Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

The Effects Of Global Change Upon United States Air Quality, Rodrigo Gonzalez-Abraham, Serena H. Chung, Jeremy C. Avise, Brian Lamb, Eric P. Salathé Jr., Christopher G. Nolte, Dan Loughlin, Alex Guenther, Christine Wiedinmyer, Tiffany Duhl, Yang Zhang, David G. Streets

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

To understand more fully the effects of global changes on ambient concentrations of ozone and particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter smaller than 2.5 μm (PM_2.5) in the United States (US), we conducted a comprehensive modeling effort to evaluate explicitly the effects of changes in climate, biogenic emissions, land use and global/regional anthropogenic emissions on ozone and PM_2.5 concentrations and composition. Results from the ECHAM5 global climate model driven with the A1B emission scenario from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) were downscaled using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model to provide regional meteorological fields. We …

Navigating A Pathway Toward Colorado's Water Future: A Review And Recommendations On Colorado's Draft Water Plan, Lawrence J. Macdonnell, Colorado Water Working Group

Books, Reports, and Studies

40 pages (includes color illustrations).

The Case For Conservation, Colorado River Research Group

Books, Reports, and Studies

4 pages.

The unfolding success story of municipal and industrial conservation -- Agricultural water conservation and transfers -- Conclusion.

A Look At The Interim Guidelines At Their Mid-Point: How Are We Doing?, Colorado River Research Group

Books, Reports, and Studies

4 pages.

Multi-Surface Simplex Spine Segmentation For Spine Surgery Simulation And Planning, Rabia Haq

Computational Modeling & Simulation Engineering Theses & Dissertations

This research proposes to develop a knowledge-based multi-surface simplex deformable model for segmentation of healthy as well as pathological lumbar spine data. It aims to provide a more accurate and robust segmentation scheme for identification of intervertebral disc pathologies to assist with spine surgery planning. A robust technique that combines multi-surface and shape statistics-aware variants of the deformable simplex model is presented. Statistical shape variation within the dataset has been captured by application of principal component analysis and incorporated during the segmentation process to refine results. In the case where shape statistics hinder detection of the pathological region, user-assistance is …

Deletion-Induced Triangulations, Clifford T. Taylor

Theses and Dissertations--Mathematics

Let d > 0 be a fixed integer and let A ⊆ ℝ^d be a collection of n ≥ d + 2 points which we lift into ℝ^d+1. Further let k be an integer satisfying 0 ≤ k ≤ n-(d+2) and assign to each k-subset of the points of A a (regular) triangulation obtained by deleting the specified k-subset and projecting down the lower hull of the convex hull of the resulting lifting. Next, for each triangulation we form the characteristic vector defined by Gelfand, Kapranov, and Zelevinsky by assigning to each …

Analysis And Constructions Of Subspace Codes, Carolyn E. Troha

Theses and Dissertations--Mathematics

Random network coding is the most effcient way to send data across a network, but it is very susceptible to errors and erasures. In 2008, Kotter and Kschischang introduced subspace codes as an algebraic approach to error correcting in random network coding. Since this paper, there has been much work in constructing large subspace codes, as well as exploring the properties of such codes. This dissertation explores properties of one particular construction and introduces a new construction for subspace codes. We begin by exploring properties of irreducible cyclic orbit codes, which were introduced in 2011 by Rosenthal et al. As …

Free Resolutions Associated To Representable Matroids, Nicholas D. Armenoff

Theses and Dissertations--Mathematics

As a matroid is naturally a simplicial complex, one can study its combinatorial properties via the associated Stanley-Reisner ideal and its corresponding free resolution. Using results by Johnsen and Verdure, we prove that a matroid is the dual to a perfect matroid design if and only if its corresponding Stanley-Reisner ideal has a pure free resolution, and, motivated by applications to their generalized Hamming weights, characterize free resolutions corresponding to the vector matroids of the parity check matrices of Reed-Solomon codes and certain BCH codes. Furthermore, using an inductive mapping cone argument, we construct a cellular resolution for the matroid …

Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles Trigger Loss Of Function And Perturbation Of Mitochondrial Dynamics In Primary Hepatocytes, Vaishaali Natarajan, Christina L. Wilson, Stephen L. Hayward, Srivatsan Kidambi

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: Faculty Publications

Titanium dioxide (TiO₂) nanoparticles are one of the most highly manufactured and employed nanomaterials in the world with applications in copious industrial and consumer products. The liver is a major accumulation site for many nanoparticles, including TiO₂, directly through intentional exposure or indirectly through unintentional ingestion via water, food or animals and increased environmental contamination. Growing concerns over the current usage of TiO₂ coupled with the lack of mechanistic understanding of its potential health risk is the motivation for this study. Here we determined the toxic effect of three different TiO₂ nanoparticles (commercially available …

