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University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

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Articles 1861 - 1890 of 2419

Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Free-Energy Calculations For Semi-Flexible Macromolecules: Applications To Dna Knotting And Looping, Stefan M. Giovan, Robert G. Scharein, Andreas Hanke, Stephen D. Levene Jan 2014

Free-Energy Calculations For Semi-Flexible Macromolecules: Applications To Dna Knotting And Looping, Stefan M. Giovan, Robert G. Scharein, Andreas Hanke, Stephen D. Levene

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications and Presentations

We present a method to obtain numerically accurate values of configurational free energies of semiflexible macromolecular systems, based on the technique of thermodynamic integration combined with normal-mode analysis of a reference system subject to harmonic constraints. Compared with previous free-energy calculations that depend on a reference state, our approach introduces two innovations, namely, the use of internal coordinates to constrain the reference states and the ability to freely select these reference states. As a consequence, it is possible to explore systems that undergo substantially larger fluctuations than those considered in previous calculations, including semiflexible biopolymers having arbitrary ratios of contour …


Sedimentation And Barnacle Recruitment And Growth In A Shallow Coastal Lagoon Of South Texas, John Jack Gray Jan 2014

Sedimentation And Barnacle Recruitment And Growth In A Shallow Coastal Lagoon Of South Texas, John Jack Gray

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, one of this nation’s greatest concerns to the receiving waters of an aquatic system is the impairment of water quality due to sediment transport. Thus, an aquatic system whose receiving waters are subject to unrestrained sediment transport from a spoil bank, which is an unstabilized depository for sediment acquired during a dredge, should be a concern. In this study an attempt was made to assess sedimentation and its effect on the life cycle of sessile aquatic life over a year. South Bay was chosen for the study site because it is adjacent …


Ill-Posedness Of The Two-Dimensional Keller-Segel Model In Triebel-Lizorkin Spaces, Chao Deng, John Villavert Jan 2014

Ill-Posedness Of The Two-Dimensional Keller-Segel Model In Triebel-Lizorkin Spaces, Chao Deng, John Villavert

School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

This article proves the ill-posedness of the Cauchy problem for the two-dimensional Keller–Segel model in Triebel–Lizorkin spaces, for . In particular, it is shown that solutions can develop norm inflation under certain settings in that the solution can become arbitrarily large after an arbitrarily short time even for small initial data.


Pt-Symmetric Acoustics, Xuefeng Zhu, Hamidreza Ramezani, Chengzhi Shi, Jie Zhu, Xiang Zhang Jan 2014

Pt-Symmetric Acoustics, Xuefeng Zhu, Hamidreza Ramezani, Chengzhi Shi, Jie Zhu, Xiang Zhang

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications and Presentations

We introduce here the concept of acoustic parity-time (PT) symmetry and demonstrate the extraordinary scattering characteristics of the acoustic PT medium. On the basis of exact calculations, we show how an acoustic PT -symmetric medium can become unidirectionally transparent at given frequencies. Combining such a PT -symmetric medium with transformation acoustics, we design two-dimensional symmetric acoustic cloaks that are unidirectionally invisible in a prescribed direction. Our results open new possibilities for designing functional acoustic devices with directional responses.


Constraints On Cosmic Strings From The Ligo-Virgo Gravitational-Wave Detectors, Daniel Bessis, Teviet Creighton, H. Daveloza, Mario C. Diaz, Soma Mukherjee, Volker Quetschke, Malik Rakhmanov, Robert Stone, Lappoon R. Tang, Cristina V. Torres Jan 2014

Constraints On Cosmic Strings From The Ligo-Virgo Gravitational-Wave Detectors, Daniel Bessis, Teviet Creighton, H. Daveloza, Mario C. Diaz, Soma Mukherjee, Volker Quetschke, Malik Rakhmanov, Robert Stone, Lappoon R. Tang, Cristina V. Torres

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications and Presentations

Cosmic strings can give rise to a large variety of interesting astrophysical phenomena. Among them, powerful bursts of gravitational waves (GWs) produced by cusps are a promising observational signature. In this Letter we present a search for GWs from cosmic string cusps in data collected by the LIGO and Virgo gravitational wave detectors between 2005 and 2010, with over 625 days of live time. We find no evidence of GW signals from cosmic strings. From this result, we derive new constraints on cosmic string parameters, which complement and improve existing limits from previous searches for a stochastic background of GWs …


