initial growth rate as high as ∼800μm∕h. This efficient growth process results at temperature and C₂H₂ partial pressures at which the decomposition and segregation rates of carbon are balanced. …

2nd National Invasive Rodent Summit

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Papers (abstracts follow)

Historical perspectives and current ecological impacts of nutria in Louisiana
Urban desert islands
Flea control on wild rodents
An overview of rodent control to protect biodiversity on mainland New Zealand
Risk assessment of rodenticide use in New Zealand
Rodents on oceanic islands
Invasive species
Improving the management of rat control damage on the Caribbean National Forest
The USGS role in nutria research and management
Controlling roof rats (Rattus rattus) for protection of Puerto Rican parrots
Anticoagulant resistance in farm rat populations in the UK
Invasive rodent research priorities in New Zealand
The National Invasive Species Council
Integrated …

Red Rock Desert Learning Center Core Group Meeting: October 19, 2004, Red Rock Desert Learning Center

Reports (RRLC)

1. Introductions (5 min.)
2. Approval of Minutes from September 21 Meeting (5 minutes)
3. Review & Discussion of Suggested Core Curriculum Themes – Jeanne Klockow/Michael Reiland (20 min.)
4. Update from Line and Space Architects – Les Wallach/Henry Tom (20 min.)
5. Standing Reports (20 minutes)
   A. UNLV/CESU Update – Nancy Flagg
   C. BLM Update – Michael Reiland
6. Committee Reports (10 min.)
   A. Building – Angie Lara
   B. Design Oversight – David Frommer
   C. Educational Programs – Paul Buck
   D. Fund-Raising & Partnerships – Blaine Benedict
   E. NEPA – Charles Carroll
   F. Operations – Jack Ramsey
   G. Other Uses – Pat Williams
   H. Wild …

Automated Motion Synthesis For Virtual Choreography, Gazihan Alankus, A. Alphan Bayazit, O. Burchan Bayazit

All Computer Science and Engineering Research

In this paper, we present a technique to automati-cally synthesize dancing moves for arbitrary songs. Our current implementation is for virtual characters, but it is easy to use the same algorithms for entertainer robots, such as robotic dancers, which fits very well to this year’s conference theme. Our technique is based on analyzing a musical tune (can be a song or melody) and synthesizing a motion for the virtual character where the character’s movement synchronizes to the musical beats. In order to analyze beats of the tune, we developed a fast and novel algorithm. Our motion synthesis algorithm analyze library …

Cholesky Residuals For Assessing Normal Errors In A Linear Model With Correlated Outcomes: Technical Report, E. Andres Houseman, Louise Ryan, Brent Coull

Harvard University Biostatistics Working Paper Series

Despite the widespread popularity of linear models for correlated outcomes (e.g. linear mixed models and time series models), distribution diagnostic methodology remains relatively underdeveloped in this context. In this paper we present an easy-to-implement approach that lends itself to graphical displays of model fit. Our approach involves multiplying the estimated margional residual vector by the Cholesky decomposition of the inverse of the estimated margional variance matrix. The resulting "rotated" residuals are used to construct an empirical cumulative distribution function and pointwise standard errors. The theoretical framework, including conditions and asymptotic properties, involves technical details that are motivated by Lange and …

Implementation And Comparison Of Denial Of Service Attack Techniques, Khaled M. Elleithy, Drazen Blagovic, Wang K. Cheng, Paul Sideleau

School of Computer Science & Engineering Faculty Publications

A denial of service attack (DOS) is any type of attack on a networking structure to disable a server from servicing its clients. Attacks range from sending millions of requests to a server in an attempt to slow it down, flooding a server with large packets of invalid data, to sending requests with an invalid of spoofed IP address. In this paper we show the implementation and analysis of three main types of attack: Ping of Death, TCP SYN Flood, and Distributed DOS. The Ping of Death attack will be simulated against a Microsoft Windows 95 computer. The TCP SYN …

