Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Ensuring Distributed Accountability For Data Sharing In The Cloud, Smitha Sundareswaran, Anna Squicciarini, Dan Lin

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

Cloud computing enables highly scalable services to be easily consumed over the Internet on an as-needed basis. a major feature of the cloud services is that users' data are usually processed remotely in unknown machines that users do not own or operate. While enjoying the convenience brought by this new emerging technology, users' fears of losing control of their own data (particularly, financial and health data) can become a significant barrier to the wide adoption of cloud services. to address this problem, in this paper, we propose a novel highly decentralized information accountability framework to keep track of the actual …

Chyd1 Solution Phase Synthesis Optimization And The Development Of A Novel Human Growth Hormone Antagonist And Agonist, Philip Murray

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Inhibiting protein-protein interactions to achieve a therapeutically desired effect has been a goal in the field of drug discovery for decades. Recently, advances in peptidomimetics have led researches to the use of cyclized peptides to achieve this goal. Cyclization of linear peptides restricts the number of conformations of the peptide, increasing the peptide's affinity to binding to the desired target. Cyclization also stabilizes the peptide, allowing the peptide to be resistant to proteases. This study explores the optimization of solution phase synthesis of an important integrin-mediated cell adhesion cyclic peptide for the therapeutic inhibition of multiple myeloma, cHYD1. cHYD1 was …

Encapsulation Of High Temperature Phase Change Materials For Thermal Energy Storage, Rupa Nath

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Thermal energy storage is a major contributor to bridge the gap between energy demand (consumption) and energy production (supply) by concentrating solar power. The utilization of high latent heat storage capability of phase change materials is one of the keys to an efficient way to store thermal energy. However, some of the limitations of the existing technology are the high volumetric expansion and low thermal conductivity of phase change materials (PCMs), low energy density, low operation temperatures and high cost. The present work deals with encapsulated PCM system, which operates at temperatures above 500°C and takes advantage of the heat …

Defining Earth Smarts: A Construct Analysis For Socioecological Literacy Based On Justly Maintaining Quality Of Life, Bryan H. Nichols

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This paper describes the creation and validation of a new educational construct. Socioecological literacy, or earth smarts, describes the qualities we need to justly maintain or improve our quality of life in a changing world. It was created using construct analysis techniques and systems tools, drawing on an extensive, transdisciplinary body of literature. Concepts related to environmental, ecological and scientific literacy, sustainability and citizenship were combined with educational frameworks, new research in science education, and modern cognitive psychology. After the initial formulation, the results were considered by a variety of experts and professionals from the fields of ecology, environmental science …

Mangroves, Mudbanks And Seawalls: Political Ecology Of Adaptation To Sea Level Rise In Suriname, Ravic Nijbroek

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study seeks to understand how global discourses of sea level rise (SLR) and mangrove ecology influence national climate change adaptation policy to reduce coastal vulnerability in Suriname. A majority of the Surinamese population lives along the low elevation coastal zone and is highly exposed to projected SLR. Failure by the international community to reach agreement on climate change mitigation means that vulnerable coastal communities must adapt. The Suriname coast is predominantly shaped by mudbanks and mangroves which together provide protection against coastal erosion and trap sediments resulting in coastal accretion. Knowledge claims of mangrove ecology and utility in SLR …

Micronekton And Macrozooplankton Of The Western Antarctic Peninsula And The Eastern Ross Sea: Contrast Between Two Different Thermal Regimes, Melanie Leigh Parker

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Micronekton and macrozooplankton were sampled from the Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) and eastern Ross Sea regions. Samples were collected over the course of six research cruises to the Southern Ocean. Four of those cruises were conducted in the Marguerite Bay region of the WAP during the austral fall and winter of 2001 and 2002. A fifth cruise sampled faunal assemblages at nine sites, ranging from Joinville Island at the northern tip of the WAP to Charcot Island near the southern extent of the WAP, during austral fall 2010. A sixth cruise was conducted in the pack ice within the …

Field And Laboratory Comparison Of The Hydraulic Performance Of Two Ceramic Pot Water Filters, Duncan Peabody

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Currently 884 million people worldwide are living without access to an improved source of drinking water (WHO/UNICEF, 2011). Piped-water on premises is the ultimate goal of World Health Organization (WHO) due to the ability to treat all of the water and distribute it safely in pressurized pipes. However, Household Water Treatment and Safe Storage (HWTS) is an option for improving the quality of drinking water where that infrastructure is not yet developed, especially where there is a risk of recontamination between point of collection and point of use (Clasen, 2006).