Sensitivity Curves For Searches For Gravitational-Wave Backgrounds, E. H. Thrane, Joseph D. Romano Dec 2013

Sensitivity Curves For Searches For Gravitational-Wave Backgrounds, E. H. Thrane, Joseph D. Romano

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications and Presentations

We propose a graphical representation of detector sensitivity curves for stochastic gravitational-wave backgrounds that takes into account the increase in sensitivity that comes from integrating over frequency in addition to integrating over time. This method is valid for backgrounds that have a power-law spectrum in the analysis band. We call these graphs “power-law integrated curves.” For simplicity, we consider cross-correlation searches for unpolarized and isotropic stochastic backgrounds using two or more detectors. We apply our method to construct power-law integrated sensitivity curves for second-generation ground-based detectors such as Advanced LIGO, space-based detectors such as LISA and the Big Bang Observer, …


Peakon, Pseudo-Peakon, And Cuspon Solutions For Two Generalized Camassa- Holm Equations, Jibin Li, Zhijun Qiao Dec 2013

Peakon, Pseudo-Peakon, And Cuspon Solutions For Two Generalized Camassa- Holm Equations, Jibin Li, Zhijun Qiao

School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

In this paper, we study peakon, cuspon, and pseudo-peakon solutions for two generalized Camassa-Holm equations. Based on the method of dynamical systems, the two generalized Camassa-Holm equations are shown to have the parametric representations of the solitary wave solutions such as peakon, cuspon, pseudo-peakons, and periodic cusp solutions. In particular, the pseudo-peakon solution is for the first time proposed in our paper. Moreover, when a traveling system has a singular straight line and a heteroclinic loop, under some parameter conditions, there must be peaked solitary wave solutions appearing.


An Integrated Multidisciplinary Nanoscience Concentration Certificate Program For Stem Education, Karen S. Martirosyan, Mikhail M. Bouniaev, Malik Rakhmanov, Ahmed Touhami, Nazmul Islam, Davood Askari, Tarek Trad, Dmitri Litvinov, Sergey E. Lyshevski Dec 2013

An Integrated Multidisciplinary Nanoscience Concentration Certificate Program For Stem Education, Karen S. Martirosyan, Mikhail M. Bouniaev, Malik Rakhmanov, Ahmed Touhami, Nazmul Islam, Davood Askari, Tarek Trad, Dmitri Litvinov, Sergey E. Lyshevski

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications and Presentations

Integration of nanoscience and nanotechnology curricula into the College of Science, Mathematics, and Technology (CSMT) at the University of Texas at Brownsville (UTB) is reported. The rationale for the established multidisciplinary Nanoscience Concentration Certificate Program (NCCP) is to: (i) develop nanotechnology-relevant courses within a comprehensive Science, Engineering and Technology curriculum, and, to offer students an opportunity to graduate with a certificate in nanoscience and nanotechnology; (ii) to contribute to students' success in achieving student outcomes across all college's majors, and, improve the breath, depth and quality of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) graduates' education; (iii) through NCCP, recruit certificate- …


Detection Of Pulsar Beams Deflected By The Black Hole In Sgr A*: Effects Of Black Hole Spin, Sourabh Nampalliwar, Richard H. Price, Teviet Creighton, Fredrick A. Jenet Dec 2013

Detection Of Pulsar Beams Deflected By The Black Hole In Sgr A*: Effects Of Black Hole Spin, Sourabh Nampalliwar, Richard H. Price, Teviet Creighton, Fredrick A. Jenet

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications and Presentations

Some Galactic models predict a significant population of radio pulsars close to the Galactic center. Beams from these pulsars could be strongly deflected by the supermassive black hole (SMBH) believed to reside at the Galactic center and as a result reach Earth. Earlier work assuming a Schwarzschild SMBH gave marginal chances of observing this exotic phenomenon with current telescopes and good chances with future telescopes. Here we study whether those estimates are significantly affected by SMBH spin. We find that spin effects make a negligible difference in detectability, but the pattern of pulse arrival times is clearly affected. In particular, …


