Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

The Costs Of Ecosystem Disturbances, E. Wesley F. Peterson

Cornhusker Economics

Presents an illustration of the interdependencies inherent in natural ecosystems. An ecosystem may be defined as: “… a single environment and every living (biotic) organism and non-living (abiotic) factor that is contained within it or characterizes it. An ecosystem embodies every aspect of a single habitat, including all interactions between its different elements” (Knapp 2020). In such interdependent systems, removal of one or more of the essential “elements” can severely disrupt the functioning of the system and such disruptions can give rise to negative impacts on the environment and human health and well-being.

Smooth And Proper Maps With Respect To A Fibration, Mathieu Anel, Jonathan Weinberger

Engineering Faculty Articles and Research

This paper explain how the geometric notions of local contractibility and properness are related to the Σ-types and Π-types constructors of dependent type theory. We shall see how every Grothendieck fibration comes canonically with such a pair of notions—called smooth and proper maps—and how this recovers the previous examples and many more. This paper uses category theory to reveal a common structure between geometry and logic, with the hope that the parallel will be beneficial to both fields. The style is mostly expository, and the main results are proved in external references.

Quantization Dimensions For The Bi-Lipschitz Recurrent Iterated Function Systems, Amit Priyadarshi, Mrinal Kanti Roychowdhury, Manuj Verma

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

In this paper, the quantization dimensions of the Borel probability measures supported on the limit sets of the bi-Lipschitz recurrent iterated function systems under the strong open set condition in terms of the spectral radius have been estimated.

Satellite-Based Mapping Of Seagrass Habitats And Coastal Wetlands In The Us Gulf Of Mexico And Florida: A Remote Sensing Approach For Environmental Conservation And Management, Luis Lizcano-Sandoval

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Coastal wetlands and seagrass meadows provide multiple services to nature and human society, but their spatial and temporal changes are often not well characterized. They are habitats that are threatened by natural and human causes such as changes in water quality, urban development, pollution, and climate change, among others. Coastal ecosystems rely on water quality and sea level variability for survival, and changes in those variables and their potential effects are of concern to many coastal communities. Satellite remote sensing is a powerful tool that has been used for mapping ecosystem distribution on land and in the ocean. Satellite sensors …

Characterizing The Temporal And Nearshore To Offshore Spatial Scale Of Phytoplankton Assemblages Within The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, Sebastian P. Di Geronimo

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates the spatial and temporal dynamics of phytoplankton communities within the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS) from 2016 to 2021. Phytoplankton biomass and community composition were analyzed across four seasons and from both Nearshore (within 2 km of shore) and Offshore (8 to 10 km from shore) locations along the Florida Keys from Miami to the Western Sambo Ecological Reserve. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) quantified chlorophyll-a (tchla) as a proxy for bulk biomass, and other pigments. CHEMTAX, a chemotaxonomic identification method, was employed to estimate phytoplankton community composition. Our results revealed significant seasonal variability in bulk biomass, …

Examining Wildfire Dynamics Using Ecostress Data With Machine Learning Approaches: The Case Of South-Eastern Australia's Black Summer, Yuanhui Zhu, Shakthi B. Murugesan, Ivone K. Masara, Soe W. Myint, Joshua B. Fisher

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Wildfires are increasing in risk and prevalence. The most destructive wildfires in decades in Australia occurred in 2019–2020. However, there is still a challenge in developing effective models to understand the likelihood of wildfire spread (susceptibility) and pre-fire vegetation conditions. The recent launch of NASA's ECOSTRESS presents an opportunity to monitor fire dynamics with a high resolution of 70 m by measuring ecosystem stress and drought conditions preceding wildfires. We incorporated ECOSTRESS data, vegetation indices, rainfall, and topographic data as independent variables and fire events as dependent variables into machine learning algorithms applied to the historic Australian wildfires of 2019–2020. …

