Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Opinion Dynamics On An Adaptive Random Network, I. J. Benczik, S. Z. Benczik, Beate Schmittmann, R. K. P. Zia

Beate Schmittmann

We revisit the classical model for voter dynamics in a two-party system with two basic modifications. In contrast to the original voter model studied in regular lattices, we implement the opinion formation process in a random network of agents in which interactions are no longer restricted by geographical distance. In addition, we incorporate the rapidly changing nature of the interpersonal relations in the model. At each time step, agents can update their relationships. This update is determined by their own opinion, and by their preference to make connections with individuals sharing the same opinion, or rather with opponents. In this …

Longitudinal Image Analysis Of Tumor/Brain Change In Contrast Uptake Induced By Radiation, Xiaoxi Zhang, Tim Johnson, Rod Little, Yue Cao

The University of Michigan Department of Biostatistics Working Paper Series

This work is motivated by a quantitative Magnetic Resonance Imaging study of the differential tumor/healthy tissue change in contrast uptake induced by radiation. The goal is to determine the time in which there is maximal contrast uptake, a surrogate for permeability, in the tumor relative to healthy tissue. A notable feature of the data is its spatial heterogeneity. Zhang, Johnson, Little, and Cao (2008a and 2008b) discuss two parallel approaches to “denoise” a single image of change in contrast uptake from baseline to a single follow-up visit of interest. In this work we explore the longitudinal profile of the tumor/healthy …

Controlled Assembly Of Rodlike Viruses With Polymers, Tao Li, Laying Wu, Nisaraporn Suthiwangcharoen, Michael A. Bruckman, Dayton Cash, Joan S. Hudson, Soumitra Ghoshroy, Qian Wang

Faculty Publications

A practical method to assemble rodlike tobacco mosaic virus and bacteriophage M13 with polymers was developed, which afforded a 3D core–shell composite with morphological control.

Predicting The Socioethical Implications Of Implanting People With Microchips, K. Michael, M.G. Michael

M. G. Michael

Privacy, security, trust, control and human rights are all concerns that need to be addressed before widespread diffusion of advanced identification technologies.

Boosting The Accuracy Of Differentially Private Histograms Through Consistency, Michael Hay, Vibhor Rastogi, Gerome Miklau, Dan Suciu

Gerome Miklau

We show that it is possible to significantly improve the accuracy of a general class of histogram queries while satisfying differential privacy. Our approach carefully chooses a set of queries to evaluate, and then exploits consistency constraints that should hold over the noisy output. In a post-processing phase, we compute the consistent input most likely to have produced the noisy output. The final output is differentially-private and consistent, but in addition, it is often much more accurate. We show, both theoretically and experimentally, that these techniques can be used for estimating the degree sequence of a graph very precisely, and …

Us-Globec Nep Phase Iiia-Ccs: Large-Scale Influences On Mesoscale Structure In The Ccs, A Synthesis Of Climate-Forced Variability In Coastal Ecosystems, Andrew C. Thomas

University of Maine Office of Research Administration: Grant Reports

A variety of extreme climate events occurred during the period of the US GLOBEC NEP monitoring and process studies in the California Current System (CCS) (1997-2003). These provided an unprecedented opportunity to examine a wide range of climate variability experienced by the CCS and its ecosystems. By relating these climate events to regional physical and biological observations, using multiple and diverse data sources (GLOBEC and other recent observations, historical datasets, satellites, circulation and physical-biological models), the investigators will determine how these events affect mesoscale ocean variability and target populations in the CCS. The overarching goal of this project is to …

Take Pride In America In Southern Nevada: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Covering January 6, 2009 – April 5, 2009, Margaret N. Rees

Anti-littering Programs

• Team set annual priorities

• Requests for Information sent to determine recycling feasibility

• Preliminary field data form developed for GIS database project

• Team presented assessment report to SNAP board

• Planning for Phase III media campaign begun

• Five clean-up events conducted this quarter

• Team provided 778 cubic yards of roll-off space for clean-ups

Metallophilic Interactions In Closed-Shell Metal-Metal Bonded Luminescent Systems And Their Tunability For Excited State Energy Transfer, Howard H. Patterson

