Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Dissipationless Hall Current In Dense Quark Matter In A Magnetic Field, Efrain J. Ferrer, Vivian De La Incera

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications and Presentations

We show the realization of axion electrodynamics within the Dual Chiral Density Wave phase of dense quark matter in the presence of a magnetic field. The system exhibits an anomalous dissipationless Hall current perpendicular to the magnetic field and an anomalous electric charge density. Connection to topological insulators and 3D optical lattices, as well as possible implications for heavy-ion collisions and neutron stars are outlined.

Mechanosensing Of Shear By Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Leads To Increased Levels Of The Cyclic-Di-Gmp Signal Initiating Biofilm Development, Christopher A. Rodesney, Brian Roman, Numa Dhamani, Benjamin J. Cooley, Ahmed Touhami, Vernita D. Gordon

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications and Presentations

Biofilms are communities of sessile microbes that are phenotypically distinct from their genetically identical, free-swimming counterparts. Biofilms initiate when bacteria attach to a solid surface. Attachment triggers intracellular signaling to change gene expression from the planktonic to the biofilm phenotype. For Pseudomonas aeruginosa, it has long been known that intracellular levels of the signal cyclic-di-GMP increase upon surface adhesion and that this is required to begin biofilm development. However, what cue is sensed to notify bacteria that they are attached to the surface has not been known. Here, we show that mechanical shear acts as a cue for surface adhesion …

Gw170104: Observation Of A 50-Solar-Mass Binary Black Hole Coalescence At Redshift 0.2, B. P. Abbott, R. Abbott, S. De, D. Debra, E. Deelman, J. Degallaix, M. De Laurentis, S. Deléglise, W. Del Pozzo, T. Denker, T. Dent, V. Dergachev, R. De Rosa, R. T. Derosa, R. Desalvo, J. Devenson, R. C. Devine, S. Dhurandhar, M. C. Diaz, L. Di Fiore, M. Di Giovanni, T. Di Girolamo, A. Di Lieto, S. Di Pace, I. Di Palma, F. Di Renzo, Z. Doctor, V. Dolique, F. Donovan, K. L. Dooley, S. Doravari, I. Dorrington

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications and Presentations

We describe the observation of GW170104, a gravitational-wave signal produced by the coalescence of a pair of stellar-mass black holes. The signal was measured on January 4, 2017 at 10 11:58.6 UTC by the twin advanced detectors of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory during their second observing run, with a network signal-to-noise ratio of 13 and a false alarm rate less than 1 in 70 000 years. The inferred component black hole masses are 31.2-6.0+8.4M' and 19.4-5.9+5.3M (at the 90% credible level). The black hole spins are best constrained through measurement of the effective inspiral spin parameter, a mass-weighted combination …

Modeling The Population Effects Of Hypoxia On Atlantic Croaker (Micropogonias Undulatus) In The Northwestern Gulf Of Mexico: Part 2—Realistic Hypoxia And Eutrophication, Kenneth A. Rose, Sean Creekmore, Dubravko Justić, Peter Thomas, J. Kevin Craig, Rachael Miller Neilan, Lixia Wang, Md Saydur Rahman, David Kidwell

School of Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Quantifying the population-level effects of hypoxia on coastal fish species has been challenging. In the companion paper (part 1), we described an individual-based population model (IBM) for Atlantic croaker in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico (NWGOM) designed to quantify the long-term population responses to low dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations during the summer. Here in part 2, we replace the idealized hypoxia conditions with realistic DO concentrations generated from a 3-dimensional water quality model. Three years were used and randomly arranged into a time series based on the historical occurrence of mild, intermediate, and severe hypoxia year types.We also used another …

Search For Gravitational Waves Associated With Gamma-Ray Bursts During The First Advanced Ligo Observing Run And Implications For The Origin Of Grb 150906b, B. P. Abbott, R. Abbott, T. D. Abbott, M. R. Abernathy, F. Acernese, K. Ackley, C. Adams, T. Adams, P. Addesso, R. X. Adhikari, V. B. Adya, C. Affeldt, M. Agathos, K. Agatsuma, N. Aggarwal, O. D. Aguiar, L. Aiello, A. Ain, P. Ajith, B. Allen, A. Allocca, P. A. Altin, A. Ananyeva, S. B. Anderson, W. G. Anderson, S. Appert, K. Arai, M. C. Araya, J. S. Areeda, N. Arnaud

