Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

An Analysis Of Momentum Flux Budgets And Profiles In A Large-Eddy Model, Steffen Domke

Theses and Dissertations

Momentum fluxes and variances play an important role in the characterization and forecast of weather phenomena, but cannot be measured easily.

A subdivision of the flux changes into budget terms by the underlying physical processes, such as buoyancy transport, can assist in understanding their sources and influences.

Momentum flux and variance budgets for SAM, the System for Atmospheric Modeling, have been implemented and are compared to existing budgets from other simulations.

A tool for the visualization of these quantities from three-dimensional grid data has been developed to show and explain their distribution in conjunction with shallow cumulus and stratocumulus clouds. …

A Stochastic Control Model For Electricity Producers, Charles William Beer

Theses and Dissertations

Modern electricity pricing models include a strong reversion to a long run mean and a

number of non-local operators to encapsulate the discontinuous price behavior observed in

such markets. However, incorporating non-local processes into a stochastic control problem

presents significant analytical challenges. The motivation for this work is to solve the problem

of optimal control of the burn rate for a coal-powered electricity plant. We first construct a

pricing model that is a good general representative of the class of models currently used for

electricity pricing as well as a model for the supply of fuel to the plant. Under …

Graded Multiplicity In Harmonic Polynomials From The Vinberg Setting, Alexander Heaton

Theses and Dissertations

We consider a family of examples falling into the following context (first considered by

Vinberg): Let G be a connected reductive algebraic group over the complex numbers. A

subgroup, K, of fixed points of a finite-order automorphism acts on the Lie algebra of G.

Each eigenspace of the automorphism is a representation of K. Let g1 be one of the

eigenspaces. We consider the harmonic polynomials on g1 as a representation of K, which

is graded by homogeneous degree. Given any irreducible representation of K, we will see

how its multiplicity in the harmonic polynomials is distributed among the various …

In Situ Chemical Probing Of Vacancy Defects In Graphene And Boron Nitride At Room Temperature, Ali Ihsan Altan

Theses and Dissertations

IN SITU CHEMICAL PROBING OF VACANCY DEFECTS IN GRAPHENE AND BORON NITRIDE AT ROOM TEMPERATURE

by

Ali Ihsan Altan

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 2019

Under the Supervision of Professor Jian Chen

Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) has emerged as the most promising technique towards manufacturing of large area, high quality graphene. Characterization, understanding, and controlling of various structural defects in CVD-grown graphene are essential to realize its true potential for real-world applications. We report a new method for in situ chemical probing of vacancy defects in CVD-grown graphene at room temperature. Our approach is based on a solid–gas phase reaction that …

Testing The Late Paleozoic Ice Volume Paradox In The Southernmost Paraná Basin, Brazil, Nicholas David Fedorchuk

Theses and Dissertations

The late Paleozoic ice age (LPIA; ~372-259 Ma) was the last complete transition from icehouse to greenhouse conditions on a fully vegetated Earth, making it a relevant analog for modern Earth systems. High frequency glacioeustatic fluctuation of ~100-200 m during the late Paleozoic are described by some authors in low paleolatitude basins and attributed to the orbitally-driven, waxing and waning of a massive (~20-35 x 106 km2) hypothetical ice sheet. This massive ice sheet is traditionally interpreted to have covered much of southern Gondwana for >100 m.y. Meanwhile, recent studies of high-paleolatitude glacial deposits imply a much more complex pattern …

Mathematical Modeling And Analysis Of A Phytoplankton Competition Model Incorporating Preferential Nutrient Uptake, Thomas George Stojsavljevic Jr

Theses and Dissertations

Phytoplankton live in a complex environment with two essential resources forming various gradients. Light supplied from above is never homogeneously distributed in a body of water due to refraction and absorption from biomass present in the

ecosystem and from other sources. Nutrients in turn are typically supplied from below. In poorly mixed water columns, phytoplankton can be heterogeneously distributed forming various layering patterns. We present a new reaction-diffusion-taxis model describing the vertical distribution of two phytoplankton species competing for two nutrients, one of which is assumed to be preferred. The parameter space of the model is analyzed for parameter identifiability …