Draft Final 2024 Residential Metals Abatement Program (Rmap) Residential Daycares Field Sampling Plan (Fsp) Submittal R-04941 And R-04947, Woodard & Curran

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Polymorphism Control Of Polyethylene Terephthalate (Pet) Degradation Product Via Mechanochemistry Leads To Accelerated Microbial Degradation, Deepika Shingwekar, Nicholas Lutz, Delbert S. Botes, Elani J. Cabrera-Vega, Gonzalo Campillo-Alvarado, Jay L. Mellies, Jesus Daniel Loya

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

Here, we optimized a chemo-microbial degradation of polyethylene terephthalate. Developed a path to mechanochemically interconvert between BHET polymorphs and established that BHET polymorphism influences bacterial biodegradation rate.

Classification Manner Utilizing Electroencephalography Signals To Investigate Waveforms, Wessam Al-Salman, Ali Basim Al-Khafaji, Mishall Al-Zubaidie

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

Waveform detection has been an area of continuous investigation for many years. One important waveform in sleep stage 2 is the k-complex. Numerous researchers have created various strategies for auto-k-complex detection; some of these strategies state that the automated detection techniques are adequate. Because of its analytically relevant resolution, the Electroencephalogram (EEG) is a commonly utilized technique to analyze the k-complexes in order to understand the nervous system activity of the brain. Several researchers have classified waveforms using EEGs in a variety of ways. It appears that the majority of the waveform detection had limitations. The …

Bacterial Cellulose Production From Fermented Fruits And Vegetables Byproducts: A Comprehensive Study On Chemical And Morphological Properties, Yati Maryati, Hakiki Melanie, Windri Handayani, Yasman Yasman

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

This study aimed to produce α-cellulose from Bacterial Cellulose SCOBY (BCS) using alternative substrates from fermented fruit and vegetable byproducts: katuk leaves (KT), kale leaves (KL), guava (JB), dragon fruit (NG), and banana (PS). BCS production involved juice extraction, SCOBY inoculation, and sucrose addition, followed by 21 days of fermentation. Initially, the NG medium had the highest concentration of Total Reducing Sugars (TRS), but all media showed a decline as sugars were consumed. Fermentation reduced pH and increased total polyphenols, with KL and JB showing the highest rise (0.13-0.15 mg GAE/mL). Flavonoid levels varied, decreasing in KL and PS but …

Metabolite Profiling Of Potential Fraction From Ethyl Acetate Extract Of Ziziphus Mauritiana Leaves By Lc-Ms/Ms Analysis, Nurhayati Bialangi, Weny Ja Musa, Boima Situmeang

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

In Indonesia, the treatment with leaves as a traditional medicine is still firmly integrated into the community to overcome various health problems experienced, one of which is the treatment with Bidara leaves (Ziziphus mauritiana). Ziziphus mauritiana belongs to family of Rhamnaceae, and it is generally considered a potential source of antioxidant and cholesterol lowering. This study aimed to examine phytochemical characterization, antioxidant potential, and cholesterol-lowering effects of ethyl acetate fraction derived from Ziziphus mauritiana. Extraction was accomplished using ethyl acetate, and the resultant extract was fractionated through chromatography with a blend of n-hexane and ethyl acetate as …

Quantum Many-Body Scars In Few-Body Dipole-Dipole Interactions, Sarah E. Spielman, Alicia Handian, Nina P. Inman, Thomas J. Carroll, Michael W. Noel

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

We simulate the dynamics of Rydberg atoms resonantly exchanging energy via two-, three-, and four-body dipole-dipole interactions in a one-dimensional array. Using simplified models of a realistic experimental system, we study the initial-state survival probability, mean level spacing, spread of entanglement, and properties of the energy eigenstates. By exploring a range of disorders and interaction strengths, we find regions in parameter space where the three- and four-body dynamics either fail to thermalize or do so slowly. The interplay between the stronger hopping and weaker field-tuned interactions gives rise to quantum many-body scar states, which play a critical role in slowing …

