Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Resampling And Super-Resolution Of Hexagonally Sampled Images Using Deep Learning, Dylan Flaute, Russell C. Hardie, Hamed Elwarfalli

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Super-resolution (SR) aims to increase the resolution of imagery. Applications include security, medical imaging, and object recognition. We propose a deep learning-based SR system that takes a hexagonally sampled low-resolution image as an input and generates a rectangularly sampled SR image as an output. For training and testing, we use a realistic observation model that includes optical degradation from diffraction and sensor degradation from detector integration. Our SR approach first uses non-uniform interpolation to partially upsample the observed hexagonal imagery and convert it to a rectangular grid. We then leverage a state-of-the-art convolutional neural network (CNN) architecture designed for SR …

Understanding Hyperporphyrin Spectra: Tddft Calculations On Diprotonated Tetrakis(-Aminophenyl)Porphyrin., Jeanet Conradie, Carl C. Wamser, Abhik Ghosh

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

A detailed TDDFT study (with all-electron STO-TZ2P basis sets and the COSMO solvation model) has been carried out on the effect of diprotonation on the UV-vis-NIR spectra of free-base tetraphenylporphyrin and tetrakis(-aminophenyl)porphyrin. The diprotonated forms have been modeled as their bis-formate complexes, i.e., as so-called porphyrin diacids. The dramatic redshift of the Q-band of the TAPP diacid has been explained in terms of an elevated "a" HOMO and lowered LUMOs, both reflecting infusion of aminophenyl character into the otherwise classic Gouterman-type frontier MOs. The exercise has also yielded valuable information on the performance of different exchange-correlation functionals. Thus, the hybrid …

Three-Dimensional Intrusion Geometries In The Monogenetic San Rafael (Utah) Sub-Volcanic Field Revealed By Nonlinear Inversion Of Magnetic Anomaly Data, Troy A. Berkey

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Distributed volcanic fields are common on Earth and nearby planetary bodies. Unlike their central-vent counterparts, these volcanic centers are comprised of many individual basaltic magmatic dikes, which are often only expressed at the surface in the form of vents, domes, and lava flows. In situ imaging of the shallow (<1 km) subsurface can reveal important details about the 3D geometry of fissure systems that feed distributed eruptive centers, with implications for the nature of these eruptions: their mass flow rates, explosivity, durations, and volcanotectonic interaction. Luckily, dikes, sills, conduits and related near-surface structures tend to carry high remnant magnetizations, creating magnetic anomalies at the surface where sufficient magnetic contrast exists with the host rocks they intrude. In the San Rafael Sub-volcanic field (SRSVF), basaltic dikes intrude fractured and horizontally bedded Jurassic sandstones, now eroded to a depth of about 800 m beneath the paleo-surface. Detailed mapping and profiles with a Cs-vapor magnetometer reveal far more complex anomalies than can be attributed to simple planar dikes, including: sills, buds, and domes. We image these geometries using MagCube-parallel, an open-source nonlinear inversion code we developed that models complex geometry with multiple (<= 1,000) vertical-sided prisms. I show one normally polarized fissure system to include along strike: An ~3-14 m thick, ~50 m wide dome-like feature or laccolith at depths of ~9-20 m, a roughly vertical conduit ~15 m thick, ~36-50 m wide, at ~1-16 m depth near the center of the mapped fissure-like system, and a ~8-48 m. wide dike at ~2-17 m depth that is <1-6 m thick, with reducing magnitude northward. While model depth and thickness vary with magnetization contrast, the main geometric relationships do not. Magnetic mapping of a nearby fissure reveals the same types of structures. The implication of these structures is that the small-volume fissure eruptions were likely pulsatory, with episodes of horizontal intrusion of sills, and sufficient time to develop gravitational instabilities.

