Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Maintaining Grassland Plant Diversity While Controlling Woody Plant Encroachment, James Stubbendieck, Kay L. Kottas, S. J. Tunnell, S. J. Palazzolo

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The tallgrass prairie region of the United States is a fragmented grassland ecosystem. Much of the 1 to 2% of the remaining prairie is being degraded by invading woody plants, which frequently results in a shift from grassland to woodland. Smooth sumac (Rhus glabra L.), a shrub native to the region, can rapidly increase in density and become dominant in the plant community. Prescribed fire alone is not a constraint to this resprouting species (Stubbendieck et al., 2003). Herbicides are useful tools for managing woody plants in grasslands, but the negative response of desirable plants to herbicides is …

Do Species And Functional Diversity Indices Reflect Changes In Grazing Regimes And Climatic Conditions In Northeastern Spain?, F. De Bello, J. Leps, M. T. Sebastià

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Understanding the mechanisms that maintain biodiversity in various ecosystems enables the development of management practices that prevent degradation (Canals & Sebastia, 2000). Each diversity index reflects some compositional properties and could be influenced differently by stress and disturbance factors (Magurran, 2004). In this study, we aim to reveal 1) which management practices and environmental factors affect biodiversity in rangelands of northeastern Spain and 2) the relationship between species diversity and functional diversity (SD and FD).

Impact Of Grazing Regimes On Mean Sward Height: Implications For The Management Of Bird Habitats In Agricultural Landscapes, M. Tichit, D. Durant, E. Kernéïs

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Grazing in wet grasslands is a key process to manage foraging and nesting habitats for waders. Grazing has positive and negative effects related to the importance of sward conditions for these species and to nest-trampling by cattle. For settlement and nesting, lapwings need a short sward ( ≤ 10cm; see Durant et al., this congress). However, when lapwings settle in early spring, grasslands seldom are grazed yet, due to low soil carrying capacity. We studied the effect of autumn and winter grazing regimes on sward structure in early spring, and the effect of grazing regime in early spring on …

Soil Carbon Sequestration Under Three Years Of No-Till Forage Cropping Systems, D. H. Min, J. D. Deyoung, Richard Leep

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The effects of reduced tillage on soil organic carbon (SOC) are generally well established (Chan et al., 2002; Cabardella & Elliott, 1992). The effects of different crops are also somewhat understood (Drinkwater et al., 1998). However, many of these studies are done in the laboratory to study the effects of crop residues on SOC. Many forage-based systems have very little crop residue returned to the field. What residue does return is often in the form of manure or compost, which is usually broken down much more rapidly than most crop residues. The objective of this study is to …

Number And Viability Of Seeds Recovered From Faeces Of Ruminant Animals, Alaba O. Jolaosho, Olufemi S. Onifade, O. M. Arigbede, Jimoh A. Olanite, T. O. Akinola

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Ruminants play a significant role in the dissemination of plant seeds as a result of ingested seeds during grazing on pasture escaping digestion that are voided with the faeces and returned to the seed bank (Russi et al., 1992).

Population Changes Of Invasive Annuals In California Annual And Perennial Grasslands, Richard King

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Some non-native annual forbs and grasses can be invasive in California's annual grassland region. Taeniatherum caput-medusae (L.) Nevski and Centaurea solstitialis L. can spread quickly, become nearly monospecific stands, and reduce carrying capacity for livestock and wildlife. Centaurea also can be toxic to horses. Lathyrus hirsutus L. is less invasive, but the seed is toxic to various livestock. Since 1991, the author has raised beef cattle on 16 ha of predominantly annual grassland where these 3 species occur, and a family member has raised cattle on approximately 40 ha of adjacent property. Surface soils in this hilly land are …

The Effect Of Sheep Grazing At Two Stocking Rates On The Seedling Recruitment Of Grassland Forbs, Johannes Isselstein, Markus Kowarschik, S. Bonn, M. Hofmann

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Limitations for seedling recruitment are major constraints to maintain and enhance plant species diversity in productive grasslands (Bakker & Berendse 1999). Grass sward condition plus species-specific requirements for germination and survival determine the recruitment success. Therefore, a field experiment investigated the establishment of oversown seeds from wildflower forbs in relation to grass sward management.

