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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Combating Forced Labour And Human Trafficking In Africa: The Role Of Endogenous And Exogenous Forces, Ambe J. Njoh, Elizabeth N.M. Ayuk-Etang Dec 2012

Combating Forced Labour And Human Trafficking In Africa: The Role Of Endogenous And Exogenous Forces, Ambe J. Njoh, Elizabeth N.M. Ayuk-Etang

School of Geosciences Faculty and Staff Publications

It is widely believed that indigenous culture and tradition are at the root of the human trafficking and forced labour problem in Africa. Adherents to this viewpoint also claim that endogenous as opposed to exogenous forces impede efforts to eradicate the problem. This study employed a loglinear regression model to test the tenability of this claim. It hypothesized an inverse association between indigenous culture/tradition and efforts to combat human trafficking. The hypothesis was rejected. It is shown that anti-trafficking initiatives are less successful where indigenous tradition is dominated, or has been usurped, by imported cultural practices.


Probabilistic Approach To Modeling Lava Flow Inundation: A Lava Flow Hazard Assessment For A Nuclear Facility In Armenia, Laura J. Connor, Charles B. Connor, Khachatur Meliksetian, Ivan Savov Dec 2012

Probabilistic Approach To Modeling Lava Flow Inundation: A Lava Flow Hazard Assessment For A Nuclear Facility In Armenia, Laura J. Connor, Charles B. Connor, Khachatur Meliksetian, Ivan Savov

School of Geosciences Faculty and Staff Publications

Probabilistic modeling of lava flow hazard is a two-stage process. The first step is an estimation of the possible locations of future eruptive vents followed by an estimation of probable areas of inundation by lava flows issuing from these vents. We present a methodology using this two-stage approach to estimate lava flow hazard at a nuclear power plant site near Aragats, a Quaternary volcano in Armenia.


Emerging Technology Monitors Ice-Sea Interface At Outlet Glaciers, Timothy H. Dixon, Denis Voytenko, Chad Lembke, Santiago De La Pena, Ian Howat, Noel Gourmelen, Charles Werner, Björn Oddsson Nov 2012

Emerging Technology Monitors Ice-Sea Interface At Outlet Glaciers, Timothy H. Dixon, Denis Voytenko, Chad Lembke, Santiago De La Pena, Ian Howat, Noel Gourmelen, Charles Werner, Björn Oddsson

School of Geosciences Faculty and Staff Publications

Recent melting in Greenland and Antarctica has led to concerns about the long-term stability of these ice sheets and their potential contributions to future sea level rise. Marine-terminating outlet glaciers play a key role in the dynamics of these ice sheets; recent mass losses are likely related to increased influx of warmer water to the base of outlet glaciers, as evidenced by the fact that changes in ocean currents, calving front retreats, glacial thinning, mass redistribution based on satellite gravity data, and accelerating coastal uplift are roughly concurrent [e.g., Holland et al., 2008; Wouters et al., 2008; Jiang …


Evidence For Low-Angle Normal Faulting In The Pumqu-Xianza Rift, Tibet, Patrick W. Monigle, John Nabelek, Jochen Braunmiller, N. Seth Carpenter Sep 2012

Evidence For Low-Angle Normal Faulting In The Pumqu-Xianza Rift, Tibet, Patrick W. Monigle, John Nabelek, Jochen Braunmiller, N. Seth Carpenter

School of Geosciences Faculty and Staff Publications

Low-angle normal faulting is widely discussed as a possible mechanism for continental extension, however, unambiguous evidence for seismogenic low-angle normal faulting is lacking. Here, we investigate seismicity along a short segment of the Pumqu-Xianza Rift (PXR) in southern Tibet, where the HiCLIMB seismic array recorded over 500 earthquakes between 2004 July and 2005 August. Hypocentres of the 40 best recorded earthquakes are approximately 20–25 km west of the rift and tightly clustered at about 10 km depth, consistent with moment tensor depths of the 11 largest (3.4 ≤Mw≤ 4.5) earthquakes. Events in this group have N-S striking …


The Effects Of Fractures On The Occurrence And Distribution Of Arsenic In The Upper Floridan Aquifer During Aquifer Storage And Recovery, William Charles Hutchings Jul 2012

The Effects Of Fractures On The Occurrence And Distribution Of Arsenic In The Upper Floridan Aquifer During Aquifer Storage And Recovery, William Charles Hutchings