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications and Presentations

We present the results of the search for gravitational waves (GWs) associated with γ-ray bursts detected during the first observing run of the Advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO). We find no evidence of a GW signal for any of the 41 γ-ray bursts for which LIGO data are available with sufficient duration. For all γ-ray bursts, we place lower bounds on the distance to the source using the optimistic assumption that GWs with an energy of were emitted within the-Hz band, and we find a median 90% confidence limit of 71 Mpc at 150 Hz. For the subset of …

Frequency Of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease And Subclinical Atherosclerosis Among Young Mexican Americans, Clarence Gill, Kristina Vatcheva, Jen-Jung Pan, Beverly Smulevitz, David D. Mcpherson, Michael Fallon, Joseph B. Mccormick, Susan P. Fisher-Hoch, Susan T. Laing

School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is considered the hepatic manifestation of the metabolic syndrome, whose criteria are risk factors for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. We aimed to evaluate the prevalence of NAFLD, its association with subclinical atherosclerosis, and factors that may account for this association in Mexican Americans. In a population based cross-sectional sample drawn from the Cameron County Hispanic Cohort in Texas, carotid intima media thickness (cIMT), an indicator of subclinical atherosclerosis, was measured. Abnormal carotid ultrasound study was defined as mean cIMT >75th percentile for age and gender and/or plaque presence. NAFLD was defined as steatosis by ultrasound in …

Stereochemical Preference Toward Oncotarget: Design Synthesis And In Vitro Anticancer Evaluation Of Diastereomeric B-Lactams, Fabian Olazarán-Santibáñez, Debasish Bandyopadhyay, Pilar Carranza-Rosales, Gildardo Rivera, Isias Balderas-Rentería

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

Purpose: In the battle against cancer discovery of new and novel chemotherapeutic agent demands extreme obligation. Development of anticancer compounds with higher potency and reduced side-effects is timely and challenging.

Experimental Design: A small series of fourteen diastereomeric β-lactams (seven pairs) were synthesized through multi-step process exploring [2+2] ketene-imine cycloaddition as the key step. Comparative stereochemical preferences were studied through computational docking and validated by in vitro evaluation. β-tubulin was considered as possible molecular target and in vitro anticancer evaluation was conducted against SiHa, B16F10, K562 and Chang cell lines. Caspase-3 activation assay and hematoxylin/eosin staining of the cells were …

Laminar Composite Structures For High Power Actuators, M. A. Hobosyan, P. M. Martinez, A. A. Zakhidov, C. S. Haines, R. H. Baughman, K. S. Martirosyan

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications and Presentations

Twisted laminar composite structures for high power and large-stroke actuators based on coiled Multi Wall Carbon Nanotube (MWNT) composite yarns were crafted by integrating high-density Nanoenergetic Gas Generators (NGGs) into carbon nanotube sheets. The linear actuation force, resulting from the pneumatic force caused by expanding gases confined within the pores of laminar structures and twisted carbon nanotube yarns, can be further amplified by increasing NGG loading and yarns twist density, as well as selecting NGG compositions with high energy density and large-volume gas generation. Moreover, the actuation force and power can be tuned by the surrounding environment, such as to …

Investigating The Mathematical Dispositions And Self-Efficacy For Teaching Mathematics Of Preservice Teachers, Jasmine M. Cruz

Theses and Dissertations

The study of the individual's beliefs and the role and influence they have on the individual's actions and behaviors, have long been examined and investigated by educators and psychologists. Moreover, researchers have overwhelmingly claimed and demonstrated that the beliefs held by teachers significantly influences their behavior and educational practices in the classroom. This thesis study investigates the mathematical disposition and self-efficacy for teaching mathematics of preservice teachers. The study's primary goals are to discover if there is a relationship or association between a teacher's mathematical disposition(MD) and his/her self-efficacy for teaching mathematics (SEFTM), and if there are significant differences between …

