Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Models Of Functional Redundancy In Ecological Communities, Sandra Annie Tsiorintsoa

All Dissertations

Functional redundancy is the number of taxa that perform a given function within a given community. In most systems, high levels of functional redundancy are important, because they contribute to ecosystem stability. However, we currently have very little understanding of why functional redundancy varies among communities. One possible factor that could affect functional redundancy is environmental complexity. Many studies show that simplified ecosystems harbor communities with lower taxon diversity. What is less clear is if this simplicity and lower taxon diversity also affects functional redundancy. To answer this question, we use metacommunity models to explore the connection between environmental complexity …

Study Of Behaviour Change And Impact On Infectious Disease Dynamics By Mathematical Models, Tianyu Cheng

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This thesis uses mathematical models to study human behaviour changes' effects on infectious disease transmission dynamics. It centers on two main topics. The first concerns how behaviour response evolves during epidemics and the effects of adaptive precaution behaviour on epidemics. The second topic is how to build general framework models incorporating human behaviour response in epidemiological modelling.

In the first project, based on the fact that a fraction of the epidemiologically susceptible population is actually susceptible due to precautions, we present a novel perspective on understanding the infection force, incorporating human protection behaviours. This view explains many existing infection force …

Accounting For Locational, Temporal, And Physical Similarity Of Residential Sales In Mass Appraisal Modeling: The Development And Application Of Geographically, Temporally, And Characteristically Weighted Regression, Paul E. Bidanset, Michael Mccord, John R. Lombard, Peadar Davis, William J. Mccluskey

School of Public Service Faculty Publications

Geographically weighted regression (GWR) has been recognized in the assessment community as a viable automated valuation model (AVM) to help overcome, at least in part, modeling hurdles associated with location, such as spatial heterogeneity and spatial autocorrelation of error terms. Although previous researchers have adjusted the GWR weights matrix to also weight by time of sale or by structural similarity of properties in AVMs, the research described in this paper is the first that has done so by all three dimensions (i.e., location, structural similarity, and time of sale) simultaneously. Using 24 years of single-family residential sales in Fairfax, Virginia, …

Mathematical Models Of Games Of Chance: Epistemological Taxonomy And Potential In Problem-Gambling Research, Catalin Barboianu

UNLV Gaming Research & Review Journal

Games of chance are developed in their physical consumer-ready form on the basis of mathematical models, which stand as the premises of their existence and represent their physical processes. There is a prevalence of statistical and probabilistic models in the interest of all parties involved in the study of gambling – researchers, game producers and operators, and players – while functional models are of interest more to math-inclined players than problem-gambling researchers. In this paper I present a structural analysis of the knowledge attached to mathematical models of games of chance and the act of mathematical modeling, arguing that such …

Selection Of Curricular Topics Using Extensions Of Quality Function Deployment, Paul Kauffmann, Abel Fernandez, Charles Keating, Derya Jacobs, Resit Unal

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

Decision science can be an effective tool for enhancing organizational participation during strategic and complex decision making. This involvement develops a group consensus for relating organizational goals and the methods to achieve them. This paper describes an application of Quality Function Deployment (QFD) to define curricular topics that meet program objectives. Based on the ability of QFD to establish relationships, the model identifies the most important topics and quantifies their impact on meeting program goals. The model was developed to support restructuring of a Masters of Engineering Management degree program. The model supported decisions in selecting and prioritizing the required …