Current Search: FAU (x) » Periodicals (x) » abstract (x)
View All Items
Pages
- Title
- Quantum isotropy and dynamical quantum symmetry reduction.
- Creator
- Hogan, Matthew, Beetle, Christopher, Engle, Jonathan S., Graduate College, Mendonca, P.
- Abstract/Description
-
We give a diffeomorphism and gauge covariant condition equivalent to homogeneity and isotropy which can be quantized, yielding a definition of a diffeomorphism-invariant, homogeneous isotropic sector of loop quantum gravity without fixing a graph. We then specialize this condition to Bianchi I cosmologies, in which case it becomes a condition for isotropy. We show how, by quantizing and imposing this condition in Bianchi I loop quantum cosmology, one exactly recovers isotropic loop quantum...
Show moreWe give a diffeomorphism and gauge covariant condition equivalent to homogeneity and isotropy which can be quantized, yielding a definition of a diffeomorphism-invariant, homogeneous isotropic sector of loop quantum gravity without fixing a graph. We then specialize this condition to Bianchi I cosmologies, in which case it becomes a condition for isotropy. We show how, by quantizing and imposing this condition in Bianchi I loop quantum cosmology, one exactly recovers isotropic loop quantum cosmology, including the usual ‘improved dynamics.’ We will also discuss how this reduction sheds light on which operator ordering to use when defining operators corresponding to directional Hubble rates, expansion, and shear quantities relevant for discussing the resolution of the initial singularity.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2014
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00005821
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Fire ants in sea-turtle nesting areas: A distribution survey of invasive ants in Boca Raton, FL.
- Creator
- Romais, Danielle K., Wetterer, James K., Markwith, Scott, Graduate College
- Abstract/Description
-
The red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta, is native to South America and was introduced to Alabama in the 1930s. This predatory species rapidly spread throughout the southeastern US and parts of the West Indies, causing serious ecological and economic impacts. Solenopsis invicta is known to attack the eggs and hatchlings of ground nesting birds and reptiles. The ants also swarm into sea turtle nests attacking hatchlings and diminishing their chance for survival. This study is part of a...
Show moreThe red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta, is native to South America and was introduced to Alabama in the 1930s. This predatory species rapidly spread throughout the southeastern US and parts of the West Indies, causing serious ecological and economic impacts. Solenopsis invicta is known to attack the eggs and hatchlings of ground nesting birds and reptiles. The ants also swarm into sea turtle nests attacking hatchlings and diminishing their chance for survival. This study is part of a larger research that aimed to survey the distribution of ants at a sea turtle nesting beaches in South Florida and St. Croix, USVI. This particular study was conducted in Boca Raton, Florida. Besides providing a baseline dataset on ant species distribution in the area, this study also aimed at validating the survey methodology by finding consistency in the distribution over multiple days surveyed. The results indicate that, although more detailed surveys would produce more thorough results, we can state that the methodology is consistent in determining species distribution.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2014
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00005851
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Corrosion Propagation in Dry-Cast Reinforced Concrete Pipes.
- Creator
- Weber, Brian W., Presuel-Moreno, Francisco, Graduate College
- Abstract/Description
-
Dry-cast reinforced concrete pipes (D-C-RCP) have been used as drainage pipes by the Florida Department of Transportation and other DOTs in the United States. Corrosion of the steel reinforcement embedded in concrete is a major economic burden for bridges and other structures subjected to de-icing salts, or harsh marine environments. This study investigates the corrosion propagation of instrumented specimens obtained from segments of two types of D-CRCPs (Types F and C). The objectives of...
Show moreDry-cast reinforced concrete pipes (D-C-RCP) have been used as drainage pipes by the Florida Department of Transportation and other DOTs in the United States. Corrosion of the steel reinforcement embedded in concrete is a major economic burden for bridges and other structures subjected to de-icing salts, or harsh marine environments. This study investigates the corrosion propagation of instrumented specimens obtained from segments of two types of D-CRCPs (Types F and C). The objectives of this study are to better understand the mechanism of corrosion propagation in D-C-RCPs and to identify the factors that affect the corrosion propagation. Potential, depolarization, linear polarization resistance (LPR) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements were carried out to monitor the corrosion condition and the mechanistic properties of the reinforcement. A galvanostatic approach was used to accelerate the chloride transport to the steel surface until corrosion initiated. Once the specimen was declared active, the electric field was suspended. For ~250 days, the corrosion was monitored in the laboratory environment. The specimens were then transferred to a high humidity chamber and anodically polarized with a galvanostat to accelerate the corrosion propagation. The specimens were disconnected every two weeks to perform depolarization, LPR and EIS measurements. In the high humidity environment, type F specimens are exhibiting a higher corrosion rate most likely due to the smaller concrete cover allowing the chlorides to reach the steel rebar surface quicker and reach a higher chloride concentration. Results will be compared with conventional gravimetric weight loss measurements.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2014
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00005863
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Synaptic Architecture of Cortical Columns.