Electrospinning Polymer Blends For Biomimetic Scaffolds For Acl Tissue Engineering, Vanessa Lizeth Garcia Dec 2013

Electrospinning Polymer Blends For Biomimetic Scaffolds For Acl Tissue Engineering, Vanessa Lizeth Garcia

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture is one of the most common knee injuries. Current ACL reconstructive strategies consist of using an autograft or an allograft to replace the ligament. However, limitations have led researchers to investigate tissue engineered grafts, known as scaffolds, through electrospinning. Scaffolds made of natural and synthetic polymer blends have the potential to promote cell adhesion while having strong mechanical properties. However, enzymes found in the knee are known to degrade tissues and affect the healing of intra-articular injuries. Results suggest that the natural polymers used in this study modify the thermal properties and tensile strength …


Remediation Of Copper(Ii) And Lead(Ii) From Aqueous Solution Using Engineered Iron Oxide And Manganese Oxide Nanomaterials, Carlos Tamez Jr. Dec 2013

Remediation Of Copper(Ii) And Lead(Ii) From Aqueous Solution Using Engineered Iron Oxide And Manganese Oxide Nanomaterials, Carlos Tamez Jr.

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Nano-sized Fe3O4, Fe2O3, Mn3O4, and MnO2 were synthesized by titration/precipitation and characterized using powder XRD. pH assays determined that optimum binding occurred at pH 4 for Fe3O4 and Fe2O3 and pH 3 for Mn3O4 and MnO2. Maximum adsorption of Cu(II) and Pb(II) occurred within 20 min or less of contact with the nanomaterials. The synthesized nanomaterials showed a binding preference for Pb(II) over Cu(II) at concentrations above 50 ppm. Batch studies also showed no significant reduction in the binding of copper and lead to either Fe3O4, Fe2O3, Mn3O4, or MnO2 in the presence of Na+ , K+ , Mg2+ or …


The Computation Of Fluid Velocity In A Closed Cavity With A Moving Lid, Daniel A. Montez Dec 2013

The Computation Of Fluid Velocity In A Closed Cavity With A Moving Lid, Daniel A. Montez

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

We consider a cavity filled with fluid whose three sides are stationary and the lid at the top is moving at a constant speed. The flow in the cavity is modeled using the conservation of mass and momentum equations with proper boundary conditions. We compute the fluid velocity for the steady state case using the finite element method. We seek the weak formulation and develop a finite element model based on the Galerkin method. Furthermore we use the penalty function method to modify our weak formulation to eliminate the pressure. The Gaussian quadrature method is used to evaluate our integrals …


Biological Compatibility And Cytotoxicity Studies Of Hepa-1c1c7, Hepg2, And Mcf-7 Cancer Cell Lines Upon Exposure To Silver, Palladium, And Gold Nanoparticles, M. Esther Salinas Dec 2013

Biological Compatibility And Cytotoxicity Studies Of Hepa-1c1c7, Hepg2, And Mcf-7 Cancer Cell Lines Upon Exposure To Silver, Palladium, And Gold Nanoparticles, M. Esther Salinas

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The field of nanomedicine has recently explored potential applications for cancer treatment ranging from drug delivery methods to cancer imaging techniques. Due to potential risks of nanomaterials affecting non-cancerous cells in the body, in vitro toxicity studies are being conducted. The nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized from potassium tetrachloroaurate (III) hydrate, potassium tetrabromoaurate (III) dihydrate, potassium tetrachloropalladate (II), and silver nitrate. NPs were synthesized using the Turkevich method or through the sodium borohydride reduction. Particles synthesized using sodium borohydride were stabilized with cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB). The NPs under investigation were used to treat three cancer cell lines. The treated cells were …


Reduction Of Nitroaromatic Compounds With Sodium Borohydride Using Transition Metal Sulfides, Samuel Pina Jr. Dec 2013

Reduction Of Nitroaromatic Compounds With Sodium Borohydride Using Transition Metal Sulfides, Samuel Pina Jr.

