Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Modelling Awareness Of Agents Using Policies, Amir Talaei-Khoei, Pradeep Ray, Nandan Parameswaran, Ghassan Beydoun

Associate Professor Ghassan Beydoun

In addition to cooperation, research in disaster management exposes the need for policy awareness to recognize relevant information in enhancing cooperation. Intelligent software agents have previously been employed for problem solving in disaster situations but without incorporating how the agents can create or model awareness. This paper presents an awareness based modelling method, called MAAP, to maintain awareness of software agents of a given set of policies. The paper presents preliminary results indicating that the use of policies as a source of awareness, as facilitated by MAAP, is a potentially effective method to enhance cooperation.

Modeling And Solving Semiring Constraint Satisfaction Problems By Transformation To Weighted Semiring Max-Sat, Louise Leenen, Anbulagan Anbulagan, Thomas Meyer, Aditya K. Ghose

Professor Aditya K. Ghose

We present a variant of the Weighted Maximum Satisfiability Problem(Weighted Max-SAT), which is a modeling of the Semiring Con- straint Satisfaction framework. We show how to encode a Semiring Con- straint Satisfaction Problem (SCSP) into an instance of a propositional Weighted Max-SAT, and call the encoding Weighted Semiring Max-SAT (WS-Max-SAT). The clauses in our encoding are highly structured and we exploit this feature to develop two algorithms for solving WS-Max- SAT: an incomplete algorithm based on the well-known GSAT algorithm for Max-SAT, and a branch-and-bound algorithm which is complete. Our preliminary experiments show that the translation of SCSP into WS- …

Contextual Effects In Modeling For Small Domain Estimation, Mohammad-Reza Namazi-Rad, David G. Steel

Professor David Steel

Many different Small Area Estimation (SAE) methods have been proposed to overcome the challenge of findingreliable estimates for small domains. Often, the required data for various research purposes are available at differentlevels of aggregation. Based on the available data, individual-level or aggregated-level models are used in SAE.However, parameter estimates obtained from individual and aggregated level analysis may be different, in practice.This may happen due to some substantial contextual or area-level effects in the covariates which may be misspecifiedin individual-level analysis. If small area models are going to be interpretable in practice, possible contextualeffects should be included. Ignoring these effects leads …

Evaluating Participatory Modeling: Developing A Framework For Cross-Case Analysis. Socio-Economics And The Environment In Discussion (Seed), Natalie A. Jones, Pascal Perez, Thomas G. Measham, Gail J. Kelly, Patrick D'Aquino, Katherine Daniell, Anne Dray, Nils Ferrand

Professor Pascal Perez

Participatory modeling is increasingly recognised as an effective way to assist collective decision-making processes in the domain of natural resource management. This paper introduces a framework for evaluating projects that have adopted a participatory modeling approach. This framework – known as the ‘Protocol of Canberra’ – was developed through a collaboration between French and Australian researchers engaged in participatory modeling and evaluation research. The framework seeks to assess the extent to which different participatory modeling practices reinforce or divert from the theoretical assumptions they are built upon. The paper discusses the application of the framework in three case-studies, two from …

Modeling Dynamic Controls On Ice Streams: A Bayesian Statistical Approach, L Mark Berliner, Kenneth Jezek, Noel Cressie, Yongku Kim, Calvin Lam, Cornelis Van Der Veen

Professor Noel Cressie

Our main goal is to exemplify the study of ice-stream dynamics via Bayesian statistical analysis incorporating physical, though imperfectly known, models using data that are both incomplete and noisy. The physical-statistical models we propose account for these uncertainties in a coherent, hierarchical manner. The initial modeling assumption estimates basal shear stress as equal to driving stress, but subsequently includes a random corrector process to account for model error. The resulting stochastic equation is incorporated into a simple model for surface velocities. Use of Bayes' theorem allows us to make inferences on all unknowns given basal elevation, surface elevation and surface …

Dynamical Random-Set Modeling Of Concentrated Precipitation In North America, Noel Cressie, Renato Assuncao, Scott H. Holan, Michael Levine, Orietta Nicolis, Jun Zhang, Jian Zou

