Digital Commons Network^™

Dynamical Electron Vortices In Attosecond Double Photoionization Of H2, Jean Marcel Ngoko Djiokap, A. V. Meremianin, N. L. Manakov, L. B. Madsen, S. X. Hu, Anthony F. Starace

Anthony F. Starace Publications

We study electron momentum vortices in single-photon double ionization of H2 by time-delayed, counterrotating, elliptically polarized attosecond pulses propagating along kˆ either parallel or perpendicular to the molecular axis R. For kˆ | R, kinematical vortices occur similar to those found for He. For kˆ ⊥ R, we find dynamical vortex structures originating from an ellipticity-dependent interplay of ¹∑⁺_u and ¹∏⁺_u continuum amplitudes. We propose a complete experiment to determine the magnitudes and relative phase of these amplitudes by varying pulse ellipticities and time delays.

Interactions Between Disciplinary Practices And Joint Work In Undergraduate Physics Research Experiences, Gina Quan, Chandra Turpen, Andrew Elby

Faculty Publications

We analyze how participating in undergraduate research experiences (UREs) influenced physics students’ trajectories of participation within the community of practice of physics researchers. Students in the study participated in an elective seminar in which they were paired with graduate student and faculty mentors on physics research projects and participated in weekly discussions about research. Using video data from student interviews and mentor interviews, we characterize two aspects of students’ engagement in the physics community of practice. First, we find variations in their engagement in physics practice, which we characterize as physics activities that are connected and purposeful. Second, we characterize …

Search For Subsolar-Mass Ultracompact Binaries In Advanced Ligo’S First Observing Run, Robert Coyne, Et Al

Physics Faculty Publications

We present the first Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo search for ultracompact binary systems with component masses between 0.2  M_⊙–1.0  M_⊙ using data taken between September 12, 2015 and January 19, 2016. We find no viable gravitational wave candidates. Our null result constrains the coalescence rate of monochromatic (delta function) distributions of nonspinning (0.2  M_⊙, 0.2  M_⊙) ultracompact binaries to be less than 1.0×10⁶  Gpc⁻³  yr⁻¹ and the coalescence rate of a similar distribution of (1.0  M_⊙, 1.0  M_⊙) ultracompact binaries to be less than 1.9×10 …

Commencement Convocation Program, Usf, Baccalaureates, December 7, 2018, University Of South Florida

USF Graduation and Convocation Programs

Honorary Doctor of Science - Melanie Sanford; President's Fellow Medallion - Mayor Bob Buckhorn; President's Global Leadership Award - Dyann Wirth; King O'Neal Scholars - Andrea Arciniegas, Jessica Bullock, Anna Eliason, Tiffany Garner, Bailey Gavulic, Victoria Hoang, Stephanie Hogue, Briana Luthman, Asgard Marroquin, Justin Mohr, Jenn Moser, Rida Mughal, Kristiana Nasto, Marilluly Peraza, Kirby Powers, Keska Register, Jordan Stofan, Michael Talavera, Veronica Vazquez, Thomas Vieiera, Rylee Wagner, Savannah Warner, Aubrey Wolfe, David Wylie, and Shahrzad Zamani; Outstanding Graduate - Shahriar "Shawn" Zamani

Species Richness, Diversity, And Abundance Of Sponge Communities In Broward County, Florida, 2000-2015, Jessica Price

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Sponges (Porifera) are a major component of coral reef ecosystems. They outnumber coral species on the Florida Reef Tract, and in places, account for more living cover. Because coral reefs are a vital part of Florida’s economy, it is important to understand how local sponge assemblages vary spatially and temporally, especially as corals continue to decline. However, long-term observations of sponge assemblages (species richness, diversity and abundance) are lacking. To address this, annual photoquadrats were analyzed from a series of 25 sites off Broward County between 2000 and 2015. Variations in sponge assemblages were then compared to several natural and …

Using Wearable Biomarker Technology To Determine The Effectiveness Of Assistive Technology Supports On The Anxiety And Writing Outcomes Of Students With Disabilities, Angela M. Lobdell

Honors Capstones

The purpose of this Capstone project is to determine the effects writing has on stress levels of students with anxiety-related disorders and to investigate the effectiveness of technology-based writing interventions to reduce anxiety and increase writing output when being utilized by students. One male and three females between the ages of 14-17 participated in the research. Each participant wore a biomarker device that allowed the researchers to track the participants' levels of anxiety. The levels transmitted by the biomarker would indicate a state of calm, focused, tense and neutral. Baseline involved observing students writing without technology supports. Upon completion of …

