Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Metatranscriptomic Insights Into The Interaction Between Microcystis Blooms And Hydrogen Peroxide, Taylor L. Hancock

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

For this dissertation I studied the interactions of hydrogen peroxide and cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (cHABs) dominated by Microcystis in the Caloosahatchee River, FL. Specifically, I examined how taxonomic and functional succession relates to both natural hydrogen peroxide dynamics and hydrogen peroxide added to the environment as a cHAB treatment. Chapter 2 investigated how taxonomic succession and gene expression patterns relate to blooms and associated elevated hydrogen peroxide concentrations. The results showed that gene expressions related to cyanobacterial growth were positively correlated with hydrogen peroxide. The genes identified included enzymes capable of hydrogen peroxide generation which were expressed by blooming …

Rates Of Diagenesis Of Tropical Insectivorous Bat Guano Accumulations: Implications For Potential Paleoenvironmental Reconstruction, Donald A. Mcfarlane, Joyce Lundberg

International Journal of Speleology

Cave guano deposits are increasingly being recognized as valuable repositories of paleo-climatic and paleo-environmental information. However, that value is constrained by rates of guano decomposition, and these rates have not been previously well-studied. Here we show that field and laboratory studies of deep insectivorous bat guano sequences in the caves of Borneo demonstrate the extreme dependence of decomposition rate on guano water content. Under tropical conditions, moist guanos exhibit decomposition coefficients (k) values of ~ 0.01, implying the loss of most of the organic content on decadal timescales. Under similar temperatures but drier conditions, k values drop to …

Subaqueous Carbonate Speleothems As Paleotemperature Archives – Clumped Isotope Thermometry And Stable Isotope Compositions Of Inclusion-Hosted Water, Attila Demeny, Ágnes Berentés, László Rinyu, Ivett Kovács, Gergely Surányi, Magdolna Virág

International Journal of Speleology

Clumped isotope measurements of carbonates and stable isotope analyses of water trapped in fluid inclusions are both promising techniques to determine carbonate formation temperatures. Cave-hosted carbonate deposits (speleothems) are excellent targets for such studies, but kinetic fractionations and diagenetic influences frequently deteriorate the temperature data obtained from these methods. However, subaqueous carbonate deposits may provide reliable data, as kinetic fractionations are less significant in underwater environments. In this study, subaqueous speleothems, whose formation temperatures were directly measured in the water, were investigated. Additionally, temperatures calculated from the oxygen isotope fractionations between calcite and fluid inclusion-hosted water were compared with clumped …

The Role Of Muslim Women In Nigeria’S Socioeconomic Development Through The Implementation Of The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, Faqiat Afolake Adeaga

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research explores the often underestimated yet pivotal role of Muslim women in propelling socio-economic development in Nigeria, specifically focusing on the implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The primary research question seeks to comprehend the transformative impact of faith-based women-led NGOs, including Ansar-ud- Deen, Nawair-ud-Deen, FOMWAN, and NASFAT, on Muslim women's empowerment and their contribution to SDG1 (extreme poverty), SDG3 (health), SDG4 (education), and SDG5 (gender equality) in Nigeria. Simultaneously, the secondary research question explores successful strategies employed by these organizations in empowering Muslim women, with a keen focus on potential areas for improvement. Incorporating research …

The International Crisis In Numeracy Education, Nathan D. Grawe

Numeracy

The OECD recently released results from the 2022 administration of the Programme for International Student Assessment test. As other studies suggest, pandemic mitigation policies resulted in deep learning loss including in basic mathematics which forms the foundation of numeracy. Perhaps of greater concern, however, in many countries pandemic effects amplify declining performance that dates back a decade or more. Losses of two or more years' worth of mathematics education are not uncommon among developed countries. The editorial makes an urgent call for research that identifies practical steps to reverse these trends.