Online And Adjusted Human Activities Recognition With Statistical Learning, Yanjia Zhang

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Wearable human activity recognition (HAR) is a widely application system for our daily life. It hasbeen built in many devices, such as smartphone, smartwatch, activity tracker, and health monitor. Many researchers try to develop a system which requires less memory space and power, but has fast and accurate classification results. Moreover, the objective of adjusting the classifier by the system self is also a study direction. In the present study, we introduced the machine learning methods to both smartphone data and smartwatch data and an adjusted model with the continuous generating data. Further, we also proposed a new HAR system …

Colloidal Nanomaterial Surface Chemistry And Characterization Studied By Linear And Nonlinear Spectroscopy, Asela Sampath Dikkumbura

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Recent studies have demonstrated the use of nanomaterials such as metallic nanoparticles, liposomes, and polymer microparticles for biomedical applications, encompassing the field of nanomedicine. For developing novel core-shell metallic nanoparticles with controlled surface morphology, the in situ growth dynamics of colloidal silver-gold core-shell (Ag@Au CS) nanoparticles (NPs) in water are monitored in a stepwise synthesis approach using time-dependent second harmonic generation (SHG) and extinction spectroscopy. Transmission electron microscopy images show that the CS NP surface morphology becomes more smooth and uniform as the reaction proceeds, corresponding to lower, stable SHG signals and narrower plasmonic spectra that are compared to finite-difference …

Maris: Scalable Online Scenario Development Tool For Rangeland Conservancy Managers Using High Spatial-Temporal Resolution Carrying Capacity Maps And Livestock Market Data, L. G. J. Boerboom, R. O. Ohuru, A. G. Toxopeus, W. Nieuwenhuis, C. A. J. M. De Bie, P. K. Mwangi, M. L. Schouwenburg, R. L. G. Lemmens

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Although the management of livestock numbers within the bounds of carrying capacity of African rangelands is a way to manage risks, both scientists and practitioners, caution against a momentary and local use of carrying capacity as a management indicator. Carrying capacity should be seen in wider spatial and temporal/seasonal context as well as in a social and economic context. Given the large numbers of conservancies across Kenya, and its Maasai Mara region in particular, with many more landowner members, it is difficult for conservancies’ managers to contextualize phenomena such as carrying capacity and market price over space and time.

We …

Assessing The Impacts Of Different Initiatives On The Rehabilitation Of Pastoral And Silvopastoral Ecosystems: Big Data Oriented Approach, Said Moukrim, Said Lahssini, Mustapha Naggar, K. Menzou, H. Mharzi-Alaoui, A. Labbaci, L. Rhazi

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Moroccan forests, through the provision of goods and ecosystem services, underpins benefits to local communities and play a crucial role for rural area development. The legal framework recognizes to people, living near public forests, the right to graze their domestic livestock. Over the years, the grazing pressure is at levels far beyond the forestland’s carrying capacity throughout the country. Such pressure has been demonstrated as the main cause of forest cover loss and land degradation in Morocco and still threatening the sustainability of forests. To reduce the heavy grazing pressure on forest ecosystems and ensure their regeneration, several initiatives have …

The Role Of Indigenous Knowledge In The Effective Collective Management Of The Communal Rangelands, A. Finca, S. Linnane, D. Getty, J. H. Slinger

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Numerous scientific studies have highlighted the complexities associated with the collective management of communal rangelands. To date, policy interventions in rangelands have largely ignored people’s traditional ways of managing, with adverse effects on rangeland productivity. Thus, local knowledge has not been considered in spatial planning, despite the fact that local rural communities are often repositories of key indigenous knowledge. Hence this study set out to evaluate the role of indigenous knowledge in the management of the communal rangeland in Cata and Guquka, now and in the future. This was achieved through the use of Participatory GIS (PGIS), specifically participatory mapping …

Land Users – Land Watchers, J. H. Stefánsson, B. Marteinsdóttir

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

GróLind is a collaborative project with the aim of monitoring Icelandic vegetation and soil resources. It was founded in 2017 by the Icelandic National Associations of Sheep Farmers, the Farmers Association of Iceland, Ministry of Industries and Innovation, and the Soil Conservation Service of Iceland. GróLind is a collaborative project and cooperation with stakeholders, such as the science community, landowners, and others, is a fundamental concept in the project.

