Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Strategies In Botnet Detection And Privacy Preserving Machine Learning, Di Zhuang

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Peer-to-peer (P2P) botnets have become one of the major threats in network security for serving as the infrastructure that responsible for various of cyber-crimes. Though a few existing work claimed to detect traditional botnets effectively, the problem of detecting P2P botnets involves more challenges. In this dissertation, we present two P2P botnet detection systems, PeerHunter and Enhanced PeerHunter. PeerHunter starts from a P2P hosts detection component. Then, it uses mutual contacts as the main feature to cluster bots into communities. Finally, it uses community behavior analysis to detect potential botnet communities and further identify bot candidates. Enhanced PeerHunter is an …

Recognizing Emotion In The Wild Using Multimodal Data, Shivam Srivastava

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this work, I will present our approach of using multi-modal data for recognizing human emotion and behavior in the wild. The study is divided into four tasks: group emotion recognition, driver gaze prediction, student engagement prediction, and emotion recognition using physiological signals. We explore multiple approaches including classical machine learning tools such as random forests, state-of-the-art deep neural networks, and multiple fusion and ensemble-based approaches. We also show that similar approaches can be used across tracks as many of the features generalize well to the different problems (e.g. facial features).

The Little Things That Count: Mapping Diversity Of West Florida’S Shelf, Nicole L. Seiden

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Biodiversity is essential to the ecosystem functions responsible for generating the multi-billion-dollar industries that the US relies on for food, storm mitigation, tourism and recreation, but is facing increasing natural and anthropogenic threats. High-resolution diversity data covering large spatial areas would enhance current ecology knowledge and better address conservation concerns in the Gulf of Mexico. However, acquiring and handling data of this nature is resource intensive and has not yet been established. In this study, high spatial resolution data was collected from gastropod living and death assemblages collected over 10 years from the West Florida Shelf (WFS). A multivariate regression …

Comparison Of The Effectiveness Of Disinfectant-Impregnated Wipes Versus Detergent Wipes For Surface Decontamination, Jacob Amadin

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Over time, there is an increased need to adopt more advanced and effective ways of disinfection. The emergence of the coronavirus-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic reminded the world on the importance of disinfection. Disinfection has been a routine in the healthcare setting. However, with the current pandemic problem, it is more prominently and persistently done in the domestic setting and other business settings beyond healthcare. As such, the use of most disinfectants and detergent wipes to achieve a near sanitized environment has become a common practice around the globe. This research presents the efficacy of disinfectant impregnated versus detergents wipes through comparison. …

Fabrication And Characterization Methods Of Self-Cleaning Coatings For Solar Panels Application, Mohammed Khaleel M Alhussain

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Transparent self-cleaning coatings with superhydrophobic and superhydrophilic behavior are of great interest in a wide range of industrial applications such as automotive, solar panels, windows, and optical devices. Each has its uses, properties, and characteristics. For the use of these coatings on solar panels, certain features are important in maintaining the efficiency of the panels in different weather conditions and reducing the operation and maintenance cost, such as self-cleaning, high transparency, antifouling, anti-fogging, and anti-icing. Herein, we have investigated the fabrication of self-cleaning coatings using two simple methods and ways to improve their characteristics. In the first method, a hydrophobic …

Exploring The Use Of Neural Transformers For Psycholinguistics, Antonio Laverghetta Jr.

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Deep learning has the potential to help solve numerous problems in cognitive science andeducation, by providing us a way to model the cognitive profiles of individual people. If this were possible, it would allow us to design targeted tests and suggest specific remediation based on each individual’s needs. On the flip side, employing techniques from psychology can give us insight into the underlying skillsets neural networks have acquired during training, addressing the interpretability concern. This thesis explores these ideas in the context of transformer language models, which have achieved state-of-the-art results on virtually every natural language processing (NLP) task. First, …

Shorebird Response To Human-Induced Changes At Three Pinellas County Beaches, Rebecca J. Ruthberg-Campagna

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Worldwide, shorebird habitat is being destroyed and degraded by development and sea level rise. Shorebirds depend on availability of pristine, undisturbed coastal habitats for resting and feeding during migration as well as for reproduction. Migratory shorebirds using the East Atlantic Flyway visit the Gulf of Mexico Beaches of Pinellas County, Florida as a stopover site during Fall and Spring migration. In addition to hosting migratory species, Pinellas County beaches are home to several year-round resident species that breed during Summer. Pinellas County is the most densely populated county in Florida, and its Gulf Coast is heavily developed with commercial and …

Third-Order Frequency-Resolved Photon Correlations From A Single Quantum Dot's Resonance Fluorescence, Yamil A. Nieves González