Growth Factor And Ultrasound-Assisted Bioreactor Synergism For Human Mesenchymal Stem Cell Chondrogenesis, Sanjukta Guha Thakurta, Gaurav Budhiraja, Anuradha Subramanian

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: Faculty Publications

Ultrasound at 5.0 MHz was noted to be chondro-inductive, with improved SOX-9 gene and COL2A1 protein expression in constructs that allowed for cell-to-cell contact. To achieve tissue-engineered cartilage using macroporous scaffolds, it is hypothesized that a combination of ultrasound at 5.0 MHz and transforming growth factor-β3 induces human mesenchymal stem cell differentiation to chondrocytes. Expression of miR-145 was used as a metric to qualitatively assess the efficacy of human mesenchymal stem cell conversion. Our results suggest that in group 1 (no transforming growth factor-β3, no ultrasound), as anticipated, human mesenchymal stem cells were not efficiently differentiated into chondrocytes, judging by …

Strata-Bound Vein Array In The Basal Pierre Shale, Lake Francis Case, South Dakota, U.S.A, Harmon D. Maher Jr., Sarah Ferguson, Ryan Korth, Justine Marshall, Laura Pickett

Geography and Geology Faculty Publications

A distinctive strata-bound vein array occurs in the basal Pierre Shale exposed along the shores of Lake Francis Case, a reservoir on the Missouri River in south-central South Dakota. Typically 2–4 meters in thickness, the array consistently outcrops over a >50-km distance, a significant areal footprint. Ash layers define the upper and lower bounds of the vein array. Two, suborthogonal, preferred directions of vertical veins (northeast and southeast strike) define a regional pattern. By volume, vertical veins comprise 1–2% of the rock. Thinner, more discontinuous, and irregular horizontal veins also occur. Comparisons between array orientations and the joint/vein pattern in …

A Swirl In The Clouds Near Santa Cruz Island (Images Of Note), Bradley M. Muller, Christopher G. Herbster

Publications

The authors discuss a rare photograph of an atmospheric eddy produced by marine boundary layer flow past terrain.

Moore’S Law, Metcalfe’S Law, And The Theory Of Optimal Interoperability, Christopher S. Yoo

All Faculty Scholarship

Many observers attribute the Internet’s success to two principles: Moore’s Law and Metcalfe’s Law. These precepts are often cited to support claims that larger networks are inevitably more valuable and that costs in a digital environment always decrease. This Article offers both a systematic description of both laws and then challenges the conventional wisdom by exploring their conceptual limitations. It also explores how alternative mechanisms, such as gateways and competition, can permit the realization benefits typically attributed to Moore’s Law and Metcalfe’s Law without requiring increases in network size.

A Survey Of Mathematical Models Of Dengue Fever, Iurii Bakach

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this paper, we compare and contrast five models of Dengue fever. We evaluate each model using different scenarios and identify the strenghts and wecknesses of each of the model

Formality And Informality In Cost-Benefit Analysis, Amy Sinden

Utah Law Review

Cost-benefit analysis (CBA) is usually treated as a monolith. In fact, the term can refer to a broad variety of decisionmaking practices, ranging from a qualitative comparison of pros and cons to a highly formalized and technical method grounded in economic theory that monetizes both costs and benefits, discounts to present net value, and locates the point at which the marginal benefits curve crosses the marginal costs curve. This article develops a typology that helps to conceptualize the multiple varieties of CBA along a formality-informality spectrum. It then uses this typology to analyze the treatment of CBA by the academic …

Equivalencies Between Beta-Shifts And S-Gap Shifts, Dawoud Ahmadi Dastjerdi, Somayyeh Jangjoo Shaldehi

Turkish Journal of Mathematics

Let X_{\beta} be a \beta -shift for \beta \in (1, 2] and X(S) a S-gap shift for S\subseteq N \cup {0}. We show that if X_\beta is SFT (resp. sofic), then there is a unique S-gap shift conjugate (resp. right-resolving almost conjugate) to this X_\beta, and if X_\beta is not SFT, then no S-gap shift is conjugate to X_\beta. For any synchronized X_{\beta} , an X(S) exists such that X_{\beta} and X(S) have a common synchronized 1-1 a.e. extension. For a nonsynchronized X_\beta, this common extension is just an almost Markov synchronized system with entropy preserving maps. We then compute …

Light Driven Reduction Of Carbon Dioxide Via Ruthenium Polypyridyl Complexes In The Presence Of A Pyridinium Cocatalyst, Matthew West

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses

The rapid increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide since the industrial revolution is now beginning to cause global climate changes which could adversely affect our planets ecosystem. Nonetheless, our ability to sustain the current world population and standard of living relies on cheap and abundant energy which is only currently obtainable from the continued use of fossil fuels, which further add CO2 to the atmosphere. Given these circumstances, there is considerable interest and urgency in the development of new technology which would help us replace fossil fuels with fuels derived from sustainable energy sources, and in particular, the sun. In particular, …

