Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Spatially Dense Drip Hydrological Monitoring And Infiltration Behaviour At The Wellington Caves, South East Australia, Catherine N. Jex, Gregoire Mariethoz, Andy Baker, Peter Graham, Martin S. Andersen, Ian Acworth, Nerilee Edwards, Cecilia Azcurra

International Journal of Speleology

Despite the fact that karst regions are recognised as significant groundwater resources, the nature of groundwater flow paths in the unsaturated zone of such fractured rock is at present poorly understood. Many traditional methods for constraining groundwater flow regimes in karst aquifers are focussed on the faster drainage components and are unable to inform on the smaller fracture or matrix-flow components of the system. Caves however, offer a natural inception point to observe both the long term storage and the preferential movement of water through the unsaturated zone of such fractured carbonate rock by monitoring of drip rates of stalactites, …

Speleogenetic Effects Of Interaction Between Deeply Derived Fracture-Conduit Flow And Intrastratal Matrix Flow In Hypogene Karst Settings, Alexander Klimchouk, Elizaveta Tymokhina, Gennadiy Amelichev

International Journal of Speleology

In carbonate rocks, especially in those with high primary porosity such as most Cenozoic carbonates, the interaction between deeply derived rising flow through sub-vertical fracture-controlled conduits and intrastratal matrix flow of shallower systems can invoke mixing corrosion and result in prominent speleogenetic effects. This paper outlines a conceptual model of such interaction and provides instructive field examples of relevant morphological effects from two different regions within the Prichernomorsky (north Black Sea) basin, where karst features are developed in lower Pliocene, Eocene and Paleocene limestones. In the Crimean fore-mountain region, extensive steep to vertical limestone scarps formed through recent exposure of …

Book Review: South China Karst Ii, Arrigo A. Cigna

International Journal of Speleology

No abstract provided.

Duality Of Terrestrial Subterranean Fauna, Tone Novak, Matjaž Perc, Saška Lipovšek, Franc Janžekovič

International Journal of Speleology

Terrestrial animals in subterranean habitats are often classified according to their degree of morphological or ecological specialization to the subterranean environment. The commonly held view is that, as distance into a cave increases, the frequency of morphologically specialized, i.e., troglomorphic, species or ecological specialization will increase. We tested this hypothesis for the fauna in 54 caves in Slovenia–the classical land for subterranean biology. We found that there exist two ecologically well separated terrestrial subsurface faunas: one shallow and one deep. 1) The shallow subterranean fauna, adapted to the terrestrial shallow subterranean habitats (SSHs) in the upper 10 m of subsurface …

Petrographic And Isotopic Evidence For Late-Stage Processes In Sulfuric Acid Caves Of The Guadalupe Mountains, New Mexico, Usa, Margaret V. Palmer, Arthur N. Palmer

International Journal of Speleology

Caves of the Guadalupe Mountains have experienced many modifications since their final phase of sulfuric acid speleogenesis several million years ago. Petrographic and geochemical data reveal details of the change from H₂SO₄ to CO₂-dominated reactions. The H₂SO₄ dissolution front acquired a coating of replacement gypsum with local pockets of anhydrite and by-products of altered clay, including Fe-Mn oxides. Alteration of bedrock beneath the gypsum produced a white micritized rind with small negative shifts in δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O. Solution basins contain records of the earliest post-speleogenetic processes: corroded bedrock, …

The Kamlet Laboratories Collection At The University Of South Florida, Dean F. Martin, Karina Bidani

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Jonas Kamlet (1914-1960) and his wife Edna (1915- 2011) founded the Kamlet Laboratory (as it was then called) in 1941 (I). It was in many ways a pioneering consulting laboratory that was unique for its approach and creativity. In 2006, the collected papers of the Kamlet Laboratories that were housed in two storage units in Sarasota, Florida, were donated to the University of South Florida (USF) Library, Tampa Campus, as noted elsewhere (I). This paper describes the background of the laboratory and indicates the potential value of the material in the Kamlet Chemical Laboratories Collection. The collection came to USF …

Sustainable Livelihood Analysis Of An Irrigation Project In Ta Haen, Cambodia., Irene Rehberger Bescos

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examines potential livelihood outcomes from a recently established irrigation project in Ta Haen, Cambodia, in a sustainable livelihoods framework. The aim of this SAUCE irrigation project is to provide water for drinking and irrigation purposes with the goal of enhancing food by producing an extra rice harvest, the staple, per year. Field research conducted in December 2011 provided qualitative data from questionnaires, key informant interviews, and participant and direct observation, in addition to quantitative data from water quality analysis focusing on arsenic (a potential risk), pH, EC and temperature. Most of the people in the village did not …

Design Of Novel Inhibitors For Infectious Diseases Using Structure-Based Drug Design: Virtual Screening, Homology Modeling And Molecular Dynamics, Divya Ramamoorthy

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The main aim of the study in this thesis was to use structure-based protocols to design new drugs for enzymes, DXS and DXR in the non mevalonate pathway. Another aim of this study was to identify the dimer interface in E.coli FabH as an allosteric binding site for designing new class of anti-infective drugs. We have attempted to identify potential inhibitors for DXS by docking the NCI Diversity set compounds, compound libraries available from GSK-MMV and St. Jude's Children's research center. FabH dimer interface has been identified as a potential target using SiteMap, Alanine mutagenesis and docking studies.