Adsorption Performance Of Mg0.33ni0.33co0.33fe2o4 Nanoparticles Doped With Gadolinium And Lanthanum For Lead (Ii) Removal, Mariam Rabaa, Amani Aridi, Ghassan Younes, Ramadan Awad

BAU Journal - Science and Technology

The issue of water pollution has become a major concern in recent times, and the need for effective strategies for treating contaminated water sources has become more urgent. One promising approach that has been gaining attention in the field of wastewater treatment is the use of nano-ferrites. In this regard, novel Mg_0.33Ni_0.33Co_0.33La_xFe_2-xO₄ and Mg_0.33Ni_0.33Co_0.33Gd_xFe_2-xO₄ nanoparticles (NPs), where x = 0.00, 0.01 and 0.08, were synthesized to test their adsorption performance for the removal of Pb (II). The structural …

Robust And Parallel Segmentation Model (Rpsm) For Early Detection Of Skin Cancer Disease Using Heterogeneous Distributions, Nancy Zreika, Ali El-Zaart, Abdallah El Chakik

BAU Journal - Science and Technology

Melanoma is the most common dangerous type of skin cancer; however, it is preventable if it is diagnosed early. Diagnosis of Melanoma would be improved if an accurate skin image segmentation model is available. Many computer vision methods have been investigated, yet the problem of finding a consistent and robust model that extracts the best threshold value, persists. This paper suggests a novel image segmentation approach using a multilevel cross entropy thresholding algorithm based on heterogeneous distributions. The proposed strategy searches the problem space by segmenting the image into several levels, and applying for each level one of the three …

Size Effect On The Optical Response Of Cylindrical Palladium Nanoparticles, Salem Marhaba, Mohammed Khalaf

BAU Journal - Science and Technology

In this work, a computational study is carried out to investigate the optical response of palladium nano-cylinders. The Finite Element Method (FEM) is employed using the COMSOL MULTIPHYSICS simulation program to calculate the scattering, absorption, and extinction cross-sections. The influence of the size of the cylindrical nanoparticles on their optical properties is discussed. The results are plotted for a broad spectral range of wavelengths from ultra-violet to infra-red of the incident electromagnetic wave on the cylindrical nanoparticles.

Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance Of Palladium Parallelepiped Nanoparticles, Salem Marhaba, Nourhan El Kawni

BAU Journal - Science and Technology

Localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) of palladium parallelepiped nanoparticle have been investigated using Finite Element Method (FEM) in the frame of COMSOL Multiphysics Software. Spectral characteristics (magnitude, peak position and width) of LSPR of a single Pd nanoparticle having the shape of a parallelepiped are investigated in two different cases. The first case studied the size effect on LSPR by fixing the height with varying both length and width. However, the second case studied the shape effect on the LSPR by rounding the corners of the parallelepiped for different radii while fixing its dimensions. The extinction cross-section spectra of these …

A Basis For Designing Policies To Optimize Soil Carbon Sequestration In Southeastern Us Grasslands, Joel R. Brown, D. L. Faulkner

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Increasing the amount of carbon (C) stored in terrestrial ecosystems is an important part of most national greenhouse gas (GHG) management strategies. Among the policy and program options available to achieve increased C sequestration, improved management of grasslands offers an attractive option to both reduce atmospheric concentrations of C and enhance environmental co-benefits (soil quality, water quality, food and fibre production, and wildlife habitat). In the United States, incentives for applying improved land management practices come primarily via federal government conservation programs administered by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). While private sector markets offer opportunities to increase the …

The Nature Of Sequestered Carbon In Different Irish Mineral Soils, C. M. Byrne, D. Fay, J. A. Ferreira, M. H. B. Hayes

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Humic substances (HS) provide the major sinks for carbon (C) in soils. Although HS have a degree of resistance to microbial degradation, they are degraded in time. Humin, the HS component in association with the soil mineral colloids, has greatest resistance to degradation. To understand the extent to which soil can be a sink for C it is important to know the soil mineralogy, and to be aware of aspects of the structures of the humic components. Enhanced biological oxidation occurs in soils in long term cultivation. Its effects can be observed by comparing the amounts and compositions of the …

Three-Dimensional Higher-Order Compressive Sensing For Raypath Separation In An Acoustic Waveguide, Fengyan Zhong