Concomitant Studies Of Two F420 Cofactor Dependent Enzymes: Binding Isotherms Of F420 Cofactor Dependent Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase And Kinetic Analysis Of F420h2: Nadp+ Oxidoreductase Utilizing Isotope Effects Methods, Siqi Du

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses

F420 cofactor, a flavin analogue, is a unique two electron carrier that has been found in a number of microorganisms. This thesis focuses on two F420-dependent enzymes (F420-dependent glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and F420H2: NADP+ Oxidoreductase). First, F420-dependent glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (FGD) from Mycobacterium tuberculosis has been shown to be essential for activation of the anti-TB prodrug PA-824. It has been suggested the Trp44 residue in the active side aids in the stabilization of possible intermediates during catalysis. Here, we examined the role of Trp44 during catalysis by creating the FGD W44A variant, which was catalytically inactive. However, we were able to isolate …

Cytotoxicty, Cellular Localization And Fluorescent Microscopy Of Malignant Cells Treated With Ruthenium (Ii) Complexes Of The Tetraazatetrapyridopentacene Ligand, Adam S. Dayoub

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses

The ruthenium (II) polypyridyl complexes [(phen)2Ru(tatpp)Ru(phen)2]4+, (P) and [(phen)2Ru(tatpp)]2+, (MP) are promising anticancer activity candidates due to their observed cytotoxic effect against multiple cancer cell lines. These complexes contain a redox-active (tatpp) bridge and a cytotoxic selectivity against cancer lines that are of interest in cellular biological systems. They also exhibit the ability to regress tumor growth in mouse models and have been shown to cleave DNA with an inverse dependence with (O2). Significantly, these complexes may show a higher cytotoxic action in a hypoxic environment similar to that of tumors in vivo. This thesis is a direct test of …

A Survey On Reverse Carleson Measures, Emmanuel Fricain, Andreas Hartmann, William T. Ross

Department of Math & Statistics Faculty Publications

This is a survey on reverse Carleson measures for various Hilbert spaces of analytic functions. These spaces include the Hardy, Bergman, certain harmonically weighted Dirichlet, Paley-Wiener, Fock, model (backward shift invariant), and de Branges-Rovnyak spaces. The reverse Carleson measure for backward shift invariant subspaces in the non-Hilbert situation is new.

Weak Parallelogram Laws On Banach Spaces And Applications To Prediction, R. Cheng, William T. Ross

Department of Math & Statistics Faculty Publications

This paper concerns a family of weak parallelogram laws for Banach spaces. It is shown that the familiar Lebesgue spaces satisfy a range of these inequalities. Connections are made to basic geometric ideas, such as smoothness, convexity, and Pythagorean-type theorems. The results are applied to the linear prediction of random processes spanning a Banach space. In particular, the weak parallelogram laws furnish coefficient growth estimates, Baxter-type inequalities, and criteria for regularity.

The Role Of Remnant Native Vegetation And Management Strategies In The Reclamation Of Native Prairie Plant Communities, Heather Bass

Earth & Environmental Sciences Theses

Native prairie ecosystems are diminishing in Texas along with their ecosystem services. In order to restore the native prairie ecosystems and their services as a whole, the native prairie plant communities on which they are based must be reclaimed. Effects of past land use, dispersal of nearby remnant plant communities, and various management strategies on native plant community establishment were studied, in order to better understand the reclamation process and formulate recommendations for general native prairie plant community reclamation. Establishment of desired native prairie plant communities was negatively affected by more recent disturbance, but positivity affected by the proximity of …

A Geomechanical Equation For Fracture Density/Brittleness And Comparisons With A Mineralogical Brittleness Index, Louis Brett Zastoupil

Earth & Environmental Sciences Theses

As production of hydrocarbons from tight reservoirs becomes more prevalent, the need to understand fracture density and what can affect fracture density has become the goal of new research. In this study, fracture density is defined as the fracture surface area per volume (m-1), and is derived from strain energies and material properties of the rock. Brittleness is defined as the fracture density at a particular strain state.One purpose of the study is to use the dimensionless geomechanical equation, FdUaμ = A ν1-2ν + B, to test whether the strain conditions were constant from layer to layer. If they were, …

Trends In Seasonal Climate Variance In The Subtropical Reservoir Joe Pool Lake, Texas: Implications Dissolved Oxygen And Nutrient Distribution, Rebekah Ball