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) is used world-wide to supplement available water supplies by storing surplus water in aquifers and recovering it during periods of drought and increased demand. The use of ASR as an option for increasing available municipal irrigation and fresh water supplies is threatened as a result of the mobilization of arsenic in some aquifers during ASR. Arsenic is liberated from arsenic-bearing sulfide minerals as a result of the mixing of oxidizing injected water with reducing insitu groundwater. Fracture networks can have significant influence on the migration and distribution of arsenic in the Upper Floridan Aquifer …


Assessment Of Student Achievement In Introductory Physical Geology: A Three -Year Study On Delivery Method And Term Length, Marianne O'Neal Caldwell Jul 2012

Assessment Of Student Achievement In Introductory Physical Geology: A Three -Year Study On Delivery Method And Term Length, Marianne O'Neal Caldwell

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Physical Geology is a popular general education course at Hillsborough Community College (HCC) as at many other colleges and universities. Unlike many science courses, most students taking Physical Geology are not majoring in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) discipline. Typically most students enrolled in Physical Geology are majoring in business, education, or pursuing a general A.A degree for transfer to a four-year university. The class is likely to be one of the few, if not the only, physical science classes that many of these students will take in their academic career. Therefore, this class takes on increased importance, …


A Geochemical Analysis Of Fulgurites: From The Inner Glass To The Outer Crust, Michael L. Joseph Jul 2012

A Geochemical Analysis Of Fulgurites: From The Inner Glass To The Outer Crust, Michael L. Joseph

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Cloud-to-ground lightning strikes produce natural glasses on the surface of the Earth, called fulgurites. These natural glasses are tubular in shape with a central void surrounded by an inner glass, and the inner glass is surrounded by an outer crust or toasted region. Previous studies report different kinds of melts existing in several different types of fulgurites; however, little to no chemical data has been collected that tracks chemical variations from the inner glass to the outer crust of a fulgurite. This study uses microprobe and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer analytical techniques to collect transects of chemical …


Sediment Transport And Distribution Over Continental Shelves: A Glimpse At Two Different River-Influenced Systems, The Cariaco Basin And The Amazon Shelf., Laura Lorenzoni Jul 2012

Sediment Transport And Distribution Over Continental Shelves: A Glimpse At Two Different River-Influenced Systems, The Cariaco Basin And The Amazon Shelf., Laura Lorenzoni

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The aim of this dissertation was to understand lithogenic suspended sediment transport mechanisms and distribution in two river-influenced margins: The Cariaco Basin, Venezuela, and the Amazon Shelf, Brazil. Lithogenic sediment input in the Cariaco Basin is controlled by small mountainous rivers (SMR), while in the Amazon Shelf it is dominated by the Amazon River, the largest river in the world in terms of freshwater discharge (~20% of global riverine discharge). Optical transmissometer measurements were coupled with particulate organic matter (POM) observations to understand changes in the geochemical composition of suspended sediment and spatial/temporal distributions over the two regions of interest. …


Production Of Bioactive Secondary Metabolites By Florida Harmful Bloom Dinoflagellates Karenia Brevis And Pyrodinium Bahamense, Cheska Burleson Jul 2012

Production Of Bioactive Secondary Metabolites By Florida Harmful Bloom Dinoflagellates Karenia Brevis And Pyrodinium Bahamense, Cheska Burleson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Despite the critical role algae serve as primary producers, increases or accumulation of certain algae may result in Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs). Algal toxins from these blooms contribute significantly to incidences of food borne illness, and evidence suggests HABs are expanding in frequency and distribution. Mitigation of these HABs without knowledge of the ecological purpose and biochemical regulation of their toxins is highly unlikely. The production, function, and potential of secondary metabolites produced by the dinoflagellates Karenia brevis and Pyrodinium bahamense, were investigated.

Brevetoxins were demonstrated by two different methods to localize within the cytosol of Karenia brevis. …


Introducing Geoscience Students To Numerical Modeling Of Volcanic Hazards: The Example Of Tephra2 On Vhub.Org, Leah M. Courtland, Charles Connor, Laura Connor, Costanza Bonadonna Jul 2012

Introducing Geoscience Students To Numerical Modeling Of Volcanic Hazards: The Example Of Tephra2 On Vhub.Org, Leah M. Courtland, Charles Connor, Laura Connor, Costanza Bonadonna

Numeracy

The Tephra2 numerical model for tephra fallout from explosive volcanic eruptions is specifically designed to enable students to probe ideas in model literacy, including code validation and verification, the role of simplifying assumptions, and the concepts of uncertainty and forecasting. This numerical model is implemented on the VHub.org website, a venture in cyberinfrastructure that brings together volcanological models and educational materials. The VHub.org resource provides students with the ability to explore and execute sophisticated numerical models like Tephra2. We present a strategy for using this model to introduce university students to key concepts in the use and evaluation of Tephra2 …