Ferroelectric Nanomesa Formation From Polymer Langmuir-Blodgett Films, Mengjun Bai, Stephen Ducharme

Stephen Ducharme Publications

We report the fabrication and characterization of nanoscale ferroelectric structures consisting of disk-shaped nanomesas averaging 8.7±0.4 nm in height and 95±22 nm in diameter, and nanowells 9.8±3.3 nm in depth and 128±37 nm in diameter, formed from Langmuir–Blodgett films of vinylidene fluoride copolymers after annealing in the paraelectric phase. The nanomesas retain the ferroelectric properties of the bulk material and so may be suitable for use in high-density nonvolatile random-access memories, acoustic transducer arrays, or infrared imaging arrays. The nanomesa and nanowell patterns may provide useful templates for nanoscale molding or contact-printing.

Ice Nucleation In Internally Mixed Ammonium Sulfate/Dicarboxylic Acid Particles, Matthew E. Wise, Rebecca M. Garland, Margaret A. Tolbert

CUP Faculty Research

Recent studies have shown that tropospheric sulfate aerosols commonly contain 50% or more by mass organic species. The influence of these organics on the chemical and physical properties of sulfate aerosols is not fully established. Using an aerosol flow tube technique, we have determined ice nucleation temperatures for particles composed of ammonium sulfate and mixtures of ammonium sulfate with a series of dicarboxylic acids. A calibration curve was developed to allow us to convert the freezing temperatures to a saturation ratio required for ice nucleation. At levels detectable by our experimental technique we find that the freezing temperatures and critical …

Three-Dimensional Simulations Of Inorganic Aerosol Distributions In East Asia During Spring 2001, Youhua Tang, Gregory R. Carmichael, John H. Seinfeld, Donald Dabdub, Rodney J. Weber, B J. Huebert, A D. Clarke, Sergio A. Guazzotti, David A. Sodeman, Kimberly A. Prather, Itsushi Uno, Jung -Hun Woo, James J. Yienger, David G. Streets, Patricia K. Quinn, James E. Johnson, Chul-Han Song, Vicki H. Grassian, Adrian Sandu, R. Talbot, Jack E. Dibb

Earth Sciences

In this paper, aerosol composition and size distributions in east Asia are simulated using a comprehensive chemical transport model. Three-dimensional aerosol simulations for the TRACE-P and ACE-Asia periods are performed and used to help interpret actual observations. The regional chemical transport model, STEM-2K3, which includes the on-line gas-aerosol thermodynamic module SCAPE II, and explicitly considers chemical aging of dust, is used in the analysis. The model is found to represent many of the important observed features. The Asian outflow during March and April of 2001 is heavily polluted with high aerosol loadings. Under conditions of low dust loading, SO_{2 …}

Modeling Long-Term Volcanic Hazards Through Bayesian Inference: An Example From The Tohoku Volcanic Arc, Japan, Andrew J. Martin, Koji Umeda, Charles B. Connor, Jennifer N. Weller, Dapeng Zhao, Masaki Takahashi

Geology Faculty Publications

The need to quantitatively estimate future locations of volcanoes in the long-term is of increasing importance, partly as a result of the requirement of constructing certain types of installations in regions of low geologic risk. The complex geological factors and natural processes controlling the locations of volcanoes make it problematic to estimate future patterns deterministically. Instead, the probabilistic approach can be developed with quite high levels of confidence; however, for regions with few or no volcanoes, there is a need to include additional geological and geophysical data that may indicate the likelihood of future volcanism. We achieve this using Bayesian …

Compensation Programs In Wyoming For Livestock Depredation By Large Carnivores, M. T. Bruscino, T. L. Cleveland

Sheep and Goat Research Journal

Common law in America, which has been continually reinforced in the courts of the United States, holds that the people of the state own the wildlife within its boundaries. No person or entity holds absolute property rights to wildlife regardless of the ownership of the land on which the animal is found. The courts have construed that since wildlife belongs to everyone, everyone must share in its keep. As a result of this interpretation, courts have ruled the government, both state and federal, is immune from liability for damage caused by wild animals, unless the government waives its sovereign immunity …