University of Maine Office of Research Administration: Grant Reports

Howard Patterson, University of Maine, is supported by the Inorganic, Bioinorganic and Organometallic Chemistry Program for photochemical studies of metal-metal bonded excimers and exciplexes. In solution or in the solid state, dicyanoaurate(I) and dicyanoargentate(I) ions oligomerize. The oligomers show complex photochemistry, including luminescence caused by metallophilic interactions. These systems can be tuned over 18,000 wavenumbers by doping or by adding various donor ions. This research project will look in detail at lifetime and time-resolved studies, vibrational analysis by Raman scattering and infrared, structural studies by x-ray and neutron diffraction, and theoretical analyses. The research will provide insight into metallophilic interactions …

A Coupled Cfd-Kinetic Models For Cellulase Production In Airlift Reactor, Rachid Bannari, Abdelfettah Bannari, Brahim Selma, Pierre Proulx

Rachid BANNARI

Cellulase production provides a catalyst for cellulose hydrolysis to glucose, to be used for eventual production of ethanol. The transport of reactants may influence the reaction rate remarkably, for the biological reaction, especially the enzymatic reaction, The transport behavior of the components in a biological system should be considered in the model. In this work, we propose a coupled model between hydrodynamics (twoPhaseEuler- Foam) and a kinetic model for batch and fed-batch cellulase enzyme production by T. reesei from cellulose/lactose substrate which is constructed from literature concepts and laboratory data. Good agreement is obtained between the results and experimental data.

A Data Envelopment Analysis Model For Renewable Energy Technology Selection, Elif Kongar, Kurt A. Rosentrater

Kurt A. Rosentrater

Public and media interest in alternative energy sources, such as renewable fuels, has rapidly increased in recent years due to higher prices for oil and natural gas. However, the current body of research providing comparative decision making models that either rank these alternative energy sources and/or determine the best possible alternatives is still limited. This paper aims at filling this gap by proposing a Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) model structure for ranking energy source alternatives under varying circumstances. The model considers both the economics of energy sources and additional environmental criteria such as CO2 emissions and damage cost. Numerical examples …

Em Enforcing Information Flow Properties Using Compensating Events, Thoshitha T. Gamage, Bruce M. Mcmillin

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

Deeply embedded infrastructures are pervasive systems that have significant cyber and physical components, interacting with each other in complex ways. These interactions can violate a system's security policy leading to unintended information flow. Execution Monitor (EM) enforceability is the concept of monitoring a system during runtime for any security policy violations and terminating the execution if such violations occur. EM enforceable mechanisms require that the properties being enforced be restricted to safety properties. Information flow properties are considered non-EM enforceable because they cannot be defined using safety properties. to bridge this gap, prior work has presented a monitor that predicts …

Joint Multiple Testing Procedures For Graphical Model Selection With Applications To Biological Networks, Houston N. Gilbert, Mark J. Van Der Laan, Sandrine Dudoit

U.C. Berkeley Division of Biostatistics Working Paper Series

Gaussian graphical models have become popular tools for identifying relationships between genes when analyzing microarray expression data. In the classical undirected Gaussian graphical model setting, conditional independence relationships can be inferred from partial correlations obtained from the concentration matrix (= inverse covariance matrix) when the sample size n exceeds the number of parameters p which need to estimated. In situations where n < p, another approach to graphical model estimation may rely on calculating unconditional (zero-order) and first-order partial correlations. In these settings, the goal is to identify a lower-order conditional independence graph, sometimes referred to as a ‘0-1 graphs’. For either choice of graph, model selection may involve a multiple testing problem, in which edges in a graph are drawn only after rejecting hypotheses involving (saturated or lower-order) partial correlation parameters. Most multiple testing procedures applied in previously proposed graphical model selection algorithms rely on standard, marginal testing methods which do not take into account the joint distribution of the test statistics derived from (partial) correlations. We propose and implement a multiple testing framework useful when testing for edge inclusion during graphical model selection. Two features of our methodology include (i) a computationally efficient and asymptotically valid test statistics joint null distribution derived from influence curves for correlation-based parameters, and (ii) the application of empirical Bayes joint multiple testing procedures which can effectively control a variety of popular Type I error rates by incorpo- rating joint null distributions such as those described here (Dudoit and van der Laan, 2008). Using a dataset from Arabidopsis thaliana, we observe that the use of more sophisticated, modular approaches to multiple testing allows one to identify greater numbers of edges when approximating an undirected graphical model using a 0-1 graph. Our framework may also be extended to edge testing algorithms for other types of graphical models (e.g., for classical undirected, bidirected, and directed acyclic graphs).