A Statistical Model For The Influence Of Temperature On Bike Demand In Bike-Sharing Systems, Tobias Tietze

Theses and Dissertations

Efficient fleet management is essential for bike-sharing systems. Thus, it is important to understand the impact of environmental factors on bike demand. This thesis proposes a method to analyze the influence of temperature on bike demand. Hourly temperature data are approximated by smoothed curves and modeled by functional principal components. Bike check-out times, which can be seen as realizations of a doubly stochastic process, are modeled using multiplicative component models on the underlying intensity functions. The respective component scores are then related via a multivariate regression model. An analysis of data from the Divvy system of the City of Chicago …

Overcoming Disruptions Of Human Adjustment Processes To Ecological Shifts In Revolutionary Burkina Faso 1983-1987: The Inter-Relationship Between Externally Imposed Migration, Coordination Of Ngo Activities, And The Process Of Ecological Renewal Through Land Reform, Robert William Penner

Theses and Dissertations

This paper will explore the Burkinabé revolution and the governmental structure which formed out if it, as an ideological entity with some governing capabilities but not simply a political body as it did not possess the capacities at any time to fully govern the country in terms of the implementation of intended social and economic programs. However, these programs were extremely widespread encompassed swaths of rural society in ways that it had not since the Mossi Empire became centralized and rose to regional prominence in the 18th century. The ideological identity of the revolution in Burkina Faso was not a …

Anthropogenically Driven Changes To Shallow Groundwater In Southeastern Wisconsin And Its Effects On The Aquifer Microbial Communities, Madeline Jean Salo

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates if, and to what extent, the microbial community present in the shallow groundwater of southeastern Wisconsin is affected by the influx of treated municipal wastewater effluent. The primary study area consisted of three wells located in the shallow sand and gravel aquifer along the upper Fox River in Waukesha, Wisconsin. One well is located roughly 1500 feet from the river and pumps pristine groundwater. Two riverbank inducement wells are located within 200 feet of the river and pump a mixture of groundwater and river water that contains effluent from three upstream wastewater treatment plants. Water from all …

Predicting Hospital Length Of Stay In Intensive Care Unit, Namita Singh

Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, we investigate the performance of a series of classification methods for the

Prediction of the hospital Length of Stay (LoS) in Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Predicting

LOS for an inpatient in an hospital is a challenging task but is essential for the operational

success of a hospital. Since hospitals are faced with severely limited resources including

beds to hold admitted patients, prediction of LoS will assist the hospital staff for better

planning and management of hospital resources. The goal of this project is to create a

machine learning model that predicts the length-of stay for each patient …

Part I: An Investigation Of Calcitroic Acid And Its Phase Ii Conjugates. Part Ii: Toward The Development Of A Novel Orally-Available Asthma Treatment Targeting Gabaa Receptors In The Lungs, Olivia B. Yu

Theses and Dissertations

PART I

Calcitroic acid (CTA) was isolated and characterized more than four decades ago.5 Radiolabeled calcitriol (1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3) was used at that time to enable the identification of radioactive CTA formed in vivo, which was subsequently extracted and characterized by derivatization.7 CTA was found to be predominantly formed in the liver and secreted into the gut through the bile duct via enterohepatic circulation, leading to fairly high concentrations of this metabolite of vitamin D in the intestine.8 However, assuming it was only a catabolic product of calcitriol, it was ignored thereafter.

Recently, novel experiments showed that CTA can bind the …

Machine Intelligence For Advanced Medical Data Analysis: Manifold Learning Approach, Fereshteh S Bashiri

Theses and Dissertations

In the current work, linear and non-linear manifold learning techniques, specifically Principle Component Analysis (PCA) and Laplacian Eigenmaps, are studied in detail. Their applications in medical image and shape analysis are investigated.

