Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

The Intersections Among Science, Technology, Policy And Law: In Between Truth And Justice, Paolo Davide Farah, Justo Corti Varela

Book Chapters

Different visions on the interaction between science, technology, policy and law have been presented. As common axe, we can detect the continuous search for truth and justice. Science and Law as social constructs, the distinction between truths and opinions through procedural method based on evidence and rationality, or how natural science “things” became facts, and consequently “truth”, are examples of this search. The evidence-gathering process that integrates scientific evidence into trial (sometimes by procedure and other times by a more substantive approach) is another possible approach. Of course, that the game of mutual influence among the four elements creates contradictions …

The Inextricability Of Students’ Mathematical And Physical Reasoning In Quantum Mechanics Problems, Kaitlyn Stephens Serbin, Megan Wawro

School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Reasoning with mathematics plays an important role in university students’ learning throughout their courses in the scientific disciplines, such as physics. In addition to understanding mathematical concepts and procedures, physics students often must mathematize physical constructs in terms of their associated mathematical structures and interpret mathematical entities in terms of the physical context. In this study, we investigate physics students’ reasoning about mathematics in relation to physics content addressed in two quantum mechanics problems. Through qualitative analysis of interview data from twelve students, results show that 1) students use intricate, nonuniform problem-solving methods with reasoning that moves fluidly between structural …

Variation In Reversal Learning By Three Generalist Mesocarnivores, Lauren A. Stanton, Eli S. Bridge, Joost Huizinga, Shylo R. Johnson, Julie K. Young, Sarah Benson‑Amram

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Urbanization imposes novel challenges for wildlife, but also provides new opportunities for exploitation. Generalist species are commonly found in urban habitats, but the cognitive mechanisms facilitating their successful behavioral adaptations and exploitations are largely under-investigated. Cognitive flexibility is thought to enable generalists to be more plastic in their behavior, thereby increasing their adaptability to a variety of environments, including urban habitats. Yet direct measures of cognitive flexibility across urban wildlife are lacking. We used a classic reversal-learning paradigm to investigate the cognitive flexibility of three generalist mesocarnivores commonly found in urban habitats: striped skunks (Mephitis mephitis), raccoons ( …

Design Of A Flexible System Simulation Evaluation Framework, Rusheng Ju, Zimin Cai, Wang Song, Wang Peng

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: To meet variable evaluation requirement of complex system simulation, this paper puts forward a design strategy of flexible effectiveness evaluation framework. The composition structure of system simulation evaluation framework is analyzed. To help users design reference dynamically, the method of evaluation reference edit and display is introduced based on Web. To enhance the extensibility of evaluation model, the method of interface design and code generation is investigated. To ensure the flexibility and extensibility of evaluation framework, the relation and mapping mechanism of evaluation references, evaluation model and evaluation result is studied. The framework is realized and verified in …

A Framework Of Integrating Manufacturing Plants In Smart Grid Operation: Manufacturing Flexible Load Identification, Md. Monirul Islam, Zeyi Sun, Wenqing Hu, Cihan H. Dagli

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In the deregulated electricity markets run by Independent System Operator (ISO), a two-settlement (day-ahead and real-time) process is typically used to determine the electricity price to the end-use customers at different buses. In the day-ahead settlement, the demand is predicted at each bus based on the previous consumption behavior of the consumers and thus, Locational Marginal Price (LMP) can be determined and shared to the consumers. A significant gap is usually observed between the planned and real-time demands due to the uncertainties of the weather (temperature, wind-speed etc.), the intensity of business, and everyday activities. Therefore, a large price variation …

Examining The Impact Of Learning Management Systems In Computer Programming Courses, Mohammed Naif Alatawi

CCE Theses and Dissertations

The development of software and communication technologies in education has led the majority of universities worldwide to integrate the functions of Learning Management Systems (LMSs) into their learning environments. LMSs offers several features that encourage their use by universities and other educational institutions, such as unlimited access to course content, easy tracking of learners’ progress and performance, and reduced costs in terms of both money and time. Most existing LMS studies have been focused on experienced LMS users who are familiar with its functions, with little consideration given to new users. Furthermore, although previous researchers have identified various means of …

Ue-Based Estimation Of Available Uplink Data Rates In Cellular Networks, Christian Beder, Julia Blanke, Martin Klepal