In this project, the state of vegetation and soils are evaluated. Currently, a citizen science project is being developed within GróLind, in which land-users will annually monitor, using a mobile app, …

Silvopastoral Strategy And Sustainable Management Of Forests In Morocco, Mustapha Naggar, Said Lahssini, Said Moukrim, Anass Legdou

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

In Morocco, forests act as a grazing reserve all year long and in a normal year produce 1.5 billion feed units, i.e. 17 % of the national forage assessment. The pastoral question is one of the factors involved in the desertification of forested areas against a bioclimatic background where more than 93% of the national territory is arid. In 2016, the Water and Forestry Department in cooperation with its partners, devised a nation-wide sylvo-pastoral strategy. The approach adopted consists in sustainably managing sylvo-pastoral resources over the long term based on good governance of all goods and services offered by forested …

Semi-Empirical Modeling Of Liquid Carbon's Containerless Solidification, Philip Chrostoski

Dissertations

Elemental carbon has important structural diversity, ranging from nanotubes through graphite to diamond. Previous studies of micron-size core/rim carbon spheres extracted from primitive meteorites suggest they formed around such stars via the solidification of condensed carbon-vapor droplets, followed by gas-to-solid carbon coating to form the graphite rims. Similar core/rim particles result from the slow cooling of carbon vapor in the lab. The long-range carbon bond-order potential was used to computationally study liquid-like carbon in (1.8 g/𝐜𝐦𝟑) periodic boundary (tiled-cube supercell) and containerless (isolated cluster) settings. Relaxations via conjugate-gradient and simulatedannealing nucleation and growth simulations using molecular dynamics were done to …

Establishing Α Oph As A Prototype Rotator: Precision Orbit With New Keck, Chara, And Rv Observations, Tyler Gardner, John D. Monnier, Francis C. Fekel, Michael H. Williamson, Fabien Baron, Sasha Hinkley, Michael Ireland, Adam L. Kraus, Stefan Kraus, Rachael M. Roettenbacher, Gail Schaefer, Judit Sturmann, Laszlo Sturmann, Theo A. Ten Brummelaar

Information Systems and Engineering Management Research Publications

Alpha Ophiuchi (Rasalhague) is a nearby rapidly rotating A5IV star that has been imaged by infrared interferometry. α Oph is also part of a known binary system, with a companion semimajor axis of ∼430 mas and a high eccentricity of 0.92. The binary companion provides the unique opportunity to measure the dynamical mass to compare with the results of rapid rotator evolution models. The lack of data near periastron passage limited the precision of mass measurements in previous work. We add new interferometric data from the MIRC combiner at the CHARA Array as well as new Keck adaptive optics imaging …

Mgrre_Pureoilscouttickets_Crowfoot_1_21127022320000, Mgrre

Legacy Scout Tickets from Pure Oil Company

No abstract provided.

Centering Equity In Sustainable Food Systems Education, Eleanor J. Sterling, Erin Betley, Selena Ahmed, Sharon Akabas, Daniel J. Clegg, Shauna Downs, Betty Izumi, Pamela Koch, Sara M. Kross, Karen Spiller, Lemir Teron, Will Valley

The Sustainability Institute Publications

Sustainable food systems education (SFSE) is rapidly advancing to meet the need for developing future professionals who are capable of effective decision-making regarding agriculture, food, nutrition, consumption, and waste in a complex world. Equity, particularly racial equity and its intersectional links with other inequities, should play a central role in efforts to advance SFSE given the harmful social and environmental externalities of food systems and ongoing oppression and systemic inequities such as lack of food access faced by racialized and/or marginalized populations. However, few institutional and intra-disciplinary resources exist on how to engage students in discussion about equity and related …

Numerical Study On The Influences Of Flow Channel And Rib Width Ratio On The Performance Of Gas Diffusion Layer, Rong-Qiang Wei, Shi-An Li, Yi-Hui Liu, Zhi Yang, Qiu-Wan Shen, Guo-Gang Yang