The Wallet And The Gut: Forecasting The 2024 Presidential Election With A State-By-State Adaptation Of The Time-For-Change Model, Simeon A. Betapudi, Hadassah Betapudi

Science University Research Symposium (SURS)

This study adapts Abramowitz's Time-for-Change model to a state-level framework to forecast the 2024 U.S. presidential election. The Time-for-Change model’s focus on the popular vote has become less relevant in recent years, given the growing divergence between popular vote outcomes and electoral college results. Our model addresses these issues by adapting the original Time-for-Change predictors (presidential approval rating, GDP, and time in office) to the state level. Using data from five election cycles (2004–2020), we employ an Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression to predict incumbent two-party vote share. Unlike the original model, state-level GDP and incumbency duration were found to …

Gray Advice, Keith Porcaro

Duke Law & Technology Review

Debates over economic protectionism or the technology flavor-of-the-month obscure a simple, urgent truth: people are going online to find help that they cannot get from legal and health professionals. They are being let down, by products with festering trust and quality issues, by regulators slow to apply consumer protection standards to harmful offerings, and by professionals loath to acknowledge changes to how help is delivered. The status quo cannot continue. Waves of capital and code are empowering ever more organizations to build digital products that blur the line between self-help and professional advice. For good or ill, “gray advice” is …

On The Improved Convergence Of Lifted Distributional Gauss Curvature From Regge Elements, Jay Gopalakrishnan, Michael Neunteufel, Joachim Schöberl, Max Wardetzky

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications and Presentations

Although Regge finite element functions are not continuous, useful generalizations of nonlinear derivatives like the curvature, can be defined using them. This paper is devoted to studying the convergence of the finite element lifting of a generalized (distributional) Gauss curvature defined using a metric tensor approximation in the Regge finite element space. Specifically, we investigate the interplay between the polynomial degree of the curvature lifting by Lagrange elements and the degree of the metric tensor in the Regge finite element space. Previously, a superconvergence result, where convergence rate of one order higher than expected, was obtained when the approximate metric …

Incorporating Ai Literacy Into Music Library Instruction: An Interactive Discussion, Taylor J. Greene

Library Presentations, Posters, and Audiovisual Materials

Taylor Greene gave a presentation connecting AI Literacy to his work not only as the liaison to the Hall-Musco Conservatory of Music but also more broadly in his role as Chair of Research and Instructional Services. He began by providing an overview of Chapman University’s cautious approach to embracing generative AI and highlighted the library’s role in supporting faculty, staff, librarians, and students in better understanding these technologies and their potential impact on higher education. He summarized the work of the AI Task Force and offered a general overview of the AI Literacy lectures that he and Dr. Doug Dechow …

11.04.2024 Orsp Connect, Liz Williamson

ORED Newsletter

Small Grant Program for Faculty

Mid-South REACH Product Dev Grant

NSF Virtual Grants Conference

Analysis Of The Emission And Morphology Of The Pulsar Wind Nebula Candidate Hawc J2031+415, R. Alfaro, C. Alvarez, J. C. Arteaga-Velázquez, D. Avila Rojas, H. A.Ayala Solares, R. Babu, S. Groetsch, P. Hüntemeyer, M. Najafi, R. Turner, X. Wang, Et Al.

Michigan Tech Publications

The first TeV γ-ray source with no lower energy counterparts, TeV J2032+4130, was discovered by HEGRA. It appears in the third HAWC catalog as 3HWC J2031+415 and it is a bright TeV γ-ray source whose emission has previously been resolved as two sources: HAWC J2031+415 and HAWC J2030+409. While HAWC J2030+409 has since been associated with the Fermi Large Area Telescope Cygnus Cocoon, no such association for HAWC J2031+415 has yet been found. In this work, we investigate the spectrum and energy-dependent morphology of HAWC J2031+415. We associate HAWC J2031+415 with a γ-ray binary system containing the pulsar PSR J2032+4127 …