Peruvian Pinnipeds As Archivists Of Enso Effects, Mickie Rae Edwards

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Environmental fluctuations in the eastern Pacific Ocean are reflected in the tissues of some of its most vulnerable apex predators, the Peruvian fur seal (PFS) Arctocephalus australis ssp.and the South American sea lion (SASL) Otaria byronia.These large pinnipeds live in sympatry along the Pacific coastline of South America and forage within the neritic waters over the continental shelf. The coastal waters off Peru are a region of great environmental fluctuations due to periodic, oscillating El Niño- La Niña- Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events, which result in ecosystem-wide food web changes. Pinniped vibrissae (whiskers) are continuously growing keratinous tissues and …

Why The Endangered Species Act Shouldn’T Be Endangered, Ryan Kendall

Op-Eds from ENSC230 Energy and the Environment: Economics and Policies

The Trump Administration has announced that they intend to rework the endangered species act. Unsurprisingly, they plan to rework in ways that have the potential to undermine its effectiveness.

One would think that reworking the act would potentially increase its effectiveness, given the nearly fifty years that we have had to advance our knowledge since it was passed. Unfortunately, the opposite may very well be true.

The new changes to the act would allow for the decision of whether or not to list an animal to be made not just by scientific data, but also by determining the economic impact …

Identification Of Experimental And Control Areas For Cctv Effectiveness Assessment—The Issue Of Spatially Aggregated Data, Adam Dabrowski, Piotr Matczak, Andrzej Wójtowicz, Michael Leitner

Faculty Publications

Progress in surveillance technology has led to the development of Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) systems in cities around the world. Cameras are considered instrumental in crime reduction, yet existing research does not unambiguously answer the question whether installing them affects the number of crimes committed. The quasi-experimental method usually applied to evaluate CCTV systems’ effectiveness faces difficulties with data quantity and quality. Data quantity has a bearing on the number of crimes that can be conclusively inferred using the experimental procedure. Data quality affects the level of crime data aggregation. The lack of the exact location of a crime incident in …

Reframing Understandings Of Cultural Influences On Learning Science, Jill Mcnew-Birren, Jennifer Gaul-Stout

College of Education Faculty Research and Publications

This review essay addresses issues raised in Valerie Frède’s paper entitled: Comprehension of the night and day cycle among French and Cameroonian children aged 7–8 years.

A Hierarchical Spectrum Access Scheme For Tv White Space Coexistence In Hetergeneous Networks, Mohammad Zaeri-Amirani, Fatemeh Afghah, Sherali Zeadally

Information Science Faculty Publications

Among current techniques for dynamic access to television (TV) white space (TVWS), geolocation database-based access provides a promising performance in protecting the TV-band incumbents from interference that cannot be efficiently achieved in other license-exempt models. However, in heterogeneous wireless networks, most portable devices do not have such access and may cause interference to TV incumbents. We propose a hierarchical model for spectrum sharing in TVWS that includes a wide range of fixed and portable devices. In the first tier, the TV broadcaster can lease the spectrum bands to local fixed users based on a soft license agreement. The fixed users …

Initial Failure Leading To Academic Success, Laura Kate Boshart

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Change Descriptors For Determining Nodule Malignancy In Lung Ct Screening Images, Benjamin Geiger

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Computed tomography (CT) imagery is an important weapon in the fight against lung cancer; various forms of lung cancer are routinely diagnosed from CT imagery. The growth of the suspect nodule is known to be a prognostic factor in the diagnosis of pulmonary cancer, but the change in other aspects of the nodule, such as its aspect ratio, density, spiculation, or other features usable for machine learning, may also provide prognostic information.

We hypothesized that adding combined feature information from multiple CT image sets separated in time could provide a more accurate determination of nodule malignancy. To this end, we …

Helping Children Overcome Reading Difficulties Using Response To Intervention, Corinne M. Sannino

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to determine if Argryis and Schon's (1974) Theory-of-Action framework could be used as a viable professional development tool to improve teachers' professional practices when providing Tier II literacy interventions within the context of a Response to Intervention (RTI) program in an elementary school. This multicase study sought to understand more deeply the espoused beliefs and theories-in-use of four elementary literacy interventionists' when delivering intensive literacy interventions to students not reading on grade level within the context of the RTI program by using semi-structured interviews, collection of student work, and classroom observations. Discrepancies were …

Commencement Ceremonies, University Of North Florida

Commencement Printed Materials

Program for the Fall Commencement ceremonies.

