Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Taxonomy And Geochemistry Of The Globigerinoides Ruber-Elongatus Plexus, With Paleontological Implications, Elizabeth Ann Brown

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The reliability of foraminifera as stratigraphic index fossils, and as isotopic proxies of marine environments, is based on the assumption that the fossil concepts represent uniform species, responding consistently to their ambient environments. Understanding sources of uncertainty is, therefore, critical. In this dissertation, I explore a potential bias in the application of planktonic foraminifera utilized extensively for Cenozoic paleo-reconstruction and, to a lesser extent, biostratigraphy: the Globigerinoides ruber-elongatus plexus (‘plexus’ meaning a complex network of interconnected members). Taxonomic revisions since 1826 have resulted in the merging of multiple Globigerinoides species names under one general designation (“Globigerinoides ruber”), the implications of …

Solid-State Synthesis Of Imide Ligands For The Self-Assembly Of Metal-Organic Materials, Jason Alexander Perman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this research project, reduction or complete elimination of organic solvents is explored in the synthesis of cyclic imides using a technique that brings reagents into favorable position to react. Cocrystal Controlled Solid-State Synthesis (C³S^y3), takes advantage of supramolecular interactions such as hydrogen bonding and π-π stacking to form a cocrystal which can sequential be heated to complete the condensation reaction and produce a desirable product. Twenty-five successful condensation reactions result in high and clean yield.

C³S^y3 of cyclic imides with auxiliary hydrogen bonding moieties like carboxylic acid, carboxylate or pyridyl groups are …

Fundamental Transversals On The Complexes Of Polyhedra, Joy D'Andrea

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

We present a formal description of `Face Fundamental Transversals' on the faces of the Complexes of polyhedra (meaning threedimensional polytopes). A Complex of a polyhedron is the collection of the vertex points of the polyhedron, line segment edges and polygonal faces of the polyhedron. We will prove that for the faces of any 3-dimensional complex of a polyhedron under face adjacency relations, that a `Face Fundamental Transversal' exists, and it is a union of the connected orbits of faces that are intersected exactly once. While exploring the problem of finding a face fundamental transversal, we have found a partial result …

An Architecture For Global Ubiquitous Sensing, Alfredo Jose Perez

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A new class of wireless sensor networks has recently appeared due to the pervasiness of cellular phones with embedded sensors, mobile Internet connectivity, and location technologies. This mobile wireless sensor network has the potential to address large-scale societal problems and improve the people's quality of life in a better, faster and less expensive fashion than current solutions based on static wireless sensor networks. Ubiquitous Sensing is the umbrella term used in this dissertation that encompasses location-based services, human-centric, and participatory sensing applications. At the same time, ubiquitous sensing applications are bringing a new series of challenging problems.

This dissertation proposes …

Knowledge Guided Non-Uniform Rational B-Spline (Nurbs) For Supporting Design Intent In Computer Aided Design (Cad) Modeling, Khairan Rajab

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

For many years, incompatible computer-aided design (CAD) packages that are based on Non-uniform Rational B-Spline (NURBS) technology carried out the exchange of models and data through either neutral file formats (IGES or STEP) or proprietary formats that have been accepted as quasi industry standards. Although it is the only available solution at the current time, the exchange process most often produces unsatisfactory results. Models that are impeccable in the original modeling system usually end up with gaps or intersections between surfaces on another incompatible system. Issues such as loss of information, change of data accuracy, inconsistent tolerance, and misinterpretation of …

Mining Associations Using Directed Hypergraphs, Ramanuja N. Simha

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis proposes a novel directed hypergraph based model for any database. We introduce the notion of association rules for multi-valued attributes, which is an adaptation of the definition of quantitative association rules known in the literature. The association rules for multi-valued attributes are integrated in building the directed hypergraph model. This model allows to capture attribute-level associations and their strength. Basing on this model, we provide association-based similarity notions between any two attributes and present a method for finding clusters of similar attributes. We then propose algorithms to identify a subset of attributes known as a leading indicator that …