Decomposition Of Black Mangrove (Avicennia Germinans ) Leaf Litter: Calibrating Estuarine Indicators Of Functional Recovery, Leticia Martinez Contreras

Theses and Dissertations

Decomposition of plant material produced by mangroves and other macrophytes in estuaries occurs in both sediments and the water column. Early and intense processing could be more common in the water. In a previous study, in situ decomposition rates of Black Mangrove (Avicennia germinans ) leaf litter suspended in the water column differed among three estuaries in south Texas with moderate differences in salinity, water temperature, available nitrogen (N), and tidal flow. A series of microcosm experiments were conducted to determine the influence, within observed ranges in the estuaries, of these water variables on mass loss of Black Mangrove …

Time Dependent Solution For An Incompressible Viscous Fluid Flow In A Cavity, Bishnu Parajuli

Theses and Dissertations

The Finite Element Method is used to find the time dependent solution for an incompressible viscous fluid flow in a cavity in two dimension. The governing equations for this system are the continuity equation and the momentum equation. We use finite element method to obtain the dependent variables. Here we derive weak formulation and develop finite element model by using Galerkin Method. Then we compute velocity components of the fluid for a square cavity. The numerical results are presented.

Problem Book On Higher Algebra And Number Theory, Ryanto Putra

Theses and Dissertations

This book is an attempt to provide relevant end-of-section exercises, together with their step-by-step solutions, to Dr. Zieschang's classic class notes Higher Algebra and Number Theory. It's written under the notion that active hands-on working on exercises is an important part of learning, whereby students would see the nuance and intricacies of a math concepts which they may miss from passive reading. The problems are selected here to provide background on the text, examples that illuminate the underlying theorems, as well as to fill in the gaps in the notes.

Formation Of Lifepo4-Pan Submicron Fibers Via Forcespinning ® For Battery Cathode Applications, Ashlee L. Lopez

Theses and Dissertations

LiFePO4/C composite nanofibers were prepared by utilizing Forcespinning® technology and calcination approaches. Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) was dissolved in N, N-dimethylformamide (DMF) to produce the media that allotted nanofiber formation via Forcespinning® and also served as the carbon source. A LiFePO4 solution was synthesized separately in DMF, which served as the precursor. The separately prepared PAN/DMF and LiFePO4/DMF solutions were then mixed at different weight percent’s (wt.%) prior to being subjected to Forcespinning ®. Elemental analysis of the LiFePO4/PAN nanofibers was characterized by energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The study of the surface morphology was conducted by scanning …

A New Approach To Ramanujan's Partition Congruences, Mayra C. Huerta

Theses and Dissertations

MacMahon provided Ramanujan and Hardy a table of values for p(n) with the partitions of the first 200 integers. In order to make the table readable, MacMahon grouped the entries in blocks of five. Ramanujan noticed that the last entry in each block was a multiple of 5. This motivated Ramanujan to make the following conjectures, p(5n+4) ≡ 0 (mod 5); p(7 n+5) ≡ 0 (mod 7); p(11n+6) ≡ 0 (mod 11) which he eventually proved.

The purpose of this thesis is to give new proofs for Ramanujan's partition …

A Study On The Effects Of Mutation On Populations Using Strategies While Playing Iterative Prisoner's Dilemma, Ramses Romulus De Guzman Reyes

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the effects different types of mutation and mutation rates have on populations using strategies while playing the Iterative Prisoners Dilemma (IPD). The system used in order to conduct this study was used in Leas et al. (2016), which uses genetic algorithms as a means of studying memory and its impact on populations playing IPD. For this study, experiments are organized into three different environments: Control, Static and Dynamic. The Control Environment focuses on analyzing the system and forming initial results. The Static Environment focuses on studying the effects of different rates on strategic populations playing IPD, while …

Randomized Approach Tor Set Cover With Multiple Phases*, Ujjwol Subedi

Theses and Dissertations

We Develop an interactive algorithm for the set cover problem. The algorithm uses multiple stages and select some sets each stage via random samples among the uncovered points. We show that it has a O(log n)—approximation ratio and takes O(log n) rounds and O(m2+ϵ ) samples each round, where n is the size of universal set and m is the number of sets.