In the first contribution, a manifold learning-based multi-modal image registration technique is developed, which results in a unified intensity system through intensity transformation between the reference and sensed images. The transformation eliminates intensity variations in multi-modal medical scans and hence facilitates employing well-studied mono-modal registration techniques. The method can be used for registering multi-modal images with full and partial data.

Next, a manifold learning-based scale invariant global shape …

Using Evolutionary Programming To Generate A Tropical Cyclone Intensity Model, Jesse Schaffer

Theses and Dissertations

An innovative statistical-dynamical tropical cyclone (TC) intensity model is developed from a large ensemble of algorithms through evolutionary programming (EP). EP mimics the evolutionary principles of genetic information, reproduction, and mutation to develop through selective pressure a population of algorithms with skillful predictor combinations. From this process the 100 most skillful algorithms as determined by root-mean square error on cross-validation data is kept and bias corrected. Bayesian model combination is then used to assign individual weights to a subset of ten algorithms from the 100 best algorithms list, which are chosen to minimize mean-absolute error (MAE) and maximize mean-absolute difference …

Identifying And Incorporating Driver Behavior Variables Into Crash Prediction Models, Mohammad Razaur Rahman Shaon

Theses and Dissertations

All travelers are exposed to the risk for crashes on the road, as none of the roadways are entirely safe. Under Vision Zero, improving traffic safety on our nation’s highways is and will continue to be one of the most pivotal tasks on the national transportation agenda. For decades, researchers and transportation professionals have strived to identify causal relationships between crash occurrence and roadway geometry, and traffic-related variables on the mission of creating a safe environment for the traveling public. Although great achievements have been witnessed such as the publication of the Highway Safety Manual (HSM), research is rather limited …

Part I: An Investigation Of Calcitroic Acid And Its Phase Ii Conjugates. Part Ii: Toward The Development Of A Novel Orally-Available Asthma Treatment Targeting Gabaa Receptors In The Lungs, Olivia B. Yu

Theses and Dissertations

PART I

Calcitroic acid (CTA) was isolated and characterized more than four decades ago.5 Radiolabeled calcitriol (1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3) was used at that time to enable the identification of radioactive CTA formed in vivo, which was subsequently extracted and characterized by derivatization.7 CTA was found to be predominantly formed in the liver and secreted into the gut through the bile duct via enterohepatic circulation, leading to fairly high concentrations of this metabolite of vitamin D in the intestine.8 However, assuming it was only a catabolic product of calcitriol, it was ignored thereafter.

Recently, novel experiments showed that CTA can bind the …

Green Energy At Any Cost: How Ethanol Producer Magazine Uses Science To Frame Ethanol Production, Ashley Kappers

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates the use of science by media to shape discussions about policy in society. Specifically, it investigates how one influential trade publication, Ethanol Producer Magazine, used science in its construction of pro-ethanol production stories. This study is a multi-method analysis of Ethanol Producer Magazine’s feature articles. To determine how sources and writers use science to frame ethanol production during policy changes in the industry, 36 feature stories from four issues in 2009 and 2010 of Ethanol Producer Magazine were analyzed. The results of this study found that Ethanol Producer Magazine is a publication that presents one side of …

Outlier-Resistant Models For Doubly Stochastic Point Processes, Leo Stephan Elsaesser

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis proposes an outlier-resistant multiplicative component model for doubly stochastic point processes. The model is based on a principal component decomposition of the log-intensity functions, using heavy-tailed t-distributions for the component scores. As an example of application, the temporal distribution of bike check-out times in the Divvy bike sharing system of Chicago is analyzed using the t-model.

Model-Independent Estimation Of Optimal Hedging Strategies With Deep Neural Networks, Tobias Michael Furtwaengler

Theses and Dissertations

Inspired by the recent paper Buehler et al. (2018), this thesis aims to investigate the optimal hedging and pricing of financial derivatives with neural networks. We utilize the concept of convex risk measures to define optimal hedging strategies without strong assumptions on the underlying market dynamics. Furthermore, the setting allows the incorporation of market frictions and thus the determination of optimal hedging strategies and prices even in incomplete markets. We then use the approximation capabilities of neural networks to find close-to optimal estimates for these strategies.

