Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Where To Invest Project Efforts For Greater Benefit: A Framework Formanagement Performance Mapping With Examples For Potato Seed Health, C. E. Buddenhagen, Y. Xing, J. L. Andrade-Piedra, G. A. Forbes, P. Kromann, I. Navarrete, S. Thomas-Sharma, Robin A. Choudhury, K. F. Andersen Onofre, E. Schulte-Geldermann

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

Policymakers and donors often need to identify the locations where technologies are most likely to have important effects, to increase the benefits from agricultural development or extension efforts. Higher-quality information may help to target the high-benefit locations, but often actions are needed with limited information. The value of information (VOI) in this context is formalized by evaluating the results of decision making guided by a set of specific information compared with the results of acting without considering that information. We present a framework for management performance mapping that includes evaluating the VOI for decision making about geographic priorities in regional …

Non-Archimedean Statistical Field Theory, Wilson A. Zuniga-Galindo

School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

We construct in a rigorous mathematical way interacting quantum field theories on a p-adic spacetime. The main result is the construction of a measure on a function space which allows a rigorous definition of the partition function. The advantage of the approach presented here is that all the perturbation calculations can be carried out in the standard way using functional derivatives, but in a mathematically rigorous way.

Searches For Gravitational Waves From Known Pulsars At Two Harmonics In The Second And Third Ligo-Virgo Observing Runs, R. Abbott, H. Abe, F. Acernese, Teviet Creighton, M. G. Benjamin, Mario C. Diaz, Francisco Llamas, Soma Mukherjee, Gaukhar Nurbek, Volker Quetschke, Wenhui Wang

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications and Presentations

We present a targeted search for continuous gravitational waves (GWs) from 236 pulsars using data from the third observing run of LIGO and Virgo (O3) combined with data from the second observing run (O2). Searches were for emission from the l = m = 2 mass quadrupole mode with a frequency at only twice the pulsar rotation frequency (single harmonic) and the l = 2, m = 1, 2 modes with a frequency of both once and twice the rotation frequency (dual harmonic). No evidence of GWs was found, so we present 95% credible upper limits on the strain amplitudes …

Quantization For A Probability Distribution Generated By An Infinite Iterated Function System, Lakshmi Roychowdhury, Mrinal Kanti Roychowdhury

School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Quantization for probability distributions concerns the best approximation of a d-dimensional probability distribution P by a discrete probability with a given number n of supporting points. In this paper, we have considered a probability measure generated by an infinite iterated function system associated with a probability vector on R. For such a probability measure P , an induction formula to determine the optimal sets of n-means and the nth quantization error for every natural number n is given. In addition, using the induction formula we give some results and observations about the optimal sets of n-means for all n ≥ …

Meningococcal Meningitis In Sub-Saharan Africa: A Review, Amit U. Raysoni

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

The scourge of Meningococcal Meningitis in the Sub-Saharan African nations is well known. This review paper focuses on this very important topic and describes the symptoms, diagnoses, and available vaccines for the same. The review then focuses on the Meningitis Belt of Africa and elucidates on the introduction of MenAfriVac™ vaccine. The review ends with the success of this vaccine and the future of Meningococcal Meningitis in the context of overall global climate change.

X-Ray Observation Of The Roche-Lobe-Filling White Dwarf Plus Hot Subdwarf System Ztf J213056.71+442046.5, S. Mereghetti, N. La Palombara, T. Kupfer, T. R. Marsh, C. M. Copperwheat, K. Deshmukh, P. Esposito, T. Maccarone, F. Pintore, Liliana Rivera Sandoval

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications and Presentations

ZTF J213056.71+442046.5 is the prototype of a small class of recently discovered compact binaries composed of a white dwarf and a hot subdwarf that fills its Roche lobe. Its orbital period of only 39 minutes is the shortest known for the objects in this class. Evidence for a high orbital inclination (i = 86°) and for the presence of an accretion disk has been inferred from a detailed modeling of its optical photometric and spectroscopic data. We report the results of an XMM-Newton observation carried out on 2021 January 7. ZTF J213056.71+442046.5 was clearly detected by the Optical Monitor, …