The first …

Optical Detection And Classification Of Phytoplankton Taxa Through Spectral Analysis, Daniel Tyler Sensi

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Phytoplankton serve as the bottom of the marine food web and therefore play an essential role in marine ecosystems. On the other hand, coastal phytoplankton communities can adversely affect the marine ecosystem and humans. A variety of techniques have been developed to measure and study phytoplankton, including in situ methods (e.g., flow cytometry) and laboratory methods (e.g., microscopic taxonomy). These provide accurate measurements of phytoplankton taxa and concentrations, yet they are limited in space and time, and synoptic information is difficult to obtain with these techniques.

Optical remote sensing may provide complementary information for its synoptic nature, as demonstrated by …

Assessment Of Methods To Manipulate Thermal Emission And Evaluate The Quality Of Thermal Radiation For Direct Energy Conversion, Samantha Wijewardane

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Control of spectral thermal emission from surfaces may be desirable in some energy related applications, such as nano-scale antenna energy conversion and thermophotovoltaic conversion. There are a number of methods, from commercially available paints to advanced surface gratings that can be used to modify the thermal emission from a surface. To find out the proper emission controlling technique for a given energy conversion method all the surface emission controlling methods are comprehensively reviewed regarding the emission control capabilities and the range of possible applications. Radiation with high degree of coherence can be emitted using advanced surface emission controlling techniques. …

Properties Of Ferroelectric Perovskite Structures Under Non-Equilibrium Conditions, Qingteng Zhang

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Ferroelectric materials have received lots of attention thanks to their intriguing properties such as the piezoelectric and pyroelectric effects, as well as the large dielectric constants and the spontaneous polarization which can potentially be used for information storage. In particular, perovskite crystal has a very simple unit cell structure yet a very rich phase transition diagram, which makes it one of the most intensively studied ferroelectric materials. In this dissertation, we use effective Hamiltonian, a first-principles-based computational technique to study the finite-temperature properties of ferroelectric perovskites. We studied temperature-graded

(BaxSr1-x )TiO3 (BST) bulk alloys as well as the dynamics of …

Hamiltonian Sets Of Polygonal Paths In 4-Valent Spatial Graphs, Tilahun Abay Muche

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Spatial graphs with 4–valent rigid vertices and two single valent endpoints, called assembly graphs, model DNA recombination processes that appear in certain species of ciliates. Recombined genes are modeled by certain types of paths in an assembly graph that make a ”oper pendicular ” turn at each 4–valent vertex of the graph called polygonal paths. The assembly number of an assembly graph is the minimum number of polygonal paths that visit each vertex exactly once. In particular, an assembly graph is called realizable if the graph has a Hamiltonian polygonal path.

An assembly graph ɣ^{^} obtained from a given …

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

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

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

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

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

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

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

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

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

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

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

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

Global Csr And Photographic Credibility: Exploring How International Companies Portray Efforts Through Photographs In Csr Reports, Janel Lynn Norton

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

We are living in the age of the visual. Imagery is an important element in constructing and deriving meaning through symbols, colors, and context. Images may hold persuasive power, be used as evidence, or simply provide a moment of beauty. Organizations rely on photographs to help them convey an image to their stakeholders within annual reports. Telling an organizations' story through photographs has become an intrinsic part of their efforts to convey sustainability. We live in the age of transparency, and organizations that construct an image that is not truthful will face consequences in today's socially connected and conscious world. …

Occurrence, Toxicity, And Diversity Of Pseudo-Nitzschia In Florida Coastal Waters, Sheila O'Dea

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Domoic acid (DA), a potent neurotoxin that has the potential to cause amnesic shellfish poisoning (ASP), is produced by members of the marine diatom genus Pseudo-nitzschia. Outbreaks of ASP in humans and of DA poisoning in birds and marine mammals have been reported across the United States and Canada since the late 1980's. Pseudo-nitzschia species can be extremely abundant in Florida waters, with densities often exceeding 10⁶ cells/L, and sometimes exceeding 10⁷ cells/L. Based on preliminary data, it is evident that at least nine species of Pseudo-nitzschia are found in Florida coastal waters. At least six of …

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

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

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

Novel Blends Of Sulfur-Tolerant Water-Gas Shift Catalysts For Biofuel Applications, Timothy Michael Roberge

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As traditional sources of energy become depleted, significant research interest has gone into conversion of biomass into renewable fuels. Biomass-derived synthesis gas typically contains concentrations of approximately 30 to 600 ppm H2S in stream. H2S is a catalyst poison which adversely affects downstream processing of hydrogen for gas to liquid plants. The water-gas shift reaction is an integral part of converting CO and steam to H2 and CO2. Currently, all known water-gas shift catalysts deactivate in sulfur concentrations typical of biomass-derived synthesis gas. Novel catalysts are needed to remain active in the presence of sulfur concentrations in order to boost …

Natural And Anthropogenic Influences On The Morphodynamics Of Sandy And Mixed Sand And Gravel Beaches, Tiffany Roberts

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Beaches and coastal environments are dynamic, constantly shaped and reshaped by natural processes and anthropogenic modifications. The morphodynamics and influence of natural and anthropogenic factors of two different coasts at various temporal and spatial scales are discussed.