Journal of Electrochemistry

Proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) has the advantages of low noise, high power density, and zero emission. It is widely used in ships, automobiles, aviation and other fields. PEMFC is composed of bipolar plate (BP), gas diffusion layer (GDL), catalytic layer (CL) and proton exchange membrane (PEM). GDL has a supporting catalytic layer and proton exchange membrane, which provides gas diffusion for the reaction and a channel for the reaction to produce water, and transmits the anodic oxidation reaction. In the assembly of fuel cells, a certain assembly pressure is required to ensure air-tightness and effective conductivity. The assembly …

Mathematical Expression And Quantitative Analysis Of Impedance Spectrum On The Interface Of Glassy Carbon Electrode, Lei Cheng, Pu-Xuan Yan, You-Jun Fan, Hua-Hong Zou, Hong Liang

Journal of Electrochemistry

Glassy carbon electrode (GCE) is a common basic electrode for various electrochemical sensors, and the detection properties are determined by its interfacial characteristics. In this paper, we established an equivalent circuit including electrolyte resistance (R_el), charge transport resistance (R_ct), diffusion impedance (R_di, C_di), electrochemical (oxidation/reduction) reaction impedance (R_R, C_R), surface adsorption impedance (R_ads , C_ads), double-layer capacitance (C_DL), and derived the mathematical expression for the equivalent circuit. The R_el and C_DL are contributed by inactive …

Behind The Scenes: On The Relationship Between Developer Experience And Refactoring, Eman Abdullah Alomar, Mohamed Wiem Mkaouer, Anthony Peruma, Christian D. Newman, Ali Ouni

Articles

Refactoring is widely recognized as one of the efficient techniques to manage technical debt and maintain a healthy software project through enforcing best design practices, or coping with design defects. Previous refactoring surveys have shown that code refactoring activities are mainly executed by developers who have sufficient knowledge of the system’s design, and disposing of leadership roles in their development teams. However, these surveys were mainly limited to specific projects and companies. In this paper, we explore the generalizability of the previous results by analyzing 800 open-source projects. We mine their refactoring activities, and we identify their corresponding contributors. Then, …

Characterization Of Cdom In The Elkhorn Slough Estuary Using Eem Spectroscopy And Its Potential For Macrophyte Monitoring, María Vila Duplá

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

The Elkhorn Slough estuary is an upwelling-influenced system located in Monterey Bay, California. It is of great ecological importance, as it provides essential habitat to over 750 species, and is one of the largest estuaries in California. The sources and distribution of chromophoric dissolved organic matter (cDOM) in Elkhorn Slough are strongly influenced by geochemical processes linked to the transition between sea and continent, and to anthropogenic activity from adjacent lands. In 2016, water samples were collected from across the Elkhorn Slough estuary to assess the sources and spatial dynamics of cDOM and its components throughout the system. Using EEM …

The Ratio Method: Addressing Complex Tort Liability In The Fourth Industrial Revolution, Harrison C. Margolin, Grant H. Frazier

St. Mary's Law Journal

Emerging technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution show fundamental promise for improving productivity and quality of life, though their misuse may also cause significant social disruption. For example, while artificial intelligence will be used to accelerate society’s processes, it may also displace millions of workers and arm cybercriminals with increasingly powerful hacking capabilities. Similarly, human gene editing shows promise for curing numerous diseases, but also raises significant concerns about adverse health consequences related to the corruption of human and pathogenic genomes.

In most instances, only specialists understand the growing intricacies of these novel technologies. As the complexity and speed of …

Janus-Tinbco2 For Hydrogen Evolution Reaction With High Conductivity And Catalytic Activity, Li-Li Xu, Dong-Yan Ren, Xiao-Feng Zhao, Yong Yi

Journal of Electrochemistry

Exploring the potential hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) catalysts with the high activity and high conductivity has always been a hot spot in the research of renewable energy development. Ti₂C, as one of the 2D-MXene, has excellent properties relating to many active sites, mechanical stability, conductivity, etc., and has become a potential HER catalyst. However, the modification of the surface of Ti₂C by terminal O will reduce the conductivity, thereby limiting the transport of electrons between the valence band and the conduction band. In this study, an electric double layer Janus-TiNbCO₂ was constructed by Nb doping. …