This study analyzed one such HWTS, the ceramic pot water …

Shelf-Scale Mapping Of Fish Distribution Using Active And Passive Acoustics, Carrie Christy Wall

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Fish sound production has been associated with courtship and spawning behavior. Acoustic recordings of fish sounds can be used to identify distribution and behavior. Passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) can record large amounts of acoustic data in a specific area for days to years. These data can be collected in remote locations under potentially unsafe seas throughout a 24-hour period providing datasets unattainable using observer-based methods. However, the instruments must withstand the caustic ocean environment and be retrieved to obtain the recorded data. This can prove difficult due to the risk of PAMs being lost, stolen or damaged, especially in highly …

Something Is Askew In Florida's Water: Arguing For A Better Descriptive Statistic For Positively Skewed Water-Quality Data, Amie October West

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

It may be of no surprise that water quality data is right-skewed, but what appears to be overlooked by some is that the arithmetic mean and standard deviation most often fail as measures of central tendency in skewed data. When using the arithmetic mean and arithmetic standard deviation with nutrient data, one standard deviation about the arithmetic mean can capture nearly all of the data and extend into negative values. Representing nutrient data this way can be misleading to viewers who are using the statistics, and making assumptions, to understand the characteristics of those waters. Through an in-depth statistical …

Asymmetric Intra- And Intermolecular Cyclopropanation By Co(Ii)- Based Metalloradical Catalysis, Xue Xu

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Metal-catalyzed cyclopropanation of olefins with diazo reagents has attracted research interest because of its fundamental and practical importance. The resulting cyclopropyl units are recurrent motifs in biologically important molecules and can serve as versatile precursors in organic synthesis. Since they were first introduced in 2004, Co(II) complexes of D₂-symmetric chiral amidoporphyrins [Co(D₂-Por*)] have emerged as a new class of catalysts for asymmetric cyclopropanation. These metalloradical catalysts have been shown to be highly effective for asymmetric intermolecular cyclopropanation of a broad scope of substrates with different classes of carbene sources, particularly including electron-deficient olefins and acceptor/acceptor-substituted …

A Wealth Of Numbers: An Anthology Of 500 Years Of Popular Mathematics Writing, By Benjamin Wardhaugh. Princeton University Press: Princeton, 2012 (Book Review), John A. Adam

Mathematics & Statistics Faculty Publications

(First paragraph) To describe the landscape encompassed by this book I can do no better than to quote the dust jacket: "A Wealth of Numbers includes recreational, classroom, and work mathematics; mathematical histories and biographies; accounts of higher mathematics; explanations of mathematical instruments; discussions of how math should be taught and learned; reflections on the place of math in the world; and math in fiction and humor." More such details can be found on the Princeton University Press website. I shall use this as a point of departure to describe the highlights of my own trajectory through the book. Not …

A Ray Model Of Sound Focusing With A Balloon Lens: An Experiment For High School Students, Cleon Dean, Kendez Parker

Physics & Astronomy: Faculty Publications

A weather balloon filled with carbon dioxide gas is used as a positive spherical acoustic lens. High frequency but audible sound from a circular loudspeaker ensonifies the balloon and produces increased sound pressure levels in a region along the principal axis according to a ray acoustics model. This enhancement was measured experimentally and was found to agree with theory. The possibility that interference from reflected sound off walls or the floor could mask or mimic the expected focusing was countered by calculating and measuring within a “shadow zone” in which only direct rays or rays refracted by the balloon exist …

Metric Theory Of Gravity With Torsion In An Extra Dimension, Karthik H. Shankar, Anand Balaraman, Kameshwar C. Wali