To quantify the performance of several beach nourishment projects at annual temporal and kilometer spatial scales on three adjacent microtidal low-wave energy barrier islands in west-central Florida, a total of 5,200 beach and nearshore-profiles spaced at 300 m were surveyed monthly to bi-monthly from 2006-2010. Beach nourishment performance is most significantly influenced by the interruption of longshore sediment transport by complex tidal-inlet processes. …

Statistical Estimation Of Physiologically-Based Pharmacokinetic Models: Identifiability, Variation, And Uncertainty With An Illustration Of Chronic Exposure To Dioxin And Dioxin-Like-Compounds., Zachary John Thompson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Assessment of human exposure to environmental chemicals is inherently subject to uncertainty and variability. There are data gaps concerning the inventory, source, duration, and intensity of exposure

as well as knowledge gaps regarding pharmacokinetics in general. These gaps result in uncertainties in exposure assessment.

The uncertainties compound further with variabilities due to population variations regarding stage of life, life style, and susceptibility,

etc. Use of physiologically-based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) models promises to reduce the uncertainties and enhance extrapolation between species, between routes, from high to low dose, and from acute to chronic exposure. However, fitting PBPK models is challenging because of …

Catalytic Tri-Reforming Of Biomass-Derived Syngas To Produce Desired H2:Co Ratios For Fuel Applications, Devin Mason Walker

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study focuses on upgrading biomass derived syngas for the synthesis of liquid fuels using Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (FTS). The process includes novel gasification of biomass via a tri-reforming process which involves a synergetic combination of CO2 reforming, steam reforming, and partial oxidation of methane. Typical biomass-derived syngas H2:CO is 1:1 and contains tars that deactivate FT catalyst. This innovation allows for cost-effective one-step production of syngas in the required H2:CO of 2:1 with reduction of tars for use in the FTS. To maximize the performance of the tri-reforming catalyst, an attempt to control oxygen mobility, thermal stability, dispersion of metal, …

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

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

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

Evaluation Of Repeated Biomarkers: Non-Parametric Comparison Of Areas Under The Receiver Operating Curve Between Correlated Groups Using An Optimal Weighting Scheme, Ping Xu

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves are often used to evaluate the prognostic performance of a continuous biomarker. In a previous research, a non-parametric ROC approach was introduced to compare two biomarkers with repeated measurements. An asymptotically normal statistic, which contains the subject-specific weights, was developed to estimate the areas under the ROC curve of biomarkers. Although two weighting schemes were suggested to be optimal when the within subject correlation is 1 or 0 by the previous study, the universal optimal weight was not determined. We modify this asymptotical statistic to compare AUCs between two correlated groups and propose a solution …

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

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

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

Integrable Couplings Of The Kaup-Newell Soliton Hierarchy, Mengshu Zhang

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

By enlarging the spatial and temporal spectral problems within a certain Lie algebra, a hierarchy of integrable couplings of the Kaup-Newell soliton equations is constructed. The recursion operator of the resulting hierarchy of integrable couplings is explicitly computed. The integrability of the new coupling hierarchy is exhibited by showing the existence of infinitely many commuting symmetries.

Extraction Of Text Objects In Image And Video Documents, Jing Zhang

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The popularity of digital image and video is increasing rapidly. To help users navigate libraries of image and video, Content Based Information Retrieval (CBIR) system that can automatically index image and video documents are needed. However, due to the semantic gap between low-level machine descriptors and high-level semantic descriptors, the existing CBIR systems are still far from perfect. Text embedded in multi-media data, as a well-defined model of concepts for humans' communication, contains much semantic information related to the content. This text information can provide a much truer form of content-based access to the image and video documents if it …

Theory And Modeling Of Graphene And Single Molecule Devices, Lyudmyla Adamska

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation research is focused on first principles studies of graphene and single organic molecules for nanoelectronics applications. These nanosized objects attracted considerable interest from the scientific community due to their promise to serve as building blocks of nanoelectronic devices with low power consumption, high stability, rich functionality, scalability, and unique potentials for device integration. Both graphene electronics and molecular electronics pursue the same goal by using two different approaches: top-down approach for graphene devices scaling to smaller and smaller dimensions, and bottom-up approach for single molecule devices. One of the goals of this PhD research is to apply first-principles …

Drug Discovery From Floridian Mangrove Endophytes, Jeremy Beau

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A significant challenge of the 21st century is the growing health threat stemming from drug-resistant infectious diseases. There is an undeniable need to discover new, safe and effective drugs with novel mechanisms of action to combat this threat. A study of drugs currently on the market showed that natural products account for approximately 75% of new anti-infective drugs, either as new agents or analogs based upon their structure. Unfortunately, major pharmaceutical companies have cut back tremendously in natural products research in part due to the frustrating obstacle of frequent rediscovery of compounds. Fungi in particular are difficult to work with …