College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Chemistry

10785

College of Engineering - Civil Engineering

The purpose of this research is to investigate potential improvements to an existing freeway traffic control device. Variable speed limits dynamically change the posted speed limit on roadways depending on traffic or roadway conditions. These conditions include traffic congestion, adverse weather, and pavement conditions. The speed limit is typically updated through the use of electronic signs posted overhead or roadside. Previous research has shown that variable speed limits can help alleviate recurring traffic congestion on freeways. This study looks at applying the speed limit change to each lane individually through the use of overhead gantry signs. This allows the variable speed limit control to be applied more precisely, and further reduce traffic delays. Traffic scenarios are simulated to evaluate the lane-by-lane variable speed limit control versus traditional variable speed limit control. The results show a significant improvement in traffic delay, especially when traffic volumes vary by lane. (Flesh-Kincaid Grade Level: 14.7)

10757

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences - Anthropology

Additionally, attending the conference would assist me in starting an exchange with individuals such as Rebecca Schumann of the University of Illinois and Kathryn Sikes of Middle Tennessee State University about community collaboration on projects in African Diaspora archaeology. These connections, though not as significant to the realization of my thesis as those with the other Maroon archaeologists, are valuable in shaping my research to have a more direct social impact.

" "My travel will benefit the student body and the greater UF community in two distinct ways. First, as a new masters student, especially one who came to graduate school straight from the completion of an undergraduate degree, I think my attendance at a professional conference sets an important precedence for young graduate students. It is important for graduate students to constantly build their professional skills and connections. Doing so at the beginning of your career sets the stage for continued success in later years. Second, it is my opinion that my trip will advance the academic diversity of the Gator Nation. As a Mexican-American woman studying the African Diaspora, I personally place a lot of importance on representing scholarship from diverse backgrounds and using my work to write untold narratives about the American experience. I intend to use this professional and academic experience to make connections with individuals who cannot only further my personal research interests but also whose own work exemplifies diversity in the academic field.

"

10756

Geographic variation in sperm traits of the horseshoe crab, Limulus polyphemus

Animals often vary strikingly in morphology, physiology, and behavior across their species' range. Sexual selection has been shown to drive trait variation across populations, especially in traits that affect mate acquisition. However, less understood is how sexual selection may also promote trait divergence in traits that affect reproductive success after mating has occurred which may be especially important in species where sperm competition in prevalent. The horseshoe crab, Limulus polyphemus, has distinct populations along the East Coast and the Gulf of Mexico from the Yucatan to Maine. In this study, we examine how sperm traits vary across this range and whether sexual selection promotes sperm trait divergence. We found evidence that sexual selection drives differences across populations in sperm quantity but not sperm quality. Additionally, we found that sperm quantity diverges across a latitudinal gradient and that population differences in body size also correlates with sperm quantity. (Flesh-Kincaid Grade Level: 15.1)

10752

Borrowing Communist Symbols of Power? Building Hungarian Prowess Through Sport Then and Today

"The relationship between politics and elite sport enjoys a long and complex history in Hungary, as it does in nations like England and Russia. While under Communist rule from 1948-1989, Hungarian leaders believed that success on the international sport stage proved the victory of communism over capitalism abroad and at home. During this time the Communist government directly funded and organized Hungarian sport life. As a result of the state's patronage of Hungarian sport, athletes achieved enormous international success, such as nearly winning the 1954 soccer World Cup.

Since the fall of communism in 1989, the successive post-socialist Hungarian governments gradually loosened their hold and financial support of elite athletes and sport. Despite espousing an explicitly anti-Communist platform, the re-election of the nationalist Fidesz party in 2010 saw a return to socialist approaches to elite sport. In an attempt to build national pride through international soccer success, Fidesz has allocated billions of taxpayers' money to his favorite Hungarian clubs. Between 2013-2014, Fidesz also funded the development of a new soccer academy accompanied by new, luxurious soccer facilities in the Prime Minister's hometown of Felcsút. Using research conducted as part of my dissertation, my paper explores how Fidesz continues to borrow Communist forms of cultural power, and reshapes them in ways that appear new to the Hungarian public. Through an analysis of oral histories, archival documents and contemporary news reports, my paper addresses how the Hungarian state's recent focus on ""rebuilding the nation through soccer success"" is neither entirely new or old, but somewhere in between. By comparing the relationship between sport, politics and power under the two political systems, my analysis contributes to the larger debate on the lasting and complex impact of Communist cultural legacies in post-socialist Eastern Europe.

