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On the Controllability of Coupled Nonlocal Partial Integrodifferential Equations Using Fractional Power Operators
Get PDFIn this research paper, we investigate the controllability in the <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mi>&alpha;</mi></semantics></math></inline-formula>-norm of a coupled system of integrodifferential equations with state-dependent nonlocal conditions in generalized Banach spaces. We establish sufficient conditions for the system&rsquo;s controllability using resolvent operator theory introduced by Grimmer, fractional power operators, and fixed-point theorems associated with generalized measures of noncompactness for condensing operators in vector Banach spaces. Finally, we present an application example to validate the proposed methodology in this research.Mathematic
Archaeological Report, No. 511
Get PDF"The University of Texas at San Antonio’s (UTSA) Center for Archaeology Research (CAR) provided archaeological services to the City of San Antonio (COSA) associated with street improvements along Kingsbury Street from N. Flores to Camaron Street and along Camaron from Kingsbury to West Houston Street. CAR conducted archaeological monitoring from February to April 2019 (Phase I) and from December 2020 to July 2022 (Phase II). The project area is on COSA-owned lands and required archaeological monitoring under the Antiquities Code of Texas, COSA’s Unified Development Code (UDC) Chapter 35, and concurrent consultation and review from the COSA Office of Historic Preservation (OHP) and the Texas Historical Commission (THC). The work described here was conducted under Texas Antiquities Permit No 8784. Phase I began with former CAR Director Dr. Paul Shawn Marceaux serving as the Principal Investigator (PI) and Leonard Kemp serving as Project Archaeologists (PA). Following the departure of Dr. Marceaux in 2020, José Zapata was made PI, and Dr. Lynn Kim was the PA for Phase II. Following the retirement of Mr. Zapata in 2021, Clinton McKenzie took the PI role. Following the departure of Dr. Kim in 2022, Clinton McKenzie took over the project and finished the remaining tasks associated with the permit.
Phase I monitoring occurred along Camaron Street between Martin and Houston Streets and included five perpendicular transecting trenches across the proposed water-sewer utility alignment and four auger holes for traffic lights. Phase II occurred within the larger project area and included excavations for new water and sewer utility lines; communication fiber-optic lines; electrical lines for pedestrian illumination, CPS lighting, and traffic signals; landscape planting areas and support irrigation; and for the placement of new storm drains, sidewalks, driveways, and ramps. It was at the beginning of Phase II that new utility trenches were excavated by a subcontractor without the presence of an archaeological monitor. Due to this action, THC required expanded and comprehensive archival investigation of the impacted areas for inclusion in the final report.
The project area encompassed 1.36 ha (3.35 acres). Several features were found in the project area including three previously recorded sites. A foundation (Feature 1) associated with 41BX2255, the Gembler Blacksmith Shop and Wagon Yard, was found in Phase I. During Phase II, a foundation (Feature 5) associated with site 41BX2256, a residence owned by the Gembler family, and site 41BX2274, which consisted of foundation remnants of two historic residences, were encountered. On 41BX2274, one foundation was the Celso Navarro house, associated with José Antonio Navarro, signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence. The superstructure was relocated to Brackenridge Park in 1948, and the foundation remnants were previously recorded by Pape-Dawson. A second series of foundation remnants included in the 41BX2274 site boundary are from the family residence of John Herndon James, Chief Justice of the Fourth Court of Civic Appeals from 1893-1912. Pape-Dawson recommended further testing for both structures to assist in eligibility determinations (Texas Sites Atlas 2023).