Professor Noel Cressie

In order to study climate at scales where policy decisions can be made, regional climate models (RCMs) have been developed with much finer resolution (~50 km) than the ~500 km resolution of atmosphere-ocean general circulation models (AOGCMs). The North American Regional Climate Change Assessment Program (NARCCAP) is an international program that provides 50-km resolution climate output for the United States, Canada, and northern Mexico. In Phase I, there are six RCMs, from which we choose one to illustrate our methodology. The RCMs are updated every 3 hours and contain a number of variables, including temperature, precipitation, wind speed, wind direction, …

Accounting For Uncertainty In Ecological Analysis: The Strengths And Limitations Of Hierarchical Statistical Modeling, Noel Cressie, Catherine Calder, James Clark, Jay Ver Hoef, Christopher Wikle

Professor Noel Cressie

Analyses of ecological data should account for the uncertainty in the process(es) that generated the data. However, accounting for these uncertainties is a difficult task, since ecology is known for its complexity. Measurement and/or process errors are often the only sources of uncertainty modeled when addressing complex ecological problems, yet analyses should also account for uncertainty in sampling design, in model specification, in parameters governing the specified model, and in initial and boundary conditions. Only then can we be confident in the scientific inferences and forecasts made from an analysis. Probability and statistics provide a framework that accounts for multiple …

Applicability And Estimation Of Error For Determination Of Hydraulic Conductivity Values Based Upon Traditional Aquifer Test Methods For 2-D Groundwater Modeling, Timothy W. Freed Sr.

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The Theis method and its derivative Cooper-Jacob method are commonly used for determining hydraulic conductivity (K) for aquifer studies using two-dimensional (2-D) groundwater modeling. Theis and derivative equations assume isotropic, homogeneous aquifers and horizontal flow. In nature, saturated permeable layers of an aquifer are often separated by less permeable layers or lenses, which commonly have K's that are lower by several orders of magnitude. The presence of such geologic features induces vertical flow during aquifer tests violating assumptions for Theis based methods. This study assesses the appropriateness and error of using Theis based equations to determine K for use in …

Reputation As Public Policy For Internet Security, Leigh L. Linden, John S. Quarterman, Qian Tang, Andrew B. Whinston

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Insufficient resource allocation causes an Internet information security (infosec) problem that public policy could improve. Lack of transparency lets organizations avoid addressing internal risks, leaving vulnerabilities that are exploited by botnets, threatening information security of other Internet participants. Their protection provides no economic benefit to the firm, so this negative externality causes underinvestment in infosec. Public policy could provide a partial solution by adding incentives for organizations to have well-configured infosec. Specifically, mandatory reporting of security issues plus presenting this information to the public, can impose shame and fame on organizations through publicity and peer influence by comparison with major …

Forecasting The Effect Of The Amethyst Initiative On College Drinking, Ben G. Fitzpatrick, Richard Scribner, Azmy S. Ackleh, Jawaid Rasul, Geoffrey Jacquez, Neal Simonsen, Robert Rommel

Mathematics Faculty Works

Background

A number of college presidents have endorsed the Amethyst Initiative, a call to consider lowering the minimum legal drinking age (MLDA). Our objective is to forecast the effect of the Amethyst Initiative on college drinking.

Methods

A system model of college drinking siumlates MLDA changes through (1) a decrease in heavy episodic drinking (HED) due to the lower likelihood of students drinking in unsupervised settings where they model irresponsible drinking (misperception), and (2) an increase in overall drinking among currently underage students due to increased social availability of alcohol (wetness).

Results

For the proportion of HEDs on campus, effects …

Synthesis, Modeling, And Characterization Of Conducting Polymers, Geoffrey M. Spinks, Lianbin Zhao, Weihua Li, Yanzhe Wu, Dezhi Zhou, Gordon G. Wallace

Professor Weihua Li

This paper presents synthesis and characterization of polypyrrole based conducting polymers in terms of electronic and mechanical disciplines. Using the electrochemical polymerization approach, conducting polymer samples with different dimensions (length, width, and thickness) was fabricated. For each sample, both sinusoidal and step excitations were used to study its mechanical and electrical properties. An equivalent electric circuit based on constant phase element (CPE) is proposed to model such responses. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) method was used to identify the relationship between the dimensions of conducting polymers and model elements parameters.