Earth & Environmental Sciences Theses

The primary causes of seasonal variance in temperature, hydrological cycle, and nutrient distribution of lakes, and the processes explaining these changes including climate change and land use changes have been investigated for several decades because the importance of lakes for water resources, recreation, and sensitive ecosystems. Many of the previous studies, however, have been focused predominately on natural lakes in temperate climates and not on subtropical reservoirs. In this study a seasonal survey of temperature, turbidity, dissolved oxygen, and nutrients on the Joe Pool reservoir in North Central Texas has been conducted almost weekly from November 21st of 2012 through …

Mechanistic And Kinetic Studies On F420h2: Nadp+ Oxidoreductase From Archeoglobus Fulgidus, Cuong Quang Le

Chemistry & Biochemistry Dissertations

F420H2: NADP+ Oxidoreductase (Fno) is an F420 cofactor dependent enzyme that catalyzes the reversible reduction of NADP+ to NADPH by transferring a hydride from the reduced F420 cofactor. F420 cofactor is an essential electron transfer carrier in methanogens. Methanogens play a critical role in carbon cycling because the methanogenic pathway reduces carbon dioxide to produce methane and is therefore linked to energy (1). The focus of this thesis is to study the hydride transfer mechanism of Fno from the extreme thermophile, Archeoglobus fulgidus using site directed mutagenesis, steady-state and pre-steady state kinetic methods. F420 is essential for catalysis within enzymes …

Spatio-Temporal Variations In Asthma Hospitalizations In Texas 2005-2011 By County And Possible Association With Ozone Exposure, Supatsara Khunsri

Earth & Environmental Sciences Dissertations

Texas asthma hospitalization data at the county level has been reviewed for the period 2005-2011. Exploratory data analysis revealed a general countywide reduction in the number of hospitalizations over this time period. The data revealed a clear rural county versus urban county disparity in asthma hospitalization rates which were different for both children (< 18 years) and adults (>18 years). County hospitalization rates (per 10,000 Texas residents) used in this study are based exclusively on inpatient hospitalizations. Asthma hospitalization data was provided by the Texas Department of State Health Services. Age-adjusted hospitalization rates revealed that the number of hospitalizations for counties designated as "rural" …

A Multiphysics Approach: Thermodynamics, Material Mechanics And Fluid Dynamics Of Magma Systems At Active Volcanic Regions, Cathina Leann Gunn De Rosas

Earth & Environmental Sciences Dissertations

Understanding the genesis, incubation, evolution and equilibration of silicic magma reservoirs that drive and source volcanic activity all over the planet is fundamental to the discipline of geology. The subsurface processes of magma infiltration, transport, alteration and fractionation determine the volumetric rate of crustal production as well as its chemical composition, pluton and batholith formation, the chemical and thermal evolution of the crust and the severity and frequency of volcanic extrusion, flood basalts and ocean ridge volcanism. The excess pressure of the magma system, as it evolves and drives surficial eruption, is a key factor in hazard prediction and mitigation …

Blocker-Based Scatter Correction For Cone-Beam Computed Tomography, Cong Zhao

Physics Theses

Cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) imaging is widely used in radiation therapy for treatment planning and image-guided therapy. More x-ray scatter signals are detected by the two-dimensional detector arrays in CBCT than by the one-dimensional detector arrays in fan-beam CT (FBCT). Therefore, scatter contamination significantly degrades the image quality in CBCT and must be corrected for satisfying image quality.One approach for scatter correction is to use lead blockers. In such a method, the signal in the blocked regions is assumed to be the scatter signal and can be used to estimate the scatter signal in the unblocked region. However, this assumption …

Ferroelectric And Ferromagnetic Behavior Of Oxide Containing Thin Films, Hai In Choi

Physics Theses

Oxide materials are important due to their interesting physical properties for applications in future electronic devices. Thin film oxide materials show a variety of electric and magnetic properties such as ferroelectric, piezoelectric, ferromagnetic and superconducting properties.One intriguing material, bismuth ferrite, has shown room-temperature multiferroic order. It has ferroelectric order below the 1100 K Curie temperature and large remnant polarization. Also, it has antiferromagnetic order below the Néel temperature of 650 K. However, the bismuth ferrite has several defect-related issues such as bismuth volatilization, transition of iron valence electron states and oxygen vacancies. The multiferroic properties are changed by the defect …

On Solving Finitely Reflected Backward Stochastic Differential Equations, Wilber Alexander Ventura

Mathematics Dissertations

Classical theory gives a closed form representation of the density p(t,x), a solution to a linear parabolic PDE, via the Feynman-Kac Formula of the underlying diffusion process. In the non-linear PDE case there is no closed form representation for p(t,x) and instead one solves a SDE running back in time whose initial (deterministic value) coincides with p(t,x). This method of solving semi-linear parabolic PDEs is an effective alternative to known numerical schemes. Furthermore, the FBSDE approach allows for treatment of non-smooth coefficients in the PDE that cannot be handled by classical deterministic methods. One of the most important extensions of …