Digital Commons Network^™

Simulations Of H2 Sorption In Metal-Organic Frameworks, Shanelle Suepaul

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Metal-organic frameworks are a diverse group of crystalline materials consisting of metal ionscoordinated to organic ligands. Their characteristic high porosity, large surface area along with tunable pore structures and chemical functionalities make them an exceptional candidate for H2 storage applications. Computational studies of H2 sorption in metal-organic frameworks aid in producing molecular-level insights which can facilitate the design of structures with improved performance. In this work, various MOFs were investigated using grand canonical Monte Carlo simulations.

Addressed first are two MOFs with rht topologies which consist of two chemically distinct Cu2+ ions coordinated to triisophthalate ligands. Through electronic structure calculations …

Designing Next-Generation Transportation Systems With Emerging Vehicle Technologies, Zhiwei Chen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Recent advances in computing and artificial intelligence have enabled the development of various emerging vehicle technologies, e.g., autonomous vehicles (AV) and modular autonomous vehicles (MAV). These technologies bring new scientific and engineering problems challenging transportation researchers and practitioners. This dissertation aims to develop a suite of scalable computational and analytical tools for designing and analyzing next-generation transportation systems with the MAV technologies. Also, we intend to empirically study the system impacts in terms of the quality of service, energy implications, and inequality impacts.

For MAV system design, we develop a methodological framework centering at theoretical properties of the optimal system …

Biosynthetic Gene Clusters, Microbiomes, And Secondary Metabolites In Cold Water Marine Organisms, Nicole Elizabeth Avalon

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Microorganisms and invertebrate animals from cold water marine environments, such as in Antarctica and in Ireland’s deep sea, are a rich source of secondary metabolites. In this dissertation, research was centered around secondary metabolism and natural product biosynthesis. The projects include the delineation of biosynthetic gene clusters hypothesized to be responsible for the biosynthesis of the palmerolides, stratification of the microbiome of the Antarctic ascidian Synoicum adareanum, genomic and peptidomic analysis of a host-associated Antarctic Pseudovibrio sp., and isolation and characterization of secondary metabolites from the Irish deep-sea coral Drifa sp.

Palmerolide A, the principle secondary metabolite associated with S. …

Advancing Functional Scientific Literacy To Socioscientific Literacy As A Cross Disciplinary Educational Goal: A Philosophical Analysis, Kory Bennett

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Educational experiences built upon the Socioscientific Issues (SSI) framework provide opportunities for teachers and students to reflectively and reflexively address ill-defined complex scientific issues that affect human beings around the planet. Through the practice of Socioscientific Reasoning (SSR), while grappling with SSI, students have the potential to develop a SSI functional perspective of scientific literacy (SL); functional scientific literacy (FSL). Due to the multidimensional complexity of many human issues in and out of the science classroom, students are required to develop various skills, dispositions, and problem-solving strategies that expand from and connect with a SSI functional perspective of SL. The …

Countermeasures Against Various Network Attacks Using Machine Learning Methods, Yi Li

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

With the rapid development of a computer network, our lives are already inseparable from it. Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) is in use everywhere; more and more devices are connected to the Internet, and many companies and individuals tend to store their data and information online. Furthermore, it is now very convenient to communicate with each other through email and text messages. However, widespread networks also provide more attack surfaces for attackers. There are a variety of network attacks aimed at information theft. To better defend against those network attacks, one needs to have a broad knowledge of existing attacks. In this …

System Support Of Concurrent Database Query Processing On A Gpu, Hao Li

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The unrivaled computing capabilities of modern GPUs meet the demand of processing massive amounts of data seen in many application domains. While traditional HPC systems support applications as standalone entities that occupy the entire GPU, we propose a GPU-based DBMS (G-DBMS) that can run multiple tasks concurrently. To that end, system-level management mechanisms like resource allocation and buffer manager are needed to build such a concurrent database query processing system and fully unleash the GPUs’ computing power. However, CUDA does not provide enough OS-level functionalities to support it. Thus our research is focusing on implementing the optimization of resource allocation …