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The following systems: NaBH4/Fe3S4, NaBH4/Co3S4, NaBH4/NiS, NaBH4/CuS, and NaBH4/ZnS, were investigated for their nitro reducing abilities. Quantitative conversions were observed for the reduction of nitrobenzene with NaBH4/Co3S4 and NaBH4/NiS systems as opposed to only 9% conversion without any catalyst, representing a ten-fold increase in the reducing ability of NaBH4. In ethanol, various nitroaromatic compounds were also successfully reduced in moderate to high yields with 3 molar equivalents of NaBH4, demonstrating a mild alternative for the effective reduction of nitroaromatic compounds to their corresponding aryl amines. Screening of catalysts was carried out using gas chromatography. All products were characterized using 1 …


Oxidation Of Dibenzothiophene To Dibenzothiophene Sulfone Using Tungsten (Vi) Oxide, Alejandrina Rivera Dec 2013

Oxidation Of Dibenzothiophene To Dibenzothiophene Sulfone Using Tungsten (Vi) Oxide, Alejandrina Rivera

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The oxidation of dibenzothiophene (DBT) to dibenzothiophene-sulfone has been considered as an alternate method to remove sulfur from crude oil. This study demonstrates that the oxidative desulfurization (ODS) of DBT to DBT-sulfone occurs using WO3 as a catalyst. WO3 was synthesized and characterized using X-ray diffraction to determine the phase of WO3. Each reaction was refluxed and run for four hours using WO3 as a catalyst, dibenzothiphene, and four different solvents: decahydronapthalene, n-dodecane, decalin, and dodecane. The reactions were performed at temperatures ranging from 120 oC to 150 oC. Aliquots were taken at 30 minutes for up to four hours …


A Survey Of Heavy Metals In Water, Soil And The Surrounding Plants In The Lower Rio Grande Valley, Erving W. Morelius Dec 2013

A Survey Of Heavy Metals In Water, Soil And The Surrounding Plants In The Lower Rio Grande Valley, Erving W. Morelius

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Heavy metal pollution of the environment in recent years has become a major issue of importance for both human and environmental health. Samples were investigated for the potential pollution of the area as it is a vital produce producing area. During the study plant, soil and water samples were collected from the Donna Reservoir and Canal System to test the concentration of various heavy metals. The heavy metals tested included both potentially toxic and micronutrients in the samples which included arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, iron, lead, nickel and sulfur. During the study, a sixty day sampling period was used to …


The Relational Algebra Toolkit: A User-Friendly Approach To Presenting And Processing Relational Algebra Queries On The Web, Jeremy J. Miller Dec 2013

The Relational Algebra Toolkit: A User-Friendly Approach To Presenting And Processing Relational Algebra Queries On The Web, Jeremy J. Miller

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Relational algebra is the mathematical basis of tools to express and optimize queries on relational data. However, there exists no convenient way to directly use, express, store, render, visualize, and execute relational algebra over the Web. Educators and practitioners are limited to creating relational algebra expressions using TeX or equation editors which cannot execute them. This work presents a solution to this issue: the Relational Algebra Toolkit (RAT). Relational data and queries are represented using purpose-built XML vocabularies, to be both machine-processable and serializable. Encoded relational algebra expressions can be rendered as parenthetical expressions and as syntax trees, translated to …


Oxidation Of Dibenzothiophene To Dibenzothiophene Sulfone Using Tio2, Juan H. Leal Dec 2013

Oxidation Of Dibenzothiophene To Dibenzothiophene Sulfone Using Tio2, Juan H. Leal

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The oxidation of dibenzothiophene (DBT) to dibenzothiophene-sulfone has been considered as an alternate method to remove sulfur from crude oil. This study demonstrates that the oxidative desulfurization (ODS) of DBT to DBT-sulfone occurs using rutile TiO2 as a catalyst with the aid of O2. In addition, anatase and brookite were synthesized and tested in the reaction. Particle size of the catalysts was calculated and morphology was explored using SEM. A kinetic study was performed to determine the catalytic effect and activation energy of TiO2. The oxidation reaction was carried out by refluxing TiO2 and DBT in decahydronapthalene while flowing O2 …


