Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Using Machine Learning Models To Discover Promising Research, Akhil Pandey Akella

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Endeavors to identify valuable research involve the factors of discovery, comprehensibility, and reproducibility. The purpose of this study is to assist scholars in finding research that is both promising and of high quality. I explain how we can approach the problem of reproducibility in relation to scholarly articles and propose gauging the public understanding of science as a way to determine the comprehensibility of given research articles. Additionally, I explain how the concept of long-term social media impact supports the discovery of scholarly articles likely to be impactful even with the passage of time. I build and describe machine-learning models …

Improved Momentum Spread For Precision Physics Experiments Using Wedges, Nick Amato

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

High precision experiments have become key in the search for physics beyond the Standard Model. One measurement that can be made in order to expand our knowledge of the Standard Model is the precise measurement of the magnetic dipole moment (MDM) of the muon. In order to perform this precise measurement of the MDM of muons, the storage of particles with a precisely known momentum in a highly uniform magnetic field is required.

This thesis is focused on how one may use a wedge of energy absorbing material and the optical parameters of an accelerator lattice to improve upon the …

Morphometric Analysis Of Subfossil Macronycteris Spp. (Chiroptera: Hipposideridae) From Madagascar, Jamie Lynn Alumbaugh

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Macronycteris bats are morphologically conservative between species but demonstrate intraspecific morphological variation between geographic locations and sexes. Two of the four living species of Macronycteris are found on Madagascar, where they are broadly distributed and demonstrate a trend in body size correlated with the latitudinal precipitation cline on the western side of the island. The presence of an extinct species, M. besaoaka, from Anhjohibe Cave in northern Madagascar suggests that Macronycteris was once more diverse, at least with respect to morphology. Since its description, taxonomic and phylogenetic revisions have reshaped our understanding of this genus. On Madagascar, these include the …

Resonant Extraction For Mu2e, Prudhvi Raj Varma Chintalapati

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Charged Lepton Flavor Violations (CLFVs) are probed in an attempt to search Beyond Standard Model (BSM) Physics. The sensitive channel available for experiments around the world is to probe through muons. No conclusive evidence of CLFV is found so far but $\mutoe$ experiment at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab) aims to improve the current experimental sensitivity by searching for $\mu^{-}N \longrightarrow e^{-}N$ transition. To provide the high intensity beam that can be handled to achieve desired sensitivity, slow spill using resonant extraction is used at the accelerator complex.

Understanding the motivations behind the experiment and simulating the crucial stage in …

Study Of Higgs Production From H -> Zz -> 4l Channel Using Machine Learning Methods, Daniel Arthur Faia Jr.

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

In this thesis I will show how machine learning methods can improve on physics analysis in the H -> ZZ -> 4l channel. In particular we will explore how these methods can be used to classify Vector Boson Fusion (VBF) processes in the presence of more dominant Higgs production processes. The aim is to improve the ability to discriminate VBF Higgs boson production relative to other Higgs boson production modes. Since VBF has two quark jets in the final state, it is useful to discriminate between quark and gluon jets. We compare the effectiveness of quark gluon discrimination with machine …

Simulating And Modelling Opinion Dynamics, Jennifer Heermance

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The foundation of social media is conversation. Social media allows people to share ideas and opinions, as well as discuss those opinions. A point of intrigue for many social scientists is how those opinions change through interaction with others. What influences someone’s opinion? When is a person willing to adapt their opinion, and when does it remain the same? Is it possible to measure these opinion dynamics? Our overall goal is to develop a more comprehensive model for opinion dynamics. The first step of this process is to simulate data that can then be analyzed and used to develop a …

Using Reinforcement Learning In A Simulated Intelligent Tutoring System, Manohar Sai Jasti

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

I used reinforcement learning to investigate which categories of hints are most efficient in an intelligent tutoring system for human anatomy. Efficiency is defined as minimizing the time it takes the student to learn the material. When a student gives a wrong answer, the tutor can give them a text hint, a diagrammatic hint, or a video clip. Each type of hint takes a different amount of time to deliver and takes the student a different amount of time to understand.