We also prove a Ω(√logn/loglogn) lower bound for both the number of phases if each phase has poly(m) the number of samples.

Parameterization Of Ar231453: A Potent Agonist Of The Gpr119 Receptor, A Target For Diabetes Treatment, John E. Hamilton

Theses and Dissertations

The first reported potent agonist for the GPR119 receptor, a potential target for the treatment of diabetes, is 2-fluoro-4-methanesulfonyl-phenyl-{6-[4-(3-isopropyl-[1,2,4]oxadiazol-5-yl)-piperidin-1-yl]-5-nitro-pyrimidin-4-yl}-amine (AR231453). The dynamic interactions of AR231453 with GPR119 using molecular dynamics simulation are of great interest. However, parameters for AR231453 that describe the behavior of the molecule in the CHARMM force field have not been determined. The following study produces parameters by creating model fragments and compares the produced parameters to quantum calculations. The produced parameters are then further refined within the Visual Molecular Dynamics (VMD) program’s plugin program, the Force Field Toolkit as well as Gaussian 09 and CHARMM. Molecular …

Increasing Marine Debris Awareness Through Public Education And Analyzing Fish For Microplastic And Pollutant Contamination, Stephanie R. Dubois

Theses and Dissertations

Marine debris is any persistent solid material that is manmade and then disposed of into the world’s oceans. Outreach and education was used in combination with biological research using an indicator fish species to raise awareness about the impacts of marine debris and encourage change in behavior to reduce marine debris. Pre and post surveys were administered during marine debris education tours for K-12 students at the Coastal Studies Lab on South Padre Island, Texas to determine change in knowledge and behavior regarding marine debris. Pinfish were collected from Laguna Madre and stomachs and livers removed for microplastics content and …

Mathematical Modeling Of Mers-Cov Nosocomial Epidemic, Adriana Quiroz

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis concerns about the analysis and modeling of spread of an infectious disease inside a hospital. We begin from the basic knowledge of the simple models: SIR and SEIR, to show an appropriate understanding of the epidemic dynamic process. We consider the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Corona Virus (MERS-CoV), in Saudi Arabia, to introduce MERS-CoV SEIR ward model by developing different systems of equations in each ward (unit). We use the Next Generation Matrix method to calculate the basic reproduction number R0. Simulations of different scenarios are done using different combination of parameters.

To model MERS-CoV we established …

Investigating The Application Of Multibeam Sonar And Remotely Operated Vehicles In Fish Population Monitoring On Artificial Reefs, Robert Figueroa-Downing

Theses and Dissertations

Implementation of ROVs and multibeam imaging sonar in fisheries research has the potential to improve the accuracy and efficiency of current monitoring practices. This study aimed to 1) compare ROV video and diver abundance estimates; 2) evaluate fish length measurement accuracy from sonar; 3) investigate key differentiating sonar characteristics. Results indicate: 1) Diver surveys captured greater diversity of species; survey methods were comparable with regards to conspicuous species (r = 0.089, p = 0.074); 2) Length measurements from multibeam imaging sonar had high predictive power (Rho = 0.998; p < 0.001) of actual standard lengths and; 3) variations between samples were largely due to swim bladder echo, relative position of the target fish, and schooling characteristics. We conclude that 1) ROVs are less apt at observing cryptic species; 2) The Blueview P900-90 sonar can accurately measure fish length; and 3) swim bladder morphology plays an important role in fish identification.

Multi-Type Branching Processes Model Of Nosocomial Epidemic, Zeinab Nageh Mohamed

Theses and Dissertations

The potency of an infectious disease to spread between different types of susceptible individuals in a hospital determines the fate of controlling nosocomial epidemics. I use a multi-type branching process with a joint negative binomial offspring distribution to study nosocomial epidemics. In particular, I estimate the basic reproduction number R0 and study its relationship with the offspring distribution’s parameters at different and fixed number of generations. Also, I study the effect of contact tracing on estimates of R0.