A Dynamic Hierarchical Web-Based Portal, Matthew James Spaulding

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A dynamic hierarchical web-based portal was created to house a suite of web-based supply chain management applications. The portal was designed in a hierarchical manner to match the structure of large companies. Administrators of the the portal have the ability to form the portal in such a way to mimic the existing structure of their company. Access rights to the applications in the portal may be granted or denied per division and the users of the portal are placed in these divisions based on their duty in the company. In addition, users are granted roles which dictate their ability to …

Heterogeneous Modeling Of Medical Image Data Using B-Spline Functions, Olya Grove

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Ongoing developments in the field of medical imaging modalities have pushed the frontiers of modern medicine and biomedical engineering, prompting the need for new applications to improve diagnosis, treatment and prevention of diseases.

Biomedical data visualization and modeling rely predominately on manual processing and utilization of voxel and facet based homogeneous models. Biological structures are naturally heterogeneous and in order to accurately design and biomimic biological structures, properties such as chemical composition, size and shape of biological constituents need to be incorporated in the computational biological models.

Our proposed approach involves generating a density point cloud based on the intensity …

Decision Aid Models For Resource Sharing Strategies During Global Influenza Pandemics, Alfredo Santana Reynoso

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Pandemic influenza outbreaks have historically entailed significant societal and economic disruptions. Today, our quality of life is threatened by our inadequate preparedness for the imminent pandemic. The key challenges we are facing stem from a significant uncertainty in virus epidemiology, limited response resources, inadequate international collaboration, and the lack of appropriate science-based decision support tools. The existing literature falls short of comprehensive models for global pandemic spread and mitigation which incorporate the heterogeneity of the world regions and realistic travel networks. In addition, there exist virtually no studies which quantify the impact of resource sharing strategies among multiple countries. This …

Optimization Of Proximity Judgment, Brian Day

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As humans, we have evolved to see in three dimensions. Our ancestors developed two eyes that only look forward, which allows the visual area that can perceive depth to be most of the field of view. A variety of sensors have been developed which can determine depth in the environment. They range from producing individual points of depth to the depth of everything in the environment. These sensors have become cheap and can now reliably produce accurate depth. Research is needed to determine how to present the proximity information to the people using the sensors. Touch, sound, and vision have …

Selection And Implementation Of Technologies For The Re-Engineering Of An Existing Software System, Stan William Naspinski

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A major hurdle for any company to cross is the act of re-engineering software if they wish to stay relevant. With the speed that software and technology advances, it would be ignorant for any product to stagnate. With that comes the inherent difficulties of choosing which of the older technologies to keep (if any) and which newer technologies to employ in the re-engineered solution. Once that is covered, the actual implementation presents its own set of challenges to both the decision makers and developers in the process.

This thesis describes a case study, in particular the efforts put forth to …

Live Video Streaming From Android-Enabled Devices To Web Browsers, Justin M. Bailey

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The wide-spread adoption of camera-embedded mobile devices along with the ubiquitous connection via WiFi or cellular networks enables people to visually report live events. Current solutions limit the configurability of such services by allowing video streaming only to fixed servers. In addition, the business models of the companies that provide such (free) services insert visual ads in the streamed videos, leading to unnecessary resource consumption.

This thesis proposes an architecture of a real-time video streaming service from an Android mobile device to a server of the user's choice. The real-time video can then be viewed from a web browser. The …

Evanescent Wave Coupling Using Different Subwavelength Gratings For A Mems Accelerometer, Al-Aakhir A. Rogers

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A novel technique of coupling near-field evanescent waves by means of variable period subwavelength gratings (1.2 ìm and 1.0 ìm), using a 1.55 ìm infrared semiconductor laser is presented for the use of an optical MEMS accelerometer. The subwavelength gratings were fabricated on both glass and silicon substrates respectively.

