Brenae L Bailey

Interests

Teaching

Algebra, Calculus, Discrete Mathematics, Statistics, Mathematics Education

Research

Stochastic Modeling, Teaching and Learning

Courses

Scholarly Contributions

Journals/Publications

• Watkins, J., Visscher, K., & Bailey, B. L. (2014). A stochastic model of translation with -1 programmed ribosomal frameshifting. Physical Biology, 11(1), 1-16.
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  Abstract: Many viruses produce multiple proteins from a single mRNA sequence by encoding overlapping genes. One mechanism to decode both genes, which reside in alternate reading frames, is -1 programmed ribosomal frameshifting. Although recognized for over 25 years, the molecular and physical mechanism of -1 frameshifting remains poorly understood. We have developed a mathematical model that treats mRNA translation and associated -1 frameshifting as a stochastic process in which the transition probabilities are based on the energetics of local molecular interactions. The model predicts both the location and efficiency of -1 frameshift events in HIV-1. Moreover, we compute -1 frameshift efficiencies upon mutations in the viral mRNA sequence and variations in relative tRNA abundances, predictions that are directly testable in experiment. © 2014 IOP Publishing Ltd.
• Bailey, B. L., Malhotra, R., & Bailey, B. L. (2009). Two dynamical classes of Centaurs. Icarus, 203(1), 155-163. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2009.03.044
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  Abstract The Centaurs are a transient population of small bodies in the outer Solar System whose orbits are strongly chaotic. These objects typically suffer significant changes of orbital parameters on timescales of a few thousand years, and their orbital evolution exhibits two types of behaviors described qualitatively as random walk and resonance-sticking. We have analyzed the chaotic behavior of the known Centaurs. Our analysis has revealed that the two types of chaotic evolution are quantitatively distinguishable: (1) the random walk type behavior is well described by so-called generalized diffusion in which the rms deviation of the semimajor axis grows with time t as ∼ t H , with Hurst exponent H in the range 0.22–0.95, however (2) orbital evolution dominated by intermittent resonance sticking, with sudden jumps from one mean motion resonance to another, has poorly defined H. We further find that these two types of behavior are correlated with Centaur dynamical lifetime: most Centaurs whose dynamical lifetime is less than ∼ 22 Myr exhibit generalized diffusion, whereas most Centaurs of longer dynamical lifetimes exhibit intermittent resonance sticking. We also find that Centaurs in the diffusing class are likely to evolve into Jupiter-family comets during their dynamical lifetimes, while those in the resonance-hopping class do not.
• Dale, D. A., & Bailey, B. L. (2003). Physics in the Art Museum. The Physics Teacher, 41(2), 82-83. doi:10.1119/1.1542042
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  Parisian artist Paul Signac met the impressionists Claude Monet and Georges Seurat in 1884. Their influence spurred his work in pointillism (or, where the juxtaposition of small dots of color in conjunction with the limited resolving power of the human eye lead to the impression of color coalescence).1–4 To stimulate a cross-disciplinary appreciation of science and art, we used the University of Wyoming Art Museum's Signac painting “Barques de Peche a Marseilles” (see Fig. 1) to explore diffraction theory and the anatomical limitations to our vision during an optics exercise done in the museum.
• Thronson, H. A., Rapp, D., Hawarden, T. G., & Bailey, B. (1995). Ecological Niches in Infrared and Sub-Millimeter Space Astronomy: Expected Sensitivity as a Function of Observatory Parameters. Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, 107(717), 1099. doi:10.1086/133666
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  Using current estimates of the celestial and atmospheric background emission, infrared source crowding, and detector performance, we estimate expected point source sensitivities for possible future infrared and sub-millimeter observatories on the ground, in the air, and in space. Our goal is to evaluate the effects of variations in basic observatory system parameters for typical operation over the wavelength range labmda ~3 - 1000 microns. For the first time in a general astronomical journal, we evaluate mission design goals for the wavelength range identified as the premier for this decade. Here we emphasize the effects of telescope temperature, aperture, and emissivity upon detectable point source signal level using diffraction-limited instrumentation, along with approximations to improvements in sensitivities using the new generation of array detectors. We find that [1] for broadband imaging, a larger aperture is more important than extremely low optical system temperature in detecting weak sources in two situations: (1) at short wavelengths, where a telescope need only be cooled to several tens of kelvins for the optical system emission to fall below that of the celestial background, and (2) at far-infrared and sub-millimeter wavelengths, where interstellar "cirrus" and extragalactic confusion eventually determine the limits to sensitivity, which, below some critical temperature, can only be improved upon by increasing the effective angular resolution. [2] for moderate-resolution spectroscopy (lambda/delta-lambda ~30 - 2000), the faintest signal level is always achieved when the telescope temperature is low enough so that the optical system contributes less than the celestial background. This temperature declines as the wavelength increases, so, for example, T ~ 100 microns. However, for sub-millimeter wavelengths, on or near the Rayleigh-Jeans side of the optical system emission, sensitivity increases less strongly with declining temperature. Consequently, large, warm (ground-based and airborne) sub-millimeter telescopes compete favorably with small cold ones in space and those windows accessible from within the Earth's atmosphere. [3] for high-resolution spectroscopy {lambda/delta-lambda >~ 105+), the thermal background from sky and optical system can be low enough that detector noise limits achievable sensitivity. If so, the telescope temperature need not be extremely low and light-gathering aperature is relatively more important. However, to take full advantage of reduced thermal background via high spectral resolution, detector performance may need to be near optimum. [4] conversely, in many circumstances, current and near-future detectors are over-specified in key aspects of operation compared to the high background of the far-infrared. Under such circumstances, detectors may be operated in non-optimum conditions without significant adverse effects upon overall system sensitivity.