Development Of Next-Generation, Fast, Accurate, Transferable, And Polarizable Force-Fields For Heterogenous Material Simulations, Adam E. Hogan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Theoretical modeling is extremely useful in guiding to experiment; however quantitatively accurate modeling of energy-relevant small molecule sorption at the heterogeneous interfaces present in metal-organic materials (MOMs) is currently challenging. MOMs are an emerging class of materials consisting of inorganic clusters and organic linkers that offer great potential in the areas of gas storage, gas separation, and catalysis due to the possibility of large surface areas, complex heterogeneous surfaces, and rational designability. Efficient chemical separations involving these materials could reduce the US’s total energy consumption by approximately 10 to 15%. In this dissertation, the parameterization of small molecules and metal …

Isolation Of Specific Phospholipids From Nannochloropsis Oculata Microalga For Cosmetic Applications, Ahmet Yener Manisali

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Algae, photosynthetic aquatic organisms, have recently caught the attention of the food, cosmetic, pharmaceutical, and nutraceutical industries due to the variety of natural compounds in their cellular bodies such as carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins. Specifically, microalgae-derived natural compounds such as phospholipids are extensively utilized in cosmetics as part of liposome formers, emulsifiers, solubilizers, and wetting agents. Although phospholipids are currently extracted from food sources, this practice raises sustainability concerns. Hence, growing microalgae on the provision of macronutrients such as nitrates and phosphates will serve as a more sustainable source of the several specific phospholipids such as phosphatidylcholine (PC), phosphatidyl-ethanolamine (PE), …

Climate Change And Sustainable Development Within The Tourism Sector Of Small Island Developing States: A Case Study For The Bahamas, Arsum Pathak

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The research literature suggests Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are vulnerable to climate change. Tourism in SIDS is sensitive to climate variations and dependence of the sector on natural resources (beaches, coral reefs) adds to their vulnerability. The purpose of this study is to assess climate impacts and adaptation within the tourism sector of a SIDS – The Bahamas that relies on tourism and faces climate vulnerabilities, as do other SIDS. Given the importance of tourism to their sustainable development by supporting economic growth and employment, this study identifies timely risks and adaptation planning for a tourism-based SIDS economy in …

Plio-Pleistocene Antarctic Ice-Ocean Interactions In The Ross Sea, Catherine Prunella

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Warm, intermediate-depth Southern Ocean waters are implicated in recent Antarctic ice mass loss. Direct observations of Antarctic Ice Sheet (AIS) retreat are temporally limited, necessitating paleoceanographic records of ocean-ice interactions during past warm climate intervals. Deepsea and ice-proximal sediments record orbitally-paced glacial-interglacial fluctuations in AIS volume during the Plio-Pleistocene (last 5 million years; Ma), but the total contribution of the AIS and the role of ocean heat in these fluctuations remain unresolved. To address the response of Antarctica’s ice sheets to changing ocean temperatures during the Plio-Pleistocene, International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Expedition 374 recovered sediments from the Ross Sea …

Corporate Brand Impact On Sales / Revenue Per Share, Brad A. Puckey

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation is to identify the linkage between the corporate brand and sales / revenue per share growth. Utilizing a unique database, the CoreBrand® Index, this study is a quantitative analysis of the interaction between the corporate brand and financial data. A relationship between corporate brand and financial data has been suspected by practitioners; however, it has never been proven. For the first time, quantitative analysis is conducted in this dissertation using this unique dataset.