Infusing Quantitative Reasoning Skills Into A Differential Equation Class In An Urban Public Community College, Tanvir Prince

Numeracy

This research centers on implementing Quantitative Reasoning (QR) within a differential equations course at an urban public community college. As a participant in the Numeracy Infusion for College Educators (NICE) faculty development program, I sought to integrate QR skills into my curriculum. Students in the course were introduced to QR goals using real-world data sets, particularly those related to population growth, which aim to enhance their understanding, sharpen their problem-solving abilities, and cultivate a positive perspective on the real-world relevance of mathematics. Preliminary findings indicate varied levels of QR skill development among students. These results underscore the potential benefits of …

Surface Modification Of Poly(4,4'-Oxydiphenilene Pyromellitimide) With Low-Pressure Plasma Treatment, Cihan Aktas

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study explores the change of the wetting characteristics of commercially availablepolyimide (PI), Kapton® HN, films a type of poly(4,4′-oxydiphenylene-pyromellitimide), following treatment with low-pressure plasmas of carbon tetrafluoride (CF4), air, hydrogen (H2), carbon-dioxide (CO2) and oxygen (O2) gases as well as the surface texturing via laser-exposure procedure. The water contact angle (CA) and surface free energy (SFE) of untreated PI films were determined as 82.4°±0.8 and 45.0±0.3 mN/m, respectively. After CF4 plasma gas treatment, the CA value of PI films increased to 110.2°±1.0, while it decreased to 9.3°±2.3 after O2 plasma gas treatment. The surface free energy (SFE) of PI …

Assessing Compliance To Water Resources And Reconstruction Framework During Post-Conflict Reconstruction Borno State, Muritala Olaniyi Oke Dr

Journal of African Conflicts and Peace Studies

Northeast and northwest of Nigeria have, as a result of activities of Boko Haram, bandit and kidnappers, had their public and private properties destroyed. Governments and other stakeholders, upon some successes of the military, have started post-conflict reconstruction to rebuild the war-torn urban and rural communities with the provision of water taking the center stage. This paper looks at the utilisation of Water Resources and a Reconstruction framework for integrating water projects into reconstruction processes. This paper rests on the argument that water projects during reconstruction should not be handled as “normal” water projects and that a more culturally and …

A Study On The Correlation Between A Star's Rayleigh-Taylor Characteristic Timescale And Stellar Wind Activity, Fiona Klett

Undergraduate Journal of Mathematical Modeling: One + Two

In this paper, we investigate the correlations between a star's internal dynamics due to the Rayleigh-Taylor instability and episodes of stellar wind activity, using both a theoretical model and observational data from the NOAA.% \cite{NOAA}. Besides its relevance as an astrophysics problem, this study is also informative for models of climate change which include secular perturbations in the Sun's internal dynamics, as a potential source of solar activity variability.

Quantifying Non-Primary Dna Formations Through Mechanical And Geometric Models, Sonia E. Teodorescu

Undergraduate Journal of Mathematical Modeling: One + Two

In this article, mechanical and geometric models for DNA strains (regarded as a helical structure in 3 dimensions, embedded into surfaces of various shapes (straight or curved cylinders, spheres, or projected into planes), are analyzed in order to obtain parameter estimates for DNA characteristics which can be used to detect the formation of secondary and tertiary formations in the presence of disorder. The models allow for the explicit representation of the DNA shape on constrained geometries and can therefore be implemented directly into {\it{ab initio}} or synthetic simulation studies.

Agriculture Against The Wall: Barriers And Opportunities For Agroecological Transitions In California’S Industrial Agricultural Landscapes, Estelí Jiménez-Soto, Madeleine Fairbairn, Joji Muramoto, Carol Shennan

School of Geosciences Faculty and Staff Publications

Agroecology emphasizes a shift from low diversity, high chemical input farming to more biodiverse agroecosystems cultivated in conjunction with natural ecosystem processes and embedded in socially just relationships. Yet achieving such agroecological transitions presents enormous challenges in industrial agricultural landscapes dominated by consolidation and overproduction. We examine both the challenges and the opportunities for agroecological transition in one particular industrial agricultural context: the fumigant-dependent strawberry production of California’s Central Coast. We do so by exploring adoption of Anaerobic Soil Disinfestation (ASD), an agroecological alternative to fumigation which has shown considerable promise but has been historically underutilized. Building on previously identified …

Evidence That Ericoid Mycorrhizal Shrubs Can Outcompete Ectomycorrhizal Trees For Nitrogen In Tannin-Rich Litter, Kai C. Rains, Caroline Bledsoe, Tamara E. Kraus, Nina Wurzburger