Optical simulation of the subwavelength gratings was carried out to obtain the maximum coupling efficiency of the two subwavelength gratings; the grating thickness, grating width, and the grating separation were optimized. This was performed for both silicon and glass substrates.

The simulations were used to determine the total system noise, including …

Smart Grid Functionality Of A Pv-Energy Storage System, Nenad Damnjanovic

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Renewable Energy will be the key to preserving the Earth's remaining resources and continuing this surge of technological progress that we have experienced this past century. New philosophies of how/when/where energy should be consumed and produced are attempting to improve upon the current grid infrastructure. The massive advancement in communications, renewable and control systems will allow this new-age electric grid to maximize its efficiency while reducing cost. Renewable, "green" energy is now at the forefront of innovation. As the world population increases, there will be a need to free ourselves from natural resources as much as possible. Advanced Energy Storage …

Grouper: A Packet Classification Algorithm Allowing Time-Space Tradeoffs, Joshua Adam Kuhn

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents an algorithm for classifying packets according to arbitrary (including noncontiguous) bitmask rules. As its principal novelty, the algorithm is parameterized by the amount of memory available and can customize its data structures to optimize classification time without exceeding the given memory bound. The algorithm thus automatically trades time for space efficiency as needed. The two extremes of this time-space tradeoff (linear search through the rules versus a single table that maps every possible packet to its class number) are special cases of the general algorithm we present. Additional features of the algorithm include its simplicity, its open-source …

Atomistic Studies Of Shock-Wave And Detonation Phenomena In Energetic Materials, Mikalai Budzevich

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The major goal of this PhD project is to investigate the fundamental properties of energetic materials, including their atomic and electronic structures, as well as mechanical properties, and relate these to the fundamental mechanisms of shock wave and detonation propagation using state-of-the-art simulation methods. The first part of this PhD project was aimed at the investigation of static properties of energetic materials (EMs) with specific focus on 1,3,5-triamino-2,4,6-trinitrobenzene (TATB). The major goal was to calculate the isotropic and anisotropic equations of state for TATB within a range of compressions not accessible to experiment, and to make predictions of anisotropic sensitivity …

A Pilot Study Of Small-Scale Variations In Outdoor Benzene Concentrations, Samantha Catherine Fridh

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Benzene is an important toxic chemical in urban air and known human carcinogen released substantially by mobile sources. It's important to understand the spatial variation of benzene concentrations in order to understand exposures of susceptible sub-populations such as children and minority groups. Current monitoring networks use large and expensive air samplers that require electricity and restrict the location and number of samplers, not allowing for fine spatial resolution data.

The goals of this study are to develop and evaluate protocols for passive sampling and analysis of ambient benzene concentrations, and conduct a pilot study investigating small-scale variations over an area …

Synthesis Of Small Molecule Inhibitors Of Janus Kinase 2, Phosphodiesterase Iv, Gabaa And Nmda Receptors: Investigation Of Mcmurry, Mannich And Chemoenzymatic Strategies, Meghanath Gali

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Stilbenoids possess a wide range of biological properties such as, anticancer, antiplatelet aggregation, antiestrogenic, antibacterial, antifungal and antiatherogenic, etc. Owing to these therapeutic values, a great deal of attention attracted in the synthesis of derivatives of stilbenes. During the course of the study, G6 a novel stilbenoid was discovered, through high throughput screening, to be a potent inhibitor of mutated JAK2-V617F. The mutated JAK2 variant has been implicated in various myeloproliferative disorders (MPDs) including polycythemia vera (PV), essential thrombocythemia (ET) and primary myelofibrosis (PMF) has been targeted by therapeutics. Chapter 2 describes the synthesis of analogs of the stilbenoid G6 …

Electronic Structure Characterization Of Nanocrystalline Surfaces And Interfaces With Photoemission Spectroscopy, Sebastian Gutmann

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this study, photoemission spectroscopy (PES) was used to investigate the electronic properties of nanocrystalline titanium dioxide (TiO₂), zinc oxide (ZnO), and cadmium selenide (CdSe). Electrospray deposition technique enabled the preparation of thin films in vacuum from a dispersion prepared outside the vacuum chamber. This method also allowed the step-wise formation of interfaces and the monitoring of the evolution of the electronic structure with intermittent PES characterization.