Physics & Astronomy: Faculty Publications

We consider a theory of gravity with a hidden extra dimension and metric-dependent torsion. A set of physically motivated constraints are imposed on the geometry so that the torsion stays confined to the extra dimension and the extra dimension stays hidden at the level of four-dimensional geodesic motion. At the kinematic level, the theory maps onto general relativity, but the dynamical field equations that follow from the action principle deviate markedly from the standard Einstein equations. We study static spherically symmetric vacuum solutions and homogeneous-isotropic cosmological solutions that emerge from the field equations. In both cases, we find solutions of …

A Hemoglobin-Based Multifunctional Therapeutic: Polynitroxylated Pegylated Hemoglobin, Carleton C. J. Hsia, Li Ma

Physics & Astronomy: Faculty Publications

Polynitroxylated pegylated hemoglobin (PNPH) as a multifunctional therapeutic takes advantage of the ability of hemoglobin (Hb) to transport oxygen, the antioxidative stress activities from the redox coupling of nitroxide and heme iron, and the hypercolloid properties of pegylation. The published preclinical data demonstrating that PNPH acts as a neurovascular protective multifunctional therapeutic in an animal model simulating prehospital resuscitation of traumatic brain injury (TBI) with hemorrhagic shock (HS) are reviewed. Preliminary results on the potential utility of PNPH for neurovascular protection in thrombolytic stroke therapy and for correction of vascular dysfunction through transfusion in sickle-cell disease (SCD) are also discussed. …

Polynitroxyl Albumin And Albumin Therapy After Pediatric Asphyxial Cardia Arrest: Effects On Cerebral Blood Flow And Neurologic Outcome, Mioara D. Manole, Patrick M. Kochanek, Lesley M. Foley, T. Kevin Hitchens, Hülya Bayır, Henry Alexander, Robert Garman, Li Ma, Carleton J. C. Hsia, Chien Ho, Robert S. B. Clark

Physics & Astronomy: Faculty Publications

Postresuscitation cerebral blood flow (CBF) disturbances and generation of reactive oxygen species likely contribute to impaired neurologic outcome after pediatric cardiac arrest (CA). Hence, we determined the effects of the antioxidant colloid polynitroxyl albumin (PNA) versus albumin or normal saline (NS) on CBF and neurologic outcome after asphyxial CA in immature rats. We induced asphyxia for 9 minutes in male and female postnatal day 16 to 18 rats randomized to receive PNA, albumin, or NS at resuscitation from CA or sham surgery. Regional CBF was measured serially from 5 to 150 minutes after resuscitation by arterial spin-labeled magnetic resonance imaging. …

Full Newton-Step Interior-Point Method For Linear Complementarity Problems, Goran Lesaja, Antre M. Drummer, Ljiljana Miletić

Mathematical Sciences: Faculty Publications

In this paper we consider an Infeasible Full Newton-step Interior-Point Method (IFNS-IPM) for monotone Linear Complementarity Problems (LCP). The method does not require a strictly feasible starting point. In addition, the method avoids calculation of the step size and instead takes full Newton-steps at each iteration. Iterates are kept close to the central path by suitable choice of parameters. The algorithm is globally convergent and the iteration bound matches the best known iteration bound for these types of methods.

Structure Of Colored Complete Graphs Free Of Proper Cycles, Vincent E. Coll, Colton Magnant, Kathleen Ryan

Mathematical Sciences: Faculty Publications

For a fixed integer m, we consider edge colorings of complete graphs which contain no properly edge colored cycle Cm as a subgraph. Within colorings free of these subgraphs, we establish global structure by bounding the number of colors that can induce a spanning and connected subgraph. In the case of smaller cycles, namely C4,C5, and C6, we show that our bounds are sharp.