This study is intended to help those responsible for managing corporate brands to better understand their impacts and benefits. The more that …

Modeling Early Life: Ontogenetic Growth And Behavior Affect Population Connectivity In Gulf Of Mexico Marine Fish, Kelly Vasbinder

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is an examination of growth, behavior, and dispersal during the early life stages of marine fishes in the Gulf of Mexico. Understanding movements of early life stages is a key part of managing exploited fish populations. Position in the water column can impact larval dispersal, since it determines those currents to which larvae are exposed. First, I investigated the relationship between length and age in early life stages of marine fishes. I found that demersal fish taxa tend to be represented by exponential models, while pelagic fish tend to be represented by linear models. I suggest this may …

Characterizing Childhood And Diet In Migration Period Hungary, Kirsten A. Verostick

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This project investigates children, childhood and diet of two different Migration Period (4^th-8^th century AD) populations, the Gepids and the Avars, in the Great Hungarian Plain. The main goal was to assess whether there are differences in treatment of children and differences in breastfeeding and weaning practices in these distinct sites and populations. Secondarily, this research also focused on characterizing diet for the Gepids and the Avars at four different sites from the Migration Period, to understand how the migration and settling into the region and the assimilation of other groups into the two populations affected their …

Conversion From Metal Oxide To Mof Thin Films As A Platform Of Chemical Sensing, Meng Chen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Chemical sensor is working as a widely used device which can be applied to the detection of specific chemicals that are existing in the environment especially in gas phase. The detection of combustible and toxic chemicals can be extremely important in the field of both industrial and civil activities. The chemical sensor is commonly operating by utilizing a chemical or physical interaction between the specific chemical compound and the sensing functional unit, to obtain an electronic signal caused by the property change and realize the chemical detection. Traditional chemical gas sensors such as catalytic gas sensor, thermal conductivity gas sensor, …

The Utilization Of Shared Energy Storage In Energy Systems: Design, Modeling And Optimization, Rui Dai

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Energy storage (ES) plays a significant role in modern smart grids and energy systems. With the advances of ES technologies, efficiently applying ES to energy systems has become the bottleneck for achieving the benefits of ES. The traditional approach of utilizing ES is the so-called distributed framework in which there is a separate ES for each individual user. Due to the inherent limits in the distributed framework such as cost inefficiency and space limitations, many studies have promoted to utilize a shared ES in energy systems to further exploit the potentials of ES. However, current studies always focus on maximizing …

Spontaneous Raman Scattering Enhancement With Microcavities And Multipass Resonators For Trace Gas Detection, Juan Sebastian Gomez Velez

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The continual increase in production and use of chemicals in an ever-growing field of applications naturally brings forth the necessity to accurately and efficiently measure molecular composition. Spontaneous Raman scattering is a reliable technique which can optically identify molecules based on their intrinsic rotational-vibrational energy structure. The Raman emission from a substance can be spectrally analyzed to detect molecular species simultaneously and with isotopic sensitivity using a single laser source. However, even though the process is non-invasive and effective, the rate at which the emission occurs is notoriously low due to a weak scattering cross-section. Therefore, research into the development …

Maternal Social Status, Offspring 2d:4d Ratio And Postnatal Growth, In Macaca Mulatta (Rhesus Macaques), Juan Pablo Arroyo

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Early life exposure to stressors can disrupt growth and development, resulting in long-term compromised function and increased risk for disease throughout the lifecourse. Maternal exposure to psychosocial stressors (i.e., stressors derived from social status, social inequalities, and social interactions) during pregnancy has been associated with reduced fetal growth, adverse birth outcomes, and increased morbidity for the offspring later in life. Maternal hormonal responses to stress, such as fluctuations in glucocorticoids (e.g., cortisol) and androgens (e.g., testosterone), can result in increased developmental instability, interfere with offspring growth in-utero, and may alter developmental processes of sexual dimorphism. Second digit to fourth digit …

Thermoelectric Transport Control Using Single Phase Materials And Metamaterial Composites, Wencong Shi

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The amount of annual energy consumption in today's human world is on an unprecedented level, as most of the energy used for industrial, transportation, and residential purposes are rejected or dissipated as waste heat, it is of crucial importance to find a way to harvest this wasted heat energy and convert it back into usages. Thermoelectric (TE) devices can help to achieve this purpose by utilizing the principle of thermoelectricity such as the Seebeck effect to generate the electric energy from the waste heat. The main challenges are to find TE materials that are highly efficient in energy conversion, low …

Communication, Learning And Social Support At The Speaking Center: A Communities Of Practice Perspective, Ann Marie Foley Coats