NIMBUS Articles

Behaviour Demand Response (BDR) is the process of communicating with the building occupants and integrating their behavioural flexibility into the energy value chain. In this paper we will present an integrated behavioural model based on well-established behavioural theories and show how it can be used to provide predictable flexibility to the production schedule optimisation. The proposed approach is two-fold: the model can be used to predict the expected behavioural flexibility of occupants as well as to generate optimal communication to trigger reliable BDR events. A system architecture will be presented showing how BDR can be integrated into simulation passed building/district …

Structure Of Frequency-Interacting Rna Helicase From Neurospora Crassa Reveals High Flexibility In A Domain Critical For Circadian Rhythm And Rna Surveillance, Yalemi Morales, Keith J. Olsen, Jacqueline M. Bulcher, Sean J. Johnson

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Publications

The FRH (frequency-interacting RNA helicase) protein is the Neurospora crassa homolog of yeast Mtr4, an essential RNA helicase that plays a central role in RNA metabolism as an activator of the nuclear RNA exosome. FRH is also a required component of the circadian clock, mediating protein interactions that result in the rhythmic repression of gene expression. Here we show that FRH unwinds RNA substrates in vitro with a kinetic profile similar to Mtr4, indicating that while FRH has acquired additional functionality, its core helicase function remains intact. In contrast with the earlier FRH structures, a new crystal form of FRH …

Repairing Gaps In Kinari-2 For Large Scale Protein And Flexibility Analysis Applications, Magdalena Metlicka, Mojtaba Nouri Bygi, Ileana Streinu

Computer Science: Faculty Publications

Pebble game rigidity analysis is a combinatorial method, implemented in our free web server KinariWeb, for extracting protein rigidity and flexibility information without performing costly molecular dynamics simulations. Due to the idiosynchrasies of the data in the Protein Data Bank (PDB), Kinari succeeds only on a fraction of the available files. Motivated by large scale applications, aiming at processing almost all the PDB files, we have recently developed a faster and more robust version, the phased pebble game algorithm. It is specifically designed to take advantage of the sequential structure of biopolymers. However, the structural data available in the Protein …

Efficient Pebble Game Algorithms Engineered For Protein Rigidity Applications, Mojtaba Nouri Bygi, Ileana Streinu

Computer Science: Faculty Publications

Pebble game rigidity analysis is an efficient method for extracting rigidity and flexibility information of biomolecules without performing costly molecular dynamics simulations. The standard algorithm works on a multi-graph associated to a mechanical model constructed from an arbitrary atom-bond network. Motivated by large scale protein flexibility and simulated unfolding applications, we have developed a faster and more robust variation tailored to the specificities of bio-polymers. We describe this new phased pebble game as implemented in the new version of our software Kinari-2.

Flexibility Of Projective-Planar Embeddings, John Maharry, Neil Robertson, Vaidy Sivaraman, Dan Slilaty

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications

Given two embeddings σ1 and σ2 of a labeled nonplanar graph in the projective plane, we give a collection of maneuvers on projective-planar embeddings that can be used to take σ1 to σ2

Slides: Policy Framework: Fpwec: First Peoples' Water Engagement Council, Phil Duncan, First Peoples' Water Engagement Council

Indigenous Water Justice Symposium (June 6)

Presenter: Phil Duncan, Gomeroi Nation, New South Wales Aboriginal Land Council

25 slides

Proposal For An Enhanced Colorado Water Bank, Anne J. Castle, Lawrence J. Macdonnell

Books, Reports, and Studies

4 pages.

Outlines and explains 8 characteristics of an enhanced Colorado water bank.

Slides: The Blm And Colorado Dnr Mou: A Water-Based Partnership, Roy Smith

Innovations in Managing Western Water: New Approaches for Balancing Environmental, Social and Economic Outcomes (Martz Summer Conference, June 11-12)

Presenter: Roy Smith, Bureau of Land Management

19 slides

Slides: Ag Water Sharing: Legal Challenges And Considerations, Peter D. Nichols

Innovations in Managing Western Water: New Approaches for Balancing Environmental, Social and Economic Outcomes (Martz Summer Conference, June 11-12)

Presenter: Peter D. Nichols, Esq., Partner, Berg, Hill, Greenleaf and Ruscitti, Boulder, CO