Feral Swine Impacts On Agriculture And The Environment, Nathan W. Seward, Kurt C. Vercauteren, Gary W. Witmer, Richard M. Engeman

Sheep and Goat Research Journal

More than 30 species of exotic freeranging mammals have become established in the United States since European colonization (De Vos et al., 1956; McKnight, 1964; Roots, 1976). These species often become serious economic pests and can have grave consequences on their host environments (Cottam, 1956; De Vos et al., 1956; Mayer and Brisbin, 1991). True wild pigs (Suidae) are not native to the United States. Only the collared peccary (Tayassu tajacu; Tayassuidae) that inhabits the southwestern and south-central parts of the United States is native (Mayer and Brandt, 1982; Mayer and Wetzel, 1986). Feral swine (Sus scrofa …

Using Genetic Analyses To Identify Predators, C. L. Williams, J. J. Johnston

Sheep and Goat Research Journal

Coyote and dog depredation account for much of the economic losses to livestock in the United States (National Agricultural Statistical Service, 2000, 2001). However, depredation by other species (such as members of reintroduced wolf populations) can be more socially and politically contentious. Predators are often elusive and attacks on livestock are not often witnessed but the species of predator causing stock losses can sometimes be ascertained from evidence near the carcass (such as scat or hair), the attack pattern, or size and spacing of bite wounds. However, these species assignments can be subjective and may be influenced by the experience …

Non-Lethal Alternatives For Predation Management, John A. Shivik

Sheep and Goat Research Journal

The ethical milieu in which wildlife biologists and livestock producers work continues to change as the concepts of environmentalism and animal rights and welfare have become introduced and normalized (Singer, 1975). The American public, including livestock producers, are mired within a typically human psychological quagmire of having a high demand for benefit, but a low tolerance for cost — that is, economic forces. Americans tend to demand a cheap, reliable food supply, while simultaneously demanding the existence of animals that, through predation activities, drive up production costs. Ironically, members of the urban public who may find fault with food and …

Direct, Spillover, And Intangible Benefits Of Predation Management, Stephanie A. Shwiff, Mike J. Bodenchuk

Sheep and Goat Research Journal

Predation management is a controversial and often misunderstood reality of livestock management. Few on either side of the argument would believe that some sort of management is not necessary to limit livestock losses. Opposition to the lethal removal of predators characterizes most debates. While most of the opposition reflects a moral opinion about the manner in which people relate to the natural world, opponents of lethal control often argue that control is not economically justified.

Simple economic justification would require that benefits of predation management outweigh the costs. If the only goal of predation management were to be economically efficient, …

Selective Targeting Of Alpha Coyotes To Stop Sheep Depredation, M. M. Jaeger

Sheep and Goat Research Journal

Research to find more effective and socially acceptable solutions of managing coyote (Canis latrans) depredation has been ongoing for many years. The primary objective is to develop strategies that effectively reduce losses, not simply reduce coyote numbers. An important step in solving such conflicts is to clearly define the problem. In this case, it is important to know which coyotes are most likely to kill sheep and when and where their depredation is greatest. For a control strategy to be effective, it must be appropriate to these three defining characteristics. The hardest of these questions to resolve has been determining …

Economic Impact Of Sheep Predation In The United States, Keithly Jones

Sheep and Goat Research Journal

Though accounting for less than 1 percent of U.S. livestock industry receipts, sheep and goat operations are still important to the economies of several states in the Southern Plains, Mountain States and Pacific regions. Revenues from sales of lambs and culled ewes amount to more than three-fourths of the total receipts in the sheep industry. However, nearly 4 percent of the animals in the sheep industry are lost each year. Most of this loss is from predation. Predators include coyotes, domestic dogs, big cats, foxes and bears, and eagles. Predator losses are concentrated in the Southern Plains, Pacific States and …

Predation And Livestock Production: Perspective And Overview, Maurice Shelton

Sheep and Goat Research Journal

1. Predation is a more serious problem for the livestock industry than most people realize unless they are somehow involved. This problem is almost certain to increase due to the dispersal of feral or wild hogs throughout the country and the expanding range of the reintroduced grey wolf.

