Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Fast Detection And Chemical Characterization Of Gunshot Residues By Cmv-Gc-Ms And Libs, Anamary Tarifa

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Gunshot residue (GSR) is the term used to describe the particles originating from different parts of the firearm and ammunition during the discharge. A fast and practical field tool to detect the presence of GSR can assist law enforcement in the accurate identification of subjects.

A novel field sampling device is presented for the first time for the fast detection and quantitation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The capillary microextraction of volatiles (CMV) is a headspace sampling technique that provides fast results (< 2 min. sampling time) and is reported as a versatile and high-efficiency sampling tool. The CMV device can be coupled to a Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) instrument by installation of a thermal separation probe in the injection port of the GC.

An analytical method using the CMV device was developed for the detection of 17 compounds commonly found …

Linkages Among Fluorescent Dissolved Organic Matter, Dissolved Amino Acids And Lignin-Derived Phenols In A River-Influenced Ocean Margin, Youhei Yamashita, Cedric G. Fichot, Yuan Shen, Rudolf Jaffe, Ronald Benner

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry

Excitation emission matrix (EEM) fluorescence spectroscopy coupled with parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC) is commonly used to investigate the dynamics of dissolved organic matter (DOM). However, a lack of direct comparisons with known biomolecules makes it difficult to substantiate the molecular composition of specific fluorescent components. Here, coincident surface-water measurements of EEMs, dissolved lignin, and total dissolved amino acids (TDAA) acquired in the northern Gulf of Mexico were used to investigate the relationships between specific fluorescent components and DOM biomolecules. Two terrestrial humic-like components identified by EEM-PARAFAC using samples obtained from river to offshore waters were strongly linearly correlated with dissolved …

The Influence Of The Proximal Amide Hydrogen Bonds And The Proximal Helix Dipole On The Catalytic Activity Of Chloroperoxidase, Armando D. Pardillo

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Chloroperoxidase (CPO) is a heme-thiolate protein with exceptional versatility and great potential as a biocatalyst. The CPO reactive species, Compound I ( Cpd I) is of particular interest, as well as the Cytochrome P450 (P450) -type monoxygenase catalytic activity, which has significant biotechnological potential. Proximal hydrogen bonding of the axial sulfur with the backbone amides (NH•••S) is a conserved feature of heme-thiolate enzymes. In CPO, the effect of NH•••S bonds is amplified by the dipole moment of the proximal helix. The role of the proximal region has been disputed as to whether it simply protects the axial sulfur, or whether …

Elemental Analysis Of Printing Inks Using Tandem Laser- Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy And Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry, Kiran Subedi

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As a consequence of the widespread use of computers coupled to high-quality printers and different types of papers, forgery, counterfeiting, change of wills, anonymous letter writing and felonious use of the documents have become serious problems. Forensic analysts are always seeking methods that can provide reliable information on whether a specimen collected at the crime scene is linked to the crime or to a source of known origin. Sensitive methods that can provide more detailed characterization of natural or man-made materials or even provide information not previously available to forensic examiners.

Recent advances in rapid solid sampling of materials using …

Integrated Bioinformatics, Environmental Epidemiologic And Genomic Approaches To Identify Environmental And Molecular Links Between Endometriosis And Breast Cancer, Deodutta Roy, Marisa L. Morgan, Changwon Yoo, Alok Deoraj, Sandhya Roy, Vijay Kumar Yadav, Mohannad Garoub, Hamza Assaggaf, Mayur Doke

Department of Biostatistics Faculty Publications

We present a combined environmental epidemiologic, genomic, and bioinformatics approach to identify: exposure of environmental chemicals with estrogenic activity; epidemiologic association between endocrine disrupting chemical (EDC) and health effects, such as, breast cancer or endometriosis; and gene-EDC interactions and disease associations. Human exposure measurement and modeling confirmed estrogenic activity of three selected class of environmental chemicals, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), bisphenols (BPs), and phthalates. Meta-analysis showed that PCBs exposure, not Bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalates, increased the summary odds ratio for breast cancer and endometriosis. Bioinformatics analysis of gene-EDC interactions and disease associations identified several hundred genes that were altered by …

Type 2 Diabetes And Its Correlates Among Adults In Bangladesh: A Population Based Stud, Muhammad Abdul Baker Chowdhury, Md Jamal Uddin, Hafiz M.R. Khan, Md Rabiul Haque

Department of Biostatistics Faculty Publications

Type 2 diabetes is one of the most prevalent non-communicable diseases in Bangladesh. However, the correlates of type 2 diabetes among adults in Bangladesh remain unknown. We aimed to investigate the correlates of type 2 diabetes among the adults in Bangladesh.