Two new historic archaeological sites were identified. Site 41BX2485 was found in Phase II and consisted of remnant limestone walls dating to circa 1906-1907 (Feature 2) and an unassociated midden (Feature 3) dating from the late nineteenth century. These foundation remnants correspond with a stone structure that fronted east onto Camaron Street north of Travis Street. The CAR recommends that site 41BX2485 is not eligible within the project area for the National Registry of Historic Places (NHRP) or as a State Antiques Landmark (SAL) as the remnant portions lack integrity. Most of the walls and/or features have been removed or seriously disturbed by street widening and utility improvements in the first half of the twentieth century. "City of San Antoni
Role of Type 4B Secretion System Protein, IcmE, in the Pathogenesis of Coxiella burnetii
Get PDF<i>Coxiella burnetii</i> is an obligate intracellular Gram-negative bacterium that causes Q fever, a life-threatening zoonotic disease. <i>C. burnetii</i> replicates within an acidified parasitophorous vacuole derived from the host lysosome. The ability of <i>C. burnetii</i> to replicate and achieve successful intracellular life in the cell cytosol is vastly dependent on the Dot/Icm type 4B secretion system (T4SSB). Although several T4SSB effector proteins have been shown to be important for <i>C. burnetii</i> virulence and intracellular replication, the role of the icmE protein in the host&ndash;<i>C. burnetii</i> interaction has not been investigated. In this study, we generated a <i>C. burnetii</i> Nine Mile Phase II (NMII) mutant library and identified 146 transposon mutants with a single transposon insertion. Transposon mutagenesis screening revealed that disruption of <i>icmE</i> gene resulted in the attenuation of <i>C. burnetii</i> NMII virulence in SCID mice. ELISA analysis indicated that the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, including interleukin-1&beta;, IFN-&gamma;, TNF-&alpha;, and IL-12p70, in serum from Tn::icmE mutant-infected SCID mice were significantly lower than those in serum from wild-type (WT) NMII-infected mice. Additionally, Tn::icmE mutant bacteria were unable to replicate in mouse bone marrow-derived macrophages (MBMDM) and human macrophage-like cells (THP-1). Immunoblotting results showed that the Tn::icmE mutant failed to activate inflammasome components such as IL-1&beta;, caspase 1, and gasdermin-D in THP-1 macrophages. Collectively, these results suggest that the icmE protein may play a vital role in <i>C. burnetii</i> virulence, intracellular replication, and activation of inflammasome mediators during NMII infection.Molecular Microbiology and Immunolog
Phase I quality control framework for monitoring organ-at-risk dose
No full textObjective. The aim of this work was to develop a Phase I control chart framework for the recently proposed multivariate risk-adjusted Hotelling's
chart. Although this control chart alone can identify most patients receiving extreme organ-at-risk (OAR) dose, it is restricted by underlying distributional assumptions, making it sensitive to extreme observations in the sample, as is typically found in radiotherapy plan quality data such as dose-volume histogram (DVH) points. This can lead to slightly poor-quality plans that should have been identified as out-of-control (OC) to be signaled in-control (IC). Approach. We develop a robust iterative control chart framework to identify all OC patients with abnormally high OAR dose and improve them via re-optimization to achieve an IC sample prior to establishing the Phase I control chart, which can be used to monitor future treatment plans. Main Results. Eighty head-and-neck patients were used in this study. After the first iteration, P14, P67, and P68 were detected as OC for high brainstem dose, warranting re-optimization aimed to reduce brainstem dose without worsening other planning criteria. The DVH and control chart were updated after re-optimization. On the second iteration, P14, P67, and P68 were IC, but P40 was identified as OC. After re-optimizing P40's plan and updating the DVH and control chart, P40 was IC, but P14* (P14's re-optimized plan) and P62 were flagged as OC. P14* could not be re-optimized without worsening target coverage, so only P62 was re-optimized. Ultimately, a fully IC sample was achieved. Multiple iterations were needed to identify and improve all OC patients, and to establish a more robust control limit to monitor future treatment plans. Significance. The iterative procedure resulted in a fully IC sample of patients. With this sample, a more robust Phase I control chart that can monitor OAR doses of new plans was established.Management Science and Statistic
Archaeological Monitoring of the Dignowity and Lockwood Parks Improvements Project, San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas
No full textThe Center for Archaeological Research (CAR) conducted archaeological monitoring for the City of San Antonio (COSA) Dignowity and Lockwood Parks Improvement Project, an area comprised of 3.4 hectares (ha; 8.5 acres). The work, completed intermittently between February 2021 and June 2023, involved extensive grading and utility trenching. Because the project area is on COSA-owned land, the project falls under the Unified Development Code (UDC; Article 6 35-630 through 35-634) and requires review from the COSA’s Office of Historic Preservation (OHP). In addition, the work required review by the Texas Historical Commission (THC) under the Antiquities Code of Texas and was conducted under Permit No 9747. The Principal Investigator of this project was Cynthia Munoz, Interim Director of the CAR, with Lynn Kim serving as the Project Archaeologist. Archaeological monitoring by the CAR found eleven features. One new site was recorded (41BX2414), and two previously recorded sites (41BX2295 and 41BX2296) were revisited. The CAR sent site revisits forms and updated shape files for 41BX2295 and 41BX2296 to the THC. The CAR proposes that newly recorded site 41BX2414, a masonry wall footing associated with the Lockwood home, is not eligible for National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) or as a State Antiques Landmark (SAL). The site has been extensively impacted by mid-nineteenth century construction episodes. Excluding artifacts that, lacking scientific value, were discarded with the consent of the COSA and the THC, all artifacts, field documents, photos, and record were curated at the CAR facility under accession No. 2810.City of San Antoni
Detection of Live Ransomware Attacks Using Processor and Disk Usage Data
No full textRansomware attacks continue to be the top risk for organizations today. Recent studies have focused on the behavioral and runtime analysis of ransomware. However, the existing mitigation methods are either limited to offline (post-mortem) analysis or rely on data collection and detection analysis occurring on the same machine that needs protection from ransomware attacks. Running the ransomware detection on the same machine that is under attack, makes the detection process vulnerable to being manipulated or disabled by an attacker. This dissertation presents an efficient, two-layered ransomware detection model for cloud-based virtual machines, designed to withstand user-workload variability and sophisticated ransomware manipulation. The primary model analyzes the host machine’s CPU and disk usage data and operates external to the target VM, minimizing the risk of compromise. An internal secondary model verifies the detection alerts from the primary model by tracking new or unknown file extensions in the VM. This dual-layer model is accurate and resilient, providing robust protection against ransomware attacks in cloud environments while adapting to diverse user behaviors and workload patterns. Using extensive experiments with more than 100 ransomware, four benign applications that mimic ransomware behavior, and six different user workloads, practical data collection methods, suitable machine and deep learning models to analyze the data, and the effectiveness of the proposed dual-layer framework are investigated. Experimental results indicate that live or active ransomware can be detected with a loss of less than 2% of user files with no false alerts.Computer Scienc
Effects of Age, Sex, and Tissue Age on the Mechanical Properties of Local Bone Tissues
No full textDuring the natural aging process, the mechanical properties of bone decrease, leading to elevated risk of fragility fractures in the elderly population. While bone mineral density (BMD) is currently used as a gold standard for measuring bone loss to predict fracture risk, bone microstructure has been also shown to have a strong correlation with fragility fractures. To develop improved diagnostic methods, it is essential to understand the mechanisms underlying the deterioration of bone mechanical properties. This study analyzes 18 female and 18 male cadaveric femoral bone samples to assess the impact of donor aging, tissue aging, and sex differences on the mechanical properties of local bone tissues using Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) nanoindentation techniques. Three-way multivariate ANOVA analyses reveal significant effects of sex and tissue age on elastic modulus, energy dissipation, and hardness. Elastic modulus increases significantly with tissue age, showing marked differences between secondary osteons and interstitial tissues in females. Males exhibit similar trends without statistical significances. Hardness shows an overall significant increasing trend with tissue age for both