- Creator
- Wilson, Daniel E., Fitzpatrick, David, Graduate College
- Abstract/Description
-
The visual cortex of higher mammals, including humans, is arranged as to achieve a continuously varying map of features such as the orientation of contours in the environment. Previous studies used intrinsic signal and two-photon imaging to examine the functional composition of these cortical maps, but lacked the functional resolution to resolve the underlying synaptic architecture. Here, we exploited recent advances in genetically encoded calcium indicators to perform in vivo two photon...
Show moreThe visual cortex of higher mammals, including humans, is arranged as to achieve a continuously varying map of features such as the orientation of contours in the environment. Previous studies used intrinsic signal and two-photon imaging to examine the functional composition of these cortical maps, but lacked the functional resolution to resolve the underlying synaptic architecture. Here, we exploited recent advances in genetically encoded calcium indicators to perform in vivo two photon imaging of dendrites and dendritic spines in an animal with a mapped visual cortex. We found sharp orientation and direction tuning when we presented drifting gratings and imaged synaptic calcium transients from large numbers of dendritic spines in single neurons, obtaining synaptic maps of orientation preference. In addition, we implemented a newly developed two-photon microscope that uses acousto-optical deflectors to rapidly steer a pulsed laser in three dimensions. This technology allowed us to image 320 single cells in an 800x800x200 micron three-dimensional volume, which yielded a three-dimensional orientation map with single-cell resolution. In the future, we will perform fast, three-dimensional imaging of a single cell and its entire dendritic tree to monitor functional properties of a cell’s inputs and its somatic spiking output. These experiments will yield important insight into synaptic integration and sensory processing in cortical maps and how such organizing principles might be disrupted in disease states.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2014
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00005864
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Empirical Evidence and the Roberts Court: How Conservative Justices treat Social Science Research Data.
- Creator
- Bastidas, Boris, Lenz, Timothy, Graduate College
- Abstract/Description
-
This article examines the treatment of empirical research data by conservative Supreme Court Justices. Supreme Court case decisions have throughout the 20th and 21st centuries cited social science research that contribute to judicial decision making, with conservative justices often showing a pattern of skepticism justices towards social science research. 21 case rulings are examined to see how the conservative justices on the Supreme Court under Chief Justice John Roberts treat empirical...
Show moreThis article examines the treatment of empirical research data by conservative Supreme Court Justices. Supreme Court case decisions have throughout the 20th and 21st centuries cited social science research that contribute to judicial decision making, with conservative justices often showing a pattern of skepticism justices towards social science research. 21 case rulings are examined to see how the conservative justices on the Supreme Court under Chief Justice John Roberts treat empirical evidence in their decision-making. The treatment of evidence presented by the U.S. Government or Congress in considering the constitutionality of legislation is also examined. Analyzing the opinions found that the conservative justices tend to be skeptical of social science research and often criticize its use by liberal justices, but will cite data depending on the framing of the issue and their view on the reliability of the evidence. The opinions also suggest that while the conservative justices may cite empirical evidence in majority and dissent opinions such evidence does not take precedence over legal and ideologically influenced decision-making.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2014
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00005802
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Effects of Land Use on Nitrogen and Phosphorus Inputs to the Indian River Lagoon.
- Creator
- Lynch, Katelyn, Lapointe, Brian E., Graduate College
- Abstract/Description
-
Urban and residential land uses in the Indian River Lagoon IRL watershed contribute sewage and fertilizers to stormwater runoff, resulting in increased nitrogen N and phosphorous P loadings that can fuel harmful algal blooms. The goal of this project is to quantify dissolved concentrations of ammonium, nitrate and soluble reactive P in storm water from agricultural, natural, and urban land uses adjacent to seven of the canals and tributaries within the IRL watershed. Preliminary results based...