Spreadsheets Across The Curriculum, 4: Evidence Of Student Learning And Attitudes About Spreadsheets In A Physical Geology Course, Heather L. Lehto, H. L. Vacher Jul 2012

Spreadsheets Across The Curriculum, 4: Evidence Of Student Learning And Attitudes About Spreadsheets In A Physical Geology Course, Heather L. Lehto, H. L. Vacher

Numeracy

Spreadsheets have been used in education for teaching math concepts for years. However, when faculty at the University of South Florida began using a new set of spreadsheet-based modules to help teach students math and geology concepts the students were not receptive. The complaint most often heard was that students spent more time learning how to use Excel than they did learning the concepts presented in the modules. We began to wonder if the learning curve for Excel was so great that it prevented our students from attaining the level of learning for the math and geology concepts that we …


Quantitative Reasoning And Sustainability, Corrine H. Taylor Jul 2012

Quantitative Reasoning And Sustainability, Corrine H. Taylor

Numeracy

Quantitative Reasoning and Sustainability have much in common. Both are complex, nuanced concepts with rather long definitions that have evolved over time. Both subjects are “everybody’s business” on college campuses, and must be approached in courses across the curriculum, not merely in one course on QR or in one course on Sustainability. The growing, wider presence of both QR and Sustainability on college campuses is due to their applicability in individuals’ personal, professional, and public lives. Moreover, QR and Sustainability support and enhance each other in and out of the classroom. Sustainability is an important, authentic, relevant context for lessons …


Investigation Of Stress Changes At Mount St. Helens, Washington, And Receiver Functions At The Katmai Volcanic Group, Alaska, With An Additional Section On The Assessment Of Spreadsheet-Based Modules., Heather L. Lehto Jun 2012

Investigation Of Stress Changes At Mount St. Helens, Washington, And Receiver Functions At The Katmai Volcanic Group, Alaska, With An Additional Section On The Assessment Of Spreadsheet-Based Modules., Heather L. Lehto

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Forecasting eruptions using volcano seismology is a subject that affects the lives and property of millions of people around the world. However, there is still much to learn about the inner workings of volcanoes and how this relates to the chance of eruption. This dissertation attempts to increase the breadth of knowledge aimed at helping to understand when a volcano is likely to erupt and how large that eruption might be. Chapters 2 and 3 focus on a technique that uses changes in the local stress field beneath a volcano to determine the source of these changes and help forecast …


Assessment Of The Oxbow Morphology Of The Caloosahatchee River And Its Evolution Over Time: A Case Study In South Florida, Chloe Delhomme Jun 2012

Assessment Of The Oxbow Morphology Of The Caloosahatchee River And Its Evolution Over Time: A Case Study In South Florida, Chloe Delhomme

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Caloosahatchee River, located in Southern Florida, was originally a meandering and relatively shallow river. During the 1920s, the Caloosahatchee River was channelized and became the C-43 canal. The channelization has significantly impacted the river ecosystem, particularly the oxbows. The oxbows are the U-shaped water bodies on each side of the river channel, which are the remnant bends of the original river. To understand how anthropogenic influence affects hydrologic systems, the proposed case study was designed to assess the geomorphic changes of the oxbows of the Caloosahatchee River, Florida. Understanding and documenting the evolution of river morphology is becoming increasingly …


Active Deformation Near The Nicoya Peninsula, Northwestern Costa Rica, Between 1996 And 2010: Interseismic Megathrust Coupling, Lujia Feng, Andrew V. Newman, Marino Protti, Victor Gonzalez, Yan Jiang, Timothy H. Dixon Jun 2012

Active Deformation Near The Nicoya Peninsula, Northwestern Costa Rica, Between 1996 And 2010: Interseismic Megathrust Coupling, Lujia Feng, Andrew V. Newman, Marino Protti, Victor Gonzalez, Yan Jiang, Timothy H. Dixon

School of Geosciences Faculty and Staff Publications

We use campaign and continuous GPS measurements at 49 sites between 1996 and 2010 to describe the long-term active deformation in and near the Nicoya Peninsula, northwestern Costa Rica. The observed deformation reveals partial partitioning of the Cocos-Caribbean oblique convergence into trench-parallel forearc sliver motion and less oblique thrusting on the subduction interface. The northern Costa Rican forearc translates northwestward as a whole ridge block at 11 ± 1 mm/yr relative to the stable Caribbean. The transition from the forearc to the stable Caribbean occurs in a narrow deforming zone of ∼16 km wide. Subduction thrust earthquakes take 2/3 of …


