Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Polyelectrolyte-Linked, Multi-Layer Film Assemblies Of Aqueous Nanoparticles And Nanoshells, Anne Galyean

Honors Theses

Multi-layer films of nanoparticles and nanoshells featuring various polymeric linkage molecules have been assembled and their optical properties characterized. The growth dynamics, including molecular weight effects, and stability of the various nanoparticle film constructions, using both single polymer as well as combinations of alternating charge polyelectrolytes as linking mechanisms, are presented. The polymeric linkers studied include poly-L-lysine, poly-L-arginine, poly(allylamine hydrochloride), and polyamidoamine dendrimers. Significantly air stable films were achieved with the use of multi-layered polymeric bridges between the nanoparticles and nanoshells. Optical sensitivity normally observed with these nanomaterials in solution was observed for their corresponding film geometries, with the nanoshell …

Structural Basis For Binding Specificity Between Subclasses Of Modular Polyketide Synthase Docking Domains, Tonia Buchholz, Todd W. Geders, Frank E. Bartley Iii, Kevin A. Reynolds, Janet L. Smith, David H. Sherman

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

Bacterial type I polyketide synthases (PKSs) assemble structurally diverse natural products of significant clinical value from simple metabolic building blocks. The synthesis of these compounds occurs in a processive fashion along a large multiprotein complex. Transfer of the acyl intermediate across interpolypeptide junctions is mediated, at least in large part, by N- and C-terminal docking domains. We report here a comprehensive analysis of the binding affinity and selectivity for the complete set of discrete docking domain pairs in the pikromycin and erythromycin PKS systems. Despite disconnection from their parent module, each cognate pair of docking domains retained exquisite binding selectivity. …

Unified Hybridization Of Discontinuous Galerkin, Mixed, And Continuous Galerkin Methods For Second Order Elliptic Problems, Bernardo Cockburn, Jay Gopalakrishnan, Raytcho Lazarov

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications and Presentations

We introduce a unifying framework for hybridization of finite element methods for second order elliptic problems. The methods fitting in the framework are a general class of mixed-dual finite element methods including hybridized mixed, continu- ous Galerkin, non-conforming and a new, wide class of hybridizable discontinuous Galerkin methods. The distinctive feature of the methods in this framework is that the only globally coupled degrees of freedom are those of an approximation of the solution defined only on the boundaries of the elements. Since the associated matrix is sparse, symmetric and positive definite, these methods can be efficiently implemented. Moreover, the …

Content Knowledge And Pedagogical Content Knowledge Of Algebra Teachers And Changes In Both Types Of Knowledge As A Result Of Professional Development, Joy W. Black

Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Georgia Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators

In seeking to improve the mathematics education of all students, it is important to understand the connection between the content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge of mathematics and how professionals can influence growth in both of these types of knowledge. We do not have an answer about the interplay of content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge in successful instructional practices in the mathematics classroom. This study involves assessing the content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge of secondary teachers of Algebra I. In addition, how are these types of knowledge expressed in instructional practices? Last, how do content knowledge, pedagogical content …

Analysis Of Achievement For Understanding Geometry, Annita W. Hunt

Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Georgia Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of a mathematics professional development course. More specifically, in this study we examine whether geometric experiences have an impact on level of performance in mathematics. The van Hiele (Fuys, D., Geddes, D., & Tischler, R., 1988) model of geometric understanding provided a research framework from which to view geometric understanding. This model suggests five levels of understanding that should be taken into consideration when examining levels of geometric thinking: Visual, Descriptive/Analytic, Abstract/Relational, Formal Deduction/Proof, and Rigor. The sample under study was three cohorts of practicing elementary teachers and mathematics coaches …

Radical Bonding: Structure And Stability Of Bis(Phenalenyl) Complexes Of Divalent Metals From Across The Periodic Table, Smaranda Craciun, Kelling J. Donald

Chemistry Faculty Publications

We examine the bonding possibilities of the bis(phenalenyl) MP₂ sandwich complexes of the divalent metals M = Be, Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba, Zn, Cd, and Hg, at the B3LYP level of theory. The outcome is an extraordinarily diverse class of low symmetry bis(phenalenyl)metal complexes in which bonding preferences and binding enthalpies differ dramatically. The lowest energy group 2 metal MP₂ complexes include an intriguing η¹,η³ BeP₂ structure, and bent η⁶,η⁶ systems for M = Ca, Sr, and Ba. The group 12 bis(phenalenyl) complexes are thermodynamically unstable η¹, …

Harvesting Young-Of-The-Year From Large Mammal Populations: An Application Of Systemic Management, C. W. Fowler, T. E. Jewell, M.V. Lee

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

We evaluate the current commercial harvest of harp seal (Pagophilus groenlandicus) and proposed subsistence harvests of northern fur seal (Callorhinus ursinus ) pups based on intra-specific comparisons. These comparisons utilize a pattern derived from 167 cases of estimated consumption rates by large mammals. In all cases, the predation rates involve large mammal prey less than 1 year of age. Recent harvests of harp seal pups are exceeded by 20 (about 12%) of the estimated consumption rates among the nonhuman species. Although this is not statistically significant, further analysis may find this harvest to be unsustainable when we …

Characterization Of Compactly Supported Renable Splines With Integer Matrix, Tian-Xiao He, Yujing Guana

Scholarship

Let M be an integer matrix with absolute values of all its eigenvalues being greater than 1. We give a characterization of compactly supported M-refinable splines f and the conditions that the shifts of f form a Riesz basis.

Observations On The Cave-Associated Beetles (Coleoptera) Of Nova Scotia, Canada, Max Moseley

International Journal of Speleology

The cave-associated invertebrates of Nova Scotia constitute a fauna at a very early stage of post-glacial recolonization. The Coleoptera are characterized by low species diversity. A staphylinid Quedius spelaeus spelaeus, a predator, is the only regularly encountered beetle. Ten other terrestrial species registered from cave environments in the province are collected infrequently. They include three other rove-beetles: Brathinus nitidus, Gennadota canadensis and Atheta annexa. The latter two together with Catops gratiosus (Leiodidae) constitute a small group of cave-associated beetles found in decompositional situations. Quedius s. spelaeus and a small suite of other guanophiles live in accumulations of …

Oxidation Capacity Of The City Air Of Santiago, Chile, Yasin F. Elshorbany, R. Kurtenbach, P. Weisen, E. Lissi, R. Rubio, G. Villena, E. Gramsch, A. R. Rickard, M. J. Pilling, J. Kleffmann

USF St. Petersburg campus Faculty Publications

The oxidation capacity of the highly polluted urban area of Santiago, Chile has been evaluated during a summer measurement campaign carried out from 8-20 March 2005. The hydroxyl (OH) radical budget was evaluated employing a simple quasi-photostationary-state model (PSS) constrained with simultaneous measurements of HONO, HCHO, O-3, NO, NO2, j((OD)-D-1), j(NO2), 13 alkenes and meteorological parameters. In addition, a zero dimensional photochemical box model based on the Master Chemical Mechanism (MCMv3.1) has been used to estimate production rates and total free radical budgets, including OH, HO2 and RO2. Besides the above parameters, the MCM model has been constrained by the …

Influences Of Channel Dredging On Flow And Sedimentation Patterns At Microtidal Inlets, West-Central Florida, Usa, Tanya M. Beck, Ping Wang

Geology Faculty Publications

Four inlets (Johns Pass and Blind Pass; and New Pass and Big Sarasota Pass) in two multi-inlet systems along the West-central Florida coast were studied. Johns Pass, New Pass, and Blind Pass are dredged every 4-9 years, whereas Big Sarasota Pass has never been dredged. The goal of this study was to investigate the morphodynamics of the four inlets and the influences of channel dredging on the flow patterns over the ebb tidal delta and sediment bypassing. Time-series aerial photographs and bathymetric maps starting from the 1920s were analyzed to assess the pathways of sand bypassing and morphodynamics at the …

2009 Ford Mustang Performance Test, Daniel Fernandes

Undergraduate Journal of Mathematical Modeling: One + Two

Our goal is to find the time required for a 2009 Ford Mustang to accelerate from rest to 88 feet per second. We begin with three equations involving force, velocity, and force inverse, which is a value derived from Newton's Law, F=ma. The Mustang has three gears with three different gear ratios that must be used as the car accelerates. We found results from 2000 to 6000 RPMs for all three gears. Once the force inverse was found, we plotted the force inverse vs. velocity graph. The area beneath this curve from 0 to 88 feet per second is the …

Infection Of A Homogeneous Population By A Known Bacterium, Arthur Maknenko

Undergraduate Journal of Mathematical Modeling: One + Two

In order for the development of antibiotics and vaccines to be successful, the lifecycle and infection pattern of a pathogen must be studied well. In this paper, we study the rate of replication and the pattern of infection in a homogeneous population, which may or may not have an effective immunity or immunization program against the pathogen. We utilize three functions: one will determine the rate with which the pathogen replicates; the second will show the result of an infection by a single individual of a susceptible population without a removal rate; and the third will include the removal rate …

Using Calculus To Model The Growth Of L. Plantarum Bacteria, Erin Carey

Undergraduate Journal of Mathematical Modeling: One + Two

Experimental data for the growth of Lactobacillus plantarum bacteria have been obtained over time, creating the need for mathematical means to model this data. We use the Gompertz model because it is a sigmoid function for a time series, where growth is slowest at the start and end of a time period. The Gompertz model is especially useful because it defines specific parameters that characterize the S-shaped curve. In addition, the Gompertz model uses relative growth, which is the logarithm of the given population compared to the initial population. This reflects the fact that bacteria grow exponentially. The important parameters …

Biodiversity In A Florida Sandhill Ecosystem, Samantha Robertson

Undergraduate Journal of Mathematical Modeling: One + Two

This project compares two transects of land in the University of South Florida's Botanical Gardens for their biodiversity. The transects were chosen to represent a Florida sandhill ecosystem and the individual Longleaf Pine, Saw Palmetto, Turkey Oak, Laurel Oak and Live Oak specimens were counted. All other species above waist height were counted as "other"?. Once the individuals were counted, the Simpson's and Shannon-Wiener indices were calculated. Since the Shannon-Wiener index incorporates several diversity characteristics, it is typically more reliable than Simpson's. However, both biodiversity indices agreed that transect B was more diverse than transect A.

Patterns Of Larval Atlantic Croaker Ingress Into Chesapeake Bay, Usa, Jason J. Schaffler, Christian S. Reiss, Cynthia M. Jones

OES Faculty Publications

We compared ingress patterns of Atlantic croaker Micropogonias undulatus larvae into Chesapeake Bay, USA, with published ingress patterns through barrier island inlets, the accepted model for larval fish ingress. This model asserts that larvae ingress on night flood tides at the flooddominated side of the inlet and at all depths. At the Chesapeake Bay mouth and in the adjacent coastal waters, we compared the distribution of abundance, size, age, and growth rates of croaker prior to ingress, In contrast to the barrier island inlet model, croaker larvae were more abundant at depth than closer to the surface regardless of location. …

Cross-Basin Comparison Of Phosphorus Stress And Nitrogen Fixation In Trichodesmium, Annette M. Hynes, P. Dreux Chappell, Sonya T. Dyhrman, Scott C. Doney, Eric A. Webb

OES Faculty Publications

We investigated the phosphorus (P) status and N₂ fixation rates of Trichodesmium populations from the North Pacific, western South Pacific, and western North Atlantic. Colonies of Trichodesmium were collected and analyzed for endogenous alkaline phosphatase (AP) activity using enzyme-labeled fluorescence ( ELF) and for nitrogenase activity using acetylene reduction. AP hydrolyzes dissolved inorganic phosphate (DIP) from dissolved organic phosphorus and is active in Trichodesmium colonies experiencing P stress. Across multiple stations in the subtropical North and South Pacific, there was low to moderate ELF labeling in Trichodesmium, although labeling was present in other taxa. In contrast, Trichodesmium ELF …

Early Neoproterozoic Origin Of The Metazoan Clade Recorded In Carbonate Rock Texture: Reply, Fritz Neuweiler, Elizabeth C. Turner, David J. Burdige

OES Faculty Publications

We (Neuweiler et al., 2009) used scanning electron microscopic, fluorescence spectroscopic, fluorescence microscopic, and thin-section analytical work from modern, Cretaceous, Silurian, and early Neoproterozoic reefal material to make a geological case for an early Neoproterozoic origin of animals. In a modern analogue for ancient petrographic textures, degradative calcification of the extracellular collagenous matrix (ECM) of a modern siliceous sponge can be directly observed (Neuweiler et al., 2007).

Thin Layer Formation During Runaway Stratification In The Tidally Dynamic San Francisco Estuary, Alexander B. Bochdansky, Stephen M. Bollens

OES Faculty Publications

During the course of a year, we repeatedly collected high-resolution vertical fluorometer data timed to coincide with a specific state during the tidal cycle. The time (end of the ebb during neap tide) and the location (a deep channel half-way between the Golden Gate and the point of tidally averaged bottom salinity of 2 psu) were chosen with the goal to observe runaway stratification. We consistently found at least one pronounced chlorophyll peak in the water column; however, the vertical location of these peaks varied within three types including surface, bottom and subsurface maxima. Our results showed that heterogeneity of …

Profiles Of Ocean Surface Heating (Posh): A New Model Of Upper Ocean Diurnal Warming, Chelle L. Gentemann, Peter J. Minnett, Brian Ward

CCPO Publications

Shipboard radiometric measurements of diurnal warming at the ocean surface and profiles through the diurnal thermocline were utilized to assess the temporal and vertical variability and to develop a new physics-based model of near-surface warming. The measurements and modeled diurnal warming were compared, with the goal of comprehensively evaluating differences between the data and model results. On the basis of these results, the diurnal model was refined while attempting to maintain agreement with the measurements. Simplified bulk models commonly do not provide information on the vertical structure within the warm layer, but this new model predicts the vertical temperature profile …

Matter Sources Interacting With A Black Hole: Dynamics And Observable Signatures, Miguel Megevand

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Dynamical systems involving black holes are one of the most promising sources of detectable gravitational waves. Additionally, one expects strong electromagnetic signals whenever matter sources are present. In this dissertation, we study different astrophysical scenarios pertaining the interaction of matter with a black hole. We first investigate the possibility to localize scalar field configurations surrounding a (dynamic) black hole. The analytical study is illustrated by performing numerical simulations that show the evolution of a Klein-Gordon-like scalar field shell surrounding a black hole. Second, we present a method to estimate the gravitational wave frequency at the end of the inspiral phase …

Specifying Reusable Aspects, Neelam Soundarajan, Raffi T. Khatchadourian

Publications and Research

Aspect-Oriented Programming enables developers to manage, in a more modular fashion, implementations of crosscutting concerns that might be scattered or tangled if aspect-oriented techniques were not utilized. Our interest in this paper is in considering techniques for specifying precise properties of aspects. In particular, we are interested in specifying reusable aspects; i.e., aspects that correspond to crosscutting concerns that occur in many systems. These abstract aspects can be reused in various systems where a particular concern is applicable. Although there has been work on issues related to reasoning about aspects and the behaviors of aspect-oriented systems, specifying reusable abstract aspects …

Cycle Equivalence Of Graph Dynamical Systems, Matthew Macauley, Henning S. Mortveit

Publications

Graph dynamical systems (GDSs) generalize concepts such as cellular automata and Boolean networks and can describe a wide range of distributed, nonlinear phenomena. Two GDSs are cycle equivalent if their periodic orbits are isomorphic as directed graphs, which captures the notion of having comparable long-term dynamics. In this paper, we study cycle equivalence of GDSs in which the vertex functions are applied sequentially through an update sequence. The main result is a general characterization of cycle equivalence based on the underlying graph Y and the update sequences. We construct and analyse two graphs C(Y) and D( …

Impact Of Heavy Metals On Childhood Behaviors And Development: A Uae Study, Said Yousef Ahmad Abdel Razeq

Theses

BACKGROUND: Environmental toxic metal exposure is well known to adversely affect children's development and behavior. To our knowledge, there are no studies that carefully examined this potential hazard in UAE and Gulf countries.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this case-control study was to determine blood concentrations of 12 heavy metals in school-age children in Al Ain City. The other aim was to correlate the blood levels with developmental (e.g., learning disability) and behavioral (e.g., Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) problems in children.

METHODS: One hundred and forty seven subjects (73 with developmental and/or behavioral disorders and 74 controls) participated in the study. The …

Can Large Scintillators Be Used For Solar-Axion Searches To Test The Cosmological Axion-Photon Oscillation Proposal?, F. T. Avignone Iii, R. J. Creswick, Shmuel Nussinov

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

Solar-axion interaction rates in Nal, Csl and Xe scintillators via the axio-electric effect were calculated. A table is presented with photo-electric and axio-electric cross sections, solar-axion fluxes, and the interaction rates from 2.0 to 10.0 keV. The results imply that annual-modulation data of large Nal and Csl arrays, and large Xe scintillation detectors, might be made sensitive enough to probe coupling to photons at levels required to explain axion-photon oscillation phenomena proposed to explain the survival of high-energy photons traveling cosmological distances. The DAMA/LIBRA data are used to demonstrate the power of the model-independent annual modulation due to the seasonal …

Proxy Records Of Paleohurricanes For The Western And Southern Caribbean, Terrence Allen Mccloskey

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation evaluates the hypothesis that hurricane activity levels in the North Atlantic during the late Holocene have been driven by latitudinal movements of the North Atlantic circulation system. Multi-millennial sedimentary proxy records, based on the occurrence of overwash clastic layers, provide clear evidence of abruptly alternating periods of hurricane landfall frequency for Nicaragua and Belize. Three Belizean transects exhibit an Active period (hyperactivity) occurring from ~2000-6000 cal yr BP, although dating is inconsistent across the transects. An Active period covering the last 500 years is found at one location. The Nicaraguan record, derived from three transects covering >90 km …

Applying Scanning Probe Microscopy For The Investigation Of Molecular Self-Assembly Mechanisms And Properties Of Designed Nanomaterials, Algernon Tremayne Kelley

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Scanning probe microscopy (SPM) for conducting surface characterizations of nanomaterials and molecular self-assembly processes is emerging as an important contribution in nanotechnology, especially towards the design of molecular electronic devices. Another area of importance is the characterization of the properties of nanomaterials for fundamental understanding of structure-function inter-relationships. Understanding the properties and behavior of molecules and finding approaches to control surface self-organization through nanolithography provides essential information for the development of workable applications for nanotechnology. This dissertation describes the methodologies of AFM for characterizing molecules and nanostructures produced with scanning probe lithography (SPL). Automated software for nanografting and nanoshaving produce …

Two Component Integrable Systems Modelling Shallow Water Waves: The Constant Vorticity Case, Rossen Ivanov

Articles

In this contribution we describe the role of several two-component integrable systems in the classical problem of shallow water waves. The starting point in our derivation is the Euler equation for an incompressible fluid, the equation of mass conservation, the simplest bottom and surface conditions and the constant vorticity condition. The approximate model equations are generated by introduction of suitable scalings and by truncating asymptotic expansions of the quantities to appropriate order. The so obtained equations can be related to three different integrable systems: a two component generalization of the Camassa-Holm equation, the Zakharov-Ito system and the Kaup-Boussinesq system. The …

Generalised Fourier Transform And Perturbations To Soliton Equations, Georgi Grahovski, Rossen Ivanov

Articles

A brief survey of the theory of soliton perturbations is presented. The focus is on the usefulness of the so-called Generalised Fourier Transform (GFT). This is a method that involves expansions over the complete basis of “squared solutions” of the spectral problem, associated to the soliton equation. The Inverse Scattering Transform for the corresponding hierarchy of soliton equations can be viewed as a GFT where the expansions of the solutions have generalised Fourier coefficients given by the scattering data. The GFT provides a natural setting for the analysis of small perturbations to an integrable equation: starting from a purely soliton …

Daemon Decay And Inflation, Emil Prodanov

Articles

In 1971, Hawking suggested [1] that there may be a very large number of gravitationally collapsed charged objects of very low masses, formed as a result of fluctuations in the early Universe. A mass of of these objects could be accumulated at the centre of a star like the Sun. The masses of these collapsed objects are from and above and their charges are up to ±30 electron units [1].