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In response to increasing demand for public speaking instruction, more institutions are establishing campus speaking centers staffed by student tutors. Peer tutors provide clients with a range of supports in the speech-making process, including suggestions for speech content and organization and for improving delivery during simulated practice sessions. This study investigates patterns of peer interaction in one campus speaking center to understand the dynamics of peer support in a non-classroom setting and how they may create the conditions for student learning. This ethnographic study conceptualized speaking center activities and the practice of oral communication skills development through the lens of …

Porosity And Permeability Extremes In An Eogenetic Carbonate Platform: Mechanisms For Formation And Implications For Fluid Flow, Charles I. Breithaupt

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Carbonate rocks contain about a third of the worlds drinking water and host 60-70% of proven hydrocarbon reserves. Effective development and management of these resources relies heavily on geologic concepts used to predict the distribution, and magnitude of porosity and permeability in the aquifer or reservoir. Most geologic concepts used for flow prediction have been developed in telegenic limestones, where fracture networks, bedding plains, and conduits hosted in effectively impermeable bedrock control the movement of fluids, and evolution of porosity. However, a growing body of work has recognized fluid flow within eogenetic limestones is fundamentally different, and that new concepts …

Discrete Models And Algorithms For Analyzing Dna Rearrangements, Jasper Braun

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this work, language and tools are introduced, which model many-to-many mappings that comprise DNA rearrangements in nature. Existing theoretical models and data processing methods depend on the premise that DNA segments in the rearrangement precursor are in a clear one-to-one correspondence with their destinations in the recombined product. However, ambiguities in the rearrangement maps obtained from the ciliate species Oxytricha trifallax violate this assumption demonstrating a necessity for the adaptation of theory and practice.

In order to take into account the ambiguities in the rearrangement maps, generalizations of existing recombination models are proposed. Edges in an ordered graph model …

Hybrid Rf Acoustic Resonators And Arrays With Integrated Capacitive And Piezoelectric Transducers, Adnan Zaman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Over the past few decades, the usage of mobile communication devices such as smartphones, laptop computers, tablets has grown significantly. Clearly, smartphones and other mobile gadgets have been leading the current and emerging market thanks to the fast growing of wireless communications. Therefore, the wireless communications market is constantly looking for new ways to miniaturize the RF front-ends, while reducing the size, cost, and power consumption. Radio frequency microelectromechanical systems (RF MEMS) is widely viewed as a potential enabling technology for the multi-standard monolithic transceivers on a single chip with high reliability, high performance, and very low DC power consumption. …

Save Water Drink Wine: Challenges Of Implementing The Ethnography Of The Temecula Valley Wine Industry Into Food-Energy-Water Nexus Decision-Making, Zaida E. Darley

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study demonstrates the interrelationships of people, food, energy, and water associated with Temecula Valley’s wine industry and reveals contradictions and biases in how people view these resources, which ultimately shape management and policies. The FEW (Food, Energy, and Water) Nexus is an approach increasingly used by policy- and decision-makers to understand the interrelationship of several resources. However, a FEW Nexus approach often lacks in social aspects that influence environmentally and economically sustainable outcomes, especially in the wine and wine tourism industry. When quantitative and qualitative data are available, the other challenge is which assessment to use. Two assessments often …

Successful Novice Teachers’ Conceptualizations And Enactments Of The Collaborating Teacher Role: A Dual Case Study, Kia Sarnoff

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this descriptive, exploratory, dual case study was to understand the ways two successful novice middle school mathematics teachers serving as first-year collaborating teachers (CTs) for preservice teachers (PSTs) from the same “Grow Your Own” (GYO) educator preparation program (EPP) where they received their initial preparation conceptualized and enacted their CT roles. The CTs’ perceived impact of being alumni of the same middle school mathematics EPP as their PSTs was also explored. Analysis of interview, observation, and document data collected throughout the PSTs’ initial field experience and the CTs’ first-ever mentoring experience resulted in several key assertions including: …

A Framework For Assessing The Reliability, Availability, Maintainability, And Safety (Rams) Of Decentralized Sanitation, Adefunké Adeosun