10745

Simultaneous detections of a Milky Way type 2175 Å bump and CI, CO in a metal-rich and highly dust depleted absorption system at z=2.12 towards QSO J1211+0833

Astronomical objects are not something that we can touch and study physically in a laboratory. We explore them by studying the light they radiate and finally reaches us. My research is about a class of objects (e.g. galaxies) that are probed by another class of super bright objects shining in the background of those relatively faint galaxies. Quasi-stellar objects (QSO or quasars) are among the most distant and intrinsically most luminous objects in the Universe. They are the only class of cosmological objects that is bright enough to allow detailed spectroscopy on a large number of objects out to redshifts of ~5. For the past 20-30 years QSO spectroscopy has not only provided important information on the QSOs themselves but also on a very different class of objects, called QSO absorption line systems which is the focus of my research. Every quasar spectrum reveals a plethora of absorption lines, most of which actually have nothing to do with the QSO itself. Instead they are due to cosmologically distributed gas which intersects the line of sight from Earth to the QSO and imprints a distinct absorption signature onto the spectrum of the QSO. The intimate relationship of the absorbing gas with the thermal, chemical and dynamical history of the Universe makes the study of QSO absorption lines a rich and important source of information for many aspects of modern cosmology. I have been accepted to give an oral presentation at the American Astronomical Society annual meeting (the largest astronomy conference in the U.S.) on a recent discovery of a particular quasar absorption line system that people have never seen. (Flesh-Kincaid Grade Level: 12)

10729

"The Joint Mathematics Meetings are the largest mathematics meeting in the world and is sponsored by both the MAA and AMS. As such, there are many talks and demonstrations that would be beneficial to my professional development. I study dynamical systems and, when I graduate, I would like to teach/research at a small liberal arts college. Some of sessions which apply to these interests include

-Embedding Undergraduate Research into a Living-Learning Community

-Introductory Proposal Writing for Grant Applications to the NSF EHR

-A Dynamical Systems Approach to the Differential Equations Course

-AMS Special Session on Applications of Dynamical Systems to Biological Models, I

-MAA Invited Paper Session on Fractal Geometry and Dynamics

-Mathematicians Write: Publishing Options and Outlets Beyond the Standard Research Journal" "First, I will be traveling to the conference as a representative of UF. For every discussion or panel I attend, UF has another voice at that event.

Second, when I return I will be better set in teaching and in research. I hope to learn new, effective techniques to better educate my students. Specifically, I am interested in learning how to incorporate dynamical systems into teaching differential equations and how to make better use of information technology in the classroom. In addition, my research here at UF will improve in quality and marketability. Mathematics research is always difficult in that it is often dense and esoteric. At the sessions, I hope to learn ways to broaden the appeal and availability of my research."

10728

Where Do Pedestrians Jaywalk and How Do Drivers React

Pedestrian and driver behaviors as well as their interactions, are essential in planning, designing and operating highway facilities. Jaywalking, i.e., pedestrian crossing outside of a marked or unmarked crosswalk, is one of those pedestrian behaviors that may affect transportation safety and operations. Jaywalking events are not always anticipated by drivers, which may result in less driver reaction time and different vehicle reactions. However, little quantitative and behavioral research has been conducted to investigate this interaction. The objective of this paper is to explore where and how people jaywalk and how the drivers react to those behaviors based on the data from an instrumented vehicle study and an observational study (from pedestrian’s perspective) on the campus of the University of Florida. This paper establishes several quantitative relationships in vehicle-jaywalker interactions and have implications for pedestrian safety, crosswalk design, as well as driver behavior modeling for traffic operational analyses. (Flesh-Kincaid Grade Level: 16.9)

10726

An Integrated Dilemma Zone Protection System Using Connected Vehicle Technology

Vehicles may neither stop comfortably nor clear the intersection safely at the onset of yellow and thus may have high risks for rear-end and right-angle crashes. To eliminate this dangerous condition, this research developed and evaluated a framework that utilized the wireless communications technology which enables the data transmission between vehicles and the signal controller. The vehicles will keep sending "here I am" message to the signal controller so that they can be detected; signal timing information can also be transmitted to the vehicle. In this way, green duration can be intelligently allocated and modified to vehicles at each movement; In-vehicle warning is also presented several seconds before the end of green to help the drivers prepare to stop. The proposed framework is demonstrated to improve the efficiency and safety of the signalized intersection operation. (Flesh-Kincaid Grade Level: 16.3)