Estimation Of Parameters In Weighted Generalized Beta Distribution Of The Second Kind, Yuan Ye, Broderick O. Oluyede, Marvis Pararai

Mathematical Sciences: Faculty Publications

This paper applies the class of weighted generalized beta distribution of the second kind (WGB2) as descriptive models for size distribution of income. The properties of WGB2 including mean, variance, coefficient of variation (CV), coefficient of skewness (CS), coefficient of kurtosis (CK) are presented. Other properties including top-sensitive index, bottom-sensitive index, mean logarithmic deviation (MLD) index and Theil index obtained from generalized entropy (GE) are applied in this paper. WGB2 proved to be in the generalized beta-F family of distributions, and maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) is used to obtain the parameter estimates. WGB2 is fitted to U.S. family income (2001-2009) …

Estimating Population Exposure To Fine Particulate Matter In The Conterminous U.S. Using Shape Function-Based Spatiotemporal Interpolation Method: A County Level Analysis, Lixin Li, Xingyou Zhang, James B. Holt, Jie Tian, Reinhard Piltner

Mathematical Sciences: Faculty Publications

This paper investigates spatiotemporal interpolation methods for the application of air pollution assessment. The air pollutant of interest in this paper is fine particulate matter PM_2.5. The choice of the time scale is investigated when applying the shape function-based method. It is found that the measurement scale of the time dimension has an impact on the quality of interpolation results. Based upon the result of 10-fold cross validation, the most effective time scale out of four experimental ones was selected for the PM_2.5 interpolation. The paper also estimates the population exposure to the ambient air pollution of …

Behavior Of Temperature Dependence Of Permeability Curves At Different Stages Of Crystallizations Of Nanocrystalline Fe_{70.5}Cr_3cu_1nb_3si_{13.5}B_9, Saadni Islam, Kazi Hanium Maria, Shamima Choudhury, Mohammad Abdul Hakim, Dilip Kumar Saha

Turkish Journal of Physics

Nanocrystalline amorphous ribbons of composition Fe_{70.5}Cr_3Cu_1Nb_3Si_{13.5}B_9 prepared by rapid solidification technique have been studied in the present work. Amorphicity of the ribbons has been confirmed by X-ray diffraction. Crystallization temperatures were identified by X-ray diffraction and crystallization products were analyzed by XRD. When annealed below the crystallization temperature, i.e. when the sample is in amorphous state, temperature dependence of permeability curves were characterized by sharp increase of permeability and subsequent fall to lower value near ferro-paramagnetic transition temperature, which is typical Hopkinson effect for soft ferromagnetic single phase material. Under devitrification, when the sample is in a two phase state, …

E_{Cm}=500 Gev Clic \Gamma\Gamma Collider Based On Its Drive Beam Fel, Hüsnü Aksakal, Zafer Nergi̇z, Frank Zimmermann, Daniel Schulte, Alexander Mikhailichenko, Abbas Kenan Çi̇ftçi̇

Turkish Journal of Physics

CLIC is a linear e^+e^- collider project which employs a drive beam to accelerate the main beam. Various portions of the drive beam provide RF power for corresponding units of the main linac through energy extracting RF structures. CLIC can operate over a wide range of center-of-mass energies, from 150 GeV to 3 TeV. In addition to e^+e^- collider, \gamma\gamma and \gamma e colliders based on CLIC can be realized. In order to generate high energy photons, a Free electron laser (FEL) produced from the CLIC drive beam linac can be used. In this paper we show that the CLIC …

Hetero-Molecular Associations In Different Polar And Non-Polar Binary Mixtures, Susmita Kamila, Ganesh Durgachalam Natraj

Turkish Journal of Physics

Excess molar volumes and viscosity deviations have been studied comparatively for some binary systems involving nitrobenzene, aniline, methanol, benzene, toluene and CCl_4 by experimentally measured values of viscosity and density. These values are interpreted in the light of hetero-molecular associations among the polar and non-polar constituents.

Electromagnetic Energy Conservation With Complex Octonions, Mustafa Emre Kansu, Murat Tanişli, Süleyman Demi̇r

Turkish Journal of Physics

Octonions are the eight dimensional hypercomplex numbers that form a noncommutative and nonassociative division algebra. In this study, a general framework for the real, complex octonions and their algebra are provided by using the Cayley-Dickson multiplication rule between the octonionic basis elements. Maxwell's equations without sources are shown in Gauss units in dimensionless form. The local energy conservation equation, which has been previously defined in a complexified quaternionic form, is similarly rearranged for isotropic media by using the complex octonions. As a result, the terms of density and flow of electromagnetic energy are attained.