Show moreUrban and residential land uses in the Indian River Lagoon IRL watershed contribute sewage and fertilizers to stormwater runoff, resulting in increased nitrogen N and phosphorous P loadings that can fuel harmful algal blooms. The goal of this project is to quantify dissolved concentrations of ammonium, nitrate and soluble reactive P in storm water from agricultural, natural, and urban land uses adjacent to seven of the canals and tributaries within the IRL watershed. Preliminary results based on water samples taken at the beginning, middle and end of storm events at 10 sample points suggest initial spikes of soluble reactive P, nitrate and ammonia in storm water runoff. These results represent the first attempt to characterize nutrient concentrations of stormwater among various tributaries and land uses on the IRL.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2014
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00005835
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Solving approximate SVP in an Ideal Lattice using a cluster.
- Creator
- Khadka, Bal K., Magliveras, Spyros S., Graduate College
- Abstract/Description
-
The shortest vector problem SVP is de ned as follows: For a given basis B of an integral lattice L fi nd a vector v in L whose length is minimal. Here we present the result of our experiments based on a hill climbing algorithm using a computer cluster and a number of parallel executions of a standard basis reduction technique, such as LLL, to successfully reduce an initial basis of L. We begin by reducing ideal lattices of relatively small dimension and progressively reduce ideal lattices of...
Show moreThe shortest vector problem SVP is de ned as follows: For a given basis B of an integral lattice L fi nd a vector v in L whose length is minimal. Here we present the result of our experiments based on a hill climbing algorithm using a computer cluster and a number of parallel executions of a standard basis reduction technique, such as LLL, to successfully reduce an initial basis of L. We begin by reducing ideal lattices of relatively small dimension and progressively reduce ideal lattices of higher dimension, beating several earlier published solutions to the approximate SVP problem.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2014
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00005827
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Preparation and characterization of fSWCNT/HAp-nylon hybridized composite biomaterial and mechanical testing.
- Creator
- Khanal, Suraj P., Leventouri, Theodora, Graduate College
- Abstract/Description
-
Synthetic hydroxyapatite HAp bears poor mechanical properties that limit its applicability in orthopedics. We study the possibility of overcoming such limitations by incorporating functionalized single walled carbon nanotube fSWCNT and polymerized є- caprolactam. Sonication method was used to disperse fSWCNT in the HAp. A simple hot blending method was used to incorporate HAp/fSWCNT powder with melted polymerized є-caprolactam. The fracture toughness of the composite material was tested in...
Show moreSynthetic hydroxyapatite HAp bears poor mechanical properties that limit its applicability in orthopedics. We study the possibility of overcoming such limitations by incorporating functionalized single walled carbon nanotube fSWCNT and polymerized є- caprolactam. Sonication method was used to disperse fSWCNT in the HAp. A simple hot blending method was used to incorporate HAp/fSWCNT powder with melted polymerized є-caprolactam. The fracture toughness of the composite material was tested in compliance with ASTM D-5045 standard. A critical stress intensity factor K1C of the composite material was found to be 3.55 MPa.m1/2, which is a value comparable to the one for cortical bone.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2014
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00005828
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Applying Roach’s Six C’s of Caring to Gather Health Data through Telephone Interviewing.
- Creator
- Moffa, Christine M., Tappen, Ruth M., Liehr, Patricia, Graduate College
- Abstract/Description
-
The use of the telephone to speak to study participants about health-related issues is useful when logistics make it difficult for participant and researcher to meet in person. However, gaining the trust of the participant can be a challenge, partly due to fears of fraud and identity theft. A spirit of openness and caring must come across the telephone lines between interviewer and interviewee. Roach’s six C’s can be applied to convey a sense of caring, thereby relaxing the participant and...