The Importance Of Lithologic Variability And Stratigraphic Architecture In The Development Of Eogenetic Karst Systems, Nicholas J. Soto-Kerans

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Integrative characterizations of karst systems on low-lying eogenetic carbonate platforms are rare and often limited to areas of direct observation where caves can be entered and explored. Because hydraulic properties of eogenetic limestones have been implicitly assumed to be homogeneous, classical models of carbonate island karst development stressed the importance of geochemical interfaces in controlling cave and vug development. These studies have explained the largest cavern systems as results of either 1) mixing dissolution at platform margins or 2) microbially-mediated dissolution processes at water tables.

New data from core descriptions and wireline logs obtained in 18 boreholes drilled in the …

Effect Of Alkyl Chain Length Of Symmetrical Quaternary Ammonium Hydroxide On Oxalic Acid Electroreduction Reaction, Bo Huang, Xin-Sheng Zhang, Dong-Fang Niu, Shuo-Zhen Hu

Journal of Electrochemistry

Glyoxylic acid with the dual characteristics of acid and aldehyde is an important chemical raw material and organic synthesis intermediate, which is extensively used in the perfumery, pharmaceutical and fine chemical industries. A family of symmetric quaternary ammonium hydroxides (QAHs) with different alkyl chain lengths was used as the additives in generating glyoxylic acid from oxalic acid electroreduction reaction (OAER). The effects of alkyl chain length on OAER and the corresponding side reaction, i.e., hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), were investigated. Linear sweep voltammetric (LSV) results showed that the adsorption of the additives suppressed more on the HER than that on …

Climate-Assisted Persistence Of Tropical Fish Vagrants In Temperate Marine Ecosystems, Laura Gajdzik, Thomas M. Decarlo, Adam Koziol, Mahsa Mousavi-Derazmahalleh, Megan Coghlan, Matthew W. Power, Michael Bunce, David Fairclough, Michael J. Travers, Glenn I. Moore, Joseph D. Dibattista

Fisheries Research Articles

Rising temperatures and extreme climate events are propelling tropical species into temperate marine ecosystems, but not all species can persist. Here, we used the heatwave-driven expatriation of tropical Black Rabbitfish (Siganus fuscescens) to the temperate environments of Western Australia to assess the ecological and evolutionary mechanisms that may entail their persistence. Population genomic assays for this rabbitfish indicated little genetic differentiation between tropical residents and vagrants to temperate environments due to high migration rates, which were likely enhanced by the marine heatwave. DNA metabarcoding revealed a diverse diet for this species based on phytoplankton and algae, as well …

A Local Baseline Of The Black Hole Mass Scaling Relations For Active Galaxies. Iv. Correlations Between MBh And Host Galaxy Σ, Stellar Mass, And Luminosity, Vardha N. Bennert, Tommaso Treu, Xuheng Ding, Isak Stomberg, Simon Birrer, Tomas Snyder, Matthew A. Malkan, Andrew W. Stephens, Matthew W. Auger

Physics

The tight correlations between the mass of supermassive black holes (M_BH) and their host-galaxy properties have been of great interest to the astrophysical community, but a clear understanding of their origin and fundamental drivers still eludes us. The local relations for active galaxies are interesting in their own right and form the foundation for any evolutionary study over cosmic time. We present Hubble Space Telescope optical imaging of a sample of 66 local active galactic nuclei (AGNs); for 14 objects, we also obtained Gemini near-infrared images. We use state-of-the-art methods to perform surface photometry of the AGN host …

Pair Distribution Function Analysis And Electrochemical Performance Of Mesoporous Carbon Nanomaterials Synthesized Through Koh And Zncl2 Activation, Talam E. Kibona, Sarah Frisco, Maxwell W. Terban

