Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Numerical Approximation Of Shear-Thinning And Johnson-Segalman Viscoelastic Fluid Flows, Jason Howell

All Dissertations

In this work computational approaches to the numerical simulation of steady-state viscoelastic fluid flow are investigated. In particular, two aspects of computing viscoelastic flows are of interest: 1) the stable computation of high Weissenberg number Johnson-Segalman fluids and 2) low-order approaches to simulating the flow of fluids obeying a power law constitutive model.
The numerical simulation of viscoelastic fluid flow becomes more difficult as a physical parameter, the Weissenberg number, increases. Specifically, at a Weissenberg number larger than a critical value, the iterative nonlinear solver fails to converge. For the nonlinear Johnson-Segalman constitutive model, defect-correction and continuation methods are examined …

Estimates Related To The Arithmetic Of Elliptic Curves, Bryan Faulkner

All Dissertations

This dissertation presents results related to two problems in the arithmetic of elliptic curves.
Feng and Xiong equate the nontriviality of the Selmer groups associated with congruent number curves to the presence of certain types of partitions of graphs associated with the prime factorization of n. The triviality of the Selmer groups associated to the congruent number curve implies that the curve has rank zero which in turn implies n is noncongruent. We extend the ideas of Feng and Xiong in order to compute the Selmer groups of congruent number curves.
We prove an average version of a generalization of …

Planning, Scheduling, And Timetabling In A University Setting, Christine Kraft

All Dissertations

Methods and procedures for modeling university student populations, predicting course enrollment, allocating course seats, and timetabling final examinations are studied and proposed. The university enrollment model presented uses a multi-dimensional state space based on student demographics and the Markov property, rather than longitudinal data to model student movement. The procedure for creating adaptive course prediction models uses student characteristics to identify groups of undergraduates whose specific course enrollment rates are significantly different than the rest of the university population. Historical enrollment rates and current semester information complete the model for predicting enrollment for the coming semester. The course prediction model …

Permutation Decoding Of Codes From Graphs And Designs, Padmapani Seneviratne

All Dissertations

Permutation decoding is a technique, developed by Jessie McWilliams in 1960's. It involves finding a set of automorphisms of the code, called a PD-set. If such a set exists and if the generator matrix of the code is in standard form then a simple algorithm using this set can be followed to correct the maximum number of errors of which the code is capable. Primarily this method was used originally on cyclic codes and Golay codes.
In this dissertation we study binary codes formed from an adjacency matrix of some classes of graphs and apply the permutation decoding method to …

Optimization And Feedback Design Of State-Constrained Parabolic Systems, Boris S. Mordukhovich

Mathematics Research Reports

The paper is devoted to optimal control and feedback design of stateconstrained parabolic systems in uncertainty conditions. Problems of this type are among the most challenging and difficult in dynamic optimization for any kind of dynamical systems. We pay the main attention to considering linear multidimensional parabolic'systems with Dirichlet boundary controls and pointwise state constraints, while the methods developed in this study are applicable to other kinds of boundary controls and dynamical systems of the parabolic type. The feedback design problem is formulated in the minimax sense to ensure stabilization of transients within the prescribed diapason and robust stability of …

A Decomposition Algorithm For N-Player Games, Robert B. Wilson, Srihari Govindan

Robert B Wilson

An N-player game can be decomposed by adding a coordinator who interacts bilaterally with each player. The coordinator proposes profiles of strategies to the players, and his payoff is maximized when players' optimal replies agree with his proposal. When the feasible set of proposals is finite, a solution of an associated linear complementarity problem yields an equilibrium of the approximate game and thus an approximate equilibrium of the original game. Computational efficiency is improved by using vertices of a triangulation of the players' strategy space for the coordinator's pure strategies. Computational experience is reported.

Decompositions Of Signed-Graphic Matroids, Dan Slilaty, Hongxun Qin

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications

We give a decomposition theorem for signed graphs whose frame matroids are binary and a decomposition theorem for signed graphs whose frame matroids are quaternary.

On Backward Stochastic Evolution Equations In Hilbert Space And Optimal Control, Nazim I. Mahmudov, Mark A. Mckibben

Mathematics Faculty Publications

In this paper a new result on the existence and uniqueness of the adapted solution to a backward stochastic evolution equation in Hilbert spaces under non Lipschitz condition is established. The applicability of this result is then illustrated in a discussion of some concrete backward stochastic partial differential equation. Furthermore, stochastic maximum principle for optimal control problems of stochastic systems governed by backward stochastic evolution equations in Hilbert spaces is obtained.