Show moreThe use of the telephone to speak to study participants about health-related issues is useful when logistics make it difficult for participant and researcher to meet in person. However, gaining the trust of the participant can be a challenge, partly due to fears of fraud and identity theft. A spirit of openness and caring must come across the telephone lines between interviewer and interviewee. Roach’s six C’s can be applied to convey a sense of caring, thereby relaxing the participant and increasing their sense of safety to enhance the quantity and quality of health data being collected. According to Roach, caring is manifested through six C’s – compassion, competence, confidence, conscience, commitment, and comportment. Interviewers can be trained through role playing and scripting using Roach’s caring model. Compassion is expressed by being sensitive to the anxiety and apprehension they may feel toward receiving a call from a stranger, who is asking about health-related issues. Competence is expressed by being able to give the participant the information they need to have an understanding as to what they are consenting. Confidence is achieved by ensuring the participant that the information they share will be used appropriately and for the greater-good. Conscience is expressed by following ethical research protocols, adhering to confidentiality, and respecting the relationship with the research participant. Finally, interviewers manifest caring through comportment by identifying themselves with their name, credentials, and institution; addressing the participant formally; using language the participant can understand; and projecting caring through tone of voice.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2014
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00005839
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Mouth Motion and Growing Interest in Speech Drives the Developmental Shift in Infant Attention to the Mouth of a Talking Face.
- Creator
- Tift, Amy H., Minar, Nicholas J., Lewkowicz, David J., Graduate College
- Abstract/Description
-
Lewkowicz & Hansen-Tift found that when 4-month-old infants see and hear a person talking, they look more at her eyes but that 8- and 10-mo infants look more at her mouth. The developmental attentional shift to the mouth reflects infants’ growing interest in speech. Attention to the mouth enables infants to gain access to redundant and maximally salient audiovisual cues which then facilitate speech and language acquisition. We investigated the separate role of mouth movement and vocalization...
Show moreLewkowicz & Hansen-Tift found that when 4-month-old infants see and hear a person talking, they look more at her eyes but that 8- and 10-mo infants look more at her mouth. The developmental attentional shift to the mouth reflects infants’ growing interest in speech. Attention to the mouth enables infants to gain access to redundant and maximally salient audiovisual cues which then facilitate speech and language acquisition. We investigated the separate role of mouth movement and vocalization cues in the attentional shift from a talker’s eyes to the talker’s mouth. In 3 experiments, we used an eye-tracker to measure the proportion of attention infants, 4-, 8-, and 10-mo, allocate to the eyes and mouth of a static/silent face, a static/talking face, and a silently talking face. We found that when infants see a static person, they attend to the eyes. Lewkowicz & Hansen-Tift found that when infants see and hear a person talking, 4-mos look at the eyes whereas 8- and 10-mos look at the mouth. When infants see a silently talking person, only 10-mos look at the mouth. These findings demonstrate that the shift from the eyes to the mouth is mediated by three factors: dynamic visual speech cues, an emerging interest in speech, and the redundancy of audiovisual speech. Thus, younger infants are not interested in speech so they focus on the eyes, whereas older infants become interested in speech, shifting their focus to the mouth, but initially at 8 m, this shift requires that speech be multisensory.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2014
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00005857
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Unlocking the Phytotherapeutic Synergism between Beta-lapachone and Soybean-derived Genistein in Human Prostate cancer cells.
- Creator
- Oseni, Saheed Oluwasina, Sandoval-Bernal, Bibiana, Kumi-Diaka, James, Graduate College
- Abstract/Description
-
Prostate cancer after many years is still the second most common cancer in American men with about 233,000 new cases and 29,480 deaths estimated to be occurring in 2014. Despite the wide spectra of reports demonstrating the anti-cancer phytotherapeutic potentials of beta-lapachone and soybean-derived genistein in various tumors, little emphasis had been placed on their synergistic effects in androgen-independent PC3 and androgen-dependent LNCaP prostate cancer cell lines. In this study, we...
