Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Physical, Thermal, And Spectroscopic Characterization Of Biofield Energy Treated Methyl-2-Naphthyl Ether, Mahendra Kumar Trivedi, Alice Branton, Dahryn Trivedi, Gopal Nayak, Khemraj Bairwa, Snehasis Jana

Mahendra Kumar Trivedi

Convergence Rates And Hölder Estimates In Almost-Periodic Homogenization Of Elliptic Systems, Zhongwei Shen

Mathematics Faculty Publications

For a family of second-order elliptic systems in divergence form with rapidly oscillating, almost-periodic coefficients, we obtain estimates for approximate correctors in terms of a function that quantifies the almost periodicity of the coefficients. The results are used to investigate the problem of convergence rates. We also establish uniform Hölder estimates for the Dirichlet problem in a bounded C^1,α domain.

Effects Of Interferons And Double-Stranded Rna On Human Prostate Cancer Cell Apoptosis, Haiyan Tan, Chun Zeng, Junbo Xie, Norah J. Alghamdi, Ya Song, Hongbing Zhang, Aimin Zhou, Di Jin

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Prostate cancer is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer among men in the United States. Prostate cancer therapy is severely hampered by lack of response and development of resistance to conventional chemotherapeutic drugs in patients. Therefore, the development and discovery of new drugs have become an urgent clinical need. Interferons (IFNs), a family of pleiotropic cytokines, exert antitumor activities due to their anti-proliferative, immunomodulatory and proapoptotic functions. Here, we report that pretreatment of prostate cancer PC-3 cells with IFNs sensitized these cells to double-stranded RNAs (dsRNAs)-induced apoptosis. The enhancement effect of IFN treatment was dependent on IFN subtypes, in particular, …

First Observation Of Cp Violation In ¯B0→D(*)Cph0 Decays By A Combined Time-Dependent Analysis Of Babar And Belle Data, A. Abdesselam Et Al

Faculty Articles

We report a measurement of the time-dependent CP asymmetry of ¯B0→D(*)CPh0 decays, where the light neutral hadron h0 is a π0, η, or ω meson, and the neutral D meson is reconstructed in the CP eigenstates K+K−, K0Sπ0, or K0Sω. The measurement is performed combining the final data samples collected at the Υ(4S) resonance by the BABAR and Belle experiments at the asymmetric-energy B factories PEP-II at SLAC and KEKB at KEK, respectively. The data samples contain (471±3)×106B¯B pairs recorded by the BABAR detector and (772±11)×106B¯B pairs recorded by the Belle detector. We measure the CP asymmetry parameters −ηfS=+0.66±0.10(stat)±0.06(syst) and …

Emergence Of Room-Temperature Ferroelectricity At Reduced Dimensions, D. A. Tenne

Physics Faculty Publications and Presentations

The enhancement of the functional properties of materials at reduced dimensions is crucial for continuous advancements in nanoelectronic applications. Here, we report that the scale reduction leads to the emergence of an important functional property – ferroelectricity, challenging the long-standing notion that ferroelectricity is inevitably suppressed at the scale of a few nanometers. A combination of theoretical calculations, electrical measurements, and structural analyses provides evidence of room-temperature ferroelectricity in strain-free epitaxial nanometer-thick films of otherwise non-ferroelectric SrTiO₃. We show that electrically-induced alignment of naturally existing polar nanoregions is responsible for the appearance of a stable net ferroelectric polarization …

Differential Effects Of Munc18s On Multiple Degranulation-Relevant Trans-Snare Complexes, Hao Xu, Matthew Grant Arnold, Sushmitha Vijay Kumar

Faculty Publications

Mast cell exocytosis, which includes compound degranulation and vesicle-associated piecemeal degranulation, requires multiple Q- and R- SNAREs. It is not clear how these SNAREs pair to form functional trans-SNARE complexes and how these trans-SNARE complexes are selectively regulated for fusion. Here we undertake a comprehensive examination of the capacity of two Q-SNARE subcomplexes (syntaxin3/SNAP-23 and syntaxin4/SNAP-23) to form fusogenic trans-SNARE complexes with each of the four granule-borne R-SNAREs (VAMP2, 3, 7, 8). We report the identification of at least six distinct trans-SNARE complexes under enhanced tethering conditions: i) VAMP2/syntaxin3/SNAP-23, ii) VAMP2/syntaxin4/SNAP-23, iii) VAMP3/syntaxin3/SNAP-23, iv) VAMP3/syntaxin4/SNAP-23, v) VAMP8/syntaxin3/SNAP-23, and vi) VAMP8/syntaxin4/SNAP-23. …

Geology & Geography News, Georgia Southern University

School of Earth, Environment, and Sustainability News (2013-2021)

• Georgia Southern Faculty Research Receives National Attention

Cosm News, Georgia Southern University

College of Science and Mathematics News (2012-2019)

• Georgia Southern Faculty Research Receives National Attention

Antimalarial Drug Discovery Using Triazoles To Overcome Chloroquine Resistance, Elias Sibhatu Tesfaselassie

Dissertations and Theses

Malaria is considered as one of the most prevalent and debilitating diseases affecting humans. Plasmodium falciparum is the most virulent form of the parasite which developed resistance to several antimalarial drugs. Chloroquine is one of the most successful antimalarials developed that is safe, effective, and cheap. However, its use has been limited due to the emergence of drug resistance. Click chemistry, particularly, the copper(I)-catalyzed reaction between azides and alkynes has shown to have a cutting-edge advantage in medicinal chemistry by its reliability, selectivity and biocompatibility.

Triazole-based antimalarials were synthesized via copper(I)-catalyzed alkyne-azide cycloaddition reaction by modifying the aliphatic chains terminal …

Molecular Helices As Electron Acceptors In High-Performance Bulk Heterojunction Solar Cells, Yu Zhong, M. Tuan Trinh, Rongsheng Chen, Geoffrey E. Purdum, Petr P. Khlyabich, Melda Sezen, Seokjoon Oh, Haiming Zhu, Brandon Fowler, Boyuan Zhang, Wei Wang, Chang-Yong Nam, Matthew Y. Sfeir, Charles T. Black, Michael L. Steigerwald, Yueh-Lin Loo, Fay Ng, X.-Y. Zhu, Colin Nuckolls

Publications and Research

Despite numerous organic semiconducting materials synthesized for organic photovoltaics in the past decade, fullerenes are widely used as electron acceptors in highly efficient bulk-heterojunction solar cells. None of the non-fullerene bulk heterojunction solar cells have achieved efficiencies as high as fullerene-based solar cells. Design principles for fullerene-free acceptors remain unclear in the field. Here we report examples of helical molecular semiconductors as electron acceptors that are on par with fullerene derivatives in efficient solar cells. We achieved an 8.3% power conversion efficiency in a solar cell, which is a record high for non-fullerene bulk heterojunctions. Femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy revealed …

Modeling, Designing, And Implementing An Ad-Hoc M-Learning Platform That Integrates Sensory Data To Support Ubiquitous Learning, Hien M. Nguyen

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Learning at any-time, at anywhere, using any mobile computing platform learning (which we refer to as “education in your palm”) empowers informal and formal education. It supports the continued creation of knowledge outside a classroom, after-school programs, community-based organizations, museums, libraries, and shopping malls with under-resourced settings. In doing so, it fosters the continued creation of a cumulative body of knowledge in informal and formal education. Anytime, anywhere, using any device computing platform learning means that students are not required to attend traditional classroom settings in order to learn. Instead, students will be able to access and share learning resources …

The Firece Green Fire: Vol. 6 Issue 2, Wofford College Environmental Studies Program

The Fierce Green Fire

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Foam Rolling Duration On Hamstring Range Of Motion, Grace Couture, Dustin Karlik, Stephen C. Glass, Brian M. Hatzel

Funded Articles

Musculoskeletal health benefits from flexibility training and maintaining a functional, or sport specific, range of motion is important to one’s overall fitness. Commercial foam rollers are commonly used in gyms, therapy clinics and homes, yet data are lacking on the optimal rolling duration and effect on range of motion.

Dynamic Studies Of Guest Molecules In Metal-Organic Frameworks Using Solid-State Nmr, Yuanjun Lu

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are a new class of porous materials that possess large three-dimensional voids in their structures. In this work, Solid-state NMR (SSNMR) is used to examine the dynamics of guest molecules at various temperatures in MOFs that possess different types of channels. Chapter 2 introduces the ¹³CO₂ adsorption behavior in α-Mg formate studied by ¹³C SSNMR in conjunction with molecular dynamic simulation. ¹H-¹³C cross polarization technique has successfully determined the adsorption sites of CO₂ in this type of MOF to be hydrogen atoms. The dynamic analysis detects that at low temperature, …

Adaptive Automation Design And Implementation, Jason M. Bindewald

Theses and Dissertations

Automations allow us to reduce the need for humans in certain environments, such as auto-pilot features on unmanned aerial vehicles. However, some situations still require human intervention. Adaptive automation is a research field that enables computer systems to adjust the amount of automation by taking over tasks from or giving tasks back to the user. This research develops processes and insights for adaptive automation designers to take theoretical adaptive automation ideas and develop them into real-world adaptive automation system. These allow developers to design better automation systems that recognize the limits of computers systems, enabling better designs for systems in …

A System-Level Throughput Model For Quantum Key Distribution, Robert C. Cernera

Theses and Dissertations

Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) is an innovative technology which exploits the laws of quantum mechanics to generate and distribute shared secret keying material. QKD systems generate and distribute key by progressing through a number of distinct phases, typically in a serial manner. The purpose of this research is to identify these phases, their relationships to each other, as well as their relationship to time, memory space, computational requirements, and hardware resources. A mathematical model is developed which enables the study of critical system parameters, identifies and demonstrates potential bottlenecks that affect the overall key generation rate of serial implementations, and …

Modeling Radiation Effectiveness For Inactivation Of Bacillus Spores, Emily A. Knight

Theses and Dissertations

This research models and analyzes the inactivation of Bacillus spores following a radiation exposure and the process enacted by the Bacillus spore to repair the resulting damage. Irradiation of a spore and the medium surrounding the spore induces chemical reactions that produce reactive oxygen species (ROS). This research will consider the reaction- diffusion of these ROS throughout the spore. These ROS can react with the spore's DNA and enzymes to degrade them to such an extent that the DNA cannot be repaired or replicated, thus causing spore death. In order to survive a dose of radiation, a spore must repair …

Testing The Adequacy Of A Semi-Markov Process, Richard S. Seymour

Theses and Dissertations

Due to the versatility of its structure, the semi-Markov process is a powerful modeling tool used to describe complex systems. Though similar in structure to continuous time Markov chains, semi-Markov processes allow for any transition time distribution which enables these processes to t a wider range of problems than the continuous time Markov chain. While semi-Markov processes have been applied in fields as varied as biostatistics and finance, there does not exist a theoretically-based, systematic method to determine if a semi-Markov process accurately fits the underlying data used to create the model. In fields such as regression and analysis of …

Experimental And Theoretical Basis For A Closed-Form Spectral Brdf Model, Samuel D. Butler

Theses and Dissertations

The microfacet class of BRDF models is frequently used to calculate optical scatter from realistic surfaces using geometric optics, but has the disadvantage of not being able to consider wavelength dependence. This dissertation works toward development of a closed-form approximation to the BRDF that is suitable for hyperspectral remote sensing by presenting measured BRDF data of 12 different materials at four different incident angles and up to seven different wavelengths between 3.39 and 10.6 micrometer. The data was intended to be fit to various microfacet BRDF models to determine an appropriate form of the wavelength scaling. However, when fitting the …

How To Make Business Processes "Socialize"?, Zakaria Maamar, Noura Faci, Ejub Kajan, Sherif Sakr, Mohamed Boukhebouze, Ahmed Barnawi

All Works

This paper presents an approach that builds upon social computing principles to make business processes; "socialize". First the approach identifies the main components of a business process that are task, person, and; machine. A task is a work unit that forms with other tasks a business process and that a person and/ormachine; execute. Afterwards the approach enriches a business process with details captured from the (execution; and social) relations that connect tasks together, persons together, and machines together. While execution; relations are widely reported in the literature, there is a growing interest in studying the role of social; relations in …

Temperature Dependent Rubidium-Helium Line Shapes And Fine Structure Mixing Rates, Wooddy S. Miller

Theses and Dissertations

Diode Pumped Alkali Lasers (DPALs) are a new type of laser that uses alkali metal vapor as a gain medium and a buffer gas to control the line shape and kinetics. While these systems were first demonstrated in 2003 [48] they have just recently been scaled to the kilowatt power levels in 2012 [18]. To achieve these powers, the design of the gain cell relied on a set of incomplete line shape and kinetic data. The current focus areas of DPAL research are the continued power scaling of the systems and basic science research into the rates involved within the …

An Analysis Of Conus Based Deployment Of Pseudolites For Positioning, Navigation And Timing (Pnt) Systems, Justin H. Deifel, Albert J. Pena

Theses and Dissertations

The Global Positioning System (GPS) developed and operated by the United States Air Force (USAF) provides a way for users to determine position, navigation and timing (PNT). GPS provides an extraordinary capability that has become instrumental in all aspects of our day to day lives. As new technologies such as automated vehicles and unmanned aircraft continue to be developed, a reliable back up to GPS is required to ensure the PNT data generated in these systems is accurate. This research studies a potential architecture for deploying a nationwide network of ground based pseudolites that would act to supplement and backup …

Comprehensive Analysis Of Emerging New Psychoactive Substances By Ion Mobility Spectrometry And Mass Spectrometry, Seongshin Gwak

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the new era of drug abuse, the proliferation of new psychoactive substances (NPS), commonly referred to as designer drugs or legal highs, has been a global concern. These substances are produced to circumvent current legislation for controlled substances with minor modifications in their chemical structure. Although many efforts have been made previously, the characterization of such substances are still challenging because of (1) the continual emergence of newly identified substances, (2) the lack of a universal screening test for NPS that are structurally similar to each other, and (3) the complex and time-consuming chromatographic techniques currently used. Therefore, it …

Field Observations And Novel Methodologies For Carbon System Assessments In Coastal Waters, Bo Yang

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Coastal zones receive massive terrestrial inputs of nutrients and organic matter, and play an important role in biogeochemical cycles. The interactions of river inputs, ocean currents, atmospheric exchanges, anthropogenic influences, and biologically active ecosystems make CO₂ system studies in coastal waters highly challenging. This work focuses on improving our understanding of the CO₂ system in coastal waters through (1) development of a new methodology for measurements of CO₂ system parameters in the field; (2) observations of large spatial and temporal CO₂ system variations in coastal waters; and (3) characterization of the influence of organics on CO …

Bio-Photoelectrochemical Solar Cells Incorporating Reaction Center And Reaction Center Plus Light Harvesting Complexes, Houman Yaghoubi

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Harvesting solar energy can potentially be a promising solution to the energy crisis now and in the future. However, material and processing costs continue to be the most important limitations for the commercial devices. A key solution to these problems might lie within the development of bio-hybrid solar cells that seeks to mimic photosynthesis to harvest solar energy and to take advantage of the low material costs, negative carbon footprint, and material abundance. The bio-photoelectrochemical cell technologies exploit biomimetic means of energy conversion by utilizing plant-derived photosystems which can be inexpensive and ultimately the most sustainable alternative. Plants and photosynthetic …

Bayesian Inference On Longitudinal Semi-Continuous Substance Abuse/Dependence Symptoms Data, Dongyuan Xing

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Substance use data such as alcohol drinking often contain a high proportion of zeros. In studies examining the alcohol consumption in college students, for instance, many students may not drink in the studied period, resulting in a number of zeros. Zero-inflated continuous data, also called semi continuous data, typically consist of a mixture of a degenerate distribution at the origin (zero) and a right-skewed, continuous distribution for the positive values. Ignoring the extreme non-normality in semi-continuous data may lead to substantially biased estimates and inference. Longitudinal or repeated measures of semi-continuous data present special challenges in statistical inference because of …

Photoacoustic Calorimetry Studies Of The Earliest Events In Horse Heart Cytochrome-C Folding, Tarah A. Word

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The protein folding problem involves understanding how the tertiary structure of a protein is related to its primary structure. Hence, understanding the thermodynamics associated with the rate-limiting steps for the formation of the earliest events in folding is most crucial to understanding how proteins adopt native secondary and tertiary structures. In order to elucidate the mechanism and pattern of protein folding, an extensively studied protein, Cytochrome-c (Cc), was chosen as a folding system to obtain detailed time-resolved thermodynamic profiles for the earliest events in the protein folding process. Cytochrome-c is an ideal system for understanding the folding process for several …

Radial Versus Othogonal And Minimal Projections Onto Hyperplanes In L_4^3, Richard Alan Warner

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, we study the relationship between radial projections, and orthogonal and minimal projections in l_4^3. Specifically, we calculate the norm of the maximum radial projection and we prove that the hyperplane constant, with respect to the radial projection, is not achieved by a minimal projection in this space. We will also show our numerical results, obtained using computer software, and use them to approximate the norms of the radial, orthogonal, and minimal projections in l_4^3. Specifically, we show, numerically, that the maximum minimal projection is attained for ker{1,1,1} as well as compute the norms for the maximum radial …

Dual 7-Degree-Of-Freedom Robotic Arm Remote Teleoperation Using Haptic Devices, Yu-Cheng Wang

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A teleoperated system of dual redundant manipulator will be controlled in this thesis. The robot used with the dual redundant manipulator in this thesis is Baxter. Baxter’s redundant robot arms are 7-degree-of-freedom arms. The problem that will be solved in this thesis is optimization of the 7-degree-of-freedom robot arms. The control algorithm of the 7-degree-of-freedom robot arms will be discussed and built. A simulation program will be built to test the control algorithm. Based on the control algorithm, a teleoperation system will be created for Baxter. The controller used is Omni, which is a six-joint haptic device. Omni will also …

Nanomechanical And Nanotribological Characterization Of Sub-Micron Polymeric Spheres, Himanshu Kumar Verma

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Friction between nanoscale objects has been a subject of great interest and intense research effort for the last two decades. However, the vast majority of the work done in this area has focused upon the sliding friction between two rigid, atomically smooth surfaces. Thus the parameter most explored has been the corrugation in the atomic potentials and how this affects the force required to slide one object across another. In truth, many nanoscale objects whose translation force is of practical interest are more spherical in nature. We hypothesize that the factors that determine the translation force will be related, not …