Greedy Signal Recovery And Uncertainty Principles, Deanna Needell, Roman Vershynin

CMC Faculty Publications and Research

This paper seeks to bridge the two major algorithmic approaches to sparse signal recovery from an incomplete set of linear measurements – L1-minimization methods and iterative methods (Matching Pursuits). We find a simple regularized version of the Orthogonal Matching Pursuit (ROMP) which has advantages of both approaches: the speed and transparency of OMP and the strong uniform guarantees of the L1-minimization. Our algorithm ROMP reconstructs a sparse signal in a number of iterations linear in the sparsity, and the reconstruction is exact provided the linear measurements satisfy the Uniform Uncertainty Principle. In the case of inaccurate measurements and approximately sparse …

Transmission Dynamics Of Avian Influenza Among Poultry With And Without Vaccination, Qiao Liang

Mathematics & Statistics ETDs

The continuing avian influenza (AI) out break that began in late 2003 and early 2004 has been disastrous for the poultry industry worldwide. It has resulted in severe socio-economic damage, and it has raised serious concerns for general public health. In this research, we use mathematics to analyze transmission dynamics of AI among poultry. We use a status-based approach to construct systems of differential equations to describe virus transmission dynamics. We develop theoretical means to eradicate the spread of the disease, and we calculate the size of healthy and infected populations during an AI outbreak, and the final population size …

Survival Analysis With Large Dimensional Covariates: An Application In Microarray Studies, David A. Engler, Yi Li

Harvard University Biostatistics Working Paper Series

Use of microarray technology often leads to high-dimensional and low- sample size data settings. Over the past several years, a variety of novel approaches have been proposed for variable selection in this context. However, only a small number of these have been adapted for time-to-event data where censoring is present. Among standard variable selection methods shown both to have good predictive accuracy and to be computationally efficient is the elastic net penalization approach. In this paper, adaptation of the elastic net approach is presented for variable selection both under the Cox proportional hazards model and under an accelerated failure time …

Suboptimality Conditions For Mathematical Programs With Equilibrium Constraints, Truong Q. Bao, Panjak Gupta, Boris S. Mordukhovich

Mathematics Research Reports

In this paper we study mathematical programs with equilibrium constraints (MPECs) described by generalized equations in the extended form 0 is an element of the set G(x,y) + Q(x,y), where both mappings G and Q are set-valued. Such models arise, in particular, from certain optimization-related problems governed by variational inequalities and first-order optimality conditions in nondifferentiable programming. We establish new weak and strong suboptimality conditions for the general MPEC problems under consideration in finite-dimensional and infinite-dimensional spaces that do not assume the existence of optimal solutions. This issue is particularly important for infinite-dimensional optimization problems, where the existence of optimal …

Scattered Homoclinics To A Class Of Time-Recurrent Hamiltonian Systems, Gregory S. Spradlin

Greg S. Spradlin Ph.D.

A second-order Hamiltonian system with time recurrence is studied. The recurrence condition is weaker than almost periodicity. The existence is proven of an infinite family of solutions homoclinic to zero whose support is spread out over the real line.

Control Of Porosity In Fluoride Thin Films Prepared By Vapor Deposition, Alexander H. King

Alexander H. King

We have measured the porosity in thin films of lithium fluoride (LiF), magnesium fluoride (MgF2), barium fluoride (BaF2), and calcium fluoride (CaF2) as a function of the substrate temperature for films deposited by thermal evaporation onto glass substrates. The amount of porosity in the thin films was measured using an atomic force microscope and a quartz crystal thickness monitor. The porosity was very sensitive to the substrate temperature and decreased as the substrate temperature increased. Consistent behavior was observed among all of the materials in this study.

Posterminaries: Full Circle, Alexander H. King

Alexander H. King

A few years ago, I was walking near the old Union Station in Pittsburgh with a colleague only slightly younger than myself, when we happened upon some large-scale relics of the steel industry displayed for public viewing. “You don’t see too many of those in public parking lots,” I offered. “Um… what is it?” was the response. I suppose I was just a little surprised that a prominent materials scientist did not recognize a Bessemer converter—arguably the principal source of wealth during the U.S. industrial revolution—but this conversation took place back when steel was in decline, and many university Materials …

As Flat As Possible, Jon T. Jacobsen

All HMC Faculty Publications and Research

How does one determine a surface which is as flat as possible, such as those created by soap film surfaces? What does it mean to be as flat as possible? In this paper we address this question from two distinct points of view, one local and one global in nature. Continuing with this theme, we put a temporal twist on the question and ask how to evolve a surface so as to flatten it as efficiently as possible. This elementary discussion provides a platform to introduce a wide range of advanced topics in partial differential equations and helps students …

Simultaneous Confidence Intervals Based On The Percentile Bootstrap Approach, Micha Mandel, Rebecca A. Betensky

Harvard University Biostatistics Working Paper Series

No abstract provided.