10724

Using Physcomitrella patens to Reconstruct the Role of EVE1 in the Evolution of Land Plants

Food crop production must increase by at least 50% during the 21st century to secure food for the expanding world human population. Animal and plant agriculture experts have recognized this problem and have continued to implement strategies and scientific discoveries to prepare for a world population of 9 billion people. A laboratory that studies poplar trees at the University of Florida made a recent discovery that could increase plant crop production. Using many different poplar trees, the scientists searched for genes that increased the growth and height of young trees. One particular gene was discovered that allowed the trees to grow faster when more copies of the gene were added. The scientists showed that the gene controls the structure inside a plant stem to allow it to transport more water. Trees that naturally have more copies of the gene are able to transport more water to the leaves in order to grow faster. Ironically, this gene is also found in important crop plants such as corn, rice and wheat. Before the scientists study the gene in these food crops they plan to look at the same gene in a simple plant like a moss. Studying the gene in a moss may explain how the gene changes the structure of plant stems to allow for more water to be sent to the leaves. Hopefully by studying the moss the scientists will discover how to use the natural gene in corn, rice, and wheat to allow these plants to transport more water and to grow faster. (Flesh-Kincaid Grade Level: 12.6)

10689

The coupling of autotrophic stoichiometry and ecosystem function

This research seeks to merge ecosystem function with the tissue ratios of the dominant organisms, algae and submerged macrophytes. We utilized a combination of methods including high-resolution nutrient sensors, percent cover sampling, and vegetative tissue sampling. We first deployed a sensor suite to measure diel patterns of C, N, and P from which we were able to calculate the daily C:N:P ratio of ecosystem metabolism. We then assessed the percent cover of algal versus vascular plant species using a transect survey and took vegetation samples from each transect which were subsequently analyzed for C:N:P. We then used a model to partition the relative contributions of vascular plant and algal species to the overall ecosystem metabolism. (Flesh-Kincaid Grade Level: 15.7)

10663

Isotopic Contributions to Mycenaean Faunal Economy During the Late Bronze Age

This research uses isotopes to 1) test whether there were multiple faunal economies operating at the palatial settlement of Mycenae on mainland Greece during the Late Bronze Age (LBA) (circa 1600 – 1150 BC), 2) characterize the difference between the two economies, and 3) consider how these differences contribute to a larger theoretical discussion of how the flows of commodities facilitate and negotiate relationships between central and peripheral settlements in early complex societies. My research explores whether centralized settlements reserved surplus staple goods from hinterland settlements for state-sponsored events or if these surplus goods supported routine practices at the center as well. I use carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and strontium isotope ratios to trace the individual life histories of animal resources exploited at Mycenae. Material is sampled from two contextually disparate sites at the settlement of Mycenae: (1) Petsas House, representing an industrial/domestic sphere; and (2) the Cult Center, representing a religious/cult sphere. My interpretation of the isotopic data situates animal resources exploited in each of these socio-economic spheres within the landscape surrounding Mycenae, allowing the reconstruction of the exchange pathways of exploited animal resources, and thereby informing the social and political landscape in which these resources were mobilized. (Flesh-Kincaid Grade Level: 24.7)

10646

Statistical Education of Teachers in the Common Core Era

The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are a set of educational standards published in 2010 that have been adopted in most states. The release and widespread adoption of the CCSS have dramatically increased the expectations for teaching statistics in grades 6 through 12. Because of the recent emphasis on statistics at the pre-college level, the American Statistical Association has commissioned a report called the Statistical Education of Teachers (SET) intended to serve as resource to those involved in the statistical preparation of K-12 teachers. As part of the SET author team, I have worked to formulate research-based recommendations related to coursework for prospective teachers, professional development for practicing teachers, and other topics relevant to statistics such as technology and assessment. The opportunity to present this report at the Joint Mathematics Meetings is of particular importance given that faculty members of mathematics departments often teach the statistics courses taken by prospective and practicing teachers and set policies that impact the statistical education of teachers. (Flesh-Kincaid Grade Level: 20.3)