Synthesis, Modeling, And Characterization Of Conducting Polymers, Geoffrey M. Spinks, Lianbin Zhao, Weihua Li, Yanzhe Wu, Dezhi Zhou, Gordon G. Wallace

Professor Weihua Li

This paper presents synthesis and characterization of polypyrrole based conducting polymers in terms of electronic and mechanical disciplines. Using the electrochemical polymerization approach, conducting polymer samples with different dimensions (length, width, and thickness) was fabricated. For each sample, both sinusoidal and step excitations were used to study its mechanical and electrical properties. An equivalent electric circuit based on constant phase element (CPE) is proposed to model such responses. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) method was used to identify the relationship between the dimensions of conducting polymers and model elements parameters.

Modeling Glacial Termination, Michael Murphy

Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences

Examines possible cause of the glacial termination or ice age cycle using a numerical model created by Tziperman et al. Also explores possible physical mechanisms causing the observed cycle of slow cooling followed by rapid warming.

Modeling Of Soil Sealing By Urban Sprawl In Wukro, Ethiopia Using Remote Sensing And Gis Techniques, Ahmed Harb Rabia A.H. Rabia

Ahmed Harb Rabia A.H. Rabia

Soil sealing is the covering of the soil surface with materials like concrete and stone, as a result of new buildings, roads, parking places but also other public and private space. Soil sealing by urban sprawl continues to increase all over the world where the area of urbanized land is increasing even more rapidly than the population. The degree of sealing is associated to the land use type and the density of population. Techniques of Remote Sensing and Geographical Information System (GIS) have been used widely to measure urban sprawl and to analyze the spatial features and unique mechanism of …

Composite Feature-Based Face Detection Using Skin Color Modeling And Svm Classification, Swathi Rajashekar

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This report proposes a face detection algorithm based on skin color modeling and support vector machine (SVM) classification. Said classification is based on various face features used to detect specific faces in an input color image. A YCbCr color space is used to filter the skin color pixels from the input color image. Template matching is used on the result with various window sizes of the template created from an ORL face database. The candidates obtained above, are then classified by SVM classifiers using the histogram of oriented gradients, eigen features, edge ratio, and edge statistics features.

Cosm News, Georgia Southern University

College of Science and Mathematics News (2012-2019)

• Mathematical Competition in Modeling (MCM) Spring 2012

Water And Energy Balance Response Of A Riparian Wetland To The Removal Of Phragmites Australis, Phillip Mykleby

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Vegetation and climate both play integral roles in water availability, particularly for arid to semi-arid regions. Changes in these variables can lead to extreme shortages in water for regions that rely on water for crop irrigation (i.e., the Great Plains). The objective of this study is to evaluate the impacts of vegetation on water availability in the Republican River basin in central Nebraska. Decreases in streamflow have been observed in the river basin for many years and, as a result, an invasive riparian plant species (Phragmites australis) is being removed in an effort to reduce evapotranspiration and reclaim …

Childhood Body Mass Index Trajectories: Modeling, Characterizing, Pairwise Correlations And Socio-Demographic Predictors Of Trajectory Characteristics, Xiaozhong Wen, Ken Kleinman, Matthew W. Gillman, Sherly L. Rifas-Shiman, Elsie M. Taveras

Public Health Department Faculty Publication Series

BACKGROUND:

Modeling childhood body mass index (BMI) trajectories, versus estimating change in BMI between specific ages, may improve prediction of later body-size-related outcomes. Prior studies of BMI trajectories are limited by restricted age periods and insufficient use of trajectory information.

METHODS:

Among 3,289 children seen at 81,550 pediatric well-child visits from infancy to 18 years between 1980 and 2008, we fit individual BMI trajectories using mixed effect models with fractional polynomial functions. From each child's fitted trajectory, we estimated age and BMI at infancy peak and adiposity rebound, and velocity and area under curve between 1 week, infancy peak, adiposity …

Simulation Of Coastal Inundation Instigated By Storm Surge And River Discharge In The Chesapeake Bay Using Sub-Grid Modeling Coupled With Lidar Data, J. D. Loftis, H. V. Wang

Presentations

Sub-grid modeling is a novel method by which water level elevations on the sub-grid level can be obtained through the combination of water levels and velocities efficiently calculated at the coarse computational grid, the discretized bathymetric depths, and local friction parameters without resorting to solve the full set of equations. Sub-grid technology essentially allows velocity to be determined rationally and efficiently at the sub-grid level. This salient feature enables coastal flooding to be addressed in a single cross-scale model from the ocean to the upstream river channel without overly refining the grid resolution. To this end, high-resolution DEMs will be …