I built a simulator for the intelligent tutoring system to collect data from simulated students. I implemented reinforcement learning, …

Towards Dual-Readout Calorimetry For Redtop Experiment, Tilak B. Malla

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

By virtue of peculiar properties of the eta (η) Goldstone boson, the study of it’s de-

cays is very important. The rare decays of this meson can provide unique opportunities

to probe several fundamental invariance principles of physics world. The REDTOP experi-

ment aims at searching for Physics Beyond Standard Model (BSM) by studying such decays

at a sensitivity of 10^ (−10) or below, which requires 10^ (12) or more η mesons. The REDTOP

collaboration has designed a detector to produce and reconstruct such a large number of

η mesons, which will make REDTOP a rare decay factory. The detector …

Assessing The Performance And Merit Of The Random Survival Forest And Cox Models On A Pancreatic Cancer Data Set, Carl Edward Mueller

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Random Survival Forest (RSF) is one of the most powerful and easily applied machine learning models for survival data. RSF sacrifices some of the interpretability of the decision trees used to grow the forest in order to significantly reduce the bias and variance of the basic classification and regression tree (CART) paradigm. The lessened interpretability and higher computational intensity of RSF means that it may not always be the preferred method, even in settings where black-box methods are readily used. By contrast, the Cox Proportional Hazards (PH) model is incredibly flexible, resistant to overfitting, and transparently estimable. The tradeoff for …

Experimental And Computational Studies Of Gas-Phase Metal Ion Catalysts, Elettra Ludovica Piacentino

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

In this thesis, the chemistry of three groups of transition metal coordination complexes

is reported: A series of zinc–based catalysts was evaluated for efficiency in decomposing

formic acid into molecular hydrogen and carbon dioxide in the gas phase. The effectiveness

of the catalysts in the series [LZn(H)]+, where L = terpyridine (tpy), phenantroline (phen)

or 2,2’-bipyrydine (bpy) was found to depend on the ligand used, which turned out to be fun

damental in tuning the catalytic properties of the zinc complex. Specifically, [(tpy)Zn(H)]+

displayed the fastest formic acid decomposition as observed inside a quadrupole ion trap mass

spectrometer. The catalysts …

Coupling Reactions Of Triaryl Carbocations Via Cationic Charge Delocalization, Hongfang Xue

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This thesis describes a coupling reaction involving cationic charge delocalization. This work began as a study of the Piancatelli rearrangement, a reaction involving furan-based triaryl methyl cations. A new synthetic reaction has been discovered using these furan-based triaryl methyl cations as electrophilic intermediates. Zinc chloride has been found to be an effective Lewis acid catalyst for the ionization of the triaryl methanols to the carbocations. It has been found that furan-based triaryl methyl cations react with nucleophiles such as enol silyl ethers and silyl ketene acetals. Similar to the Piancatelli reaction, nucleophilic reactions are found to occur at the 5-position …

Visualization Of Large Time-Dependent Multidimensional Datasets Using Information Dashboards, Ankita Upadhyay

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Visual summarization is the act of displaying the most important information in a single

view or on a single screen. There are many existing powerful and useful information visualization tools and techniques to visualize large datasets, but the major challenge in using

these visualization tools efficiently are assessing what is needed to create awareness,

where awareness is dependent on the situation and context of the user and surrounding

events.