The work function of nanocrystalline TiO₂ and ZnO was measured with ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopy (UPS) and low-intensity x-ray photoemission spectroscopy (LIXPS). Measurements on environmentally contaminated surfaces revealed an instantaneous and …

Statistical Analysis And Mechanistic Modeling Of Water Quality: Hillsborough Bay, Florida, Keith Hackett

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Nutrient pollution has been identified as a significant threat to U.S. coastal and estuarine water quality. Though coastal and estuarine waters need nutrients to maintain a healthy, productive ecosystem, excess nutrients can lead to eutrophication. There are significant potential negative consequences associated with eutrophication, including loss of habitat, loss of economic activity, and direct threats to human health. Hillsborough Bay experienced eutrophication in the 1960s and 1970s due to a rapidly growing population and associated increases in nutrient pollution. These eutrophic conditions led to more frequent phytoplankton and macroalgae blooms and declines in seagrasses. To address these problems, a series …

Physical Models Of Amyloid Fibril Assembly, Shannon Elizabeth Hill

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Formation of large fibers and plaques by amyloid proteins is recognized as the molecular hallmark of an increasing number of human disorders, including Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and even type II diabetes. The broader objective of my research is to unravel the basic mechanisms that initiate and regulate fibril formation by amyloidogenic proteins. This objective is significant because even basic aspects of how fibril formation proceeds from a soluble, monomeric protein to an insoluble amyloid fibril remain much debated. Furthermore, there is increasingly strong evidence suggesting that intermediates of the aggregation process, with properties distinct from those of mature fibrils, …

From Source To Sink: An Isotopic Perspective On The Biogeochemical Relationship Between The Everglades And Florida Bay, Ana Maria Hoare

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Increasing human populations and activities in coastal areas have led to high nutrient loading and estuarine ecosystem decline. Natural hydrological patterns in South Florida have been drastically altered by changes in water management and land use practices. As a result Florida Bay has experienced a series of negative ecosystem effects including hypersalinity events, degradation of water quality, and harmful algal blooms and declines in upper trophic level populations. To remediate ecosystem decline in Florida's coastal ecosystems, the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan proposes to restore a more natural hydrologic flow in the Everglades. It is expected hydrologic restoration efforts will change …

Informal Karst Education In The United States And Internationally, Leslie A. North

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Despite the abundance of karst terrains and the important role they play in a wide variety of roles including supplying freshwater drinking supplies, no single, comprehensive study investigates the role of informal education for the improved understanding and protection of the terrains. Commonly overlooked anthropogenic karst disturbances partially occur because of the poor dissemination of scientific information to the general populace and policymakers and budgetary and time constraints of municipalities, thus generating a need to use informal education to fill these shortcomings. The purpose of this study was to: 1) establish the status of and quantify the amount of karst-related …

Synthesis And Antimicrobial Activities Of S,S'-Heterosubstituted Disulfides, Praveen Ramaraju

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Antibiotic resistance is a particularly critical health concern and has increased dramatically over the past two decades. For over a decade the Turos laboratory has been designing small molecules to target pathogenic microbes such as Staphylococcus aureus and the resistant variants like methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Previously, N-thiolated Β-lactams, N-thiolated 2-oxazolidinones and aromatic disulfides that were synthesized in Dr. Turos' lab have shown strong activity against these bacteria. The present work describes the synthesis and antimicrobial activities of a related structural class called S,S'-heterosubstituted disulfides. For ages, sulfur (elemental) has been used as an antibacterial for controlling infestation and bacterial …