A Logitudinal Feature Selection Method Identifies Relevant Genes To Distinguish Complicated Injury And Uncomplicated Injury Over Time, Suyan Tian, Chi Wang, Howard H. Chang

Biostatistics Faculty Publications

Background: Feature selection and gene set analysis are of increasing interest in the field of bioinformatics. While these two approaches have been developed for different purposes, we describe how some gene set analysis methods can be utilized to conduct feature selection.

Methods: We adopted a gene set analysis method, the significance analysis of microarray gene set reduction (SAMGSR) algorithm, to carry out feature selection for longitudinal gene expression data.

Results: Using a real-world application and simulated data, it is demonstrated that the proposed SAMGSR extension outperforms other relevant methods. In this study, we illustrate that a gene’s expression profiles over …

Nonlinear Optical Characterization Of Solids, Alex Farnsworth

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Vibrational Sum Frequency Generation (VSFG) and the similar Second Harmonic Generation (SHG) are both classified as nonlinear optical phenomena, with the hallmark trait being that the input and output frequencies are different. Both of these systems are remarkable tools due to their surface specific nature. Still, there is much that is not known about the response from these systems, especially the nonresonant SFG response. We have worked to better understand SFG signal, specifically the nonresonant temporal profile. We have also collected results that call into question some underlying assumptions about time-based suppression methods when working with single crystal substrates.

As …

Reproductive Life History And Shell Shape Variation Of Three Species Of Elimia (Pleuroceridae) In The Lower Etowah River Basin, Ellen Winant

Master of Science in Integrative Biology Theses

Pleurocerid snail diversity in the Southeastern United States is thought to be high, but estimates of overall diversity are compromised by uncertain taxonomy. This is particularly true for the genus Elimia, where reliance on conchological characters described by early naturalists for species designation failed to recognize significant variability in shell morphology. In this study we examine three putative species of Elimia to determine if quantifiable conchological characters are associated with differences in life history characteristics. Individuals of E. modesta, E. carinocostata, and E. cariniferawere collected from nine sites in three streams in the lower Etowah River …

Search For Subsolar-Mass Ultracompact Binaries In Advanced Ligo’S First Observing Run, Ligo Collaboration, Virgo Collaboration, M. Afrough, M. Cavaglià, C. Cocchieri, K. L. Dooley, D. Trifirò

Faculty and Student Publications (Open Access)

No abstract provided.

Accretion In Strong Field Gravity With Extp, Alessandra De Rosa, Phil Uttley, Lijun Gou, Yuan Liu, Cosimo Bambi, D. Barret, T. Belloni, Emanuele Berti, S. Bianchi, Ilaria Caiazzo, P. Casella, M. Feroci, Valeria Ferrari, Leonardo Gualtieri, Jeremy Heyl, Adam Ingram, V. Karas, F. J. Lu, Bin Luo, G. Matt

Faculty and Student Publications (Open Access)

No abstract provided.

The Circulation Of Climate Change Denial Online: Rhetorical And Networking Strategies On Facebook, Emma Frances Bloomfield, Denise Tillery

Communication Studies Faculty Research

This study uses a topical, rhetorical approach to analyze how climate change denial circulates online through the 25 most popular posts on the Watts Up With That and the Global Warming Policy Forum Facebook pages. These groups adopt the appearance of credibility through reposting and hyperlinking, thus establishing a supportive, networked space among other skeptical sites, while distancing readers from original sources of scientific information. Visitors use a variety of rhetorical strategies to echo posts’ main themes and to discredit alternative viewpoints. Differences between the topoi and rhetorical strategies of WUWT and the GWPF show that the climate change denial …

Treatment Of Plastic Wastes Using Plasma Gasification Technology, Zachary A. Homolka

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Plasma gasification (PG) complements traditional recycling when applied to contaminated or

mixed plastics. Without PG these plastics cost recyclers more to process than they are worth on the market, and sometimes they are landfilled or incinerated instead of being recycled. Plasma gasification can take plastic not suitable for traditional recycling and break it down into high-quality syngas for use in electricity generation, chemical manufacturing, or hydrogen production. The technology can be implemented without changing the behavior of consumers, which is a major advantage over attempting to decrease contamination or reduce use of low-value plastic. Due to high capital requirements and …