For example, when a user is driving (context) and approaching an intersection (situation)

the traffic light being red creates an awareness that the driver needs to stop, or when a fire …

Direct Polymer Grafting As A Method Of Maintaining The Mechanical Properties Of Cellulose Nanocrystals In The Presence Of Moisture, Mary Elizabeth Breen-Lyles

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) are a distinctive nanomaterial derived from cellulose, the most abundant natural polymer on Earth, and the primary reinforcing structural component of cellulose fibrils found within the plant cell wall. These nanocrystals exhibit mechanical properties comparable to synthetic aramid fibers but are advantageous as they are biodegradable, renewable, and can be produced sustainably as they are predominantly extracted from naturally occurring cellulosic materials. These qualities make it a sustainable, highly renewable and environmentally friendly material to be used in place of synthetic materials in a variety of applications. With their high surface area to volume ratio, low level …

Factors Affecting Superfund Hazardous Waste Site Cleanups, Leili Solatyavari

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

My dissertation focuses on assessing environmental equity in neighborhoods hosting hazardous waste lands known as Superfund sites. I define environmental equity as equal and timely removal of Superfund sites regardless of the demographic profile of hosting communities. In the first chapter, I introduce the Superfund program and various steps that need to be taken by the EPA in order to remove a hazardous site from a neighborhood. The second chapter discusses theoretical frameworks that motivate the empirical analysis by visualizing the Superfund enforcement and cleanup process.

The third chapter objectives are twofold. First, I investigate the factors that may affect …

Study Of Electron Beam Emitted From Nano-Structured Cathode, Anusorn Lueangaramwong

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Over the years, particle accelerators have enabled breakthroughs in fundamental science while also becoming critical tools in medicine, homeland security, and societal applications. High-brightness electron beams are a key to the development of some of these accelerators and especially accelerator-based light sources. Electron emission is the first stage of the accelerator that dictates the ultimate beam brightness. To achieve such beam quality, electron sources--cathodes have been developed for their emission efficiencies. The cathodes with nanostructures on their surfaces have shown promising efficiencies when a laser pulse impinges, or an electric field is applied, on the cathode surface. Alternatively, these nano-patterned …

Development Of Synthetic Methodologies Of Nucleophile-Electrophile Chemistry, Michael R. Stentzel

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The work outlined in this dissertation describes the development of synthetic methodologies utilizing a wide electrophilicity range of substrates towards the synthesis of new compounds. Substitution, addition, and superelectrophilic chemistry are powerful tools to afford potentially important compounds. These concepts are summarized in chapter 1.

Chapter 2 describes the capture of superacid catalyzed fluorenyl cations with nitriles (Ritter reaction) and alcohols. Optimization of reaction conditions and extensive scope studies were performed.

In chapter 3, the Michael addition of organometallic reagents with N-heterocyclic substituted olefins is explored. The nucleophilic carbanion intermediate species is shown to have reactivity towards strong electrophiles. With …

Microbiome And Metagenome Of An Anthropogenic Hyperalkaline Slag-Fill Waterway In South Chicago, Illinois, Usa, Jan Ingemar Ohlsson

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The aquifers and waterways around the Lake Calumet area of south Chicago, IL, USA have been affected by a century of intensive industrial waste dumping. Steel slag in particular was used as infilling to claim most of the Calumet Wetlands for industrial and residential development. Since the prohibition and cessation of these disposal activities, a growing body of research has recorded the environmental and health effects of the infill, particularly where interactions between slag minerals and rainwater produces extremely alkaline groundwater (pH ≥13). Atmospheric carbon dioxide interacting with these calcium hydroxide-rich slag fluids produces massive precipitation of a loose, white …

Growth And Survival Of Wild And Head-Started Blanding’S Turtles (Emydoidea Blandingii), Callie Klatt Golba

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Blanding’s Turtles (IUCN Endangered) are long-lived reptiles with delayed sexual maturity. Anthropogenic landscape changes have increased threats to juvenile turtles, resulting in unnaturally low recruitment. Head-starting has become a popular conservation strategy that aims to increase juvenile recruitment by avoiding the increased predation of the vulnerable nest and hatchling age-class. However, there is still debate about whether or not it is an effective management tool. Assessments of head-starting are becoming more prevalent, but long-term studies are needed to critically evaluate the success of such interventions. In particular, information is needed on how head-starts fare compared to wild-born turtles. The Lake …