We will elaborate on the theoretical foundations of this approach and carry out implementations …

Large Scale Geometry Of Surfaces In 3-Manifolds, Hoang Thanh Nguyen

Theses and Dissertations

A compact, orientable, irreducible 3-manifold M with empty or toroidal boundary is

called geometric if its interior admits a geometric structure in the sense of Thurston. The

manifold M is called non-geometric if it is not geometric. Coarse geometry of an immersed

surface in a geometric 3-manifold is relatively well-understood by previous work of Hass,

Bonahon-Thurston. In this dissertation, we study the coarse geometry of an immersed

surface in a non-geometric 3- manifold.

The first chapter of this dissertation is a joint work with my advisor, Chris Hruska. We

answer a question of Daniel Wise about distortion of a horizontal …

Pricing Of Dependent Risks, Mark Benedikt Schultze

Theses and Dissertations

In some types of insurance businesses, such as cyber or homeowners insurance, the assumption that risks are independent is violated. Because of this, the commonly used expected value premium principle does not work. Therefore, we propose different premium principles for pricing dependent risks. We derive formulas for these principles when the risks are normally distributed, pareto distributed and each risk is an aggregate loss. Furthermore, we investigate the behavior of the different premium principles related to a change in the dependence of the risks. Additionally, we examine the impact that a parameter of one risk has on the premium for …

Hermite Interpolation In The Treecode Algorithm, Benjamin St. Aubin

Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, a treecode implementing Hermite interpolation is constructed to approximate a summation of pairwise interactions on large data sets. Points are divided into a hierarchical tree structure and the interactions between points and well-separated clusters are approximated by interpolating the kernel function over the cluster. Performing the direct summation takes O(N^2) time for system size N, and evidence is presented to show the method presented in this paper scales with O(N logN) time. Comparisons between this method and existing ones are made, highlighting the relative simplicity and adaptability of this process. Parallelization of the computational step is implemented …

Three Essays On Individuals’ Vulnerability To Security Attacks In Online Social Networks: Factors And Behaviors, Neshat Beheshti

Theses and Dissertations

With increasing reliance on the Internet, the use of online social networks (OSNs) for communication has grown rapidly. OSN platforms are used to share information and communicate with friends and family. However, these platforms can pose serious security threats to users. In spite of the extent of such security threats and resulting damages, little is known about factors associated with individuals’ vulnerability to online security attacks. We address this gap in the following three essays.

Essay 1 draws on a synthesis of the epidemic theory in infectious disease epidemiology with the social capital theory to conceptualize factors that contribute to …

Incorporation, Morphology, And Extinction Of Framework-Building Metazoans In Early Cambrian Reef Ecosystems From The Western Usa And Mongolia And Their Effects On Reef Diversity, David Russell Cordie

Theses and Dissertations

The early Cambrian represents an important transition in the evolution of life, perhaps most vividly exemplified by reef ecosystems as they changed from microbial-supported to metazoan-supported framework reefs. Microbial reefs were initially composed of Renalcis- and Epiphyton-group calcifying microbes. Subsequent reefs began to incorporate archaeocyathan sponges within this framework. This represents a shift in the source of carbonate production, which can be quantified using thin section point counts. In archaeocyathan reefs from the western USA, carbonate contribution from metazoan framework builders increased from zero to 29.7%. Similar reefs from Mongolia increased from zero to 5.0%. Increases in Laurentian archaeocyath contributions …

An Analysis Of Momentum Flux Budgets And Profiles In A Large-Eddy Model, Steffen Domke

Theses and Dissertations

Momentum fluxes and variances play an important role in the characterization and forecast of weather phenomena, but cannot be measured easily.

A subdivision of the flux changes into budget terms by the underlying physical processes, such as buoyancy transport, can assist in understanding their sources and influences.

Momentum flux and variance budgets for SAM, the System for Atmospheric Modeling, have been implemented and are compared to existing budgets from other simulations.