Methods : We conducted a cross-sectional study using data from the nationally representative 2011 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey. A random sample of 7,543 (3,823 women and 3,720 men) adults of age 35 years and older from both urban and rural areas, who participated in the survey was included. Diabetes was defined as having a fasting plasma blood glucose …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Photochromic Copolymers Containing 3-Indolylfulgides/Indolylfulgimides, Changjun Fan

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Fulgides and fulgimides are important organic photochromic compounds and can switch between the open forms and the closed forms with light. The 3-indolylfulgides and 3-indolylfulgimides exhibit promising photochromic properties and have great potential in optical memory devices, optical switches and biosensors. Copolymers containing 3-indolylfulgides/indolylfulgimides synthesized via free radical polymerizations increase conformation changes and allow the photochromic compounds to be uniformly distributed in the polymer matrix.

A trifluoromethyl 3-indolylfulgide and two trifluoromethyl 3-indolylfulgimides with one or two polymerizable N-stryryl group(s) were prepared. Copolymerization with methyl methacrylate provided two linear copolymers or a cross-linked copolymer. The properties of the monomeric fulgide/fulgimides …

Pseudorapidity Distribution Of Charged Hadrons In Proton-Proton Collisions At Root S=13tev, Cms Collaboration, Cern, Switzerland, Samantha Hewamanage, Stephan Linn, Pete E. Markowitz, German Martinez, Jorge Luis Rodriguez

Department of Physics

The pseudorapidity distribution of charged hadrons in pp collisions at √s=13TeVis measured using a data sample obtained with the CMS detector, operated at zero magnetic field, at the CERN LHC. The yield of primary charged long-lived hadrons produced in inelastic pp collisions is determined in the central region of the CMS pixel detector (|η| <2) using both hit pairs and reconstructed tracks. For central pseudorapidities (|η| <0.5), the charged-hadron multiplicity density is dNch/dη||η|<0.5=5.49 ±0.01 (stat)±0.17 (syst), a value obtained by combining the two methods. The result is compared to predictions from Monte Carlo event generators and to similar measurements made at lower collision energies.

Solvothermal Synthesis, Structure And Optical Property Of Nanosized Cosb3 Skutterudite, Latha Kumari, Wenzhi Li, Jianyu Huang, Paula P. Provencio

Department of Physics

Binary skutterudite CoSb₃ nanoparticles were synthesized by solvothermal method. The nanostructuring of CoSb₃ material was achieved by the inclusion of various kinds of additives. X-ray diffraction examination indicated the formation of the cubic phase of CoSb₃. Structural analysis by transmission electron microscopy analysis further confirmed the formation of crystalline CoSb₃ nanoparticles with high purity. With the assistance of additives, CoSb₃ nanoparticles with size as small as 10 nm were obtained. The effect of the nanostructure of CoSb₃ on the UV–visible absorption and luminescence was studied. The nanosized CoSb₃ skutterudite may find application …

Preface To Special Topic: Amyloid Aggregation: Characterization, Function And Molecular Mechanisms, Bernard S. Gerstman, Yifat Miller

Department of Physics

No abstract provided.

Search For Diphoton Resonances In The Mass Range From 150 To 850gev In Pp Collisions At √S=8 Tev, Cms Collaboration, Cern Switzerland, Samantha Hewamanage, Stephan Linn, Pete E. Markowitz, German Martinez, Jorge Luis Rodriguez

Department of Physics

Results are presented of a search for heavy particles decaying into two photons. The analysis is based on a 19.7 fb−1sample of proton–proton collisions at √s=8 TeVcollected with the CMS detector at the CERN LHC. The diphoton mass spectrum from 150 to 850GeVis used to search for an excess of events over the background. The search is extended to new resonances with natural widths of up to 10% of the mass value. No evidence for new particle production is observed and limits at 95% confidence level on the production cross section times branching fraction to diphotons are determined. These limits …

Study Of W Boson Production In Ppb Collisions At √Snn=5.02tev, Cms Collaboration, Cern, Switzerland, Samantha Hewamanage, Stephan Linn, Pete E. Markowitz, German Martinez, Jorge Luis Rodriguez

Department of Physics

The first study of W boson production in pPb collisions is presented, for bosons decaying to a muon or electron, and a neutrino. The measurements are based on a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 34.6nb−1at a nucleon–nucleon centre-of-mass energy of √sNN=5.02TeV, collected by the CMS experiment. The W boson differential cross sections, lepton charge asymmetry, and forward–backward asymmetries are measured for leptons of transverse momentum exceeding 25GeV/c, and as a function of the lepton pseudorapidity in the |ηlab| <2.4range. Deviations from the expectations based on currently available parton distribution functions are observed, showing the need for including W boson data in nuclear parton distribution global fits.