Disease Modeling Using Fractional Differential Equations And Estimation, Daniel P. Medina

Theses and Dissertations

Ordinary differential equations has been the most conventional approach when modeling spread of infectious diseases. Effective research has shown that using fractional-order differentiation can be a very useful and efficient extension for some mathematical models. In this thesis, fractional calculus is used to depict an SEIR model with a system of fractional-order differential equations. I also simulate the fractional-order SEIR using integer-order numerical methods. I also establish the estimation framework and show that it is accurately working.

Coupled Telegraph And Sir Model Of Information And Diseases, Jose De Jesus Galarza

Theses and Dissertations

In this work, the effect of information propagation on disease spread and vaccination uptake through networks is studied. In this model the information reaches different people at different distances from the center of information containing the health data. We use a pair of Telegraph equations to depict the vaccine and disease information propagation on a network embedded into a straight line. The Telegraph equation is coupled with an SIR (Susceptible-Infected-Recovered) model to examine the anticipated mutual influence. Numerical simulations and stability analysis were made to study the model. We show how the propagation of information about the disease impacts the …

Fractals, Randomization, Optimal Constructions, And Replication In Algorithmic Self-Assembly, Cameron Chalk

Theses and Dissertations

The problem of the strict self-assembly of infinite fractals within tile self-assembly is considered. In particular, tile assembly algorithms are provided for the assembly of the discrete Sierpinski triangle and the discrete Sierpinski carpet.

The robust random number generation problem in the abstract tile assembly model is introduced. First, it is shown this is possible for a robust fair coin flip within the aTAM, and that such systems guarantee a worst case O(1) space usage. This primary construction is accompanied with variants that show trade-offs in space complexity, initial seed size, temperature, tile complexity, bias, and extensibility.

This work …

Quantum Correlation Measurements In Interferometric Gravitational-Wave Detectors, D. V. Martynov, V. V. Frolov, S. Kandhasamy, K. Izumi, H. Miao, N. Mavalvala, E. D. Hall, R. Lanza, B. P. Abbott, R. Abbott, T. D. Abbott, C. Adams, R. X. Adhikari, S. B. Anderson, A. Ananyeva, S. Appert, K. Arai, S. M. Aston, S. W. Ballmer, D. Barker, B. Barr, L. Barsotti, J. Bartlett, I. Bartos, J. C. Batch, A. S. Bell, J. Betzwieser, G. Billingsley, J. Birch, S. Biscans

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications and Presentations

Quantum fluctuations in the phase and amplitude quadratures of light set limitations on the sensitivity of modern optical instruments. The sensitivity of the interferometric gravitational-wave detectors, such as the Advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO), is limited by quantum shot noise, quantum radiation pressure noise, and a set of classical noises. We show how the quantum properties of light can be used to distinguish these noises using correlation techniques. Particularly, in the first part of the paper we show estimations of the coating thermal noise and gas phase noise, hidden below the quantum shot noise in the Advanced LIGO sensitivity …

Search For Continuous Gravitational Waves From Neutron Stars In Globular Cluster Ngc 6544, B. P. Abbott, R. Abbott, T. D. Abbott, M. R. Abernathy, F. Acernese, K. Ackley, C. Adams, T. Adams, P. Addesso, R. X. Adhikari, V. B. Adya, C. Affeldt, M. Agathos, K. Agatsuma, N. Aggarwal, O. D. Aguiar, L. Aiello, A. Ain, B. Allen, A. Allocca, P. A. Altin, S. B. Anderson, W. G. Anderson, K. Arai, M. C. Araya, C. C. Arceneaux, J. S. Areeda, N. Arnaud, K. G. Arun, S. Ascenzi