A tool for the visualization of these quantities from three-dimensional grid data has been developed to show and explain their distribution in conjunction with shallow cumulus and stratocumulus clouds. …

Model-Independent Estimation Of Optimal Hedging Strategies With Deep Neural Networks, Tobias Michael Furtwaengler

Theses and Dissertations

Inspired by the recent paper Buehler et al. (2018), this thesis aims to investigate the optimal hedging and pricing of financial derivatives with neural networks. We utilize the concept of convex risk measures to define optimal hedging strategies without strong assumptions on the underlying market dynamics. Furthermore, the setting allows the incorporation of market frictions and thus the determination of optimal hedging strategies and prices even in incomplete markets. We then use the approximation capabilities of neural networks to find close-to optimal estimates for these strategies.

We will elaborate on the theoretical foundations of this approach and carry out implementations …

Culture And Code: The Evolution Of Digital Architecture And The Formation Of Networked Publics, Geoffrey Gimse

Theses and Dissertations

Culture and Code traces the construction of the modern idea of the Internet and offers a potential glimpse of how that idea may change in the near future. Developed through a theoretical framework that links Sheila Jasanoff and Sang-Hyun Kim’s theory of the sociotechnical imaginary to broader theories on publics and counterpublics, Culture and Code offers a way to reframe the evolution of Internet technology and its culture as an enmeshed part of larger socio-political shifts within society. In traveling the history of the modern Internet as detailed in its technical documentation, legal documents, user created content, and popular media …

Large Scale Geometry Of Surfaces In 3-Manifolds, Hoang Thanh Nguyen

Theses and Dissertations

A compact, orientable, irreducible 3-manifold M with empty or toroidal boundary is

called geometric if its interior admits a geometric structure in the sense of Thurston. The

manifold M is called non-geometric if it is not geometric. Coarse geometry of an immersed

surface in a geometric 3-manifold is relatively well-understood by previous work of Hass,

Bonahon-Thurston. In this dissertation, we study the coarse geometry of an immersed

surface in a non-geometric 3- manifold.

The first chapter of this dissertation is a joint work with my advisor, Chris Hruska. We

answer a question of Daniel Wise about distortion of a horizontal …

Pricing Of Dependent Risks, Mark Benedikt Schultze

Theses and Dissertations

In some types of insurance businesses, such as cyber or homeowners insurance, the assumption that risks are independent is violated. Because of this, the commonly used expected value premium principle does not work. Therefore, we propose different premium principles for pricing dependent risks. We derive formulas for these principles when the risks are normally distributed, pareto distributed and each risk is an aggregate loss. Furthermore, we investigate the behavior of the different premium principles related to a change in the dependence of the risks. Additionally, we examine the impact that a parameter of one risk has on the premium for …

Anthropogenically Driven Changes To Shallow Groundwater In Southeastern Wisconsin And Its Effects On The Aquifer Microbial Communities, Madeline Jean Salo

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates if, and to what extent, the microbial community present in the shallow groundwater of southeastern Wisconsin is affected by the influx of treated municipal wastewater effluent. The primary study area consisted of three wells located in the shallow sand and gravel aquifer along the upper Fox River in Waukesha, Wisconsin. One well is located roughly 1500 feet from the river and pumps pristine groundwater. Two riverbank inducement wells are located within 200 feet of the river and pump a mixture of groundwater and river water that contains effluent from three upstream wastewater treatment plants. Water from all …

Hermite Interpolation In The Treecode Algorithm, Benjamin St. Aubin

Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, a treecode implementing Hermite interpolation is constructed to approximate a summation of pairwise interactions on large data sets. Points are divided into a hierarchical tree structure and the interactions between points and well-separated clusters are approximated by interpolating the kernel function over the cluster. Performing the direct summation takes O(N^2) time for system size N, and evidence is presented to show the method presented in this paper scales with O(N logN) time. Comparisons between this method and existing ones are made, highlighting the relative simplicity and adaptability of this process. Parallelization of the computational step is implemented …