Solving The Semidefinite Programming Relaxation Of Max-Cut Using An Augmented Lagrangian Method, Ahmed Sabah Al-Jilawi

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Semidefinite programming (SDP) problems have been investigated and solved in this work. A novel approach has been introduced and validated to solve SDP relaxations of binary quadratic optimization problems. In the BiqCrunch solver, a penalty method is used to compute the solution of a semidefinite relaxation of a binary quadratic problem. This problem generates a bound on the optimal value of the original problem. A branch-and- bound approach then uses this semidefinite bound to solve the binary quadratic problems. In this study, a new approach has been developed to replace the penalty method with the augmented Lagrangian method. Also, according …

Controlling Lonicera Maackii (Amur Honeysuckle): Basal Bark And Prescribed Fire Efficacy And Impacts, Kaleb Baker

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Lonicera maackii is a non-native shrub that has invaded eastern and midwestern North American deciduous forests, altering the ecosystem functions and reducing biodiversity. Managers tasked with controlling L. maackii, being resource limited, require effective methods that are quick and easy to use without inflicting extensive nontarget damage. This study explores prescribed fire and seasonal basal applications of triclopyr as control methods and examines their extent of off-target damage. Paired-split plots were established to implement seasonal basal bark treatments within burned/unburned units where individual L. maackii were tracked to determine mortality and the hyperlocal impacts of management. Basal bark treatments were …

Exploring A Bayesian Analysis Of Opinion Dynamics Using The Approximate Bayesian Computation Method, Jessica L. Bishop

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Social media has created a whole new framework in the way we understand ones expression of opinion, and how ones' opinion can influence others. Models of opinion dynamics, such as a probabilistic modeling framework of opinion dynamics over time are given by Abir De, Isabel Valera, Niloy Ganguly, Sourangshu Bhattacharya, and Manuel Gomez Rodriguez in ``Learning and Forecasting Opinion Dynamics in Social Networks." In this paper, we will continue to explore their models, now coming from a Bayesian statistical standpoint, specifically looking at the Approximate Bayesian Computation (ABC) method for the computation of better estimations for the data. We will …

Nanomaterials Of Iron Oxide, Boron, And Boron Nitride: On The Path To Magnetic Guided Bioconjugates For Medical Applications, John Ryan Wozny

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The functionalization of boron-based bioconjugates has long been studied for their potential use as a drug candidate for boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT). Also, magnetic nanoparticles have received greater attention due to their interesting magnetic properties and behaviors for selectively guiding them with an external magnetic field through the blood. A combination of the two ideas gives the framework for nanotechnology that has the potential to revolutionize drug delivery systems. This thesis will focus systematically on individual elements required for the many moving pieces required for magnetic drug targeting.

The research discussed in this thesis is divided into three parts. …

Evaluation Of Epilepsy Surgery Using Bayesian Multinomial Regression, Kacy Danielle Kane

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

We are exploring the effectiveness of brain surgeries that are supposed to eliminate or reduce the frequency of seizures in young Epilepsy patients. The long-term effectiveness of brain surgeries is evaluated by ordinal categories and brings longitudinal categorical responses.

Using a Bayesian multinomial regression model we examine the responses by the lobe of brain and other covariates as well as time. To overcome computational difficulties we utilize latent variables for multinomial responses and compare the results with frequentists methods.

Hydrogeochemical Characterization Of Yalahau Region, Mexico, Jessica Leann Mckay

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The Yalahau Region, located in the northeastern portion of the Yucatán Peninsula, hosts a series of elongated depressions trending north/south in the direction of Isla Holbox, identified as the Holbox Fracture Zone. Previous studies have explored the geomorphology and various hydrologic characteristics of the Yucatán Peninsula; however, there is a paucity of data concerning the interior region where the fractures are located. Strontium isotope and major ion geochemistry data of the surface water and groundwater of this region serves as a hydrogeochemical fingerprint, aiding to constrain the hydrological boundaries, determining flow paths, and characterizing hydrogeochemical processes that impact the composition …