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

In an acoustic waveguide, the separation of multiple raypaths, especially close raypaths, is a challenging task in the presence of colored noise due to interference in the acoustic eld. In this paper, a three-dimensional higher-order compressive sensing method for raypath separation is proposed. The method is applied on an array-to-array experimental conguration where both emitter and reception arrays are used. With the array-to-array conguration, the raypaths are characterized by three parameters including arrival direction, departure direction, and arrival time. Furthermore, the performance of the proposed algorithm is illustrated by simulations and experiments. The numerical results based on simulation illustrate that …

Projection Of Sea Surface Temperature Based On Empirical Mode Decomposition And Its Application In Typhoon Number Forecast, Wen-Cheng Huang, Jung-Chen Lee

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

The primary objective of this paper is to demonstrate the applicability of empirical mode decomposition (EMD) in projecting non-stationary daily sea surface temperature (SST) series, and the other is to apply the projected series of SST to estimate the number of typhoons. The study focuses on an area ranging from 5°N~25°N and 110°E~170°E, collecting daily sea temperature data and typhoons records within this region. The findings conclusively indicate that the EMD-based data generation method proposed in this paper can effectively addresses the limitations of previous hydrological models in generating non-stationary series, signifying a significant advancement in hydrological time series modeling …

Studies On High Energy Emission Process In Misaligned Active Galaxies, Sanna Gulati

University Departments

No abstract provided.

Neutrosophic Decision Making Model For Investment Portfolios Selection And Optimizing Based On Wide Variety Of Investment Opportunities And Many Criteria In Market, Ayman H. Abdel-Aziem, Hoda K. Mohamed, Ahmed Abdelhafeez

Neutrosophic Systems with Applications

Investment portfolio selection is a difficult subject due to the presence of competing factors. Choosing a portfolio for one's investments is a major choice that may have far-reaching effects on one's financial well-being. Risk tolerance, time horizon, investing objectives, asset allocation, and investment selection are only a few of the factors that will be studied in this article. The Stable Preference Ordering Towards Ideal Solution (SPOTIS) technique is the basis for our proposed integrated multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) model. This paper used the single-valued neutrosophic set as a framework to deal with uncertain data. The purpose of the suggested SPOTIS–Neutrosophic model …

Effects Of Hydrogen/Deuterium Exchange On Protein Stability In Solution And In The Gas Phase, Yousef Haidar, Lars Konermann

Chemistry Publications

Mass spectrometry (MS)-based techniques are widely used for probing protein structure and dynamics in solution. H/D exchange (HDX)-MS is one of the most common approaches in this context. HDX is often considered to be a “benign” labeling method, in that it does not perturb protein behavior in solution. However, several studies have reported that D₂O pushes unfolding equilibria toward the native state. The origin, and even the existence of this protein stabilization remain controversial. Here we conducted thermal unfolding assays in solution to confirm that deuterated proteins in D₂O are more stable, with 2 – 4 …

Search For Low-Mass Dark Matter Via Bremsstrahlung Radiation And The Migdal Effect In Supercdms, M. F. Albakry, I. Alkhatib, D. Alonso-González, D. W. P. Amaral, T. Aralis, T. Aramaki, I. J. Arnquist, I. Ataee Langroudy, E. Azadbakht, S. Banik, C. Bathurst, R. Bhattacharyya, P. L. Brink, R. Bunker, B. Cabrera, R. Calkins, R. A. Cameron, C. Cartaro, D. G. Cerdeño, Y. -Y. Chang, M. Chaudhuri, R. Chen, N. Chott, J. Cooley, H. Coombes, J. Corbett, P. Cushman, S. Das, F. De Brienne, M. Rios, S. Dharani, M. L. Di Vacri, M. D. Diamond, M. Elwan, E. Fascione, E. Figueroa-Feliciano, C. W. Fink, K. Fouts, M. Fritts, G. Gerbier, R. Germond, M. Ghaith, S. R. Golwala, J. Hall, N. Hassan, B. A. Hines, Z. Hong, E. W. Hoppe, L. Hsu, M. E. Huber, V. Iyer, D. Jardin, V. K. S. Kashyap, M. H. Kelsey, A. Kubik, N. A. Kurinsky, M. Lee, A. Li, M. Litke, J. Liu, Y. Liu, B. Loer, E. Lopez Asamar, P. Lukens, D. B. Macfarlane, R. Mahapatra, J. S. Mammo, N. Mast, A. J. Mayer, H. Meyer Zu Theenhausen, É. Michaud, E. Michielin, N. Mirabolfathi, B. Mohanty, J. Nelson, H. Neog, V. Novati, J. L. Orrell, M. D. Osborne, S. M. Oser, W. A. Page, L. Pandey, S. Pandey, R. Partridge, D. S. Pedreros, L. Perna, R. Podviianiuk, F. Ponce, S. Poudel, A. Pradeep, M. Pyle, W. Rau, E. Reid, R. Ren, T. Reynolds, A. Roberts, A. E. Robinson, T. Saab, D. Sadek, B. Sadoulet, I. Saikia, J. Sander, A. Sattari, B. Schmidt, R. W. Schnee, S. Scorza, B. Serfass, S. S. Poudel, D. J. Sincavage, P. Sinervo, J. Street, H. Sun, G. D. Terry, F. K. Thasrawala, D. Toback, R. Underwood, S. Verma, A. N. Villano, B. Von Krosigk, S. L. Watkins, O. Wen, Z. Williams, M. J. Wilson, J. Winchell, C. -P. Wu, K. Wykoff, S. Yellin, Betty A. Young, T. C. Yu, B. Zatschler, S. Zatschler, A. Zaytsev, E. Zhang, L. Zheng, A. Zuniga