Networks Of Necessity: Simulating Covid-19 Mitigation Strategies For Disabled People And Their Caregivers, Thomas E. Valles, Hannah Shoenhard, Joseph Zinski, Sarah Trick, Mason A. Porter, Michael R. Lindstrom

School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Abstract

A major strategy to prevent the spread of COVID-19 is the limiting of in-person contacts. However, limiting contacts is impractical or impossible for the many disabled people who do not live in care facilities but still require caregivers to assist them with activities of daily living. We seek to determine which interventions can best prevent infections of disabled people and their caregivers. To accomplish this, we simulate COVID-19 transmission with a compartmental model that includes susceptible, exposed, asymptomatic, symptomatically ill, hospitalized, and removed/recovered individuals. The networks on which we simulate disease spread incorporate heterogeneity in the risk levels of …

Effects Of Biochar Production Methods And Biomass Types On Lead Removal From Aqueous Solution, Paola Granados, Sergio Mireles, Engil Isadora Pujol Pereira, Chu-Lin Cheng, James Jihoon Kang

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

Biochar has proven its potential in removing heavy metal ions from water. The objective of this study was to evaluate locally obtained biomass feedstocks for biochar production and their efficiency as a sorbent for aqueous lead (Pb²⁺) removal. The biomass feedstocks consisted of avocado seed, avocado peel, grapefruit peel, and brown seaweed, which represent agricultural and marine biomasses. The biochar materials were produced in two different methods: (1) a laboratory tube furnace at 300 °C and (2) a Do-It-Yourself (DIY) biochar maker, “BioCharlie Log”. The biochars were characterized for selected physicochemical properties, and batch adsorption tests with 10 …

Evolution Of Eigenvalues Of A Geometric Operator Under Ricci Flow On A Riemannian Manifold, Paul Bracken

School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

The behavior of the eigenvalues of a geometric operator closely related to the Laplacian under Ricci flow is investigated. These depend on a coupling parameter in the operator as well as an evolution parameter which gives a flow on a compact manifold of finite dimension. The main objective is to study the monotonicity properties of the eigenvalues.

Political Corruption And Corporate Risk-Taking, Hinh Khieu, Nam H. Nguyen, Hieu V. Phan, Jon A. Fulkerson

School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

We use variation in corruption convictions across judicial districts in the US to examine the relationship between political corruption and risk-taking of public firms. Firms headquartered in regions with high levels of political corruption have lower total risk and lower idiosyncratic risk on average. Further analysis shows that corruption tends to encourage firms to pursue risk-decreasing investments, lower the riskiness of their operations, and decrease asset liquidity. While managerial ownership is intended to align the interests of managers and shareholders, the presence of corruption appears to encourage undiversified managers to decrease risk-taking. Our evidence is consistent with agency theory and …

Inorganic Cesium Lead Mixed Halide Based Perovskite Solar Materials Modified With Functional Silver Iodide, Vincent Obiozo Eze, Lucas Braga Carani, Haimanti Majumder, M. Jasim Uddin, Okenwa Okoli

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

Inorganic CsPbIBr2 perovskites have recently attracted enormous attention as a viable alternative material for optoelectronic applications due to their higher efficiency, thermal stability, suitable bandgap, and proper optical absorption. However, the CsPbIBr2 perovskite films fabricated using a one-step deposition technique is usually comprised of small grain size with a large number of grain boundaries and compositional defects. In this work, silver iodide (AgI) will be incorporated as an additive into the CsPbIBr2 perovskite precursor solution to prepare the unique perovskite CsI(PbBr2)1-x(AgI)x. The AgI additive in the precursor solution works as a nucleation promoter which will help the perovskite to grow …