Exploring Cyber-Physical Systems, Misbah Uddin Mohammed

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The advances in IOT, Computer Vision, AI and Machine Learning have made these technologies ubiquitous to our daily lives. From Smart Phones to Connected Vehicles, Cyber Physical systems have been interspersed into everything we interact in today’s world. The aim or this thesis was to explore these advances in Cyber Physical Systems and analyze the different sectors they were affecting. We then hand-picked certain domains and explored further by carrying out practical projects using some of the latest software and hardware resources available. Technologies like Amazon Alexa services, NVIDIA Jetson boards, TensorFlow, OpenCV, NodeJS were heavily employed in our various …

Bayesian Functional Data Analysis Over Dependent Regions And Its Application For Identification Of Differentially Methylated Regions, Suvo Chatterjee

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Bayesian functional data analysis (BFDA) provides flexible statistical inferences under harsh circumstances such as a large volume of data, considerable measurement errors and missing observations. Considering a sequence of segments and functional data analysis on each segment, where neighboring segments can be dependent, demanding computation is indispensable and analysis is sometimes infeasible for large number of segments. We consider a utilization of BFDA to identify differentially methylated regions (DMRs). Out of numerous existing methodologies to detect DMRs, there still does not exist a standard approach to identify DMRs especially under the assumption of dependency among genomic regions. In this dissertation, …

Design, Synthesis, And Evaluation Of Potential Burkholderia Pseudomallei Ispf Inhibitors, Sydney Marie Watkins

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This body of work focuses on the inhibition of Burkholderia pseudomallei enzyme IspF. Burkholderia pseudomallei is the causative agent of Whitmore’s disease, and IspF is an essential enzyme in the synthesis of isoprenoids, a vital class of compounds. This work has involved the design and synthesis of nearly five dozen compounds, as well as the design, modification, and use of assays to demonstrate potential interactions between the compounds being investigated and the targeted organisms or enzymes. Development of assays was made challenging by the difficulty in observing the consumption of an unstable substrate or production of a product without a …

Applications Of Bayesian Functional Data Analysis, Hao Shen

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Functional Data Analysis (FDA) is a set of statistical methods that can deal with the data which represent curves or functions. In this dissertation, we consider two extensions of FDA to two types of data, circadian data and multidimensional data. The first part of the dissertation is concerned with the analysis of circadian data. We estimate circadian functions by using Bayesian smoothing splines under the generalized linear model, and extract two measures from each estimated function, magnitude and roughness. Based on extracted measures, we cluster individual functions into normal group and abnormal group by utilizing a density based clustering method. …

New Synthetic Methods Using Superelectrophiles, Sean Kennedy

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The work outlined in this dissertation describes new synthetic methods in the synthesis of heterocyclic compounds mediated by superacid catalysis. Superacids are powerful reagents that enhance the reactivity of electrophiles, thereby opening the door to new reactive pathways with very weak nucleophiles. In this work, trifluoromethanesulfonic acid (triflic acid, CF3SO3H) is employed as a superacid catalyst to effect new transformations. These concepts are summarized in chapter 1. Chapter 2 describes a new acid-catalyzed cascade leading to the indolizidine ring system, which is present in a number of natural products. Experiments support a proposed mechanism involving vinylogous keto-enol tautomerization. The synthesis …

A Climatology Of Quasi-Linear Convective Systems In The U.S., Jacob Adam Strohm

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Quasi-linear convective systems, or QLCSs, are a common, organized thunderstorm mode in the U.S. Over the last fifty years, severe weather research has focused on the supercell, but, recently, QLCSs have become an increasingly important area of study. Researchers and operational meteorologists realize that this morphology is difficult to forecast and may be responsible for a large proportion of the severe weather reports in the eastern two-thirds of the U.S. This study seeks to determine the degree to which QLCSs threaten humans and their assets by, first, assessing their climatology and, second, measuring their contribution to the severe report record. …