Non-Vanishing Modulo P Of Hecke L-Values Over Imaginary Quadratic Fields, Debanjana Kundu, Antonio Lei

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

Let p and q be two distinct odd primes. Let K be an imaginary quadratic field over which p and q are both split. Let Ψ be a Hecke character over K of infinity type (k, j) with 0 ≤ − j < k. Under certain technical hypotheses, we show that for a Zariski dense set of finite-order characters κ over K which factor through the Z2q -extension of K, the p-adic valuation of the algebraic part of the L-value L(κΨ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯,k+j) is a constant independent of κ. In addition, when j = 0 and certain technical hypothesis holds, this constant is zero.

Information Technology Managers’ Strategies For Implementing Data Governance, Dieudonne Mayi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

As businesses increasingly view data as a strategic asset, effective data governance (DG) frameworks are crucial for ensuring data integrity and compliance. IT managers face challenges in fully integrating DG with IT governance, leading to issues like inconsistent data availability, compromised security, and costly outcomes such as data loss, legal actions, and compliance penalties. Grounded in Abraham et al.’s DG conceptual framework and Khatri and Brown’s unified DG framework, this qualitative pragmatic study investigates the strategies IT managers use to implement successful DG within organizations. A sample of 11 IT managers from U.S. companies with established DG practices participated in …

Jwst Lensed Quasar Dark Matter Survey – Ii. Strongest Gravitational Lensing Limit On The Dark Matter Free Streaming Length To Date, Ryan E. Keeley, A. M. Nierenberg, D. Gilman, C. Gannon, S. Birrer, T. Treu, A. J. Benson, X. Du, K. N. Abazajian, Vardha N. Bennert

Physics

This is the second in a series of papers in which we use JWST Mid Infrared Instrument multiband imaging to measure the warm dust emission in a sample of 31 multiply imaged quasars, to be used as a probe of the particle nature of dark matter. We present measurements of the relative magnifications of the strongly lensed warm dust emission in a sample of nine systems. The warm dust region is compact and sensitive to perturbations by populations of haloes down to masses ~ 10⁶ M☉. Using these warm dust flux-ratio measurements in combination with five previous narrow-line flux-ratio measurements, …

Blazing Trails, Erik Johnson

Natural Science Faculty

Comets have always captivated people. Some cultures saw the appearance of comets as omens and some have hypothesized that a comet served as the Star of Bethlehem from the Nativity story.

Zooplankton Abundance, Composition, And Diversity And Associated Environmental Factors Across The Gulf Of Mexico And Along The Northwestern Coast Of Cuba, Shaniqua J. Gladney

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

My research focused on characterizing the zooplankton community of two regions in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) along two transects, one across the middle of the GOM from Tuxpan, Mexico, to St. Petersburg, FL, and one along the northwestern coast of Cuba. Zooplankton bongo samples and associated environmental and physical processes were examined. These data were collected during two Center for Integrated Modeling and Analysis of Gulf Ecosystems (C-IMAGE) expeditions aboard the R/V Weatherbird II, during September 2015 (GOM) and May 2017 (Cuba). A Zooscan imaging system was used to identify and enumerate zooplankton taxa. Then zooplankton abundance, composition, and …

On The Role Of Prediction In Streaming Hierarchical Learning, Ramy Mounir

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In today's world, AI systems need to make sense of large amounts of data as it unfolds in real-time, whether it's a video from surveillance and monitoring cameras, streams of egocentric footage, or sequences in other domains such as text or audio. The ability to break these continuous data streams into meaningful events, discover nested structures, and predict what might happen next at different levels of abstraction is crucial for applications ranging from passive surveillance systems to sensory-motor autonomous learning. However, most existing models rely heavily on large, annotated datasets with fixed data distributions and offline epoch-based training, which makes …

2024-25 Women In Science Conference Schedule (Pdf), Lynn University

Women in Science Conference

2024-25 Women in Environmental Science Conference Schedule (PDF)