School of Geosciences Faculty and Staff Publications

Mycorrhizal associations of trees play a key role in ecosystem biogeochemistry, yet we know relatively little about the nutrient acquisition strategies of ericoid mycorrhizal (ErM) shrubs, despite their prevalence in forest understories. ErM shrubs tend to produce litter with high concentrations of polyphenols, which form decay-resistant complexes with organic nitrogen (N). Some ErM fungi appear capable of producing a diverse suite of extracellular enzymes, but it is unclear whether this enables ErM shrubs to acquire the N from their own litter, and whether this ability is greater than that of ectomycorrhizal (EcM) trees, with which they commonly co-occur. Here, we …

Uav-Based Wetland Monitoring: Multispectral And Lidar Fusion With Random Forest Classification, Robert Van Alphen, Kai C. Rains, Mel Rodgers, Rocco Malservisi, Timothy H. Dixon

School of Geosciences Faculty and Staff Publications

As sea levels rise and temperatures increase, vegetation communities in tropical and sub-tropical coastal areas will be stressed; some will migrate northward and inland. The transition from coastal marshes and scrub–shrubs to woody mangroves is a fundamental change to coastal community structure and species composition. However, this transition will likely be episodic, complicating monitoring efforts, as mangrove advances are countered by dieback from increasingly impactful storms. Coastal habitat monitoring has traditionally been conducted through satellite and ground-based surveys. Here we investigate the use of UAV-LiDAR (unoccupied aerial vehicle–light detection and ranging) and multispectral photogrammetry to study a Florida coastal wetland. …

Climate Monitoring In The Caumont Cave And Quarry System (Northern France) Reveal Near Oxygen Isotopic Equilibrium Conditions For Carbonate Deposition, Ingrid Bejarano-Arias, Carole Nehme, Sebastian Breitenbach, Hanno Meyer, Sevasti Modestou, Damase Mouralis

International Journal of Speleology

The study of modern cave deposits forming under near isotopic equilibrium conditions can potentially help disentangle the processes influencing the oxygen isotope system and suitability of stalagmites as archives of past hydrological or thermal changes. We used cave monitoring to evaluate the impact of kinetic isotope fractionation and assess the conditions under which modern cave carbonates form in the Caumont cave and quarry system, located in Normandy, northwest France. Over 20 months, we collected climatological data, dripwater, and modern carbonate samples at 2–4-week intervals at three different stations inside the Caumont cave and quarry system. We find highly stable (10.4 …

Reverse Pseudo-Gours: A New Sub-Type Of Folia Observed In The Nerja Cave (Se Spain), Cristina Liñán Baena, Concepción Jiménez De Cisneros, Yolanda Del Rosal, Paolo Forti

International Journal of Speleology

A new sub-type of folia named “reverse pseudo-gour” has been observed and described in the Nerja Cave, southern Spain. It consists of fairly vertical, thin barriers (about 5 mm high and 2 mm thick) that develop on the underside of a sub-horizontal surface (shelfstone) and grow in the opposite direction to normal gours (rimstone dams), generating sinuous shapes. Their mineral composition is essentially calcium carbonate, although globular aggregates composed of clay and phosphate minerals have also been identified. The genesis and evolution of these reverse pseudo-gours occur just at the air-water interface and are controlled by (1) the sub-horizontality of …

Brain-Inspired Spatio-Temporal Learning With Application To Robotics, Thiago André Ferreira Medeiros

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The human brain still has many mysteries and one of them is how it encodes information. The following study intends to unravel at least one such mechanism. For this it will be demonstrated how a set of specialized neurons may use spatial and temporal information to encode information. These neurons, called Place Cells, become active when the animal enters a place in the environment, allowing it to build a cognitive map of the environment. In a recent paper by Scleidorovich et al. in 2022, it was demonstrated that it was possible to differentiate between two sequences of activations of a …

Determining The P-Wave Velocity Structure In The Near-Surface Of Nw Miami, Florida, Using Quarry Blasts, Elham Moslemi

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The fact that Florida is an earthquake-free region has caused seismologists to pay less attention to it. Few earthquakes in this state mean it is not a usual practice to study the propagation of seismic waves. However, utilizing data from quarry blasts, we studied wave propagation in this region. The primary objective of the project is to investigate the near-surface P-wave velocity structure and factors that may affect it. We also analyzed the amplitude of signals versus distance and blast size. A network of up to 10 Raspberry Shake instruments around the NW Miami-Lakes mining area was deployed where four …