The Scientific Method As A Scaffold To Enhance Communication Skills In Chemistry, Thomas D. Montgomery, Joanne Rae Buchbinder, Ellen S. Gawalt, Robbie J. Iuliucci, Andrew S. Koch, Evangelia Kotsikorou, Patrick E. Lackey, Min Soo Lim, Jeffrey Joseph Rohde, Alexander J. Rupprecht

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

Scientific success in the field of chemistry depends upon the mastery of a wide range of soft skills, most notably scientific writing and speaking. However, training for scientific communication is typically limited at the undergraduate level, where students struggle to express themselves in a clear and logical manner. The underlying issue is deeper than basic technical skills; rather, it is a problem of students’ unawareness of a fundamental and strategic framework for writing and speaking with a purpose. The methodology has been implemented for individual mentorship and in our regional summer research program to deliver a blueprint of thought and …

All-Sky Search For Gravitational Wave Emission From Scalar Boson Clouds Around Spinning Black Holes In Ligo O3 Data, R. Abbott, H. Abe, F. Acernese, M. G. Benjamin, Teviet Creighton, Mario C. Diaz, F. Llamas, Soma Mukherjee, Gaukhar Nurbek, Volker Quetschke, Wenhui Wang

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications and Presentations

This paper describes the first all-sky search for long-duration, quasimonochromatic gravitational-wave signals emitted by ultralight scalar boson clouds around spinning black holes using data from the third observing run of Advanced LIGO. We analyze the frequency range from 20 to 610 Hz, over a small frequency derivative range around zero, and use multiple frequency resolutions to be robust towards possible signal frequency wanderings. Outliers from this search are followed up using two different methods, one more suitable for nearly monochromatic signals, and the other more robust towards frequency fluctuations. We do not find any evidence for such signals and set …

A Socio-Ecological Model To Assess Tuberculosis In Migrant Farmworkers In The Us-Mexico Border Region, Amit U. Raysoni

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

The migrant and seasonal farmworker toiling in the fields and orchards of the United States of America surmounts innumerable problems daily. Some of these problems pertain to the overall health of the farmworker in addition to the various occupational hazards that he or she faces. This research paper focuses on Tuberculosis infection—both latent and active—in the migrant farmworkers in the United States with a special focus on the US-Mexico border. Using the Socio-Ecological Model as a theoretical framework, the TB health issues faced by this group are studied. The various determinants of health at every level of the Socio-Ecological Model …

Modeling Functions Into An Angular Displacement Of An Elastic Pendulum, Brenda Lee Garcia

Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis we study the relation between analytic signals and a variety of pendulum systems. The representation of a signal as a pair of time varying amplitude and phase has been well studied and often related to linear mass spring systems. The differential equations describing pendulum systems are nonlinear and we provide analytical and numerical results regarding interpretation about the amplitude and the phase of signals in different pendulum settings. We report an explicit solution of the Elastic Pendulum problem in the case of linear phase. We develop an experimental procedure to piece-wise approximate bounded functions on a partition …

Mathematical And Statistical Modeling With Deep Neural Networks, Albert Romero

Theses and Dissertations

General adversarial networks (GANs) are a form of machine learning that includes two neural networks competing in a zero-sum game. One network produces artificial, while the other tries to distinguish artificial data from real. The Wasserstein general adversarial network with gradient penalty (WGAN-GP) variant of this technique is used to produce solutions for ordinary and partial differential equations.

A Gpu Accelerated Genetic Algorithm For The Construction Of Hadamard Matrices, Raven I. Ruiz

Theses and Dissertations

Hadamard matrices are square matrices with +1 and -1 entries and with columns that are mutually orthogonal. The applications include signal processing and quantum computing. There are several methods for constructing Hadamard matrices of order 2k for every positive integer k. The Hadamard conjecture proposes that there are also Hadamard matrices of order 4k for every positive integer k. We use a genetic algorithm to construct (search for) Hadamard Matrices. The initial population of random matrices is generated to have a balanced number of +1 and -1 entries in each column. Several fitness functions are implemented exploiting …