Effects Of Solids Loadings And Particle Size Distribution On Siphon Ceramic Candle Filters, Danielle Renzi

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In the rural areas of Madagascar only 29% of the population has access to clean water and 10% has access to improved sanitation. It has been estimated that environmental risk factors, such as inadequate access to clean drinking water and proper sanitation, are responsible for 94% of the diarrheal disease burden. This study was focused on testing a point-of-use technology called the Tulip filter, which is a siphon ceramic candle filter impregnated with silver. The purpose is to assess its feasibility for implementation in rural regions of Madagascar through a laboratory study performed at the University of South Florida.

The …

Improvements To A Real-Time, Satellite-Derived Surface Current Product (Oscar) And Evaluation In The Intra-American Sea, Mindy Jo Robinson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A method of creating real-time height fields using available gridded altimetry data combined with extrapolated values computed using linear predictive coding for use in the Ocean Surface Currents Analysis, Real-time (OSCAR) is developed and tested. This method is implemented by Earth and Space Research (ESR) to produce operational height fields that are in turn used to calculate the geostrophic component velocity of OSCAR. The gridded altimetry product used in OSCAR is evaluated against sea level measured by tide gauges while the operational total near-surface velocity from OSCAR (geostrophic plus Ekman component velocity) is evaluated using ocean velocities from moored and …

Late Cretaceous Faunal Dynamics In The Western Interior Seaway: The Record From The Red Bird Section, Eastern Wyoming, Joshua Stephen Slattery

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Studies examining bioevents (e.g., mass extinctions, faunal turnovers, diversification events) usually only scrutinize a short interval prior to such events, however, understanding their actual paleobiological implications requires a thorough understanding of the background conditions. The objective of this study is to document the background biodiversity dynamics in a single lithofacies of the Upper Cretaceous Pierre Shale that was deposited in an offshore setting of the Western Interior Seaway (WIS) and to place these changes into an environmental context. To assess the background biodiversity dynamics, the concretionary faunas of the Baculites eliasi through B. clinolobatus biozones of the Pierre Shale in …

A Novel Device For Cell-Cell Electrofusion, Justin T. Stewart

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Cell transplantation therapy is a potentially powerful tool and can be used to replace defective cells with healthy cells. This offers the possibility of alleviating the destructive symptoms for many diseases such as Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, stroke, spinal cord trauma, Type I diabetes and many more. While there are many diseases that could be positively impacted from cell transplantation therapy, the focus of this research is insulin dependent, Type I Diabetes.

The Islets of Langerhans are composed of various types of cells located in the pancreas and are responsible for a variety of biochemical functions. Specifically, the beta Islet …

Foraminiferal Assemblages On Sediment And Reef Rubble At Conch Reef, Florida Usa, Christy Michelle Stephenson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Benthic foraminiferal assemblages are widely used to interpret responses of the benthic communities to environmental stresses. This study compares epibiotic foraminiferal assemblages, collected from reef rubble, with those from reef sediments. The study site, Conch Reef, is the site of the Aquarius Underwater Habitat research facility and includes protected areas used only for scientific studies. Although a number of studies have enumerated foraminiferal taxa from the Florida reef tract, no projects have focused on the assemblages that occur at Conch Reef.

Sediment and reef rubbles samples were collected via SCUBA from a depth range of 13 to 26 m during …

The Role Of Contextual Associations In The Selection Of Objects, Noah Patrick Sulman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This paper describes a sequence of experiments addressing basic questions about the control of visual attention and the relationship between attention and object recognition. This work reviews compelling findings addressing attentional control on the basis of high-level perceptual properties. In five experiments observers were presented with a rapid sequence of object photographs and instructed to either detect or selectively encode a verbally cued object category. When these object categories (e.g. "baseball") were preceded by contextual images associated with a given object category (e.g. "baseball diamond"), observers were less likely to accurately report information about the target item. This effect obtained …