sexes, but the only significant difference found was between secondary osteons and interstitial tissues in the elderly female sample group. Energy dissipation decreases slightly with tissue age, with males displaying higher dissipation levels than females. Middle-aged males dissipate more energy in secondary and fragmentary osteons compared to younger and older cohorts. Thesefindings suggest dynamic interactions between age, sex, and tissue age, emphasizing the need for further research to develop targeted bone health interventions.Mechanical Engineerin
Organizing the Chaos: Novel Insights into the Regulation of Z-3-Hexenal Production in Damaged Maize Leaves
No full textGreen leaf volatiles (GLVs) are important signaling compounds that help to regulate plant defenses against pests and pathogens. Made through the hydroperoxide lyase (HPL) pathway, they are rapidly produced upon damage and can signal to other parts of the same plant or even plants nearby, where they can induce rapid defense responses directly or prime them against impending danger. In this primed state, plants can respond faster and/or stronger should pests or pathogens attack. However, while all proteins and genes involved in the biosynthesis of GLVs have been identified, little is still known about how the first two steps in the pathway, e.g., oxygenation by a lipoxygenase (LOX) and subsequent cleavage by HPL, are facilitated within the damaged tissue, resulting in the production of Z-3-hexenal (Z3al) as the first committed product of the pathway. Here, we provide evidence that several factors might be involved in the production of Z3al, including pH, Ca<sup>2+</sup>, and an environment that is highly hydrophobic. We present a model in which the extraordinary circumstances that are present at the site of Z3al production are considered, and shine new light on potential regulatory mechanisms.Integrative Biolog
Communalism and Sexual Minority Stress Among Black Women
No full textThe identity of sexual minority Black women exists at the intersection of race, gender and sexuality contributing to specific experiences that influence their perception within the Black community. This study examined sexual minority stress among queer Black women and evaluated how level of communal orientation influenced their experience of these stressors. Communalism, which describes a collectivist communal orientation served as the primary moderating variable throughout the study and was used to denote proximity to the Black community. 150 women were recruited through a queer-based research firm and were asked about their experiences concerning sexual minority stressors such as heterosexist microaggressions and internalized homophobia. It was hypothesized that communalism would be associated with higher rates of sexual minority stressors and decreased health outcomes, however no evidence was found to support this hypothesis. In fact, there appeared to be preliminary evidence to suggest that communalism could buffer against the effects of heterosexist microaggressions and could be an overall protective factor for sexual minority Black women. Thus, communalism was not found to negatively influence the sexual minority Black women of this study and future research evaluate the positive influence communalism could have on this population.Health, Community and Polic
Size Matters? Penis Dissatisfaction and Gun Ownership in America
No full textIn this study, we formally examine the association between penis size dissatisfaction and gun ownership in America. The primary hypothesis, derived from the psychosexual theory of gun ownership, asserts that men who are more dissatisfied with the size of their penises will be more likely to personally own guns. To test this hypothesis, we used data collected from the 2023 Masculinity, Sexual Health, and Politics (MSHAP) survey, a national probability sample of 1,840 men, and regression analyses to model personal gun ownership as a function of penis size dissatisfaction, experiences with penis enlargement, social desirability, masculinity, body mass, mental health, and a range of sociodemographic characteristics. We find that men who are more dissatisfied with the size of their penises are less likely to personally own guns across outcomes, including any gun ownership, military-style rifle ownership, and total number of guns owned. The inverse association between penis size dissatisfaction and gun ownership is linear; however, the association is weakest among men ages 60 and older. With these findings in mind, we failed to observe any differences in personal gun ownership between men who have and have not attempted penis enlargement. To our knowledge, this is the first study to formally examine the association between penis size and personal gun ownership in America. Our findings fail to support the psychosexual theory of gun ownership. Alternative theories are posited for the apparent inverse association between penis size dissatisfaction and personal gun ownership, including higher levels of testosterone and constructionist explanations.Change The RefSociology and Demograph