The Virtual Refraction: Useful Spurious Energy In Seismic Interferometry, Dylan Mikesell, Kasper Van Wijk, Alexander Calvert, Matthew M. Haney

CGISS Publications and Presentations

Seismic interferometry is rapidly becoming an established technique to recover the Green’s function between receivers, but practical limitations in the source-energy distribution inevitably lead to spurious energy in the results. Instead of attempting to suppress all such energy, we use a spurious wave associated with the crosscorrelation of refracted energy at both receivers to infer estimates of subsurface parameters. We named this spurious event the virtual refraction. Illustrated by a numerical two-layer example, we found that the slope of the virtual refraction defines the velocity of the faster medium and that the stationary-phase point in the correlation gather provides the …

Role Of Molecular Chaperones In G Protein B5-Regulator Of G Protein Signaling Dimer Assembly And G Protein By Dimer Specificity, Alyson Cerny Howlett

Theses and Dissertations

In order for G protein signaling to occur, the G protein heterotrimer must be assembled from its nascent polypeptides. The most difficult step in this process is the formation of the Gβγ dimer from the free subunits since both are unstable in the absence of the other. Recent studies have shown that phosducin-like protein (PhLP1) works as a co-chaperone with the cytosolic chaperonin complex (CCT) to fold Gβ and mediate its interaction with Gγ. However, these studies did not address questions concerning the scope of PhLP1 and CCT-mediated Gβγ assembly, which are important questions given that there are four Gβs …

Aqueous Phase C-H Bond Oxidation Reaction Of Arylalkanes Catalyzed By A Water-Soluble Cationic Ru(Iii) Complex [(Pymox-Me2)2Rucl2]+Bf4-, Chae S. Yi, Ki Hyeok Kwon, Do W. Lee

Chemistry Faculty Research and Publications

The cationic complex [(pymox-Me₂)RuCl₂]⁺BF₄⁻ was found to be a highly effective catalyst for the C−H bond oxidation reaction of arylalkanes in water. For example, the treatment of ethylbenzene (1.0 mmol) with t-BuOOH (3.0 mmol) and 1.0 mol % of the Ru catalyst in water (3 mL) cleanly produced PhCOCH₃ at room temperature. Both a large kinetic isotope effect (k_H/k_D = 14) and a relatively large Hammett value (ρ = −1.1) suggest a solvent-caged oxygen rebounding mechanism via a Ru(IV)-oxo intermediate species.

Sustainability And Civil Engineering, Jeremy D. Rodgers

Ohio Valley Regional Student Conference

No abstract provided.

An Information System Design Theory For And Rfid University-Based Laboratory, S. F. Wamba, Katina Michael

Professor Katina Michael

RFID technology is defined as a wireless automatic identification and data capture (AIDC) technology and is considered as “the next big thing” in the management and “the next revolution in supply chain”. Recently, the topic has attracted the interest of the industrial community as well as the scientific community. Following this tendency, this paper applies an Information Systems Design Theory (ISDT) for an RFID-based University Laboratory. For practitioners, the paper provides some insights into the set-up and use of RFID laboratory in university settings, and at the same time, it offers a set of hypotheses that can be empirically tested.