2. Because predator species do not respect property or political boundaries, it is important that control efforts be conducted on a national, state or regional basis. At present, these efforts are carried out by the USDA-APHIS Wildlife Service Programs in cooperation with state agencies and livestock producers. Possibly some type of zoning …

Status And Management Of Coyote Depredations In The Eastern United States, John M. Houben

Sheep and Goat Research Journal

The populations of coyotes (Canis latrans) have increased dramatically in the eastern United States since the early 1900s (Hilton, 1978; Chambers, 1987; Hill et al., 1987; Witmer and Hayden 1992). The expansion of the coyote range into eastern North America has been summarized by Parker (1995) and characterized as two distinct geographical events: 1) the northern front moving across southern Ontario and the Great Lakes region and 2) the southern front colonizing the southeastern United States from Arkansas and Louisiana. These two fronts expanded throughout the northeastern and southeastern United States during the 1960s and 1970s, finally converging …

The History Of Federal And Cooperative Animal Damage Control, Donald W. Hawthorne

Sheep and Goat Research Journal

The predecessor of the Wildlife Services program within the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, was founded by C. Hart Merriam in 1885 with a Congressional appropriation of $5,000. These funds were used to organize a Section of Economic Ornithology as part of the Entomology Division of USDA. Merriam immediately hired longtime friend A. K. Fisher to be his assistant and the two shared a clerk. The new Section proved to be so popular with farmers and politicians that the Congress created a separate Division of Economic Ornithology and Mammalogy in 1886. The Commissioner of Agriculture …

Indirect Effects Of Carnivores On Livestock Foraging Behavior And Production, Larry D. Howery, Thomas J. Deliberto

Sheep and Goat Research Journal

Direct effects of predation (i.e., killing of animals) can result in significant economic losses to livestock producers. A recent publication by the USDA, Wildlife Services (2002) identified the following losses: (1) livestock losses attributed to predators, predominantly coyotes (Canis latrans), reach about $71 million annually; (2) cattle and calf losses to predators in the United States totaled 147,000 head during 2000. A National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) study valued these losses at $51.6 million; (3) sheep and lamb losses to predators in the United States totaled 273,000 in 1999. A NASS study valued these losses at $16.5 million; (4) In …

Coyote In The Edwards Plateau Of Texas — An Update, Gary Nunley

Sheep and Goat Research Journal

In the early 1900s, organized predator control was initiated to remove coyotes and wolves from the sheep- and goat-producing areas of Texas. Operations were begun in the Edwards Plateau, the largest area of sheep concentration. The Edwards Plateau and, to a lesser extent, portions of other adjoining ecological areas presently account for 18% (1.2 million head) of the sheep and lambs and 85% (1.2 million head) of the goats in the United States (Texas Agriculture Statistics Service, 2004). These numbers are down in both actual numbers and as a percent of the national flocks. It is important that the industries …

Coyote Predation Management: An Economic Analysis Of Increased Antelope Recruitment And Cattle Production In South Central Wyoming, Stephanie A. Shwiff, Rod J. Merrell

Sheep and Goat Research Journal

In 1999, a project was implemented for the protection of antelope fawns in two areas of Carbon County, Wyoming. The project was funded by the Wyoming Animal Damage Management Board (ADMB) for the benefit of two antelope areas that were having trouble rebounding to their normal population levels after the severe winters of 1991 and 1992. While the Wyoming ADMB project’s main focus was on enhancing pronghorn antelope fawn recruitment, the benefits of coyote population management could have “spillover” benefits to cow/calf producers in the coyote removal areas.