New Insights Into Troglotella Incrustans Wernli & Fookes, 1992, A Fascinating Upper Jurassic-Upper Cretaceous Foraminifer, Felix Schlagintweit May 2012

New Insights Into Troglotella Incrustans Wernli & Fookes, 1992, A Fascinating Upper Jurassic-Upper Cretaceous Foraminifer, Felix Schlagintweit

Studia UBB Geologia

New data about the highly variable test morphology of the benthic foraminifer Troglotella incrustans WERNLI & FOOKES (Oxfordian-Lower Cenomanian) are presented, permitting an emended species/genus diagnosis. This concerns mainly the existence of a large final chamber with fistulose extensions that may follow the uniserial or the irregular-branching test part. The way of life of T. incrustans (cryptoendolithic vs. euendolithic) is discussed against the background of different existing models in the literature. The study is based on material (thin-sections and provided photographs) mainly from the Upper Jurassic of Austria, Italy, Romania, Ukraine, and also the type-locality of France.


Origin, Evolutionary Classification, And Biostratigraphic Significance Of The Late Cretaceous Planktic Foraminiferal Directional Lineage Bollitruncana O.A. Korchagin, 2001, Marius Dan Georgescu May 2012

Origin, Evolutionary Classification, And Biostratigraphic Significance Of The Late Cretaceous Planktic Foraminiferal Directional Lineage Bollitruncana O.A. Korchagin, 2001, Marius Dan Georgescu

Studia UBB Geologia

Taxonomic revision of the genus Bollitruncana O.A. Korchagin, 2001 shows that it accommodates a directional lineage, which consists of two species: B. carpathica (Scheibnerová, 1963) and B. posthelvetica (Hanzliková, 1963). Bollitruncana directional lineage is restricted to Turonian. A new planktic foraminiferal biozone is recognized in the Turonian, namely the Bollitruncana carpathica Biozone.


Spectacular Lightning Revealed In 2009 Mount Redoubt Eruption, Sonja A. Behnke, Ronald J. Thomas, Paul R. Krehbiel, Stephen R. Mcnutt May 2012

Spectacular Lightning Revealed In 2009 Mount Redoubt Eruption, Sonja A. Behnke, Ronald J. Thomas, Paul R. Krehbiel, Stephen R. Mcnutt

School of Geosciences Faculty and Staff Publications

The explosive eruption of Alaska's Mount Redoubt volcano in March and April 2009 provided a superb opportunity for studying volcanic lightning. The energetic explosions produced powerful volcanic lightning storms, the largest of which rivaled the intensity of the massive supercell thunderstorms that frequent the midwestern Great Plains. Although lightning often has been observed in the plumes of explosive volcanic eruptions, only a handful of detailed studies have delved into the origins of volcanic lightning. Active volcanoes tend to be situated in remote locations, where they are difficult to observe, and often have sudden, unpredicted eruptions. Even when the eruptions are …


Paleobiological Assessment Of Controls Underlying Long-Term Diversity Dynamics, Andrés L. Cárdenas Apr 2012

Paleobiological Assessment Of Controls Underlying Long-Term Diversity Dynamics, Andrés L. Cárdenas

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Deciphering the factors underlying both long-term patterns of diversity and taxonomic turnover rates (i.e., extinction, and origination) has been one of Paleobiology's major foci for the past three decades. The importance of documenting these components is that they will expand our ability to interpret and model the evolutionary processes underlying those trends, highlight the evolutionary impact of historical events, and contribute to the formulation of robust predictions about the future of global diversity in response to the current anthropologically driven environmental changes. Accordingly, the first part of this study examines the possible occurrence of global marine evolutionary environmental controls into …


Temporal And Spatial Analysis Of Monogenetic Volcanic Fields, Koji Kiyosugi Apr 2012

Temporal And Spatial Analysis Of Monogenetic Volcanic Fields, Koji Kiyosugi

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Achieving an understanding of the nature of monogenetic volcanic fields depends on identification of the spatial and temporal patterns of volcanism in these fields, and their relationships to structures mapped in the shallow crust and inferred in the deep crust and mantle through interpretation of geochemical, radiometric and geophysical data.