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In established industry sectors, Reliability, Availability, Maintainability, and Safety (RAMS) risk assessments are normally used to compare the risks associated with different technologies on process units. Sanitation solutions are split into traditional wastewater treatment which is centralized treatment and can be classified as an established industry, and decentralized treatment such as pit latrines and septic tank systems which are on much smaller scales. Also they can be classified as non-conventional methods such as reinvented advanced decentralized non-sewered sanitation solution techniques exist mainly in two forms as “Single-User Reinvented Toilet (SURT)” systems or “Multiple-User Reinvented Toilet (MURT)” systems. Advanced decentralized non-sewered …

Coral Reef Restoration In The Tropical West Atlantic Amid The Covid-19 Pandemic, Linden Cheek

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Climate change is increasing threats to coasts, both from storm surge and sea level rise. Healthy coral reefs provide reduction in storm surges, wave energy, coastal flooding and everyday erosion, and are found across a variety of spatial scales. Given the state of coral reefs worldwide, active Coral Reef Restoration (CRR) in emerging as a necessary component of coastal protection. CRR can be classified as a nature-based solutions (NbS) for coastal protection that also provides a multitude of ecosystem-based services to both humans and other life. Nearly all literature on coral restoration efforts assume a steady-state of human-ecological interactions, but …

On Some Problems On Polynomial Interpolation In Several Variables, Brian Jon Tuesink

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Polynomial approximation is a long studied process, with a history dating back to the 1700s, At which time Lagrange, Newton and Taylor developed their famed approximation methods. At that time, it was discovered that every Taylor projection (projector) is the pointwise limit of Lagrange projections. This leaves open a rather large and intriguing question, What happens in several variables?

To this end we define a linear idempotent operator to be an ideal projector whenever its kernel is an ideal. No matter the number of variables, Taylor projections and Lagrange projections are always ideal projectors, and it is well known that …

A Novel Magnetic Respiratory Sensor For Human Healthcare, Kee Young Hwang

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Breathing is vital to life. Therefore, the real-time monitoring of a patient’s breathing pattern is crucial to respiratory rehabilitation therapies such as magnetic resonance exams for respiratory-triggered imaging, chronic pulmonary disease treatment, and synchronized functional electrical stimulation. While numerous respiratory devices have been developed, they are often in direct contact with a patient, which can yield inaccurate or limited data. In this study, we developed a novel, non-invasive, and contactless magnetic sensing platform that can precisely monitor a patient’s breathing, movement, or sleep patterns, thus providing efficient monitoring at a clinic or home. A magneto-LC resonance (MLCR) sensor converts the …

Laser-Induced Modifications In Two-Dimensional Materials, Tariq Afaneh

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Atomically thin two-dimensional (2D) materials have attracted a growing interest in the lastdecade from the fundamental point of view as well as their potential applications in functional devices. Due to their high surface-to-volume ratio, the physical properties of 2D materials are very sensitive to the environmental factor such as surrounding media and illumination conditions (e.g. light-mater interaction). In the first part of this dissertation I will present recent advances in developing laser-assisted methods to tune the physical properties of 2D transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs). We demonstrate laser-assisted chemical modification ultrathin TMDs, locally replacing selenium by sulfur atoms. The photo-conversion process …

Bidirectional Influences Of Decisions And Outcomes On Organizational Identity And Sustainable Viability In Small, Private, Nonprofit, Mission-Focused Higher Education Institutions, Brian J. Gilliam

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As educational leaders in small, private, nonprofit, mission-focused higher education institutions confront challenges, their decisions influence organizational identity, culture, and viability. Decision-making is informed in a complex environment of internal and external influences. The purpose of this research is engaged scholarship to inform practitioners of decision-making in mission-focused institutions with better understanding of why and how adaptation is occurring, and provide a conceptual framework for decision-making and further study of organizational leadership in this important sector of higher education.

Four-year private, nonprofit, degree-granting institutions represent 34% of all accredited institutions in the United States and serve over 5 million students. …