With the decline of the value of coyote fur in the late …

Mechanisms And Dynamics Of The Metastable Decay In Ar-2(+), J. Fedor, K. Gluch, R. Parajuli, S. Matt-Leubner, Olof E. Echt, P. Scheier, T. D. Mark

Physics & Astronomy

A detailed experimental as well as theoretical investigation of the properties of the metastable dissociation Ar-2(+)-->Ar++Ar is presented. The mass-analyzed ion kinetic energy (MIKE) scan technique has been performed using a three sector field mass spectrometer. The possible mechanisms of the metastability of Ar-2(+) have been examined and the observed decay process is assigned to the II(1/2)(u)-->I(1/2)(g) bound to continuum radiative transition, in agreement with earlier work. The calculation of the theoretical shape of the kinetic energy release distribution of fragment ions allowed us to construct the theoretical MIKE peak and compare it with the raw experimental data. …

Observation And Properties Of The X(3872) Decaying To J/Ψπ+Π- In Pp̅ Collisions At √S = 1.96 Tev, V. M. Abazov, Gregory R. Snow, D0 Collaboration

Gregory Snow Publications

We report the observation of the X(3872) in the J/ψπ⁺π^- channel, with J/ψ decaying to μ⁺μ^-, in pp̅ collisions at √s = 1.96 TeV. Using approximately 230 pb^-1 of data collected with the Run II D0 detector, we observe 522 ± 100 X(3872) candidates. The mass difference between the X(3872) state and the J=J/ψ is measured to be 774.9 ± 3.1(stat) ± 3.0(syst) MeV/c². We have investigated the production and decay characteristics of the X(3872) and find them to be …

Low Marine Sulphate And Protracted Oxygenation Of The Proterozoic Biosphere, Linda C. Kah, Timothy W. Lyons, Tracy D. Frank

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

Progressive oxygenation of the Earth’s early biosphere is thought to have resulted in increased sulphide oxidation during continental weathering, leading to a corresponding increase in marine sulphate concentration. Accurate reconstruction of marine sulphate reservoir size is therefore important for interpreting the oxygenation history of early Earth environments. Few data, however, specifically constrain how sulphate concentrations may have changed during the Proterozoic era (2.5–0.54 Gyr ago). Prior to 2.2 Gyr ago, when oxygen began to accumulate in the Earth’s atmosphere, sulphate concentrations are inferred to have been <200 >μM, on the basis of limited isotopic variability preserved in sedimentary sulphides4 and experimental …

Development Of A Mechanistic Understanding Of High-Temperature Deformation Of Alloy Ep-823 For Transmutation Applications: Final Progress Report (September 2003 – August 2004), Ajit K. Roy, Brendan O'Toole

Transmutation Sciences Materials (TRP)

The purpose of this task is to evaluate the tensile properties of three martensitic alloys namely, Alloys EP-823, HT-9 and 422 at temperatures relevant to the transmutation processes. Testing has been performed to evaluate the tensile properties of all three alloys at temperatures ranging from ambient to 600^°C. The test materials were thermally-treated (quenched and tempered) prior to the evaluation of their tensile properties. The deformation characteristics of these tensile specimens, upon completion of testing, were evaluated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Efforts were also made to identify and characterize defects such as dislocations using transmission electron microscopy …

Underlying Event In Hard Interactions At The Fermilab Tevatron P̅P Collider, Darin Acosta, Kenneth A. Bloom, Collider Detector At Fermilab Collaboration

Kenneth Bloom Publications

For comparison of inclusive jet cross sections measured at hadron-hadron colliders to next-to-leading order (NLO) parton-level calculations, the energy deposited in the jet cone by spectator parton interactions must first be subtracted. The assumption made at the Tevatron is that the spectator parton interaction energy is similar to the ambient level measured in minimum bias events. In this paper, we test this assumption by measuring the ambient charged track momentum in events containing large transverse energy jets at √s =1800 GeV and √s =630 GeV and comparing this ambient momentum with that observed both in minimum bias events and with …