25 slides

Slides: Perspectives On Water Management In Arizona, Kathy Jacobs

Innovations in Managing Western Water: New Approaches for Balancing Environmental, Social and Economic Outcomes (Martz Summer Conference, June 11-12)

Presenter: Kathy Jacobs, Director, Center for Climate Adaptation Science and Solutions (CCASS), Department of Soil, Water and Environmental Science, University of Arizona

25 slides

Synthetic Approaches To Flexible Fluorescent Conjugated Polymers, Tereza Vokata

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Conjugated polymers (CPs) are intrinsically fluorescent materials that have been used for various biological applications including imaging, sensing, and delivery of biologically active substances. The synthetic control over flexibility and biodegradability of these materials aids the understanding of the structure-function relationships among the photophysical properties, the self-assembly behaviors of the corresponding conjugated polymer nanoparticles (CPNs), and the cellular behaviors of CPNs, such as toxicity, cellular uptake mechanisms, and sub-cellular localization patterns.

Synthetic approaches towards two classes of flexible CPs with well-preserved fluorescent properties are described. The synthesis of flexible poly(p-phenylenebutadiynylene)s (PPBs) uses competing Sonogashira and Glaser coupling reactions …

Evaluation Of Retrofitting Options In Urban Drainage Systems Based On Flexibility: A Case Study For Nhieu Loc - Thi Nghe Basin In Ho Chi Minh City, Mohanasundar Radhakrishnan, Chau Nguyen Xuan Quang, Assela Pathirana, Ho Long Phi, Richard M. Ashley

International Conference on Hydroinformatics

Inherent uncertainties are the primary constraints and concerns for any robust urban flood management programme. Selection of better retrofitting options to tackle uncertainties involves the process of evaluating the technical and financial feasibility of a wide range of options. In this paper, we present a case study of a catchment in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, where we apply evolutionary methods to search for optimal retrofitting opportunities to cope with uncertainties. Flexible options such as detention storage at nodes and provision of sustainable drainage systems have been identified. The optimal storage volumes for detention storage at the nodes and optimal …

Double-Hinged Di-1,2,4-Triazoles For Synthesis Of Breathing Mofs, Christopher Ray Murdock

Doctoral Dissertations

Employing semi-rigid di-1,2,4-triazoles as ligands has led to the formation of a plethora of Metal-Organic Framework (MOF) architectures. The ability for the ligands to exhibit multiple conformations through a “hinge” effect allows for the formation of a multitude of MOF topologies and dimensionalities. Employment of a di-triazole containing a central trans-butene moiety was initially studied and led to the formation of two three-dimensional copper MOFs. The frameworks can be synthesized independently, but a reaction occurs in water wherein the kinetic product is used as a reagent to synthesize the topologically distinct thermodynamic product.

Additional testing of reaction conditions with …

Slides: Future Water Availability In The West: Will There Be Enough?, Michael Dettinger

Water, Climate and Uncertainty: Implications for Western Water Law, Policy, and Management (Summer Conference, June 11-13)

Presenter: Michael Dettinger, USGS, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, CA

30 slides

"with contributions from Julio Betancourt, Dan Cayan, & others"

Slides: Overview Of Colorado Aquifer Systems, Christopher J. Sanchez

Monitoring and Protecting Groundwater During Oil and Gas Development (November 26)

Presenter: Christopher J. Sanchez, P.G., BBA Water Consultants, Bishop-Brogden Associates, Inc.

28 slides

Towards Sequence-Based Dna Flexibility Analysis, Emily Flynn, Filip Jagodzinski, Ileana Streinu

Computer Science: Faculty Publications

In this poster, we present an extension to our freely available KINARI-Web server to identify rigid and flexible regions of nucleic acids and protein-nucleic acid complexes contained in the Protein Data Bank (PDB). The goal is to explore the effect of DNA and RNA on the rigidity and stability of these structures. We also propose an approach for determining DNA rigidity based solely on sequence. Currently, only the rigidity of DNA molecules whose structures have been deposited in the PDB (approx. <4,000 files) can be analyzed. Once fine-tuned and validated, this new coordinate-free method for investigating DNA flexibility could be applied to the more than 135 million sequences in GenBank, and to nanostructure design.