Distributed Reproducible Research Using Cached Computations, Roger Peng, Sandrah P. Eckel

Johns Hopkins University, Dept. of Biostatistics Working Papers

The ability to make scientific findings reproducible is increasingly important in areas where substantive results are the product of complex statistical computations. Reproducibility can allow others to verify the published findings and conduct alternate analyses of the same data. A question that arises naturally is how can one conduct and distribute reproducible research? This question is relevant from the point of view of both the authors who want to make their research reproducible and readers who want to reproduce relevant findings reported in the scientific literature. We present a framework in which reproducible research can be conducted and distributed via …

Nonlinear Dynamics In Combinatorial Games: Renormalizing Chomp, Eric J. Friedman, Adam S. Landsberg

WM Keck Science Faculty Papers

We develop a new approach to combinatorial games that reveals connections between such games and some of the central ideas of nonlinear dynamics: scaling behaviors, complex dynamics and chaos, universality, and aggregation processes. We take as our model system the combinatorial game Chomp, which is one of the simplest in a class of "unsolved" combinatorial games that includes Chess, Checkers, and Go. We discover that the game possesses an underlying geometric structure that "grows" (reminiscent of crystal growth), and show how this growth can be analyzed using a renormalization procedure adapted from physics. In effect, this methodology allows one to …

Numerical Simulation Of Waves And Fronts In Inhomogeneous Solids, A. Berezovski, M. Berezovski, J. Engelbrecht, G. A. Maugin

Publications

Dynamic response of inhomogeneous materials exhibits new effects, which often do not exist in homogeneous media. It is quite natural that most of studies of wave and front propagation in inhomogeneous materials are associated with numerical simulations. To develop a numerical algorithm and to perform the numerical simulations of moving fronts we need to formulate a kinetic law of progress relating the driving force and the velocity of the discontinuity. The velocity of discontinuity is determined by means of the non-equilibrium jump relations at the front. The obtained numerical method generalizes the wave-propagation algorithm to the case of moving discontinuities …

Global Stability Results Of An Sis Age-Structured Epidemic Model With Vertical Transmission, M. El-Doma

Applications and Applied Mathematics: An International Journal (AAM)

An SIS age-structured epidemic model for a vertically as well as horizontally transmitted disease is investigated when the fertility, mortality and cure rates depend on age and the force of infection of proportionate mixing assumption type. We determine the steady states and prove the global stability for the endemic equilibriums.

The 9-Day Multiplier And Cumulative Effects, David Randall Jenkins

David Randall Jenkins

The Star of David's nine levels is implicated by the 9-Day Multiplier and Cumulative Effects quantitative analysis.

Algorithms For Converting Water Into Wine -- The Gospel Of John, Chapter Two, David Randall Jenkins

David Randall Jenkins

Learn why scripture uses the number 37 as a numerical reference for water, the number 515 as a numerical reference for wine and the procedure for converting water into wine.

Trigonometry Without Sines And Geometry Without Angles, Phillip Lestmann

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2007

In his book, Divine Proportions, N. J. Wildberger advocates for a "rational" trigonometry by substituting the squares of the common trigonometric ratios for those ratios themselves. This presentation examines and critiques the claims of the book by evaluating its presented methods.

Six Ways, Yea Seven, That Scripture Is Integral To Our Science And Math Classes, Sean Bird

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2007

This paper looks at the ways the Bible informs mathematics and its role in guiding our stewardship of God’s creation.

Counting Tulips: Three Combinatorial Proofs, Eric Gossett

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2007

A gardener has r ≥ 1 red tulips and b ≥ 1 blue tulips, each in its own pot. She plans to plant them in a line along the edge of her driveway. In how many visually distinguishable ways can she arrange them?

Rules And Insights: Connecting The Mathematical And Linguistic Abilities Of C.S. Lewis, Kim Jongerius

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2007

While most biographical works on C.S. Lewis give passing reference to Lewis' problems with elementary mathematics, few have made an attempt at diagnosing the difficulty or exploring its impact on his writing. A careful study of family correspondence, however, makes it clear that his learning difficulties were not with mathematics alone and suggests connections between attitudes toward and abilities in both mathematics and language. This paper will make these connections clear and will illustrate their ties to Lewis' effective mathematical references.

The Beautiful And Sublime In Mathematics, Paul Zwier

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2007

A précis of Paul Zwier's talk presented at the meetings of the ACMS Conference at Messiah College on June 1, 2007.

Connection-Oriented Computer Science Education, Kim Kihlstrom

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2007

Computers play an important role in every area of our society and are integral in every academic discipline. Today's computer science students need a background that will prepare them for the expanding range of computing opportunities. The opportunities for computer professionals are varied and increasing in diversity. However, undergraduate computer science programs tend to be narrowly focused on programming and related technical skills. Female students in particular tend to be highly interested in exploring connections between computer science and other fields.

How can we leverage these observations at a liberal arts college, where interdisciplinary connections are highly desirable, and where …

Bach (To The Calculus Of) Variations, Charles R. Hampton

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2007

While it is quite common for professionals (doctors, lawyers, academics, etc) to be talented in many ways, including musical talent, there is a special connection between music and mathematics. Musicians collectively are not more talented in mathematics than other professionals and other academics. This paper examines the connections between math and music, particularly calculus and the music of Johann Sebastian Bach.