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The ability to control the photon emission from light sources has sparked an increasing interest in the field of quantum optics due to potential applications in the development of quantum technologies. Motivated by such applications, photon statistics have been a powerful investigative tool used to characterize the properties of light sources capable of emitting a bundle of N photons. As such, the first-order and second-order photon correlations continue to be researched extensively providing invaluable information about the light and the mechanism underlying its generation. Meanwhile, third-order photon correlations have remained majorly unexplored due to the high degree of experimental challenges …

The General Psychopathology Factor (P) From Adolescence To Adulthood: Disentangling The Developmental Trajectories Of P Using A Multi-Method Approach, Alexandria M. Choate

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Considerable attention is directed towards studying co-occurring psychopathology through the lens of a general factor (p-factor). However, the developmental trajectories and stability of the p-factor have yet to be fully understood. Study 1 first examined the explanatory power of dynamic mutualism theory — an alternative framework positing the p-factor to be a product of lower-level symptom interactions rather than the inherent cause of them. Predictions of dynamic mutualism were tested using three distinct statistical approaches including: longitudinal bifactor models, random-intercept cross-lagged panel models (RI-CLPMs), and network models. Next, given prior suggestions that borderline personality disorder (BPD) could be a marker …

Synthesizing Laccol Based Polymers/Copolymers And Polyurethanes; Characterization And Their Applications, Imalka Marasinghe Arachchilage

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In modern world research scopes are highly favored the areas of developing new polymer materials which are more integrated with the environment. Synthesizing eco-friendly, bio degradable polymer materials to replace petroleum based synthetic polymers to utilize in radiation hard applications is one of the main objectives of this study. 'Laccol' extracted from Vietnamese lacquer tree (Toxicodendron succedanea) polymerized with other monomers namely styrene and d-limonene (from citrus waste) respectively to develop copolymers via cationic polymerization. Laccol contains hydroxyl phenyl groups that act as radical scavengers, enhancing radiation resistance via their ability to convert excitation energy into non-chemistry inducing energy in …

Plastic Pollution In Urban Rivers: Spatial And Temporal Patterns Of Plastic Release And Transport, Charlotte Juliane Haberstroh

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation investigates plastic release and transport in urban rivers with a focus on the driving spatial and temporal factors. Plastic is a key pollutant of this century that affects humans and the environment around the world. Rivers are a focal point of release and management, as they concentrate and accumulate plastics from urban watersheds and convey them to the world’s oceans.

This research assessed cross-sectional, longitudinal, and seasonal patterns of plastics in rivers, and evaluated the role of urban pollution and watershed hydrology. A detailed background is provided in the literature review. This work is built on two case …

Investigating The Recent History Of A Changing Planet With Innovative Isotopic Techniques And New Geologic Archives, Ryan A. Venturelli

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Globally averaged Earth surface temperatures indicate a 0.8°C warming since 1880. Though this warming is a result of anthropogenic influence that has exceeded natural forcings, a thorough understanding of Earth's climate system requires a knowledge of changes in global temperatures beyond the instrumental record. To achieve this, we must supplement the temporally limited observational record with proxy records of environmental conditions in the geologic past. Though the foundational questions underlying interrogations of the geologic past are seemingly simple (What happened? When?), the accuracy of their answers depend upon accessibility and availability of geologic materials as well as the capabilities of …

An Investigation Of Cross-Links On Crystallization And Degradation In A Novel, Photocross-Linkable Poly (Lactic Acid) System, Nicholas Baksh

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Polymeric molecular structure consists of repeating units bonded together. Mechanicalproperties can be altered without affecting chemical makeup by altering the number of these units. Small molecules can be introduced and/or polymers can be modified to form bonds between molecular chains. Cross-linking, as this is called, also introduces mechanical variation with minimal effects on chemical composition. Lastly, polymer chains reorient themselves in response to intermolecular forces. This temperature dependent response is known as crystallization. Although chemistry is unaltered, mechanical properties can depend highly on the percent of the sample that is crystallized.

Cross-linking is known to enhance the mechanical properties of …

Using Quantitative Methods To Investigate Student Attitudes Toward Chemistry: Women Of Color Deserve The Spotlight, Guizella A. Rocabado Delgadillo

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The field of Chemistry Education Research (CER) has been interested in understanding the reasons why students struggle in organic chemistry courses. Reports show that students perceive the material as difficult and have trouble keeping pace with the volume of content taught within the course. Beyond these and other explanations of why students struggle in organic chemistry are affective factors, such as attitude toward chemistry, that influence students’ success and retention in this course. Studies have shown that in many instances, underrepresented groups of students report less positive attitudes than their peers. Of greater concern are the students representing multiple marginalized …

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 …

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. …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …