Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Metal-Organic Materials: From Design Principles To Practical Applications, Mohamed H. Alkordi

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The works presented herein outline rational design approaches towards construction of solid state materials with great potentials to answer some of current demanding applications. Specifically, the materials targeted are metal−organic materials with desirable structural features and functional properties. Metal−organic materials are constructed from organic linker molecules and metal ions under relatively mild solvothermal reaction conditions that preserve the structural features of the relatively simple building blocks. Therefore, it is feasible to conceive a retrospective pathway of the reaction and thus deconstruct the desirable structures into simple, chemicallyrelevant, building blocks in an approach known as the molecular building block approach. Due …

Alaska Spartina Prevention, Detection And Response Plan, Vanessa Howard Morgan, Mark Sytsma

Center for Lakes and Reservoirs Publications and Presentations

This Alaska Spartina Prevention and Response Plan reviews the known impacts, biology, and invasion history of Spartina on the west coast. It outlines strategies for prevention, early detection and efficient organization of rapid response efforts following the confirmation of an infestation. The goal of the plan is to prevent the establishment of any Spartina populations and to eradicate established infestations if detected within the State’s estuaries or coastal wetlands. Five objectives and strategies are described and 31 specific tasks are outlined to achieve this goal. These include: • Prevention of establishment through vector and source population control. • Plan coordination …

Tredd—A Database For Tandem Repeats Over The Edit Distance, Dina Sokol, Firat Atagun

Publications and Research

A ‘tandem repeat’ in DNA is a sequence of two or more contiguous, approximate copies of a pattern of nucleotides. Tandem repeats are common in the genomes of both eukaryotic and prokaryotic organisms. They are significant markers for human identity testing, disease diagnosis, sequence homology and population studies. In this article, we describe a new database, TRedD, which contains the tandem repeats found in the human genome. The database is publicly available online, and the software for locating the repeats is also freely available. The definition of tandem repeats used by TRedD is a new and innovative definition based upon …

Effects Of Uvb-Induced Oxidative Stress On Protein Expression And Specific Protein Oxidation In Normal Human Epithelial Keratinocytes: A Proteomic Approach, Marzia Perluigi, Fabio Di Domenico, Carla Blarzino, Cesira Foppoli, Chiara Cini, Alessandra Giorgi, Caterina Grillo, Federico De Marco, D. Allan Butterfield, Maria E. Schininà, Raffaella Coccia

Chemistry Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: The UVB component of solar ultraviolet irradiation is one of the major risk factors for the development of skin cancer in humans. UVB exposure elicits an increased generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are responsible for oxidative damage to proteins, DNA, RNA and lipids. In order to examine the biological impact of UVB irradiation on skin cells, we used a parallel proteomics approach to analyze the protein expression profile and to identify oxidatively modified proteins in normal human epithelial keratinocytes.

RESULTS: The expression levels of fifteen proteins - involved in maintaining the cytoskeleton integrity, removal of damaged proteins …

Rwanda National Customer Satisfaction Survey: Results And Conclusions, Deogratias Harorimana

Dr Deogratias Harorimana

It can be said that development practice requires more than financial and manpower inputs. Rwanda, in 1994 suffered a Genocide. The Society,collectively and under the leadership of His Excellence Paul Kagame the current elected President of Rwanda came together and designed strategies that would propel Rwanda to a Middle-Income, Private Sector Led Economy by the Year 2020.

In 2009, a client seating in one of the Hotels in a Suburb of Remera, in Kigali City, complained about poor service delivery he was experiencing from the waitress staff.Using his Blackberry message, the client forwarded an email to some of the RDB …

Capability Maturity Model Integration (Cmmi) For Small Organizations, Kevin Scott

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

Software Process Improvement (SPI) is a large area of expertise that deals with software development standard processes and is a progression of proven methods of process improvement from many different methodologies. Personal Software Process (PSP) and Team Software Process (TSP) complement the implementation of Capability Maturity Model Implementation (CMMI) and can be applied gradually from the individual, to the team, and then to the organization. These solutions from Carnegie Melon's Software Engineering Institute (SEI) are leading edge for the field of process improvement. Solutions like this consume many resources, are very complex, require years to implement, and can be costly. …

Database Localization In A Test Environment, Thuy-Uyen Tran

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

One of the most significant challenges facing database software publishers is globalizing their products to tap into potentially profitable overseas business opportunities. The challenges of making products work overseas are many, ranging from budgeting for globalization projects to requiring developers to be skilled in localization. Over the years, software publishers have developed and implemented various tools and processes for globalization and localization. While there is considerable literature available on software development lifecycles and case studies, few studies have focused on globalization of database software. This thesis will examine the extent to which database publishers are using internationalization tools and processes …

Antimicrobial And Antioxidant Activities Of Essential Oil And Methanol Extract Of Jasminum Sambac From Djibouti, Fatou Abdoul-Latif, Prosper Edou, François Eba, Nabil Mohamed, Adwa Ali, Samatar Djama, Louis-Clément Obame, Mamoudou Hama Dicko

Pr. Mamoudou H. DICKO, PhD

The essential oil of jasminum sambac from Djibouti was subjected to screening for their possible antioxidant activity by two complementary test systems, namely DPPH free radical scavenging and beta-carotene-linoleic acid assays. Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) was used as positive control in both test systems. In the DPPH test system, the IC50 value of essential oil and methanol extract were respectively 7.43 and 2.30 μg/ml. In the beta-carotene-linoleic acid system, oxidation was effectively inhibited by Jasminum sambac, the RAA value of essential oil and methanol extract were respectively 96.6 and 93.9%. When compared to BHT, the essential oil and methanol extract had …

Generalized Complex Hamiltonian Torus Actions: Examples And Constraints, Thomas Baird, Yi Lin

Yi Lin

Consider an effective Hamiltonian torus action T×M→M on a topologically twisted,generalized complex manifold M of dimension 2n. We prove that the rank(T)≤n−2 and that the topological twisting survives Hamiltonian reduction. We then construct a large new class of such actions satisfying rank(T)=n−2, using a surgery procedure on toric manifolds.

Crossed-Beams And Theoretical Studies Of Hyperthermal Reactions Of O(3P) With Hcl†, Jianming Zhang, Amy L. Brunsvold, Hari P. Upadhyaya, Timothy K. Minton, Jon P. Camden, Sophya V. Garashchuk, George C. Schatz

Faculty Publications

The reaction of O(3 P) with HCl at hyperthermal collision energies (45-116 kcal mol-1 ) has been investigated with crossed-molecular beams experiments and direct dynamics quasi-classical trajectory calculations. The reaction may proceed by two primary pathways, (1) H-atom abstraction to produce OH and Cl and (2) H-atom elimination to produce H and ClO. The H-atom abstraction reaction follows a stripping mechanism, in which the reagent O atom approaches the HCl molecule at large impact parameters and the OH product is scattered in the forward direction, defined as the initial direction of the reagent O atoms. The H-atom elimination reaction is …

Paleointensity Estimates From Ignimbrites: An Evaluation Of The Bishop Tuff, Jeffrey S. Gee, Yongjae Yu, Julie A. Bowles

Geosciences Faculty Articles

Ash flow tuffs, or ignimbrites, typically contain fine-grained magnetite, spanning the superparamagnetic to single-domain size range that should be suitable for estimating geomagnetic field intensity. However, ignimbrites may have a remanence of thermal and chemical origin as a result of the complex magnetic mineralogy and variations in the thermal and alteration history. We examined three stratigraphic sections through the ~0.76 Ma Bishop Tuff, where independent information on postemplacement cooling and alteration is available, as a test of the suitability of ignimbrites for paleointensity studies. Thermomagnetic curves suggest that low-Ti titanomagnetite (T_c = 560°C–580°C) is the dominant phase, with a …

A Collaborative Approach To Building A Student Information And Technology Literacy Program, Kenetha Stanton

Kenetha Stanton

This is a brief overview of the Information Commons program at Butler University presented during an EDUCAUSE Midwest Lightning Round. The Information Commons is professional development program jointly sponsored by The Center for Academic Technology (formerly Instructional Technology) and the Butler Libraries for student staff that provides information and technology literacy support to Butler students through scheduled desk hours and peer-to-peer training and consulting.

Conference Proceedings 3rd International Scientific Conference On “Energy Systems With It” At Alvsjö Fair In Association With Energitinget March 16-17 2010, Dr. Erik Dahlquist, Dr. Jenny Palm

Dr. Erik Dahlquist

2010 “The Energiting” is performed for the 12th time. The International Scientific conference is arranged for the 3rd time. The organisers are Swedish Energy Agency, Mälardalen University and the Research School for Energy Systems with LiU, KTH, UU and CTH. The first topic will be “Energy systems” covering use of renewable energy sources, energy conversion and process efficiency improvement with new technologies, as well as societal aspects of the introduction of new technologies. The second topic is “Energy and IT”. This covers energy and load management, interaction between production, distribution and “consumption”, usage of data for decision support and control, …

Panel Count Data Regression With Informative Observation Times, Petra Buzkova

UW Biostatistics Working Paper Series

When patients are monitored for potentially recurrent events such as infections or tumor metastases, it is common for clinicians to ask patients to come back sooner for follow-up based on the results of the most recent exam. This means that subjects’ observation times will be irregular and related to subject-specific factors. Previously proposed methods for handling such panel count data assume that the dependence between the events process and the observation time process is time-invariant. This article considers situations where the observation times are predicted by time-varying factors, such as the outcome observed at the last visit or cumulative exposure. …

Normal And Reverse Faulting Driven By The Subduction Zone Earthquake Cycle In The Northern Chilean Forearc, John P. Loveless, Richard W. Allmendinger, Matthew E. Pritchard, Gabriel González

Geosciences: Faculty Publications

Despite its location in a convergent tectonic setting, the Coastal Cordillera of northern Chile between 21°S and 25°S is dominated by structures demonstrating extension in the direction of plate convergence. In some locations, however, normal faults have been reactivated as reverse faults, complicating the interpretation of long-term strain. In order to place these new observations in a tectonic context, we model stress changes induced on these faults by the subduction earthquake cycle. Our simulations predict that interseismic locking on the plate boundary encourages normal slip on fore-arc faults, which may result from elastic rebound due to interplate earthquakes or from …

Determination Of Energy Level Excitation States Of Time Dependent Optogalvanic Signals In A Discharge Plasma, Michael Christopher Blosser

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

When tuning a laser between two excited energy levels of the atoms in a discharge plasma, the discharge current will temporarily be disturbed. This disturbance or change in current is the optogalvanic effect (OGE). The fundamental goal of this project is to determine the exponential rates in the time-dependent OGE signals. These rates are related to the collision rates for the atoms in the plasma. The OGE data will be experimentally recorded, fitted, and analyzed to extract the exponential rates related to the energy levels of the atom in gas in the discharge lamp.

Data Summary From The Tampa Bay Interagency Seagrass Monitoring Program Through Year 2008, Walt Avery, Roger Johansson

Reports

In 1997, the TBEP coordinated the creation of a bay-wide fixed transect seagrass monitoring program. The primary goal of the program is to document temporal and spatial changes in seagrass species composition, abundance, and distribution along a depth gradient. Several bay area agencies committed personnel and equipment to the program. Data collection from 60 transects began in 1998. Currently, 62 transects are monitored due to revisions in transect selection and location. This paper presents a general summary of Tampa Bay seagrass trends from 1998-2008

Mapping System Management Of Two Erps (Oracle Ebusiness Suit And Peoplesoft), Eric Hernandez

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

Due to the fact that Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) vendors provide business solutions to address similar business challenges, most ERP products have a lot of similar components and functionalities. Using these similar components and functionalities, ERP system management of one ERP product can be mapped to a different ERP product. In this particular case, E-Business Suite's (EBS) system management is mapped against PeopleSoft (PS). By having an EBS Administrator indirectly collaborate with a PS administrator, a system management mapping table linking the two ERP systems was established. By allowing an EBS Administrator handle PS systems using the mapping solution, the …

The Use Of Olap Reporting Technology To Improve Patient Care Services Decision Making Within The University Health Center, Carlos M. Gonzalez

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate that it is feasible for the student health center to leverage existing clinical data in a data warehouse by using OLAP reporting in order to improve patient care and health care services decision making. Historically, University health care centers have relied mainly on operational data sources for critical health care decision making. These sources of data do not contain enough information to allow health officials to recognize trends or predict how future changes in health care services might vastly improve overall heath care. Four proof of concept artifacts are constructed through design …

Radiation Emission From Wrinkled Sige/Sige Nanostructure, A. I. Fedorchenko, H. H. Cheng, Greg Sun, R. A. Soref

Physics Faculty Publications

Semiconductor optical emitters radiate light via band-to-band optical transitions. Here, a different mechanism of radiation emission, which is not related to the energy band of the materials, is proposed. In the case of carriers traveling along a sinusoidal trajectory through a wrinkled nanostructure, radiation was emitted via changes in their velocity in a manner analogous to synchrotron radiation. The radiated frequency of wrinkled SiGe/SiGe nanostructure was found to cover a wide spectrum with radiation power levels of the order of submilliwatts. Thus, this nanostructure can be used as a Si-based optical emitter and it will enable the integration of optoelectronic …

Extensions Of Nearest Shrunken Centroid Method For Classification, Tomohiko Funai

Theses and Dissertations

Stylometry assumes that the essence of the individual style of an author can be captured using a number of quantitative criteria, such as the relative frequencies of noncontextual words (e.g., or, the, and, etc.). Several statistical methodologies have been developed for authorship analysis. Jockers et al. (2009) utilize Nearest Shrunken Centroid (NSC) classification, a promising classification methodology in DNA microarray analysis for authorship analysis of the Book of Mormon. Schaalje et al. (2010) develop an extended NSC classification to remedy the problem of a missing author. Dabney (2005) and Koppel et al. (2009) suggest other modifications of NSC. This paper …

Light-Driven Nanoscale Chiral Molecular Switch: Reversible Dynamic Full Range Color Phototuning, Ji Ma, Yannian Li, Timothy White, Augustine Urbas, Quan Li

Quan Li

A light-driven nanoscale chiral molecular switch was found to impart its chirality to an achiral liquid crystal host to form a self-organized, optically tunable helical superstructure capable of fast and reversible phototuning of the structural reflection across the entire visible region.

Likelihood Ratio Testing For Admixture Models With Application To Genetic Linkage Analysis, Chong-Zhi Di, Kung-Yee Liang

Johns Hopkins University, Dept. of Biostatistics Working Papers

We consider likelihood ratio tests (LRT) and their modifications for homogeneity in admixture models. The admixture model is a special case of two component mixture model, where one component is indexed by an unknown parameter while the parameter value for the other component is known. It has been widely used in genetic linkage analysis under heterogeneity, in which the kernel distribution is binomial. For such models, it is long recognized that testing for homogeneity is nonstandard and the LRT statistic does not converge to a conventional 2 distribution. In this paper, we investigate the asymptotic behavior of the LRT for …

Self-Trapping Of Optical Vortices At The Surface Of An Induced Semi-Infinite Photonic Lattice, Dh Song, Cb Lou, Kjh Law, Lq Tang, Zy Ye, Pg Kevrekidis, Jj Xu, Zg Chen

Panos Kevrekidis

We demonstrate self-trapping of singly-charged vortices at the surface of an optically induced two-dimensional photonic lattice. Under appropriate conditions of self-focusing nonlinearity, a singly-charged vortex beam can self-trap into a stable semi-infinite gap surface vortex soliton through a four-site excitation. However, a single-site excitation leads to a quasi-localized state in the first photonic gap, and our theoretical analysis illustrates that such a bandgap surface vortex soliton is always unstable. Our experimental results of stable and unstable topological surface solitons are corroborated by direct numerical simulations and linear stability analysis.

Applications Of Descriptive Set Theory In Homotopy Theory, Samuel M. Corson

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents new theorems in homotopy theory, in particular it generalizes a theorem of Saharon Shelah. We employ a technique used by Janusz Pawlikowski to show that certain Peano continua have a least nontrivial homotopy group that is finitely presented or of cardinality continuum. We also use this technique to give some relative consistency results.

Contribution Of Soil Moisture Feedback To Hydroclimatic Variability, Nir Krakauer, B. I. Cook, M. J. Puma

Publications and Research

While a variety of model experiments and analyses of observations have explored the impact of soil moisture variation on climate, it is not yet clear how large or detectable soil moisture feedback is across spatial and temporal scales. Here, we study the impact of dynamic versus climatological soil moisture in the GISS GCM ModelE (with prescribed sea-surface temperatures) on the variance and on the spatial and temporal correlation scale of hydrologically relevant climate variables (evaporation, precipitation, temperature, cloud cover) over the land surface. We also confirm that synoptic variations in soil moisture have a substantial impact on the mean climate …

A Geospatial Database Of Tree Islands Within The Mustang Corner Fire Incident Of 2008, Pablo L. Ruiz, Michael S. Ross, Jay P. Sah

SERC Research Reports

Fire, which affects community structure and composition at all trophic levels, is an integral component of the Everglades ecosystem (Wade et al. 1980; Lockwood et al. 2003). Without fire, the Everglades as we know it today would be a much different place. This is particularly true for the short-hydroperiod marl prairies that predominate on the eastern and western flanks of Shark River Slough, Everglades National Park (Figure 1). In general, fire in a tropical or sub-tropical grassland community favors the dominance of C4 grasses over C3 species (Roscoe et al. 2000; Briggs et al. 2005). Within this pyrogenic graminoid community …

Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry For The Characterization Of Covalent And Noncovalent Polynuclear Platinum Compounds Interacting With Bio-Molecules, John Mangrum

Theses and Dissertations

Polynuclear platinum compounds represent a new class of potential platinum anticancer therapeutics. Derived from the most widely used platinum anticancer drug, cisplatin, these novel compounds are distinct in their interactions with bio-molecules. The effectiveness of platinum anticancer agents is influenced by three pharmacological factors: (i) their resistance to deactivating sulfur nucleophiles, (ii) the ability to gain cellular entry and efficient cellular uptake, and (iii) the ability to form stable and specific complexes with DNA. BBR 3464, the first multinuclear platinum compound to reach phase II clinical trials, has created a new approach to cancer drug design. Large, highly charged platinum …

The Role Of Algorithmic Decision Processes In Decision Automation: Three Case Studies, Blake Edward Durtschi

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis develops a new abstraction for solving problems in decision automation. Decision automation is the process of creating algorithms which use data to make decisions without the need for human intervention. In this abstraction, four key ideas/problems are highlighted which must be considered when solving any decision problem. These four problems are the decision problem, the learning problem, the model reduction problem, and the verification problem. One of the benefits of this abstraction is that a wide range of decision problems from many different areas can be broken down into these four “key” sub-problems. By focusing on these key …

Quantum Information Encoding, Protection, And Correction From Trace-Norm Isometries, Francesco Ticozzi, Lorenza Viola

Dartmouth Scholarship

We introduce the notion of trace-norm isometric encoding and explore its implications for passive and active methods for protecting quantum information against errors. Beside providing an operational foundation to the “subsystems principle” [E. Knill, Phys. Rev. A 74, 042301 (2006)] for faithfully realizing quantum information in physical systems, our approach allows additional explicit connections between noiseless, protectable, and correctable quantum codes to be identified. Robustness properties of isometric encodings against imperfect initialization and/or deviations from the intended error models are also analyzed.