Methods For Analytical And Biophysical Analysis For Investigation Of Stimulator Of Interferon Genes In Drug Discovery, William Emmett Brian Lawless

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This work elaborates on analytical and biophysical techniques including high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC), mass spectrometry quadrupole time-of-flight (MS-QToF), dynamic light scattering (DLS), microscale thermophoresis (MST), surface plasmon resonance (SPR), isothermal calorimetry (ITC), size exclusion chromatography, and native gel electrophoresis. A basic overview is described for each technique and is designed for easy understanding by both novice and experienced analysts. Best practices for each technique are discussed and suggestions are made for protocol improvements or troubleshooting. Protocol development is discussed, and a method is introduced for MST that can be adapted to any target protein for rapid screening of analog …

Integration Of Algae And Biomass Processes To Synthesize Renewable Bioproducts For The Circular Economy, Jessica Martin

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Rapid population growth and global industrialization have substantially heightened the demand for fossil-based fuels and products in various sectors of the global economy, including energy production, transportation fuels, and as raw materials for petrochemicals. The intense consumption of fossil fuels has caused immense environmental impacts, especially pertaining to carbon dioxide emissions. Shifting to renewable feedstocks (raw materials) is expected to reduce these emissions by lowering the carbon footprint of fuels and products compared to traditional fossil-derived alternatives. This transition aligns with the goal of creating a sustainable and circular economy, emphasizing efficient resource use, and reducing waste generation through recycling …

Syntheses, Photophysics, & Application Of Porphyrinic Metal-Organic Frameworks, Zachary L. Magnuson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Porphyrins are a group of heterocyclic macrocycles that play crucial roles in various biological processes such as electron transfer, catalysis, and sensing. Hemoglobin, which carries oxygen in the blood of mammals, and chlorophyll, which drives photosynthesis in plants and algae, are both porphyrins. The ability of porphyrins to bind metal ions and their unique electronic and photophysical properties make them an excellent platform for designing functional materials for various applications, often drawing inspiration from their function in nature. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are a class of porous materials that have been extensively studied in recent years due to their high surface …

Synthetic Studies Of Potential New Ketogenic Molecules, Mohammad Nazmus Sakib

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The ketogenic diet has gained popularity in the past few decades among people and physicians due to its various health benefits. A significant amount of research has been done for the modification of the original ketogenic diet and investigation of its potential health benefits. However, synthesis of novel ketogenic compounds as a dietary supplement has not received the same level of attention. That is the primary objective of this research project. The first chapter of this manuscript describes the synthesis of various short and medium chain esters of different polyols that have been done so far, and areas of their …

In Silico And In Vitro Drug Discovery Strategies And The Chemical Investigation Of Endophytic Fungi, Sarah Grace Dietrick

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The biodiversity of our global marine ecosystems provides substantial treasure to discover: chemistry. Marine organisms that live in proximity to one another use their unique chemistry to compete with one another and thrive in their environment. Benthic invertebrates, specifically, that lack physical means of protection will produce secondary metabolites as a means of defense from their surroundings and predators. The compounds which they produce are ordinarily species-specific, highly diverse biomolecules. Biosynthetic processes within an organism construct these secondary metabolites from fragments of primary metabolites (amino acids, fatty acids, sugars, and so on). Their roles in protection have antibiotic, toxic, and …

All Quiet On The Digital Front: The Unseen Psychological Impacts On Cybersecurity First Responders, Tammie R. Hollis

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Driven by the increasing frequency of cyberattacks and the existing talent gap between industry needs and skilled professionals, this research study focused on the crucial human element in the domain of cybersecurity incident response. The objective of this dissertation was to offer a meaningful exploration of the lived experiences encountered by cybersecurity incident responders and an assessment of the subsequent impacts on their well-being. Additionally, this study sought to draw comparisons between the experiences of cybersecurity incident responders and their counterparts in traditional emergency response roles. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a cohort of 22 individuals with first-hand experience working …

Machine Learning For Electronic Design Automation: Specification Mining And High-Level Synthesis, Md Rubel Ahmed

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The rapid growth of complex system-on-chip (SoC) designs has presented unprecedented opportunities and challenges in electronic design automation (EDA). This dissertation explores two facets of electronic design automation: message flow specification mining using data mining and natural language processing (NLP) and high-level synthesis (HLS) acceleration using different machine learning (ML) methods. It also discusses an ML model co-optimization method for energy-efficient hardware implementation.