10633

Sex influences regulation of gene expression by dickkopf 1 in the bovine morula

The early developing embryo is exposed to maternal factors secreted by the uterus, which are crucial for ensuring proper embryonic development, implantation, and survival. Among these factors is dickkopf 1 (DKK1), an inhibitor of the WNT signaling pathway that increases cell differentiation in bovine embryos at the blastocyst stage (day 7 of development) and promotes embryo survival following transfer to recipient females. There is growing evidence that the crosstalk between the embryo and uterine environment varies with embryo sex. In this work we sought to investigate the effects of the WNT inhibitor DKK1 on global gene expression of female and male bovine embryos at the morula stage (day 6). Female and male embryos were produced in vitro and treated with 100 ng/ml DKK1 at day 5 of development (same treatment day for the observed differentiation and survival effects). Embryos were harvested at day 6 of development for microarray analysis of global gene transcription. A total of 9,931 genes were expressed in morula-stage embryos. DKK1 treatment resulted in regulation of 132 genes in females and 136 in males; effects of DKK1 were largely sex-dependent, with only approximately 25% of the differentially expressed genes in each sex being affected in the other. In both sexes, DKK1 upregulated genes related to cell polarization, necessary for blastocyst development. Changes in female embryos indicated an increase in formation of actin filaments (related to cell structure and differentiation); changes in male embryos indicated a decrease in the same function, but also indicated inhibition of Hippo signaling, a pathway that must be repressed for differentiation of embryonic cells to occur. In conclusion, DKK1 caused changes in gene expression indicating promotion of cell differentiation in both females and males, although largely through different sets of genes. It is possible that these effects reflect asynchronous embryonic development between sexes. (Flesh-Kincaid Grade Level: 15.8)

10621

Assessing Stream Ecosystem Metabolism and Nitrate Utilization at Reduced Nitrate Levels Using a Chamber-Based Approach: Looking Below, Scaling Up, and Thinking Inside the Box

Florida’s spring systems provide us with beautiful wildlife habitat, year-round recreation, and perfect research laboratories due to their stable flow, temperatures, and water chemistry. These water bodies also support local economies as they attract millions of tourists each year. Human activities have increased in areas surrounding springs and have caused negative impacts including changes in the spring water quality (increases in nutrients from fertilizers and septic tanks) and plant communities (increases in algae and decreases in native plants). Water quality protection strategies aim to restore plant communities and aesthetics of streams by reducing the amount of nutrients present, especially nitrogen. While excessive amounts of nitrogen have shown to negatively impact many aquatic ecosystems (e.g. reduced oxygen levels in lakes and estuaries), the relationship between nitrogen levels and these responses are not fully understood in flowing waters. Likewise, we do not know how systems will respond to reduction of nitrogen below current levels or if restoration goals will be met by this strategy alone. To further our understanding of these issues in springs, a glass chamber was created to assess stream response to reduced nitrogen levels. The chamber sits across the water column, blocking flow and the supply of nutrients from upstream. The plants and microbes in the chamber use nitrogen to grow and subsequently remove it from the water column, reducing the next days’ amount of nitrogen available. Using this chamber with water quality instruments, we can easily quantify different springs’ responses to decreased nitrogen levels, such as changes in plant and microbe growth, respiration, or use of other essential elements. Results suggest that nutrient reduction strategies alone will not reverse the changes in plant communities. Overall, this method will help managers characterize stream behavior at nitrogen concentrations below background levels in order to further prioritize restoration and protection efforts. (Flesh-Kincaid Grade Level: 15.8)

10609

"My adviser and I are coordinating a ""special session"" at the AMS - MAA Joint Meetings in San Antonio, TX. The AMS - MAA joint meetings are an annual nationwide meeting attended by thousands of mathematicians. A ""special session"" amounts to a stand-alone smaller conference contained in the AMS - MAA schedule. We have 16 invited speakers from the US and abroad who will be coming to speak at our special session. This will give me the opportunity to start collaborations with some of these experts, such as Ira Gessel from Brandeis University and Bruce Sagan from Michigan State University. (Past conferences have been successful in this respect - I have recently submitted two publications with Michael Albert and Mike Atkinson from the University of Otago and a publication with Alex Burstein from Howard University, all of whom I met at conferences.)

Additionally, many job interviews for academic positions are conducted at the AMS - MAA Joint Meetings. I plan to apply for a number of academic jobs this year, and it is very likely that I will need to be present at the Joint Meetings in order to be eligible." Having a special session hosted by a UF faculty member and a UF student brings lots of positive attention to the university. We will be networking with researchers from around the world, some of whom we already know well, and some that we don't. Moreover, if I am able to attend job interviews, there is a lot better chance that I will get a good academic job, which certainly raises the prestige of the University.