College of Letters and Sciences: Mathematical & Physical Sciences

The following are abstracts from projects funded in 2001 to the present.

Chemistry

  • My goal is to synthesize and test a new peptidomimetic antimicrobial agent against microorganisms.
  • Programmed cell death, also called apoptosis, occurs in both normal and abnormal cells, and is important for cell development. A protein called p35 had been discovered from an insect virus Autographa californica Nuclear Polyhedrosis Virus that inhibits apoptosis. A mutant p35 will be expressed in bacteria, purified, and crystallized for X-ray crystallography studies.
  • My goal is to synthesize and test a new peptidomimetic antimicrobial agent against pathogenic microorganisms.
  • I propose to explore the mechanism of alanine racemasse to aid in the development of mechanism based antibiotics.
  • Ninety compounds will be prepared and then subjected to biological screenings to measure chloride conductance and direct interaction levels with Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Regulator.
  • My goal is to synthesize and investigate the structure and antimicrobial properties of an amphiphilic beta turn peptidomimetic molecule.
  • My project will investigate the anthelmintic (anti-parasitic) properties of the green Carica papaya extract on gastrointestinal parasites, Ascaris suum and Haemonchus contortus.
  • The synthesis of peptidomimetics that mimic the structure of defensins generates a new way to design and study antibiotics.
  • The objective is to synthesize four isoxazoles for a one-bead/one-compound combination chemistry inhibitor library that will inhibit three homologous enzymes.
  • The purpose of the project is to improve on a protein-chelate system for use in the "pre-targeting" treatment of cancerous cells.
  • My goal is to synthesize a small designed cationic peptide analog and investigate its structure and antimicrobial properties.
  • Our goal is to synthesize and test tetrapeptides containing sulfonic acid residues for their ability to inhibit HIV-1 human cell infection.
  • Our goal is to synthesize and test inhibitors of beta amyloid peptide aggregation, a process known to cause Alzheimer's Disease.

Geology

  • We will determine if the insoluble silicate and clay mineral components of carbonate rocks are more responsive to pressure and temperature variations than the surrounding carbonate minerals. If so, we can show consistent, systematic changes in the mineralogy of the insoluble residues that are specific to certain pressure and temperature conditions. This is a new method for determining the metamorphic pressure and temperature conditions for carbonate rocks.
  • I am part of an experimental project to characterize the melting relations of eclogite thought to represent ancient oceanic crust subsequently incorporated down into the Earth's interior. Using high pressure and temperature equipment to simulate conditions deep within the Earth, I will constrain the melting behavior of this subjected oceanic crust and examine how the derived melts react with rocks present at great depths. Determination of these reactions will provide insight into the inner workings and structure of the mantle and the mechanism by which crustal material is recycled back into the Earth's interior.
  • This project will obtain a better understanding of the subsurface geology of Black Point tuff cone. Gravity measurements will be modeled into a virtual 3D picture of what lies beneath the surface structures. This model will be compared to a similar study performed in Iceland.
  • Using a model already used to imitate Earth's mantle processes, I will alter different parameters to simulate the past and present states of the Venusian and Martian mantles. Venus and Mars are very different from Earth in many aspects including surface features and chemical constituents. These differences will indicate which parameters in the model must be altered to represent the different planets accurately.
  • My project will be to physically model hydrothermal convection along a faulted zone. this project is important because of the roles faults play in the mid-oceanic ridge process and to better understand the hydrothermal process that occurs in a spreading zone. Modeling hydrothermal convection in the newly formed ocean crust is an experiment that can provide a three-dimensional view of the process in a manner that has never before been attempted. The major challenges of the newly reconfigured apparatus will be to maintain a sufficient permeability to allow convection, and to introduce faults into the structure to where they will have an effect on the porous matrix.
  • The objective of the study is to identify and quantify the physical factors controlling the evolution of a nascent strike-slip zone of finite width. using a 2-plate Plexiglas apparatus to mimic strike-slip motion, I will analyze fault geometry in relation to the width of an imposed strike-slip zone by a ductile layer, and the thickness of the brittle layer. Furthermore, I will observe how this geometry evolves with time. In laboratory experiments, I will be using a silicone putty and sand as analogs for a ductile and brittle layer respectively.
  • Analysis of Size Effect on Shell Chemistry in Planktic Foraminifera: Does Size Matter?
  • Studying the migration of Cache Creek near Guinda, CA where the creek is cutting into nearby farmland.
  • Constraining the phase boundary in the spinel to garnet Iherzolite transition, in pressure-temperature space. Also, calibrating Boron Nitride for use as a pressure standard, at low pressures.
  • I propose to monitor the sediment response to the dam removal on Murphy Creek and analyze how the channel alters geomorphically.
  • Researching the benefits and drawbacks of requiring an earth science course in California High Schools in which students apply previously acquired math and science skills.
  • I will determine the nature and origin of Healdsburg glass, from Sonoma County, by comparing its magnetic properties with those of obsidian and tektites.
  • Using stable isotope sclerochronology, I will investigate the evolutionary life history adaptations of the genus Phyllonotus across the Pliocene-Pleistocene extinction boundary.
  • A geologic field study of the displacement history on the Las Charcras brittle fault in western Argentina
  • Collect and sample sediment cores from Lake Tanganyika, Tanzania, for an environmental magnetic analog obtained by using the instruments at the UCD Paleomagnetism Lab.
  • This project will compare a location in White Sands National Monument, New Mexico, as an analog site to the rover Opportunity's landing site on Mars.
  • To investigate the relationship between microbial communities and sedimentation and to extrapolate an understanding of this relationship to the interpretation of the rock record.
  • This project entails further study of the global impacts of the eruption. Direct research at the British Library and Cambridge University would help to increase our understanding of the effects of Huaynaputina.

Mathematics

  • An experimental approach to understanding geophysical fluid dynamics utilizing a fully operational fluid mechanics lab.

Physics

  • I will study vortices in superfluid helium. Specifically I will examine under what conditions a vortex partially trapped on a wire will decay off of the wire or back onto the wire.
  • Work with sponsor to develop a 'straw' detector for forward tracking in the BTeV experiment.

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