Directed Search For Continuous Gravitational Waves From The Galactic Center, J. Aasi, Daniel Bessis, Teviet Creighton, H. Daveloza, Mario C. Diaz, S. R. Morriss, Soma Mukherjee, W. Ortega Larcher, M. E. Normandin, Volker Quetschke, O. Puncken, Malik Rakhmanov, Joseph D. Romano, Robert Stone, A. S. Stroeer, Lappoon R. Tang, Cristina V. Torres, D. Vrinceanu Nov 2013

Directed Search For Continuous Gravitational Waves From The Galactic Center, J. Aasi, Daniel Bessis, Teviet Creighton, H. Daveloza, Mario C. Diaz, S. R. Morriss, Soma Mukherjee, W. Ortega Larcher, M. E. Normandin, Volker Quetschke, O. Puncken, Malik Rakhmanov, Joseph D. Romano, Robert Stone, A. S. Stroeer, Lappoon R. Tang, Cristina V. Torres, D. Vrinceanu

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications and Presentations

We present the results of a directed search for continuous gravitational waves from unknown, isolated neutron stars in the Galactic center region, performed on two years of data from LIGO’s fifth science run from two LIGO detectors. The search uses a semicoherent approach, analyzing coherently 630 segments, each spanning 11.5 hours, and then incoherently combining the results of the single segments. It covers gravitational wave frequencies in a range from 78 to 496 Hz and a frequency-dependent range of first-order spindown values down to −7.86×10−8  Hz/s at the highest frequency. No gravitational waves were detected. The 90% confidence upper limits …


Two Homologous Ef-G Proteins From Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Exhibit Distinct Functions, Stephanie O. Palmer, Edna Y. Rangel, Yanmei Hu, Alexis T. Tran, James M. Bullard Nov 2013

Two Homologous Ef-G Proteins From Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Exhibit Distinct Functions, Stephanie O. Palmer, Edna Y. Rangel, Yanmei Hu, Alexis T. Tran, James M. Bullard

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

Genes encoding two proteins corresponding to elongation factor G (EF-G) were cloned from Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The proteins encoded by these genes are both members of the EFG I subfamily. The gene encoding one of the forms of EF-G is located in the str operon and the resulting protein is referred to as EF-G1A while the gene encoding the other form of EF-G is located in another part of the genome and the resulting protein is referred to as EF-G1B. These proteins were expressed and purified to 98% homogeneity. Sequence analysis indicated the two proteins are 90/84% similar/identical. In other …


The Stochastic Background: Scaling Laws And Time To Detection For Pulsar Timing Arrays, X. Siemens, Justin A. Ellis, Fredrick A. Jenet, Joseph D. Romano Nov 2013

The Stochastic Background: Scaling Laws And Time To Detection For Pulsar Timing Arrays, X. Siemens, Justin A. Ellis, Fredrick A. Jenet, Joseph D. Romano

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications and Presentations

We derive scaling laws for the signal-to-noise ratio of the optimal cross-correlation statistic, and show that the large power-law increase of the signal-to-noise ratio as a function of the observation time T that is usually assumed holds only at early times. After enough time has elapsed, pulsar timing arrays enter a new regime where the signal to noise only scales as . In addition, in this regime the quality of the pulsar timing data and the cadence become relatively unimportant. This occurs because the lowest frequencies of the pulsar timing residuals become gravitational-wave dominated. Pulsar timing arrays enter this regime …


Searching For Millisecond Pulsars: Surveys, Techniques And Prospects, Kevin Stovall, Duncan R. Lorimer, R. S. Lynch Nov 2013

Searching For Millisecond Pulsars: Surveys, Techniques And Prospects, Kevin Stovall, Duncan R. Lorimer, R. S. Lynch

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications and Presentations

Searches for millisecond pulsars (which we here loosely define as those with periods < 20 ms) in the galactic field have undergone a renaissance in the past five years. New or recently refurbished radio telescopes utilizing cooled receivers and state-of-the art digital data acquisition systems are carrying out surveys of the entire sky at a variety of radio frequencies. Targeted searches for millisecond pulsars in point sources identified by the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope have proved phenomenally successful, with over 50 discoveries in the past five years. The current sample of millisecond pulsars now numbers almost 200 and, for the first time in 25 years, now outnumbers their counterparts in galactic globular clusters. While many of these searches are motivated to find pulsars which form part of pulsar timing arrays, a wide variety of interesting systems are now being found. Following a brief overview of the millisecond pulsar phenomenon, we describe these searches and present some of …