Capabilities Of Direct Sample Introduction-Comprehensive Two-Dimensional Gas Chromatography-Time-Of-Flight Mass Spectrometry To Analyze Organic Chemicals Of Interest In Fish Oils., Eunha Hoh, Steven J. Lehotay, Katerina Mastovska, Helen L. Ngo, Walter Vetter, Kristin C. Pangallo, Christopher M. Reddy

Kristin Pangallo

The Human Side Of Invasive Species, Ben C. West

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Feral hogs (Sus scrofa) are one of the most visible, troublesome, and interesting invasive species in North America. They have existed in North America probably since 1493 when Christopher Columbus purportedly released some hogs in the West Indies. Since then, hogs have spread across the continent and increased substantially in number. Today, feral hogs are both numerous and widespread throughout North America (Gipson et al. 1998, Adkins and Harveson 2007, Fogarty 2007, Mersinger and Silvy 2007), and published estimates suggested a U.S. population of between 1 and 2 million feral hogs (Mayer and Brisbin 1991).

If ever there …

The Eradication Of Invasive Mammal Species: Can Adaptive Resource Management Fill The Gaps In Our Knowledge?, Sugoto Roy, Graham C. Smith, James C. Russell

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Invasive alien species (IAS) threaten global biodiversity; they are the major cause of species extinction on offshore islands. Management of IAS requires data on the ecology of species in their new environment, how these species respond to management, and how these processes interact. Often, however, there is a paucity of information on key biological parameters that are critical to making management decisions. We sent a questionnaire to professionals and organizations managing invasive species and asked the respondents to prioritize a list of information they required to carry out eradication of invasive species. We analysed responses to assess the level of …

Differential Response Of Amp Activated Protein Kinase (Ampk) And Hsp70 To Temperature Stress In The Gastropod, Nucella Lapillus, Emily Zimmermann

All Theses And Dissertations

Populations of the gastropod Nucella lapillus are polymorphic for shell color, with light-colored shells predominating on warmer, wave-protected shores and dark-colored shells limited primarily to cooler, wave-exposed shores. During thermal stress, darker shells attain higher body temperatures than lighter shells. These results suggest that heat stress may determine field distribution patterns. However, there is currently little evidence of physiological consequences of thermal stress in these organisms. Following the guiding hypothesis that heat stress leads to cellular energy depletion, we explored whether the central energy regulator AMP-activated Protein Kinase (AMPK) is activated by heat stress. We compared this response in both …

Improving Automated Requirements Trace Retrieval Through Term-Based Enhancement Strategies, Xuchang Zou

College of Computing and Digital Media Dissertations

Requirements traceability is concerned with managing and documenting the life of requirements. Its primary goal is to support critical software development activities such as evaluating whether a generated software system satisfies the specified set of requirements, checking that all requirements have been implemented by the end of the lifecycle, and analyzing the impact of proposed changes on the system. Various approaches for improving requirements traceability practices have been proposed in recent years. Automated traceability methods that utilize information retrieval (IR) techniques have been recognized to effectively support the trace generation and retrieval process. IR based approaches not only significantly reduce …

Water Current, Volume 41, No. 2, Spring 2009

Water Current Newsletter

Fall Symposium: Platte River Basin Science and Resource Management – October 14 and 15 in Kearney
WRAP Exploring Critical Issues
Meet the Faculty: Jesse Korus, Mehmet Can Vuran
UNL to Announce Formation of the Global Water Institute Engineering
Emerging Contaminants in Natural Waterways: Where is the Smoking Gun?
Featured Partner: NACEE: Nebraska Alliance for Conservation and Environmental Education
Protect State’s Legacy of Living Rivers
Zellmer Authors Book Chapter
Sixth Annual University of Nebraska–LincolnWater Law, Policy and Science
Conference:“Blue Gold: When Water Meets Money”April 29, 30Embassy Suites Hotel, Lincoln
Rain Gardens and Urban Stormwater Management Education in Nebraska
UNL Presenters at …

The Rock And Ice Problem In National Parks: An Opportunity For Monitoring Climate Change Impacts, Andrew Godard Bunn