A Decomposition Formula For The Multi-Soliton Solutions To The 'Good' Boussinesq Equation, Aldo Gonzalez

Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, we relate multi-soliton waves generated by the 'good' Boussinesq equation to the distribution functions in the classical linear Schrödinger equation. The linear Schrödinger equation describes the distribution of a particle or particles in a particular environment. The Schrödinger equation is linear, the superposition principle of the solutions, especially the eigenfunctions is nonlinear and we will show that we may observe similar behavior in the solutions of the Boussinesq equations for soliton waves. The work extends the study of two-soliton solutions to the Boussinesq equation to the case of three-soliton solutions. …

Iterated Rascal Triangles, Jena M. Gregory

Theses and Dissertations

We introduce a sequence of number triangles, {Ri} i=0 infty , such that the entries of each share a common generalized recurrence relation. R1 is the Rascal triangle and as i grows large, Ri becomes Pascal's triangle. For all i, we provide a combinatorial interpretation and find closed-term formulas for the entries of Ri . Our proofs rely on generating functions and other combinatorial arguments.

Hardware Isolation Approach To Securely Use Untrusted Gpus In Cloud Environments For Machine Learning, Lucas D. Hall

Theses and Dissertations

Machine Learning (ML) is now a primary method for getting useful information out of the immense volumes of data being generated and stored in society today. Useful data is a commodity for training ML models and those that need data for training are often not the owners of the data leading to a desire to use cloud-based services. Deep learning algorithms are best suited to run on a graphical processing unit (GPU) which presents a specific problem since the GPU is not a secure or trusted piece of hardware in the cloud computing environment.

In this paper, we will analyze …

Hydrologic Modeling Study To Determine Hydrologic Impact Of Resacas On The Lower Laguna Madre Watershed, Antonio L. Reyna

Theses and Dissertations

During a high intensity storm events, a series of catastrophic events occur. These catastrophic events include flooding and destruction of infrastructure. Engineers have determined a method to design for high intensity storms based off hydrologic analysis of previous storms. With this data engineers can determine the outflow of major rivers and streams that may impact infrastructure. By determining the watershed engineers can predict the flow of the water and as well as the location of the outfall. In the Rio Grande Valley, water quality is very important because after rain events stormwater from cities is carried out towards the Laguna …

Structural Analysis Of [Ni(Dippe)] Fragment Using Computational Methods, Jennifer L. Sanchez

Theses and Dissertations

The structural analysis of the Nickel (Bisdiisopropylphospino)ethane, also known as [Ni(dippe)H]2, has been heavily studied in our group in collaboration with William D. Jones's group. A computational analysis of the [Ni(dippe)] fragment was performed to determine the structural relationship between the nickel center and its phosphine ligand, due to phosphines having both electronic and steric properties. The reactivity of the Nickel will be most dependent on the dippe ligand. A conformational search generated 244 conformers after a thorough minimization using Molecular Mechanic (MM) calculations where a thorough minimization was performed and then re-minimized using a SEED command until unique conformers …

Boundary Feedback Control Of The 3d Navier-Stokes Equations, Camille Renee Vasquez

Theses and Dissertations

We present a boundary feedback stabilization of the parabolic steady state profile of the incompressible Navier-Stokes Equations in a three-dimensional channel flow. The decentralized, static boundary feedback control laws are derived using Lyapunov technique. While the theoretical results are limited to stability enhancement for small Reynolds numbers, extensive numerical simulations and visualizations demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed feedback law even in cases when the uncontrolled flow is turbulent.