Tanzania Journal of Science

Mesoporous carbon has been synthesized by activating carbonized biogas slurry residues with ZnCl2 and KOH simultaneously. The carbon to activating agent mass ratios were kept at 1:4, while the ZnCl2 to KOH mass ratio varied from 4:0, 3:1, 2:2, 1:3, to 0:4. The highest BET specific surface area of 361 m2 g-1, micropore surface area of 231 m2 g‒1, mesopore surface area of 125 m2 g‒1, and total pore volume of 0.23 cm3 g‒1 which amounted to 78% mesopore content, were obtained for the sample with 3:1 ZnCl2 to KOH mass ratio. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images were acquired to …

Effects Of Refuge Prey On Stability Of The Prey-Predator Model Subject To Immigrants: A Mathematical Modelling Approach, Mussa Amos Stephano, Il Hyo Jung

Tanzania Journal of Science

Prey-predator system is enormously complex and nonlinear interaction between species. Such complexity regularly requires development of new approaches which involves more factors in analysis of its population dynamics. In this paper, we formulate a modified Lotka-Volterra model that incorporates factors such as refuge prey and immigrants. We investigate the effects of refuge prey and immigrants by varying the refuge factor, with and without immigrants. The results show that with Holling’s type I functional response, the proposed model is asymptotically convergent when a refuge prey factor is introduced. Moreover, with Holling’s type II functional response, the proposed mathematical model is unstable …

Analysing Climate Change Mitigation Policy Options In The Renewable Energy Sub-Sector In Tanzania, Ladislaus Kyaruzi, Patrick M Ndaki, Richard Ym Kangalawe

Tanzania Journal of Science

Public policies influence reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Also the extent to which policies are developed and implemented can influence the achievement of the national, regional and international climate change mitigation policy framework in the renewable energy sub-sector. This paper provides a critical overview of key policy options influencing the development of renewable energy sub-sector through climate change mitigation policy options in Tanzania. Questionnaire surveys were used to collect primary data from 100 relevant experts who represented 64 organizations in Tanzania. Secondary data were collected by literature review. The state of climate change mitigation policy options in the renewable energy …

Impacts Of Wood Fuel Uses On Forest Cover: The Case Of Semiarid Areas In Northern Tanzania, Debora J Mahushi, Revocatus L Machunda, Talam E Kibona

Tanzania Journal of Science

Satellite images for the years 1987, 1997, 2002 and 2017, and questionnaire surveys were used to assess energy sources and demands as well as the impacts of wood fuel use to forest cover changes in Meru and Mwanga Districts. The major energy sources identified include cow dung cake, firewood, charcoal, liquefied petroleum gas and biogas. The total energy demands from these sources were 1400 (in Meru), 6289, 724 and 21 kg per day, respectively. The amount of biogas was not quantified since the reactors were constructed locally with no reading meter. Analysis from Landsat images showed variations in forest cover. …

Inversion–Free Iterative Method For Finding Symmetric Solution Of The Nonlinear Matrix Equation X-A^* X^Q A=I (Q≥2), Chacha Stephen Chacha

Tanzania Journal of Science

In this paper, we propose the inversion free iterative method to find symmetric solution of the nonlinear matrix equation  where  is an unknown symmetric solution,  is a given Hermitian matrix and  is a positive integer. The convergence of the proposed method is derived. Numerical examples demonstrate that the proposed iterative method is quite efficient and converges well when the initial guess is sufficiently close to the approximate solution. Keywords: Symmetric solution, nonlinear matrix equation, inversion free, iterative method.

Vulnerability And Responses Of Smallholder Farmers To Climate Change Effects In Semiarid Areas Of Bahi And Kongwa Districts, Tanzania, Helena Elias Myeya

Tanzania Journal of Science

This study examined the vulnerability and responses of smallholder farmers to climate change effects in Semiarid Areas of Bahi and Kongwa Districts. A total of 366 household heads were involved in this study. The study employed questionnaire, interviews and documentary review as data collection techniques. Archival data for temperature, rainfall and crop yields were collected for trend analysis. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse quantitative data, content analysis was employed to analyse qualitative data. Simple linear trend analysis and Mann Kendall were used to establish trends. The findings indicate that smallholder farmers in the study area have noted …