Physics

We present a new analysis of previously published SuperCDMS data using a profile likelihood framework to search for sub-GeV dark matter (DM) particles through two inelastic scattering channels: bremsstrahlung radiation and the Migdal effect. By considering these possible inelastic scattering channels, experimental sensitivity can be extended to DM masses that are undetectable through the DM-nucleon elastic scattering channel, given the energy threshold of current experiments. We exclude DM masses down to 220  MeV/𝑐² at 2.7×10−30  cm² via the bremsstrahlung channel. The Migdal channel search provides overall considerably more stringent limits and excludes DM masses down to 30  MeV/𝑐 …

Impact Of Soil Amelioration On Weed Ecology And Control, Catherine Borger, Arslan Peerzada Dr, Gaus Azam Dr

Experimental Summaries - Plant Research

The project focussed on three main findings from the literature review:

1. Weed ecology in response to changes in soil characteristics.
2. Soil movement and weed seed burial following use of varying strategic tillage implements; and
3. Management of weeds in the years directly after amelioration.

The work highlighted that weed growth was either less impacted by changes to soil properties than crop growth, or weed growth and competitive ability were favoured by the same amelioration techniques that favour crop growth. Following amelioration, improved growth of competitive weed species needs to be considered in weed management plans.

Research was conducted on weed seed …

On The Use Of Wireless Technologies For Wildlife Monitoring: Wireless Sensor Network Routing Protocols, Lilian Mutalemwa

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

Traditional methods for wildlife monitoring are labor-intensive and time-consuming. Therefore, advanced technologies and remote monitoring methods are becoming increasingly popular. This paper presents a study on wireless technologies for wildlife monitoring. In the study, a review of the literature was done to identify the most commonly used wireless technologies. Various technologies were explored including unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), Internet of Things (IoT), wireless sensor networks (WSNs), artificial intelligence (AI), global positioning system (GPS), and very high frequency (VHF) radio. Then, a more detailed study was done on WSN technology. Investigations were done to observe the performance of routing protocols in …

Special Case Of Partial Fraction Expansion With Laplace Transform Application, Laurie A. Florio, Ryan D. Hanc

CODEE Journal

Partial fraction expansion is often used with the Laplace Transforms to formulate algebraic expressions for which the inverse Laplace Transform can be easily found. This paper demonstrates a special case for which a linear, constant coefficient, second order ordinary differential equation with no damping term and a harmonic function non-homogeneous term leads to a simplified partial fraction expansion due to the decoupling of the partial fraction expansion coefficients of s and the constant coefficients. Recognizing this special form can allow for quicker calculations and automation of the solution to the differential equation form which is commonly used to model physical …

Optimization Techniques For Machine Learning Inference And Near Memory Image Processing In Hardware For Highly Constrained Iot Edge Nodes, Rajeev Joshi

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The growing demand for fast and energy-efficient hardware for resource-constrained Internet of Things (IoT) edge devices has highlighted the limitations of conventional computing architectures. This research focuses on addressing the demand for fast, optimized, and energy-efficient machine learning inference engines as well as image processing in IoT edge applications. In this work, we address three challenging research problems and devise efficient solutions. Our investigation involved comprehensive exploration and analysis, leading to the proposal of effective approaches for overcoming these demanding issues. Through our work, we contribute novel solutions that offer improved efficiency and effectiveness in handling these research problems.