Environmental Sciences Faculty and Staff Publications

The fundamental physics of an enhanced greenhouse effect due to fossil fuel combustion is well understood, and Earth is warming (IPCC 2007). Considerable uncertainty exists regarding the impacts of climate change, but high latitudes and high elevations are thought to be leading indicators of future trends. The suite of high-elevation lands protected by the National Park Service is ideal in terms of documenting and monitoring the physical, floral, and faunal impacts of climate change. Indeed, the network of alpine lands managed by the Park Service in the mountainous western United States spans maritime-to-arid ecosystems over a dozen degrees of latitude …

Maine Yankee Nuclear Power Plant: A Technological Utopia In Retrospect, Howard P. Segal

Maine History

The Maine Yankee nuclear power plant, built in 1968 and closed in 1996, provides a revealing case study of the rise and fall of the nuclear power industry in the United States. At its inception, the plant generated a great outpouring of optimistic superlatives promising electricity “too cheap to meter” and a solution to Maine’s longstanding energy problems. Its promoters envisioned a technological utopia for Maine communities based on cheap and efficient energy, and based on these promising prospects, the town of Wiscasset welcomed the plant. This article traces the changes in public thinking that led to statewide referenda on …

Maine's Climate Future: An Initial Assessment, George L. Jacobson, Ivan J. Fernandez, Paul Andrew Mayewski, Catherine V. Schmitt

Earth Science Faculty Scholarship

Earth’s atmosphere is experiencing unprecedented changes that are modifying global climate. Discussions continue around the world, the nation, and in Maine on how to reduce and eventually eliminate emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), other greenhouse gases, and other pollutants to the atmosphere, land, and oceans. These efforts are vitally important and urgent. However, even if a coordinated response succeeds in eliminating excess greenhouse gas emissions by the end of the century, something that appears highly unlikely today, climate change will continue, because the elevated levels of CO2 can persist in the atmosphere for thousands of years to come.

In late …

A Trans-Holocene Archaeological Record Of Guadalupe Fur Seals (Arctocephalus Townsendi) On The California Coast, Torben Rick, Robert Delong, Jon Erlandson, Todd Braje, Terry Jones, Douglas Kennett, Thomas Wake, Phillip Walker

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

Guadalupe fur seals (Arctocephalus townsendi) were decimated by 19th century commercial sealers in the northeastern Pacific and thought to be extinct until 1928 when commercial fishermen caught two adult males at Isla de Guadalupe from a group of up to 60 adults and pups (Wedgeforth 1928, Huey 1930). These two animals were brought to the San Diego Zoo, prompting several zoological expeditions to Isla de Guadalupe in the 1930s and 1940s, but none successfully located Guadalupe fur seals. In 1949, a single male was seen on San Nicolas Island, California (Bartholomew 1950), and in 1954, a small breeding …

Record Of Feeding By Humpback Whales (Megaptera Novaeangliae) In Tropical Waters Off Brazil, Luiz Claudio Pinto De Sa Alves, Artur Andriolo, Alexandra Zerbini, Jose Luis Altmayer Pizzorno, Phillip Clapham

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) occur in all major oceans of the world, where most populations typically migrate between high-latitude summer feeding areas and low-latitude wintering grounds (Mackintosh 1942, Clapham and Mead 1999). Historical and contemporary data indicate that a humpback whale population spends the winter breeding season (typically June–November; Martins et al. 2001) in waters over the continental shelf off the eastern coast of South America (5°– 21°S; Williamson 1975, Zerbini et al. 2004, Andriolo et al. 2006). This population migrates through oceanic waters to summer subantarctic feeding destinations near South Georgia (∼54°S, 36°W) and the South Sandwich …

The Mass Of The Universe And Other Relations In The Idea Of A Possible Cosmic Quantum Mechanics, Ioannis Haranas, Michael Harney

Physics and Computer Science Faculty Publications

Recent observations confirm that galactic red-shifts might be quantized and hint a possible new form of quantum mechanics, which could probably explain these observed properties of the galaxies. This brief note investigates some expressions for the mass of the universe M_U, which were obtained with the help of the definition of the new cosmic Planck’s constant ħ_g.

Review Of The 2008 Aps Energy Study, Energy Future: Think Efficiency, David W. Hafemeister

Physics

No abstract provided.