Effective SoC design validation relies heavily on message flow specifications. This dissertation presents an efficient technique for synthesizing finite state automaton (FSA) models from SoC execution traces. The synthesized models can provide valuable insights into the on-chip …

Influence Of Thickness And Capping Materials On The Static And Dynamic Properties Of Ferrimagnetic Thin Films, Noha Alzahrani

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Spintronics traditionally relied on ferromagnetic materials for their strong spin properties but facedissues like large stray magnetic fields. To address these challenges, researchers turned to antiferromagnetic materials with fast spin dynamics, due to their zero net magnetic moment but the lack of a net spin moment complicated operation. In this context, ferrimagnetic materials have emerged as promising alternatives. They combine ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic traits and feature different magnetic ions in their sublattices. This dissertation explores how film thickness and capping materials affect the properties of ferrimagnetic thin films. Rare-earth transition metal ferrimagnetic amorphous alloys have garnered attention in the realm …

Refining The Machine Learning Pipeline For Us-Based Public Transit Systems, Jennifer Adorno

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

According to the Population Division of the United Nations, in the United States, almost 90% of the population will live in urban areas by the year 2050. As the population in a given area increases, higher traffic congestion follows due to an increase of vehicles in the road. A possible way to alleviate congestion could be with widespread use of public transit. However, according to the US Census Bureau, the percentage of individuals commuting through public transportation has been decreasing steadily over time, and the American Community Survey reports that during 2019, only around five percent of the US population …

Optimizing The Dynamic Replacement Of Soft Soils With Sand Using A Fem Tools, Walid Salem A Elsiwi

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

First a dynamic finite element methodology (FEM) was developed to simulate an entire dynamic replacement (DR) program of clay with sand involving multiple poundings. The main objective of this research was to employ FEM and geotechnical test data such as cone penetration test (CPT) data at the site to predict the maximum achievable sand column (SC) depth and the corresponding optimum levels of attributing parameters such as number and height of pounder drops. Another goal was to predict the pore pressure generated in clay due to pounding. A full-scale ground improvement project was used to guide the analytical process. Comparison …

Big Data Analytics For Healthcare Social Media: New Algorithms And Insights, Negar Maleki

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Over the last two decades, there has been a rapid evolution in information and communication technology, including the emergence of social media. Social media has a significant impact on various fields such as politics, business, culture, education, careers, innovation, and especially healthcare. This influence is not a new phenomenon since a survey from ten years ago showed that up to 78\% of American adults used the internet to look for health-related information for themselves or someone else. With the shift towards on-demand services in society, healthcare is also affected by this trend. Instead of waiting for weeks or months to …

Human Vs Machine: Hyper-Realistic Avatars And Their Efficacy As A Communication Channel, Jill S. Schiefelbein

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Hyper-realistic avatars (HRAs), a form of synthetic media, are custom-created digital embodiments of a human, created by capturing and combining that person’s video and vocal likeness. This is the first known study of the efficacy of videos delivered by hyper-realistic avatars as a communication channel in comparison to videos delivered by their human counterparts. An experiment testing how information retention, engagement, and trust vary between viewers of videos delivered by a real human, videos delivered by the HRA representing that same human, and videos delivered by the HRA that discloses to viewers that it is a hyper-realistic avatar is presented. …

Utilizing Binding-Based Proteomic Profiling And Mass Spectrometry Imaging As Innovative Tools For Lipid Research, Suzeeta Bhandari

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Mass spectrometry-based omics research involves global identification and quantification of molecules in the biological system, which can form the basis of the multi-omics approach integrating multiple layers of information to provide a comprehensive overview of systems biology. The investigation of fatty acid amides (FAA) is one such research avenue that benefits significantly from the high-throughput, multi-level, and interdisciplinary approach of integrative omics. Currently, FAA research is dominated by lipidomic-based studies that have successfully identified and quantified >100 different FAAs in different model systems. Few studies are credited with exploring the biological function and evolution of FAA-dependent signaling pathways. Previous literature …