How Hard Is Bribery In Elections With Randomly Selected Voters, Liangde Tao, Lin Chen, Lei Xu, Weidong Shi, Ahmed Sunny, Md Mahabub Uz Zaman

Computer Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Many research works in computational social choice assume a fixed set of voters in an election and study the resistance of different voting rules against electoral manipulation. In recent years, however, a new technique known as random sample voting has been adopted in many multi-agent systems. One of the most prominent examples is blockchain. Many proof-of-stake based blockchain systems like Algorand will randomly select a subset of participants of the system to form a committee, and only the committee members will be involved in the decision of some important system parameters. This can be viewed as running an election where …

Removal Of Arsenic (Iii) And Arsenic (V) From Aqueous Solution Via Common Sunflower Helianthus Annuus By Phytoremediation, Irving A. Vazquez Hurtado

Theses and Dissertations

Phytoremediation provides a cost-effective, non-invasive technique to remove contaminants from the soil and groundwater. Sunflowers are fast growing and have a showed effective at removing various pollutants from soil, including lead and other heavy metals. Health issues related to arsenic are mainly attributed to exposure of arsenite, whereas arsenate is much less toxic. The common sunflower Helianthus annuus was the species used to remove both arsenic (III) and As(V) ions from hydroponics solutions. In the present study sunflower seeds were germinated for a week, placed under the sun for a day and subsequently placed in a nutrient solution to aid …

Verification In Generalizations Of The 2-Handed Assembly Model, David Caballero

Theses and Dissertations

Algorithmic Self Assembly is a well studied field in theoretical computer science motivated by the analogous real world phenomenon of DNA self assembly, as well as the emergence of nanoscale technology. Abstract mathematical models of self assembly such as the Two Handed Assembly model (2HAM) allow us to formally study the computational capabilities of self assembly. The 2HAM is one of the most thoroughly studied models of self assembly, and thus in this paper we study generalizations of this model. The Staged Tile Assembly model captures the behavior of being able to separate assembly processes and …

Computational Complexity In Tile Self-Assembly, Timothy Gomez

Theses and Dissertations

One of the most fundamental and well-studied problems in Tile Self-Assembly is the Unique Assembly Verification (UAV) problem. This algorithmic problem asks whether a given tile system uniquely assembles a specific assembly. The complexity of this problem in the 2-Handed Assembly Model (2HAM) at a constant temperature is a long-standing open problem since the model was introduced. Previously, only membership in the class coNP was known and that the problem is in P if the temperature is one (τ = 1). The problem is known to be hard for many generalizations of the model, such as allowing one …

Engaging Students During Research Through The Use Of Games, Francisco Gonzalez

Theses and Dissertations

Engaging students during a research seminar/meeting can be a difficult challenge, and as as student myself, I can attest to how difficult actively listening to a presentation can be. As such, upon researching more ways to have an audience engaged, one of the most promising concepts is the use of games. Games, in any form, can be very engaging to a person, and even more so if there is active engagement and participation within an audience group. With this concept in mind, I decided to take it upon myself to create a game based around a theoretical computer …

Pentagonal Tilings Of The Plane, Ariana T. Hinojosa

Theses and Dissertations

Tilings are mathematical objects that allow us to use geometry to visualize interaction between objects as well as to create artistic realization of mathematical objects in the plane and in the space.

We will focus on tilings of the plane that use only one type of convex pentagonal tile each, the pentagonal tilings. There are fifteen types of pentagonal tiles, with each containing their own set of restrictions. The main result of this thesis is an interactive realization of all fifteen types of pentagonal tiles using GeoGebra.

Total Synthesis Of Mansouramycin A, Abigail M. Zepeda

Theses and Dissertations

In 2009 bioactive compounds from marine Streptomyces species was isolated which resulted in deriving four isoquinoline-quinone alkaloids known as Mansouramycins A-D. There have been reports that there are 36 non-small cancer cells against cytotoxicity in Mansouramycins A-C in lung cancer, breast cancer, melanoma, and prostate cancer cells. Reports that have conducted total syntheses were all specific to a single compound only Mansouramycin A and D. However, in precedent methods, to obtain the derivatives with different substituents are limited when the substituents are on the fused-pyridine ring. Thus, a develop a systematic synthetic methods of isoquinoline-quinones, which are to be able …