First, …

Multimodal Assessment Of Human Behavior With Applications In Analysis Of Autism Spectrum Disorder, Sk Rahatul Jannat

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Human behavior analysis is an important application area of artificial intelligence. Usingdata collected from sensors (e.g., cameras), human behavior including, but not limited to, emotions, expressions, body movement, and eye gaze are analyzed. This analysis is useful in applications in diverse fields ranging from healthcare, defense, education, and marketing. Considering this, in this dissertation, we have proposed new approaches to emotion and expression recognition, subject identification, and classification of autism spectrum disorder. More specifically, this dissertation has the following contributions: 1) A new approach for multimodal ubiquitous emotion recognition is proposed; 2) Investigation into the impact of large expression variations …

Flow Generation And Propagation From Headwater Wetlands To Downstream Waters, Leanne Marie Stepchinski

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Headwater wetlands are connected to one another and to downstream waters by dynamic hydrologic flowpaths, functioning as integrated hydrologic networks at the watershed scale. Headwater wetlands perform a variety of hydrologic lag, sink, and source functions, including flow generation and propagation, thereby contributing to the natural flow regimes of downgradient waters. The functions of individual wetlands and their contributions to hydrologic connectivity and subsequently to the natural flow regime have been widely studied and are well understood. Comparatively, the functions and hydrologic connectivity within wetland complexes as a whole and their collective subsequent contributions to the natural flow regime of …

Draft Final Quarterly Operations And Maintenance Report Butte Treatment Lagoon System – First Quarter 2023, Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Detection Of Subsidence In West-Central Florida Using Persistent Scatterer Interferometry And Near-Surface Geophysics, Tonian R. Robinson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation consists of three studies that employ Persistent Scatterer Interferometry (PSI, also known as PSInSAR) to better understand how subsidence in west-central Florida relates to underlying geological processes. In the first study, near-surface geophysical methods (Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) and Electrical Resistivity (ERT)), terrestrial remote sensing applications (Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) and Structure from Motion (SfM)), and PSI were used to monitor the spatial and temporal behaviors of a suspected growing sinkhole in the Sandhill Boyscout Reservation, Hernando County, Florida. The survey area was located within and around a topographic low assumed to be the surface of the …

Assessment Of Spatial Variability Of Groundwater Levels In Moroto District, Uganda, Augustina Clara Alexander Dr

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

Globally, the variation of groundwater levels is increasingly overwhelming due to over exploitation resulting from population growth. The dynamic nature of socio-economic activities in Moroto District such as agriculture, settlements and increased trends in irrigation technology has been well-known worldwide as common parameters triggering groundwater variability. Nevertheless, determination of groundwater levels for groundwater management and development purpose is a challenge due to spatial variability in levels across Moroto District. In this study, geostatistical technique in Geographical Information System (GIS) was used to analyze spatial variability of water levels in the study area. The analysis utilized ordinary Kriging method to predict …

Performance Evaluation Of Full Array, Sub-Array And Overlapped Sub-Array Hybrid Beamforming Architectures For Massive Mimo Systems, Godwin Mruma Gadiel

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

The technological advancement in wireless communication, promises high data rate for end users. This has led to the possibility of smart cities, inter connected vehicles, and virtual reality applications. One of the recent technologies in wireless communication is massive MIMO where large number of antennas are deployed at the transmitter or receiver. This is possible due to the use of mmWave in wireless communication. With massive MIMO, beamforming technique can be employed in the communication system. Beamforming is the ability of communication system to direct power to the intended users and to cancel power at non-intended users and thus significantly …

Product Costing And Pricing In Small And Medium Enterprises In Tanzania, Cosmas F Kindole

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

metalwork small and medium enterprises located in Dar es Salaam with the aim of establishing methods used by SMEs in Tanzania in setting selling prices of their products. The study was necessitated by the apparent discrepancy of prices for similar products from SMEs. The approach used to gather information was mainly through direct interview and the use of questionnaires. Direct observation and literature review were also used to establish the whole costing and pricing practices in metal manufacturing SMEs. The findings of the study established that product selling practices of the surveyed SMEs were based on instinct and appearance of …