4th International Symposium On Sensor Science (I3s2015): Conference Report, Peter Seitz, Debbie G. Senesky, Michael J. Schöning, Peter C. Hauser, Roland Moser, Hans Peter Herzig, Assefa M. Melesse, Patricia A. Broderick, Patrick Thomas Eugester

Department of Earth and Environment

No abstract provided.

Assessing Student Reasoning In Upper-Division Electricity And Magnetism At Oregon State University, Justyna P. Zwolak, Corinne A. Manogue

Stem Transformation Institute

[This paper is part of the Focused Collection on Upper Division Physics Courses.] Standardized assessment tests that allow researchers to compare the performance of students under various curricula are highly desirable. There are several research-based conceptual tests that serve as instruments to assess and identify students’ difficulties in lower-division courses. At the upper-division level assessing students’ difficulties is a more challenging task. Although several research groups are currently working on such tests, their reliability and validity are still under investigation. We analyze the results of the Colorado Upper-Division Electrostatics diagnostic from Oregon State University and compare it with data from …

Modeling, Designing, And Implementing An Ad-Hoc M-Learning Platform That Integrates Sensory Data To Support Ubiquitous Learning, Hien M. Nguyen

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Learning at any-time, at anywhere, using any mobile computing platform learning (which we refer to as “education in your palm”) empowers informal and formal education. It supports the continued creation of knowledge outside a classroom, after-school programs, community-based organizations, museums, libraries, and shopping malls with under-resourced settings. In doing so, it fosters the continued creation of a cumulative body of knowledge in informal and formal education. Anytime, anywhere, using any device computing platform learning means that students are not required to attend traditional classroom settings in order to learn. Instead, students will be able to access and share learning resources …

Comprehensive Analysis Of Emerging New Psychoactive Substances By Ion Mobility Spectrometry And Mass Spectrometry, Seongshin Gwak

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the new era of drug abuse, the proliferation of new psychoactive substances (NPS), commonly referred to as designer drugs or legal highs, has been a global concern. These substances are produced to circumvent current legislation for controlled substances with minor modifications in their chemical structure. Although many efforts have been made previously, the characterization of such substances are still challenging because of (1) the continual emergence of newly identified substances, (2) the lack of a universal screening test for NPS that are structurally similar to each other, and (3) the complex and time-consuming chromatographic techniques currently used. Therefore, it …

Performance Of High Resolution Satellite Rainfall Products Over Data Scarce Parts Of Eastern Ethiopia, Shimelis B. Gebere, Tena Alamirew, Broder J. Merkel, Assefa M. Melesse

Department of Earth and Environment

Accurate estimation of rainfall in mountainous areas is necessary for various water resource-related applications. Though rain gauges accurately measure rainfall, they are rarely found in mountainous regions and satellite rainfall data can be used as an alternative source over these regions. This study evaluated the performance of three high-resolution satellite rainfall products, the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM 3B42), the Global Satellite Mapping of Precipitation (GSMaP_MVK+), and the Precipitation Estimation from Remotely-Sensed Information using Artificial Neural Networks (PERSIANN) at daily, monthly, and seasonal time scales against rain gauge records over data-scarce parts of Eastern Ethiopia. TRMM 3B42 rain products show …

Modeling Security And Resource Allocation For Mobile Multi-Hop Wireless Neworks Using Game Theory, Laurent L. Y. Njilla

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation presents novel approaches to modeling and analyzing security and resource allocation in mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs). The research involves the design, implementation and simulation of different models resulting in resource sharing and security’s strengthening of the network among mobile devices. Because of the mobility, the network topology may change quickly and unpredictably over time. Moreover, data-information sent from a source to a designated destination node, which is not nearby, has to route its information with the need of intermediary mobile nodes. However, not all intermediary nodes in the network are willing to participate in data-packet transfer of …

Application Of An Education Research Lab (Erl) Model To A Community Sailing Program, Lauren Shure, Emilie Ney, Precious Broffee, Gerene K. Starratt, Andy Roberts

South Florida Education Research Conference

This presentation showcases the application of a university-based education research lab (ERL) model to the evaluation of a community sailing program for individuals with disabilities. Presenters conceptualize the ERL model as a mutually beneficial relationship between universities and community education agencies.