We investigate the spatial and temporal distributions of volcanism in the Abu Monogenetic Volcano Group, Southwest Japan. E-W elongated volcano distribution, which is identified by a nonparametric kernel method, is found to be consistent with the spatial extent of P-wave velocity anomalies in the lower crust and upper mantle, supporting …


Prioritizing Habitat Restoration Goals In The Tampa Bay Watershed, Mark C. Rains, Shawn Landry, Valerie Seidel, Thomas L. Crisman Apr 2012

Prioritizing Habitat Restoration Goals In The Tampa Bay Watershed, Mark C. Rains, Shawn Landry, Valerie Seidel, Thomas L. Crisman

School of Geosciences Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.


Proceedings Of The European Society For Isotope Research - Esir Ix, Editor: Bogdan P. Onac, Editor: Ioan I. Bucur Mar 2012

Proceedings Of The European Society For Isotope Research - Esir Ix, Editor: Bogdan P. Onac, Editor: Ioan I. Bucur

Studia UBB Geologia

No abstract provided.


In Memoriam - Dr. De̒Nes Ja̒Nossy, László Kordos Mar 2012

In Memoriam - Dr. De̒Nes Ja̒Nossy, László Kordos

Studia UBB Geologia

No abstract provided.


Announcements, Books &. Events Mar 2012

Announcements, Books &. Events

Studia UBB Geologia

No abstract provided.


Climate Change: The Karst Record (4th Ed.), Kali Pace-Graczyk Mar 2012

Climate Change: The Karst Record (4th Ed.), Kali Pace-Graczyk

Studia UBB Geologia

No abstract provided.


Holivar2006 Open Science Meeting: Natural Climate Variability And Global Warming, Aurel Pers̡Oiu Mar 2012

Holivar2006 Open Science Meeting: Natural Climate Variability And Global Warming, Aurel Pers̡Oiu

Studia UBB Geologia

No abstract provided.


Nano, Bio And Planetary Sciences: The 19th Meeting Of The International Mineralogical Association, Corina Ionescu, Volker Hoeck Mar 2012

Nano, Bio And Planetary Sciences: The 19th Meeting Of The International Mineralogical Association, Corina Ionescu, Volker Hoeck

Studia UBB Geologia

No abstract provided.


The Xviiith Congress Of The Carpathian-Balkan Geological Association, Volker Hoeck, Corina Ionescu Mar 2012

The Xviiith Congress Of The Carpathian-Balkan Geological Association, Volker Hoeck, Corina Ionescu

Studia UBB Geologia

No abstract provided.


Geological Characteristics Of Underground Gas Storages From Romania, Isabela Falk Mar 2012

Geological Characteristics Of Underground Gas Storages From Romania, Isabela Falk

Studia UBB Geologia

Underground gas storages from Romania are located in south Romania (in the Moesian Platform) and in Transylvanian Basin. They are converted from depleted gas reservoirs. Those from south have bigger capacity because the reservoirs are thick and stratiform, consisting of unconsolidated sand, with high porosity and permeability. The Transylvanian storages have smaller capacity because the layers are thinner, consisting of interbedded sandstones, silts and marls, with many lithological and facies variations, lower porosities and permeabilities. Geology of the reservoir has to be well known before constructing a deposit. Most important parameters are: depth of the reservoir, thickness, porosity, permeability, pore …


A Few Single Crystal Zircon Ages From The Padeş Suite Orthogneisses (Southern Carpathians, Romania), Ioan Balintoni, Constantin Balica, Monica Clivet̡I, Li-Qiu Li, Horst Peter Hann, Fukun Chen Mar 2012

A Few Single Crystal Zircon Ages From The Padeş Suite Orthogneisses (Southern Carpathians, Romania), Ioan Balintoni, Constantin Balica, Monica Clivet̡I, Li-Qiu Li, Horst Peter Hann, Fukun Chen

Studia UBB Geologia

The Padeş suite from the Poiana Ruscă Mountains is a component of the Padeş Paleozoic terrane. The Padeş terrane evolved as an island arc between the Cadomian Sebeş-Lotru and Făgăraş terranes, the main parts of the Getic crystalline in the Southern Carpathians. Evaporated single zircon grains offered 394±20 Ma, 546±20 Ma, 655±19 Ma, 1305±17 Ma, and 1538±17 Ma ages. The 394 Ma age has been interpreted as an early Variscan collision age, 546 Ma as the protolith age and the other ages as signifying Cadomian and Saharan detrital zircons. Similar to the terranes in the Apuseni Mountains, the Padeş terrane …