Slides: Multi-Dimensional Energy Poverty Index (Mepi), Morgan Bazilian

2012 Energy Justice Conference and Technology Exposition (September 17-18)

Presenter: Dr. Morgan Bazilian, Deputy Director, Joint Institute for Strategic Energy Analysis (JISEA), National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)

8 slides

Towards Large-Scale Validation Of Protein Flexibility Using Rigidity Analysis, Filip Jagodzinski

Open Access Dissertations

Proteins are dynamic molecules involved in virtually every chemical process in our bodies. Understanding how they flex and bend provides fundamental insights to their functions. At the atomic level, protein motion cannot be observed using existing experimental methods. To gain insights into these motions, simulation methods are used. However such simulations are computationally expensive.

Rigidity analysis is a fast, alternative graph-based method to molecular simulations, that gives information about the flexibility properties of molecules modeled as mechanical structures. Due to the lack of convenient tools for curating protein data, the usefulness of rigidity analysis has been demonstrated on only a …

Agenda: Drafting Model Laws On Indoor Pollution For Developing And Developed Nations, University Of Colorado Boulder. Center For Energy & Environmental Security, Colorado Natural Resources, Energy And Environmental Law Review

Drafting Model Laws on Indoor Pollution for Developing and Developed Nations (July 12-13)

On July 12 and 13, 2012, experts convened at Colorado Law to demonstrate the extent to which a model law could help address the global problem of indoor air pollution from inefficient cook stoves. The air pollution that results from inefficiently burning biomass as fuel for cooking has serious health and climatic consequences. The workshop produced two sets of Model Laws and commentaries to help nations solve the problem, and the commentaries were published in the Colorado Natural Resources, Energy, and Environmental Law Review.

Drafting Model Laws On Indoor Pollution For Developing And Developed Nations Workshop, July 12-13, 2012, Boulder, Colorado: Introduction, Lakshman Guruswamy

Drafting Model Laws on Indoor Pollution for Developing and Developed Nations (July 12-13)

11 pages.

"This Essay introduces the framework for deliberation and legislative drafting undertaken at the workshop: Drafting Model Laws on Indoor Pollution for Developing and Developed Nations on July 12-13, 2012, in Boulder, Colorado. There are a number of fundamental premises upon which the workshop was based, and this Essay refers to the most salient among them."-- Excerpted from 24 Colo. Nat. Resources, Energy & Envtl. L. Rev. 319 (2013).

Wifu Transport: A User-Level Protocol Framework, Randall Jay Buck

Theses and Dissertations

It is well known that the transport layer protocol TCP has low throughput and is unfair in wireless mesh networks. Transport layer solutions for mesh networks have been primarily validated using simulations with simplified assumptions about the wireless network. The WiFu Transport framework complements simulator results by allowing developers to easily create and experiment with transport layer protocols on live networks. We provide a user-space solution that is flexible and promotes code reuse while maintaining high performance and scalability. To validate WiFu Transport we use it to build WiFu TCP, a decomposed Tahoe solution that preserves TCP semantics. Furthermore, we …

Materials For Presentation: Water Banks: Voluntary And Flexible Water Supplies For The Colorado River's Uncertain Future [Outline], Robert Wigington

Navigating the Future of the Colorado River (Martz Summer Conference, June 8-10)

4 pages.

"Robert Wigington, The Nature Conservancy"

Report Surveys Colorado River Basin Leaders: Collaborative Approaches To Dwindling Supplies Are Highlighted, Sarah Bates, University Of Montana Missoula. Center For Natural Resources And Environmental Policy

Navigating the Future of the Colorado River (Martz Summer Conference, June 8-10)

4 pages.

Press release "April 14, 2011"

"Executive Summary April 2011" of report, Thinking Like a River Basin: Leaders' Perspectives on Options and Opportunities in Colorado River Management

Full report available at:

http://www.carpediemwest.org/wp-content/uploads/Thinking_Like_A_River_Basin_8-20-13.pdf

Slides: Adapting To Climate Change: Lessons Learnt From The Australian Water Experience, Will Fargher

Conversation with Water Management Reps from Colorado and Australia: "Adapting to Climate Change: Lessons Learned from Australia" (February 14)

Presenter: Will Fargher, National Water Commission, Australian Government

18 slides [4 have titles only and are missing images]