Nitroxide-Functionalized Graphene Oxide From Graphite Oxide, Yazmin I. Avila-Vega, Cesar C. Leyva-Porras, Marcela Mireles, Manuel Quevedo-Lopez, Javier Macossay-Torres, Jose Bonilla-Cruz Nov 2013

Nitroxide-Functionalized Graphene Oxide From Graphite Oxide, Yazmin I. Avila-Vega, Cesar C. Leyva-Porras, Marcela Mireles, Manuel Quevedo-Lopez, Javier Macossay-Torres, Jose Bonilla-Cruz

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

A facile method for preparing functionalized graphene oxide single layers with nitroxide groups is reported herein. Highly oxidized graphite oxide (GO=90.6%) was obtained, slightly modifying an improved Hummer’s method. Oxoammonium salts (OS) were investigated to introduce nitroxide groups to GO, resulting in a one-step functionalization and exfoliation. The mechanisms of functionalization/exfoliation are proposed, where the oxidation of aromatic alcohols to ketone groups, and the formation of alkoxyamine species are suggested. Two kinds of functionalized graphene oxide layers (GOFT1 and GOFT2) were obtained by controlling the amount of OS added. GOFT1 and GOFT2 exhibited a high interlayer spacing (d0001 = 1.12nm), …


The Tornado Warning Process: A Review Of Current Research, Challenges, And Opportunities, Jerry Brotzge, William Donner Nov 2013

The Tornado Warning Process: A Review Of Current Research, Challenges, And Opportunities, Jerry Brotzge, William Donner

Sociology Faculty Publications and Presentations

With the unusually violent tornado season of 2011, there has been a renewed national interest, through such programs as NOAA's Weather Ready Nation initiative, to reevaluate and improve our tornado warning process. This literature review provides an interdisciplinary, end-to-end examination of the tornado warning process. Following the steps outlined by the Integrated Warning System, current research in tornado prediction and detection, the warning decision process, warning dissemination, and public response are reviewed, and some of the major challenges for improving each stage are highlighted. The progress and challenges in multi-day to short-term tornado prediction are discussed, followed by an examination …


Optimal Control In The Treatment Of Retinitis Pigmentosa, Erika T. Camacho, Luis A. Melara, Cristina Villalobos, Stephen Wirkus Nov 2013

Optimal Control In The Treatment Of Retinitis Pigmentosa, Erika T. Camacho, Luis A. Melara, Cristina Villalobos, Stephen Wirkus

School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Numerous therapies have been implemented in an effort to minimize the debilitating effects of the degenerative eye disease Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP), yet none have provided satisfactory long-term solution. To date there is no treatment that can halt the degeneration of photoreceptors. The recent discovery of the RdCVF protein has provided researchers with a potential therapy that could slow the secondary wave of cone death. In this work, we build on an existing mathematical model of photoreceptor interactions in the presence of RP and incorporate various treatment regiments via RdCVF. Our results show that an optimal control exists for the administration …


The Effects Of A Red Tide, Karenia Brevis Episode On The Benthic Macroinvertebrate Communities Of South Padre Island, Texas, Liana Lerma Nov 2013

The Effects Of A Red Tide, Karenia Brevis Episode On The Benthic Macroinvertebrate Communities Of South Padre Island, Texas, Liana Lerma

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

South Padre Island, Texas has experienced increasing frequency of harmful algal blooms (Karenia brevis) since the 1900’s, many of which resulted in massive fishes kills. In addition, shorebirds and other terrestrial wildlife deaths have been linked to K. brevis blooms prompting investigations of potential pathways by which brevetoxins may be transmitted to higher trophic levels. The benthic macrofanual community inhabiting the swash zone of sandy beaches consists primarily of filter feeding invertebrates which may serve as toxin bioaccumulators to secondary consumers of both marine and terrestrial food webs. The first reported mass mortality of swash zone benthic macrofauna on the …