Search For Subsolar-Mass Ultracompact Binaries In Advanced Ligo's First Observing Run, B. P. Abbott, Teviet Creighton, Mario C. Diaz, Soma Mukherjee, Volker Quetschke, Malik Rakhmanov, Karla E. Ramirez, Robert Stone, Darkhan Tuyenbayev, Wenhui Wang

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

We present the first Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo search for ultracompact binary systems with component masses between 0.2 M-1.0 M using data taken between September 12, 2015 and January 19, 2016. We find no viable gravitational wave candidates. Our null result constrains the coalescence rate of monochromatic (delta function) distributions of nonspinning (0.2 M, 0.2 M) ultracompact binaries to be less than 1.0×106 Gpc-3 yr-1 and the coalescence rate of a similar distribution of (1.0 M, 1.0 M) ultracompact binaries to be less than 1.9×104 Gpc-3 yr-1 (at 90% confidence). Neither black holes nor neutron stars are expected to …

Solvent Stable Microbial Lipases: Current Understanding And Biotechnological Applications, Barry Ryan, Priyanka Priyanka, Yeqi Tan, Gemma K Kinsella, Gary T. Henehan

Articles

Objective: This review examines on our current understanding of microbial lipase solvent tolerance, with a specific focus on the molecular strategies employed to improve lipase stability in a non-aqueous environment.

Results: It provides an overview of known solvent tolerant lipases and of approaches to improving solvent stability such as; enhancing stabilising interactions, modification of residue flexibility and surface charge alteration. It shows that judicious selection of lipase source supplemented by appropriate enzyme stabilisation, can lead to a wide application spectrum for lipases.

Conclusion: Organic solvent stable lipases are, and will continue to be, versatile and adaptable biocatalytic workhorses commonly employed …

The Impact Of Online Homework, Time On Homework, Gender, And Metacognition In Improving Student Achievement In Undergraduate Biology Courses, Donald Bishop Cook Jr

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study sought to address a gap in the literature to determine whether a relationship exists between use of online homework and student achievement in undergraduate biology courses. Previous studies have examined other STEM courses, but few have considered biology. The purpose of the study was to determine whether homework grades in online homework systems can predict student achievement in introductory undergraduate biology courses. This study utilized a correlational analysis by multiple regression using archival data to determine whether final course grades in undergraduate biology courses can be predicted by grades on online homework, time spent on online homework, gender, …

The Nature Of Teaching: Connecting K-5 Teachers And Students With Nature, Rebecca Busse

Engagement & Service-Learning Summit

No abstract provided.

Hands Of The Future, Inc.: Connecting Youth With Nature, Amee Waltman, Rebecca Busse

Engagement & Service-Learning Summit

No abstract provided.

Preschool Teachers' Science Knowledge: Validating The Preschool Teachers' Applied Science Knowledge Survey, Alexandra Danielle Alexander

Open Access Dissertations

Children are natural scientists, primed to investigate and evaluate their world. However, in the U.S., there are science achievement gaps already by kindergarten that persist through eighth grade. These achievement gaps coupled with stagnant and poor performance on science assessments have led to a current national focus on early science education. A likely contributor to these problems is the limited support that early science educators receive. Young children’s desire to understand their world is supported, nourished, and transformed into rigorous learning by adults. Supporting the adults in classrooms (i.e., early education practitioners) should, therefore, increase children’s learning. The present study …

Developing An Online Computational Thinking Instrument For Elementary Students, Guanhua Chen

Open Access Dissertations

This study is part of a larger design study that iteratively improves a robotics programming curriculum as well as a computational thinking (CT) instrument. Its focus was majorly on CT assessment and particularly on an online CT instrument with logging functionality that can store a student's problem-solving process by recording interactions between a test-taker and the items with timestamps. The purposes of this research were to examine the psychometric properties of an online CT instrument, test if significant improvement in CT could be found by 200 5th graders who took a robotics programming course and the CT instrument as pretest …

Reconstructing Uncertain Response Surfaces With Application To Lagrangian Ocean Data, Rafael Carvalho Goncalves

Open Access Dissertations

Motivated by the problem of predicting the transport of material in the ocean, the present work went after two general problems. One is to use a probabilistic Lagrangian oil model to forecast the fate of an oil spill. The other is to use a dense array of Lagrangian observations to estimate the near surface submesoscale velocity field. Both problems were tackled with methodologies based on the reconstruction of response surfaces. In the first part, an uncertainty quantification methodology based on a non- intrusive polynomial chaos approach is developed for the forecasting of oceanic oil spills. This allows the model’s output …