A Decade Of Monitoring Reveals A Dynamic Fish Assemblage On A Substantial Artificial Reef In The Texas Gulf Of Mexico, David Hicks, Ethan T. Getz, Richard Kline, Carlos E. Cintra-Buenrostro

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Fish communities on artificial reefs have rarely been monitored over long periods to evaluate success of reef deployment. Here, we used roving diver surveys to assess changes in fish assemblages on a large, reefed vessel during 2008–2017. Multivariate analyses revealed a dynamic community that stabilized after 5 years. Species richness increased and species dominance decreased during 2008–2017. The fish community shifted toward reef-associated species such as hogfish and pufferfish. Species composition shifted, but trophic structure was relatively stable, which suggested that functional groups may not reflect larger community shifts. Our results indicate that fish communities on artificial reefs are temporally …

Peptide Receptor Radionuclide Therapy And Clinical Associations With Renal And Hematological Toxicities And Survival In Patients With Neuroendocrine Tumors: An Analysis From Two U.S. Medical Centers, Tao Xu, Joseph S. Dillon, Mary A. Maluccio, Dawn E. Quelle, Sarah H. Nash, Hyunkeun Cho, Kristen E. Limbach, Nicholas J. Skill, Yvette Bren-Mattison, Michael A. O’Rorke

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Purpose: Renal and hematological toxicity are side effects and dose-limiting factors of Peptide Receptor Radionuclide Therapy (PRRT). We aimed to assess the changes in renal and hematological function and associations with survival in neuroendocrine tumor (NET) patients treated with PRRT. Methods: A retrospective cohort of 448 NET patients treated with either 177Lu-DOTATATE or 90Y-DOTATOC were followed for changes of renal and hematological function. Renal function was assessed by monitoring changes in serum creatinine, blood urea nitrogen and estimated glomerular filtration rate. Hematological function was determined by examining changes in white blood cell counts (WBC), platelet counts, and hemoglobin levels over …

Confocal Raman Spectroscopy Coupled With In Vitro Permeation Testing To Study The Effects Of Formalin Fixation On The Skin Barrier Function Of Reconstructed Human Epidermis, Hichem Kichou, Franck Bonnier, Amanda C. Caritá, Hugh Byrne, Igor Choupra, Emilie Munnier

Articles

Confocal Raman Spectroscopy is recognised as a potent tool for molecular characterisation of biological specimens. There is a growing demand for In Vitro Permeation Tests (IVPT) in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic areas, increasingly conducted using Reconstructed Human Epidermis (RHE) skin models. In this study, chemical fixation of RHE in 10% Neutral Buffered Formalin for 24 hours has been examined for storing RHE samples at 4°C for up to 21 days. Confocal Raman Spectroscopy, combined with Principal Components Analysis, revealed the molecular-level effects of fixation, notably in protein and lipid conformation within the stratum corneum and viable epidermis. IVPT by means …

Evaporation Basins For Salinity Management, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Natural resources factsheets

An evaporation basin is an engineered earth structure designed to safely store and evaporate saline water discharged from drainage or pumping, while protecting high-value agricultural land, natural assets or built infrastructure.

DPIRD recommends that evaporation basins should form part of an integrated water and salinity management program. Information on this page is a guide only.

It is recommended that landholders seek expert advice plus engineering design and related support from qualified contractors.

Turning 50 Hours Into 5 Minutes: Automating Work With Custom Tools, Aidan La Penta

Honors Student Research

This project streamlines a critical business task for the Kutztown Honors Program by automating the extraction of information from student transcript PDFs. Using custom software written in Python, the program parses 400 pages of data in 70 seconds to significantly reduce the hours of manual effort previously required. By leveraging skills from the CSIT curriculum, this project represents an innovative approach for a CSIT student to support a university department through custom software solutions. The project enhances operational efficiency for the Honors Program and demonstrates the practical application of computer science to solve real-world problems within the wider academic community.