Scale Dimension As The Fifth Dimension Of Spacetime, Sergey Fedosin

Turkish Journal of Physics

The scale dimension discovered in the theory of infinite nesting of matter is studied from the perspective of physical implementation of well-studied four-and n-dimensional geometric objects. Adding the scale dimension to Minkowski four-dimensional space means the necessity to use the five-dimensional spacetime.

Energy, Environment, And Sustainability: A Hierarchical Analysis Of South Louisiana, Matthew Korbel Moerschbaecher

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation details research into the sustainability of industrial, human, and natural systems in south Louisiana. Chapter 1 is a general introduction. Chapter 2 calculates the energy return on financial investment (EROFI) of oil and gas production in the ultra-deepwater Gulf of Mexico (GoM) in 2009 and the Macondo Prospect (Mississippi Canyon Block 252). I calculated a preliminary Energy Return on Investment (EROI) using a range of energy intensity ratios. The EROFI for ultra-deepwater oil and gas at the wellhead was roughly 0.85 gallons, per dollar. These estimates of EROI for 2009 ultra-deepwater oil and natural gas at the wellhead …

Predicting Traffic On The Maine Turnpike Using Artificial Neural Networks, Robert Swain Ms

All Student Scholarship

In this thesis, I compare the forecasting accuracy of statistical models with artificial neural networks when predicting daily traffic counts on the Maine turnpike over holiday weekends.

The Head And Tail Conjecture For Alternating Knots, Cody Armond

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The colored Jones polynomial is an invariant of knots and links, which produces a sequence of Laurent polynomials. In this work, we study new power series link invariants, derived from the colored Jones polynomial, called its head and tail. We begin with a brief survey of knot theory and the colored Jones polynomial in particular. In Chapter 3, we use skein theory to prove that for adequate links, the n-th leading coefficient of the N-th colored Jones polynomial stabilizes when viewed as a sequence in N. This property allows us to define the head and tail for adequate links. In …

High-Throughput Sperm Cryopreservation Of Aquatic Species, E Hu

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The goal of this dissertation was to integrate multiple disciplines for application of high-throughput sperm cryopreservation to aquatic species. The blue catfish Ictalurus furcatus was selected for research due to its role in production of hybrid catfish with eggs from channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus. A high-throughput cryopreservation pathway was developed by systematically evaluating each process factor and using automated processing systems. Large quantities of cryopreserved sperm produced from this protocol were evaluated in commercial-scale hatcheries in cooperation with aquaculture producers. To develop production for commercial requirements, quality characteristics of materials and products were identified and recorded during processing and analyzed …

The Importance Of Human Mental Workload In Web Design, Luca Longo, Fabio Rusconi, Lucia Noce, Stephen Barrett

Conference papers

The focus of this study is the introduction of the construct of Human Mental Workload (HMW) in Web design, aimed at supporting current interaction design practices. An experiment has been conducted using the original Wikipedia and Google web-interfaces, and using two slightly different versions. Three subjective psychological mental workload assessment techniques (NASA-TLX, Workload Profile and SWAT) with a well-established assessments usability tool (SUS) have been adopted. T-tests have been performed to study the statistical significance of the original and modified web-pages, in terms of workload required by typical tasks and perceived usability. Preliminary results show that, in one ideal case, …

Conformance Testing Of Peer-To-Peer Systems Using Message Traffic Analysis, John Wesley Burris

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Peer-to-Peer architectures are used by a large number of distributed systems; however, the challenges such as maintaining a reliable and stable peer-to-peer network can make such networks undesirable for distributed systems. Peer-to-peer architectures are designed to be executed on systems with diverse hardware configurations, distant geographic locations, and varied, unpredictable Internet connectivity that make the software testing process difficult. This research defines a method for conformance testing peer-to-peer content distribution systems called “Method for Conformance Testing by Analyzing Message Activity” (MCTAMA). MCTAMA uses a common representation for describing the behavior of nodes during both design and deployment. ATAMA generates, evaluates …