Dynamical Random-Set Modeling Of Concentrated Precipitation In North America, Noel Cressie, Renato Assuncao, Scott H. Holan, Michael Levine, Orietta Nicolis, Jun Zhang, Jian Zou

Faculty of Informatics - Papers (Archive)

In order to study climate at scales where policy decisions can be made, regional climate models (RCMs) have been developed with much finer resolution (~50 km) than the ~500 km resolution of atmosphere-ocean general circulation models (AOGCMs). The North American Regional Climate Change Assessment Program (NARCCAP) is an international program that provides 50-km resolution climate output for the United States, Canada, and northern Mexico. In Phase I, there are six RCMs, from which we choose one to illustrate our methodology. The RCMs are updated every 3 hours and contain a number of variables, including temperature, precipitation, wind speed, wind direction, …

Muscle Organization In Individuals With And Without Pain And Joint Dysfunction, J. C. Nickel, Y. M. Gonzalez, W. D. Mccall, R. Ohrbach, D. B. Marx, H. Liu, L. R. Iwasaki

Department of Statistics: Faculty Publications

Central nervous system organization of masticatory muscles determines the magnitude of joint and muscle forces. Validated computer-assisted models of neuromuscular organization during biting were used to determine organization in individuals with and without temporomandibular disorders (TMD). Ninety-one individuals (47 women, 44 men) were assigned to one of four diagnostic groups based on the presence (+) or absence (-) of pain (P) and bilateral temporomandibular joint disc displacement (DD). Electromyography and bite-forces were measured during right and left incisor and molar biting. Two three-dimensional models employing neuromuscular objectives of minimization of joint loads (MJL) or muscle effort (MME) simulated biting tasks. …

Investigating Forest Inventory And Analysis-Collected Tree-Ring Data From Utah As A Proxy For Historical Climate, R. Justin Derose, Shih-Yu (Simon) Wang, John D. Shaw

Wasatch Dendroclimatology Research

Increment cores collected as part of the periodic inventory in the Intermountain West were examined for their potential to represent growth and be a proxy for climate (precipitation) over a large region (Utah). Standardized and crossdated time-series created from pinyon pine (n=249) and Douglas-fir (n=274) increment cores displayed spatiotemporal patterns in growth differences both between species and by region within Utah. However, the between-species interrelationship of growth was strong over much of the state and indicated both species respond similarly to climate variations. Indeed, pinyon pine and Douglas-fir exhibited a significant and spatially coherent response to instrumental precipitation data. Previous …

Documenting Magma Evolution Of The Fossa Delle Felci (Salina Island, South Tyrrhenian Sea) By Integrating In Situ Plagioclase Data With Quantitative Modeling, Aaron Mayfield

All Master's Theses

Compositional diversity occurs via processes dominated by recharge, assimilation and fractional crystallization (RAFC), quantification of which can provide insights into eruption catalysts, and therefore assist in hazard mitigation. This study evaluates the relative roles of RAFC processes in Fossa delle Felci (Salina Island, Italy) magmas, which span the basalt to dacite range (52-65 wt% SiO2). Integration of petrographic, whole rock, and in situ plagioclase data with quantitative magma chamber models suggests differentiation dominated by fractional crystallization and magma recharge/mixing in reservoirs located at different crustal levels. At ~12 km depth, magma evolved through crystallization of a pyroxene dominated assemblage; plagioclase …

Variations In Pore Water Salinities Above And Below Allochthonous Salt Sheets In The Deepwater Gulf Of Mexico: Implications For Mechanisms Of Solute Transport, Miles Alexander Mccammon

LSU Master's Theses

Spatial variations in salinity of pore waters in marine sediments provide useful information on processes and rates of subseafloor fluid flow and solute transport, particularly if there are evaporites in the section. Pore water salinities were determined for 18 drill holes which penetrated allochthonous salt bodies in 12 widely-scattered protraction blocks on the Louisiana offshore continental shelf and slope. Salinities were calculated from Log ASCII Standard-Logging While Drilling (LAS-LWD) logs using the Revil et al. (1998) dual-conductivity technique. The sites represent a wide range of field settings. Water depths range from 30 to 1990 m, depths to the top of …

Evaluating Subdivisions For Identifying Extraneous Flow In Separate Sanitary Sewer Systems, Adam Lanning, Eric Wade Peterson

Eric Wade Peterson

No abstract provided.