Angular Coefficients Of Z Bosons Produced In Pp Collisions At √S=8tevand Decaying To Μ+Μ−As A Function Of Transverse Momentum And Rapidity, Cms Collaboration, Cern, Switzerland, Samantha Hewamanage, Stephan Linn, Pete E. Markowitz, German Martinez, Jorge Luis Rodriguez

Department of Physics

Measurements of the five most significant angular coefficients, A0through A4, for Z bosons produced in pp collisions at √s=8TeVand decaying to μ+μ−are presented as a function of the transverse momentum and rapidity of the Z boson. The integrated luminosity of the dataset collected with the CMS detector at the LHC corresponds to 19.7 fb−1. These measurements provide comprehensive information about the Z boson production mechanisms, and are compared to the QCD predictions at leading order, next-to-leading order, and next-to-next-to-leading order in perturbation theory.

Integrating Deep Learning With Correlation-Based Multimedia Semantic Concept Detection, Hsin-Yu Ha

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The rapid advances in technologies make the explosive growth of multimedia data possible and available to the public. Multimedia data can be defined as data collection, which is composed of various data types and different representations. Due to the fact that multimedia data carries knowledgeable information, it has been widely adopted to different genera, like surveillance event detection, medical abnormality detection, and many others. To fulfil various requirements for different applications, it is important to effectively classify multimedia data into semantic concepts across multiple domains. In this dissertation, a correlation-based multimedia semantic concept detection framework is seamlessly integrated with the …

Modeling A Phosphorus Credit Trading Program In The Lake Okeechobee Watershed, Juliana Corrales

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Lake Okeechobee is the largest lake in the southeastern United States and is a central component of the hydrology and environment of the Everglades ecosystem in South Florida. The natural state of the lake has been degraded as wetlands and natural habitats in the Lake Okeechobee watershed have been replaced with farms, urban areas, and dairy operations. Excessive phosphorus loadings from these diverse sources have been identified as the leading causes of the lake’s impairment. For more than four decades, many resources have been allocated to regional and local restoration efforts to reduce phosphorus loadings into the lake. However, phosphorus …

First Measurement Of The Polarization Observable E In The P→(Γ→,Π+)N Reaction Up To 2.25 Gev, Clas Collaboration, R.A. Badui, Lei Guo

Department of Physics

First results from the longitudinally polarized frozen-spin target (FROST) program are reported. The double-polarization observable E, for the reaction γ p→π+n, has been measured using a circularly polarized tagged-photon beam, with energies from 0.35 to 2.37GeV. The final-state pions were detected with the CEBAF Large Acceptance Spectrometer in Hall B at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility. These polarization data agree fairly well with previous partial-wave analyses at low photon energies. Over much of the covered energy range, however, significant deviations are observed, particularly in the high-energy region where high-Lmultipoles contribute. The data have been included in new multipole analyses …

Effect Of Yangtze River On Population Genetic Structure Of The Relict Plant Parrotia Subaequalis In Eastern Chin, Qifang Geng, Zhingang Yao, Jie Yang, Jia He, Danbi Wong, Zhongsheng Wang, H. Liu

Department of Earth and Environment

Parrotia subaequalis (Hamamelidaceae) is a Tertiary relic species endemic in eastern China. We used inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers to access genetic diversity and population genetic structure in natural five populations of P. subaequalis. The levels of genetic diversity were higher at species level (H = 0.2031) but lower at population level (H = 0.1096). The higher genetic diversity at species levels might be attributed to the accumulation of distinctive genotypes which adapted to the different habitats after Quaternary glaciations. Meanwhile, founder effects on the early stage, and subsequent bottleneck of population regeneration due to its biological characteristics, environmental features, …

Search For Resonant Pair Production Of Higgs Bosons Decaying To Two Bottom Quark–Antiquark Pairs In Proton–Proton Collisions At 8tev, Cms Collaboration, Cern, Switzerland, Samantha Hewamanage, Stephan Linn, Pete E. Markowitz, German Martinez, Jorge Luis Rodriguez