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications and Presentations

We describe a directed search for continuous gravitational waves in data from the sixth initial LIGO science run. The target was the nearby globular cluster NGC 6544 at a distance of ≈2.7 kpc. The search covered a broad band of frequencies along with first and second frequency derivatives for a fixed sky position. The search coherently integrated data from the two LIGO interferometers over a time span of 9.2 days using the matched-filtering F-statistic. We found no gravitational-wave signals and set 95% confidence upper limits as stringent as 6.0×10-25 on intrinsic strain and 8.5×10-6 on fiducial ellipticity. These values beat …

Pulsar Timing Array Based Search For Supermassive Black Hole Binaries In The Square Kilometer Array Era, Yan Wang, Soumya D. Mohanty

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications and Presentations

The advent of next generation radio telescope facilities, such as the Square Kilometer Array (SKA), will usher in an era where a pulsar timing array (PTA) based search for gravitational waves (GWs) will be able to use hundreds of well timed millisecond pulsars rather than the few dozens in existing PTAs. A realistic assessment of the performance of such an extremely large PTA must take into account the data analysis challenge posed by an exponential increase in the parameter space volume due to the large number of so-called pulsar phase parameters. We address this problem and present such an assessment …

First Demonstration Of Electrostatic Damping Of Parametric Instability At Advanced Ligo, Carl Blair, Slawek Gras, Richard Abbott, Stuart Aston, Joseph Betzwieser, David Blair, Ryan Derosa, Matthew Evans, Valera Frolov, Peter Fritschel, Hartmut Grote, Terra Hardwick, Jian Liu, Marc Lormand, John Miller, Adam Mullavey, Brian O'Reilly, Chunnong Zhao, B. P. Abbott, T. D. Abbott, C. Adams, R. X. Adhikari, S. B. Anderson, A. Ananyeva, S. Appert, K. Arai, S. W. Ballmer, D. Barker, B. Barr, L. Barsotti

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications and Presentations

Interferometric gravitational wave detectors operate with high optical power in their arms in order to achieve high shot-noise limited strain sensitivity. A significant limitation to increasing the optical power is the phenomenon of three-mode parametric instabilities, in which the laser field in the arm cavities is scattered into higher-order optical modes by acoustic modes of the cavity mirrors. The optical modes can further drive the acoustic modes via radiation pressure, potentially producing an exponential buildup. One proposed technique to stabilize parametric instability is active damping of acoustic modes. We report here the first demonstration of damping a parametrically unstable mode …

First Search For Gravitational Waves From Known Pulsars With Advanced Ligo, B. P. Abbott, R. Abbott, T. D. Abbott, M. R. Abernathy, F. Acernese, K. Ackley, C. Adams, T. Adams, P. Addesso, R. X. Adhikari, V. B. Adya, C. Affeldt, M. Agathos, K. Agatsuma, N. Aggarwal, O. D. Aguiar, L. Aiello, A. Ain, P. Ajith, B. Allen, A. Allocca, P. A. Altin, A. Ananyeva, S. B. Anderson, W. G. Anderson, S. Appert, K. Arai, M. C. Araya, J. S. Areeda, N. Arnaud

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications and Presentations

We present the result of searches for gravitational waves from 200 pulsars using data from the first observing run of the Advanced LIGO detectors. We find no significant evidence for a gravitational-wave signal from any of these pulsars, but we are able to set the most constraining upper limits yet on their gravitational-wave amplitudes and ellipticities. For eight of these pulsars, our upper limits give bounds that are improvements over the indirect spin-down limit values. For another 32, we are within a factor of 10 of the spin-down limit, and it is likely that some of these will be reachable …

Detection Methods For Stochastic Gravitational-Wave Backgrounds: A Unified Treatment, Joseph D. Romano, Neil J. Cornish

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications and Presentations

We review detection methods that are currently in use or have been proposed to search for a stochastic background of gravitational radiation. We consider both Bayesian and frequentist searches using ground-based and space-based laser interferometers, spacecraft Doppler tracking, and pulsar timing arrays; and we allow for anisotropy, non-Gaussianity, and non-standard polarization states. Our focus is on relevant data analysis issues, and not on the particular astrophysical or early Universe sources that might give rise to such backgrounds. We provide a unified treatment of these searches at the level of detector response functions, detection sensitivity curves, and, more generally, at the …