Show moreProstate cancer after many years is still the second most common cancer in American men with about 233,000 new cases and 29,480 deaths estimated to be occurring in 2014. Despite the wide spectra of reports demonstrating the anti-cancer phytotherapeutic potentials of beta-lapachone and soybean-derived genistein in various tumors, little emphasis had been placed on their synergistic effects in androgen-independent PC3 and androgen-dependent LNCaP prostate cancer cell lines. In this study, we aim to characterize the combined effects of genistein and b-lapachone on the phyto/chemosensitivity of LNCaP and PC3 human prostate cancer cells in-vitro, using MTT assay and LDH assay to study treatment-induced growth inhibition and cytotoxicity. Annexin-V-FITC and PI-TUNEL assays were also used to determine the potential treatment-induced apoptosis and/or necrosis. Our results revealed that both PC3 and LNCaP are phytosensitive to both single and combined treatments, though time-and dose-dependent. We observed that our treatments induced dual death pathways-apoptosis and necrosis-in both cell types and also observed that growth inhibition in both correlated positively with cell death in which, b-lapachone and genistein induced cell cycle arrest at the G1 and/or S phase and G2–M checkpoints respectively. Invariably, our results indicate that combination treatments with b-lapachone and genistein are more potent in killing both PC3 and LNCaP cancer cells than treatment with either genistein or b-lapachone alone. Our current results are therefore in agreement with the hypothesis that drugcombinations that target cell cycles at different critical checkpoints are more effective in causing cell death.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2014
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00005845
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Post-fire succession and carbon storage in the northern Everglades.
- Creator
- Reger, Lisa Marie, Benscoter, Brian, Graduate College
- Abstract/Description
-
This research will provide documentation of the trajectory of plant community succession and carbon accumulation post-fire as well as a comparison between the effects of natural versus prescribed fires on recovery trajectory. This study will take place in the A.R.M Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge. Historical fire records will be used to select sites along a chronosequence of time since the most recent occurrence of fire as well as sites differing in the source of ignition naturally...
Show moreThis research will provide documentation of the trajectory of plant community succession and carbon accumulation post-fire as well as a comparison between the effects of natural versus prescribed fires on recovery trajectory. This study will take place in the A.R.M Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge. Historical fire records will be used to select sites along a chronosequence of time since the most recent occurrence of fire as well as sites differing in the source of ignition naturally ignited vs. prescribed burns. Vegetation surveys will be performed to assess the pattern of community change through succession. Aboveground plant biomass will be estimated non-destructively at each site and soil cores from each plot will be used to quantify soil accretion and soil quality across the chronosequence. Additionally, monitoring control points will be established within both historically burned and new prescribed burned sites in the Refuge. These control points will be revisited in subsequent intervals to document short-term vegetation recovery. Results of this study will provide quantification of the effectiveness of fire management practices in the maintenance and restoration of quality habitat in the northern Everglades as well as provide further insight into how fire severity affects the trajectory of habitat recovery.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2014
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00005850
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Does technology matter? Effects of technology use on health literacy in older adults.
- Creator
- Swann, Elizabeth G., Bryan, Valerie, Graduate College
- Abstract/Description
-
This study explored the healthy aging process by: (a) examining the selected demographics of older adults in South Florida; (b) examining technology use of older adults in South Florida; (c) examining the health literacy levels of older adults in South Florida; and (d) determining whether a relationship exists between older adults living in South Florida use of technology and their health literacy levels. Variables explored included health literacy, education, ethnicity, and technology use....
Show moreThis study explored the healthy aging process by: (a) examining the selected demographics of older adults in South Florida; (b) examining technology use of older adults in South Florida; (c) examining the health literacy levels of older adults in South Florida; and (d) determining whether a relationship exists between older adults living in South Florida use of technology and their health literacy levels. Variables explored included health literacy, education, ethnicity, and technology use. The sample study included 102 older adults (age > 60) living in South Florida that had completed profiles on the South Florida Quality Aging Registry, a part of the Healthy Aging Research Initiative (HARI). The ethnicities of the participants among the South Florida Quality Aging Registry were African American (17%); Afro Caribbean (7.8%); Hispanic (10.7%); and European American (63.7%). The education mean was 15, indicating that the majority of participants had an education level equivalent to completing high school. The mean health literacy score was 3.88, demonstrating that the majority of the participants had moderate levels of health literacy. The mean technology use score was 7.5 on a scale of one through ten, indicating that the majority of the participants had a moderate level of technology use. Analysis of variance, correlation coefficients, and multiple regression analysis was used to explore the variables that may influence health literacy.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2014
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00005855
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Oil Price Shocks and Conditional Exchange Rate Volatility.
- Creator
- Volkov, Nikanor, Agapova, Anna, Graduate College
- Abstract/Description
-
This study investigates the effects of energy price shocks on exchange rate volatility in five major energy-producing countries Russia, Brazil, Mexico, Canada, and Norway. There are noticeable differences in the behavior of the exchange rate between emerging markets and advanced economies. Russia and Brazil exhibit different patterns from those of Canada and Norway in the direction and magnitude of conditional exchange rate volatility. The R2 for Russia and Brazil more than doubles when oil...
Show moreThis study investigates the effects of energy price shocks on exchange rate volatility in five major energy-producing countries Russia, Brazil, Mexico, Canada, and Norway. There are noticeable differences in the behavior of the exchange rate between emerging markets and advanced economies. Russia and Brazil exhibit different patterns from those of Canada and Norway in the direction and magnitude of conditional exchange rate volatility. The R2 for Russia and Brazil more than doubles when oil prices are incorporated into the fundamental model, but it increases only slightly for Canada and Norway. Our VAR analysis indicates that a one-standarddeviation increase in oil prices causes all currencies to appreciate after the shock, but the postshock adjustment process is relatively short in Norway and Canada and longer in Russia, Brazil, and Mexico. Our empirical analysis further reveals that there is evidence for positive overshooting in Russia and Brazil, and negative overshooting in Canada and Mexico. The asymmetric behavior of exchange rate volatility among countries seems to be related to the efficiency of financial and foreign exchange markets rather than to the importance of oil revenues in an economy.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2014
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00005860
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Environmental Siting Suitability Analysis for Commercial Scale Ocean Renewable Energy: A Southeast Florida Case Study.
- Creator
- Mulcan, Amanda, Hanson, Howard P., Graduate College
- Abstract/Description
-
The main goal of this study is to facilitate the siting and full-scale implementation of Florida Atlantic University Southeast National Marine Renewable Energy Center (FAU SNMREC) ocean current energy (OCE) projects as well as other future ocean projects offshore southeastern Florida through the analysis of benthic anchoring conditions. To realize this goal, this thesis will address the following objectives: 1) Assemble a comprehensive database of geologic and benthic parameters relevant to...
Show moreThe main goal of this study is to facilitate the siting and full-scale implementation of Florida Atlantic University Southeast National Marine Renewable Energy Center (FAU SNMREC) ocean current energy (OCE) projects as well as other future ocean projects offshore southeastern Florida through the analysis of benthic anchoring conditions. To realize this goal, this thesis will address the following objectives: 1) Assemble a comprehensive database of geologic and benthic parameters relevant to offshore southeast Florida OCE siting 2) Analyze seafloor geology core and grab samples in order to locate suitable substrate for anchoring 3) Analyze benthic biologic data to identify biologically sensitive areas which should be avoided in offshore southeast Florida OCE siting 4) Determine pathways for cables that avoid biologically sensitive areas 5) Create a finalized spatial layer identifying most likely offshore southeast Florida suitable areas based on seafloor geology, benthic communities and proximity to cables routes and 6) Discern what additional datasets are required to address offshore southeast Florida OCE siting. Preliminary results suggest near shore areas are unsuitable for OCE due to their high amounts of biologic activity, while areas further offshore likely contain sparse biologic presence and therefore are better suited for siting OCE. However, higher resolution benthic and seafloor core data will be necessary to gain a more comprehensive and accurate understanding of the substrate offshore southeastern Florida for the purposes of OCE development.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2014
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00005842
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Emotional Response during Human-Virtual Partner Interaction.
- Creator
- Zhang, Mengsen, Dumas, Guillaume, Kelso, J. A. Scott, Graduate College, Tognoli, Emmanuelle
- Abstract/Description
-
Emotion and coordinated movement complimentarily depicts our social experiences. How is motion colored? This study investigates variations in emotional responses during social coordination. Subjects were instructed to coordinate their finger movement with a Virtual Partner (VP), whose homologous movement was displayed as a video on the computer screen. The partner was driven by the Haken-Kelso-Bunz equations, an empirically validated model that captures behavioral and social coordination. It...
Show moreEmotion and coordinated movement complimentarily depicts our social experiences. How is motion colored? This study investigates variations in emotional responses during social coordination. Subjects were instructed to coordinate their finger movement with a Virtual Partner (VP), whose homologous movement was displayed as a video on the computer screen. The partner was driven by the Haken-Kelso-Bunz equations, an empirically validated model that captures behavioral and social coordination. It has been shown that people perceive VP as an intentional human agent. In each of 80 trials, subjects coordinated for 8 sec inphase or antiphase with VP, and then rated the partner’s intention (cooperation -VP intend same coordination pattern as human-, or competition) and subjective response to a Turing test of partners’ humanness. VP cooperated for half of the time, and could change its intention in the middle of a trial. Skin potential response (SPR) quantified the intensity of emotional responses. After validating the SPR measurements, we compared emotional responses by coordination pattern, cooperative~competitiveness, and humanness attribution. Subjects experienced higher emotional responses when they believed that their partner was human. This was observed both during coordination (ANOVA, p=0.020), and during rating (p=0.012). Furthermore during the rating period, higher emotional responses were found for cooperative behavior (p=0.012), modulated by VP’s change of intention and coordination pattern. This study suggests that emotional responses are strongly influenced by features of the partner’s behavior associated with humanness, cooperation and change of intention. Implications for mental health (e.g. autism) and design of socially cooperative machines will be discussed.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2014
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00005866
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Novel function of PTP69D in giant fiber synapse formation.
- Creator
- Lee, LaTasha Hoskins, Godenschwege, Tanja A., Graduate College
- Abstract/Description
-
PTP69D is a receptor protein tyrosine phosphatase RPTP with two intracellular catalytic domains Cat1 and Cat2, which has been shown to play a role in axon outgrowth and guidance of embryonic motoneurons as well as targeting of photoreceptor neurons in the visual system of Drosophila melanogaster. Here, we characterized the developmental role of PTP69D in the giant fiber GF neurons; two interneurons in the central nervous system CNS that control the escape response of the fly. In addition to...
Show morePTP69D is a receptor protein tyrosine phosphatase RPTP with two intracellular catalytic domains Cat1 and Cat2, which has been shown to play a role in axon outgrowth and guidance of embryonic motoneurons as well as targeting of photoreceptor neurons in the visual system of Drosophila melanogaster. Here, we characterized the developmental role of PTP69D in the giant fiber GF neurons; two interneurons in the central nervous system CNS that control the escape response of the fly. In addition to guidance and targeting functions, our studies reveal an additional role for PTP69D in synaptic terminal growth in the CNS. We found that inhibition of phosphatase activity in catalytic domain Cat1 proximal to the transmembrane domain did not affect axon guidance or targeting but resulted in stunted terminal growth of the GFs. Cell autonomous rescue and knockdown experiments demonstrated a function for PTP69D in the GFs, but not its postsynaptic target neurons. In addition, complementation studies and structurefunction analyses revealed that for GF terminal growth Cat1 function of PTP69D requires the Immunoglobulin and the Cat2 domain, but not the Fibronectin III and the Membrane Proximal Region domains. In contrast, the Fibronectin III, but not the Immunoglobulin domains, were previously shown to be essential for axon targeting of photoreceptor neurons. Thus, our studies uncover a novel role for PTP69D in synaptic terminal growth in the CNS that is mechanistically distinct from its function during earlier developmental process.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2014
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00005831
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Mechanisms for coexistence of two species of octopus at a shallow water habitat.
- Creator
- Bennice, Chelsea, Hanlon, Roger, Brooks, W. Randy, Graduate College
- Abstract/Description
-
Ecological components such as availability of resources, physical make-up of the environment, and biotic interactions amongst and between species are factors that determine habitat selection and coexistence of organisms within a community. A stable coexistence of species within a community is possible if the limited resources are partitioned to be speciesspecific. However, sympatric species are expected to exploit similar resources. Two species of octopus Octopus vulargis and Macrotritopus...
Show moreEcological components such as availability of resources, physical make-up of the environment, and biotic interactions amongst and between species are factors that determine habitat selection and coexistence of organisms within a community. A stable coexistence of species within a community is possible if the limited resources are partitioned to be speciesspecific. However, sympatric species are expected to exploit similar resources. Two species of octopus Octopus vulargis and Macrotritopus defilippi with similar ecological requirements coexist at an intra-coastal habitat. The ecological phenomena of coexistence of species can be quantified by measuring the ecological components of the niche. The objective of this study is to identify the components that facilitate coexistence. The ecological components being examined include: general habitat location, habitat heterogeneity, foraging and feeding times and locations, and biotic interactions. Global Positioning System will be used to determine the general location of the octopus species den. The importance of habitat heterogeneity will be addressed by looking at substrate make-up of the different species dens. Foraging and feeding times and locations will be recorded to determine any temporal or spatial influence on species coexistence. Field observations and laboratory habitat selection experiments will be conducted to determine what habitat each species selects in the presence and absence of the other species. Our studies will allow identifying ecological components that facilitate coexistence of sympatric species, provide insight to cephalopod ecology, and conservation at a heterogeneous environment, which is of importance to maintain marine biodiversity and ecotourism in south Florida.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2014
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00005803
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- The Craft: A study of craft breweries in South Florida.
- Creator
- Watson, April A., Broemel, Erin T., Fadiman, Maria, Graduate College
- Abstract/Description
-
Microbreweries are one of the fastest growing industries within the United States. According to Brewer’s Association, the number of craft brewers increased from 8 in 1980 to over 1500 in 2012. Prior to the 1970’s, light lagers were the only type of beer available in the United States. Homebrewing began as a way to explore different beer styles that national brand brewers had previously ignored. As the popularity of these homebrews began to grow, the number of microbreweries greatly increased...
Show moreMicrobreweries are one of the fastest growing industries within the United States. According to Brewer’s Association, the number of craft brewers increased from 8 in 1980 to over 1500 in 2012. Prior to the 1970’s, light lagers were the only type of beer available in the United States. Homebrewing began as a way to explore different beer styles that national brand brewers had previously ignored. As the popularity of these homebrews began to grow, the number of microbreweries greatly increased throughout the United States. South Florida in particular has witnessed a substantial expansion in the microbrewery industry. This study explored four craft brewers in Palm Beach and Broward County, Florida. Why does this two county area need more than one brewery? During the course of the research, four themes emerged: a sense of identity, a sense of place, a sense of community, and the power of transformation. Microbreweries appear to be a part of a growing trend towards “neolocalism,” or the conscious and active ways people reject a homogenized culture. Studies of microbreweries add to our understanding of the ways South Florida embraces the unique and authentic. Since each brewery is unique, that experience of the “neolocal” can only be had at each individual microbrewery. Further work is necessary to determine if the sense of place and sense of community is apparent at microbreweries throughout the state, or the “neolocal” is a regional phenomenon confined to South Florida
Show less - Date Issued
- 2014
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00005862
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Responses of green [chelonia mydas], loggerhead [caretta caretta], and leatherback turtles [dermochelys coriacea] to chemical odors.
- Creator
- Kedzuf, Stephanie C., Salmon, Michael, Graduate College
- Abstract/Description
-
The cues used by marine turtles to locate foraging areas in the open ocean are largely unknown, though field observations suggest that some species [especially the green turtle [Chelonia mydas], the loggerhead [Caretta caretta], and the leatherback [Dermochelys coriacea]] somehow locate areas of high productivity. Do they do so by orienting toward chemical cues in air, water, or both air and water? Previous studies have shown that loggerheads are capable of detecting airborne odors from...
Show moreThe cues used by marine turtles to locate foraging areas in the open ocean are largely unknown, though field observations suggest that some species [especially the green turtle [Chelonia mydas], the loggerhead [Caretta caretta], and the leatherback [Dermochelys coriacea]] somehow locate areas of high productivity. Do they do so by orienting toward chemical cues in air, water, or both air and water? Previous studies have shown that loggerheads are capable of detecting airborne odors from synthetic food [turtle pellets] as well as natural dimethyl sulfide [DMS], which is found in productive oceanic areas. However, responses were brief, and a capacity to orient was not investigated. We presented tethered loggerheads and leatherbacks to a laminar airflow that contained DMS or natural food odors [squid, shrimp, sargassum, and moon jellyfish]. We observed no tendency to orient upwind. Additional experiments examined if freeswimming loggerhead and green turtles would respond to squid odor presented in air or water with a visual stimulus [a small plastic ball suspended in the water present]. Both species showed significant increases in biting behavior when exposed to squid odor in air or water. We conclude that i. air currents carrying DMS or food do not induce turtles to orient upwind, ii. turtles can detect and respond to food odors either in air or underwater, and iii. only odors from food stimulate turtles to initiate feeding behavior. None of our results provide support for the hypothesis that turtles can locate distant sources of food in the ocean using odor cues.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2014
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00005826
- Format
- Document (PDF)