Department of Physics

A model-independent search for a narrow resonance produced in proton–proton collisions at √s=8TeVand decaying to a pair of 125GeV Higgs bosons that in turn each decays into a bottom quark–antiquark pair is performed by the CMS experiment at the LHC. The analyzed data correspond to an integrated luminosity of 17.9fb−1. No evidence for a signal is observed. Upper limits at a 95% confidence level on the production cross section for such a resonance, in the mass range from 270 to 1100GeV, are reported. Using these results, a radion with decay constant of 1TeV and mass from 300 to 1100GeV, and …

Strain Promoted Click Chemistry Of 2- Or 8-Azidopurine And 5-Azidopyrimidine Nucleosides And 8-Azidoadenosine Triphosphate With Cyclooctynes. Application To Living Cell Fluorescent Imaging, Jessica Zayas, Marie Annoual, Jayanta K. Das, Quentin Felty, Walter Gonzalez, Jaroslava Miksovska, Nima Sharifai, Akira Chiba, Stanislaw F. Wnuk

Environmental Health Sciences

Strain-promoted click chemistry of nucleosides and nucleotides with an azido group directly attached to the purine and pyrimidine rings with various cyclooctynes in aqueous solution at ambient temperature resulted in efficient formation (3 min to 3 h) of fluorescent, light-up, triazole products. The 2- and 8-azidoadenine nucleosides reacted with fused cyclopropyl cyclooctyne, dibenzylcyclooctyne, or monofluorocyclooctyne to produce click products functionalized with hydroxyl, amino, N-hydroxysuccinimide, or biotin moieties. The 5-azidouridine and 5-azido-2'-deoxyuridine were similarly converted to the analogous triazole products in quantitative yields in less than 5 min. The 8-azido-ATP quantitatively afforded the triazole product with fused cyclopropyl cyclooctyne in aqueous …

Measurement Of The Z Boson Differential Cross Section In Transverse Momentum And Rapidity In Proton–Proton Collisions At 8tev, Cms Collaboration, Cern, Switzerland, Samantha Hewamanage, Stephan Linn, Pete E. Markowitz, German Martinez, Jorge Luis Rodriguez

Department of Physics

We present a measurement of the Z boson differential cross section in rapidity and transverse momentum using a data sample of pp collision events at a centre-of-mass energy √s=8TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 19.7fb−1. The Z boson is identified via its decay to a pair of muons. The measurement provides a precision test of quantum chromodynamics over a large region of phase space. In addition, due to the small experimental uncertainties in the measurement the data has the potential to constrain the gluon parton distribution function in the kinematic regime important for Higgs boson production via gluon fusion. …

Search For Lepton-Flavour-Violating Decays Of The Higgs Boson, Cms Collaboration, Cern, Switzerland, Samantha Hewamanage, Stephan Linn, Pete E. Markowitz, German Martinez, Jorge Luis Rodriguez

Department of Physics

The first direct search for lepton-flavour-violating decays of the recently discovered Higgs boson (H) is described. The search is performed in the H →μτeand H →μτhchannels, where τeand τhare tau leptons reconstructed in the electronic and hadronic decay channels, respectively. The data sample used in this search was collected in pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of √s=8TeVwith the CMS experiment at the CERN LHC and corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 19.7fb−1. The sensitivity of the search is an order of magnitude better than the existing indirect limits. A slight excess of signal events with a significance of 2.4 …

Measurements Of The ϒ(1s), ϒ(2s), And ϒ(3s)Differential Cross Sections In Pp Collisions At √S=7 Tev, Cms Collaboration, Cern, Switzerland, Samantha Hewamanage, Stephan Linn, Pete E. Markowitz, German Martinez, Jorge Luis Rodriguez

Department of Physics

Differential cross sections as a function of transverse momentum pTare presented for the production of ϒ(nS)(n=1, 2, 3) states decaying into a pair of muons. Data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 4.9fb−1in pp collisions at √s=7 TeVwere collected with the CMS detector at the LHC. The analysis selects events with dimuon rapidity |y| <1.2and dimuon transverse momentum in the range 10

Determination Of Extracellular Molecules Produced By Vibrio Harveyi Using Ms/Ms, Jose G. Roble

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Quorum sensing (QS) is a process that allows bacteria to sense the population density of cells around them by communicating with each other via autoinducer molecules. This cross-communication is crucial in the regulation of bacterial processes such as bioluminescence, virulence, and biofilm formation. Previous research by Milburn and Makemson on Vibrio harveyi suggested that in addition of the known biosynthesis of three well-characterized autoinducers, dozens of unknown molecules are also produced and released to the environment by V. harveyi. This study was performed using electrospray tandem mass spectrometry with the purpose of detection and characterization of the extracellular molecules …