On Closed Subsets Of Non-Commutative Association Schemes Of Rank 6, Jose Vera Nov 2013

On Closed Subsets Of Non-Commutative Association Schemes Of Rank 6, Jose Vera

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The notion of an association scheme is a generalization of the concept of a group. In fact, the so-called thin association schemes correspond in a well-understood way to groups. In this thesis, we look at the structure of non-commutative association schemes of rank 6. We will show that a non-normal closed subset of a noncommutative association scheme of rank 6, must have rank 2. The so-called Coxeter schemes of rank 6 which we present in Section 4 provide examples of association schemes of rank 6 with non-normal closed subsets of rank 2. It is shown that normal closed subsets of …


A Green Chemoselective And Practical Approach Toward N-(2-Azetidinonyl) 25-Disubstituted Pyrroles, Debasish Bandyopadhyay, Elvira Rhodes, Bimal K. Banik Oct 2013

A Green Chemoselective And Practical Approach Toward N-(2-Azetidinonyl) 25-Disubstituted Pyrroles, Debasish Bandyopadhyay, Elvira Rhodes, Bimal K. Banik

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

Pyrrole and 2-azetidinone are two essential heterocyclic scaffolds, which are being broadly used in medicinal chemistry and drug discovery field. A green and practical method to synthesize novel N-(2-azetidinonyl) 2,5-disubstituted pyrroles, which are comprised of both pyrrole and 2-azetidinone moieties, has been developed. The classical Paal–Knorr reaction is one of the simplest and most economical methods for the synthesis of biologically important and pharmacologically useful pyrrole derivatives. The present procedure for the synthesis of N-(2-azetidinonyl) 2,5-disubstituted pyrroles (1,2,5-trisubstituted pyrroles) has been accomplished by reacting 3-amino β-lactams and 2,5-hexanedione in the presence of bismuth nitrate pentahydrate as an ecofriendly …


Derivative Couplings And Analytic Gradients For Diabatic States, With An Implementation For Boys-Localized Configuration-Interaction Singles, Shervin Fatehi, Ethan Alguire, Joseph Subotnik Sep 2013

Derivative Couplings And Analytic Gradients For Diabatic States, With An Implementation For Boys-Localized Configuration-Interaction Singles, Shervin Fatehi, Ethan Alguire, Joseph Subotnik

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

We demonstrate that Boys-localized diabatic states do indeed exhibit small derivative couplings, as is required of quasidiabatic states. In doing so, we present a general formalism for calculating derivative couplings and analytic gradients for diabatic states. We then develop additional equations specific to the case of Boys-localized configuration-interaction singles (CIS)—in particular, the analytic gradient of the CIS dipole matrix—and we validate our implementation against finite-difference results. In a forthcoming paper, we will publish additional algorithmic and computational details and apply our method to the Closs energy-transfer systems as a further test of the validity of Boys-localized diabatic states.


Goals Strategies And First Discoveries Of Ao327 The Arecibo All-Sky 327 Mhz Drift Pulsar Survey, J. S. Deneva, K. Stovall, M. A. Mclaughlin, S. D. Bates, P. C.C. Freire, J. G. Martinez, F. Jenet, M. Bagchi Sep 2013

Goals Strategies And First Discoveries Of Ao327 The Arecibo All-Sky 327 Mhz Drift Pulsar Survey, J. S. Deneva, K. Stovall, M. A. Mclaughlin, S. D. Bates, P. C.C. Freire, J. G. Martinez, F. Jenet, M. Bagchi

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications and Presentations

We report initial results from AO327, a drift survey for pulsars with the Arecibo telescope at 327 MHz. The first phase of AO327 will cover the sky at declinations of -1° to 28°, excluding the region within 5° of the Galactic plane, where high scattering and dispersion make low-frequency surveys sub-optimal. We record data from a 57 MHz bandwidth with 1024 channels and 125 μs sampling time. The 60 s transit time through the AO327 beam means that the survey is sensitive to very tight relativistic binaries even with no acceleration searches. To date we have detected 44 known pulsars …