Computer Sciences Commons^™

Energy Functional For Nuclear Masses, Michael Giovanni Bertolli

Doctoral Dissertations

An energy functional is formulated for mass calculations of nuclei across the nuclear chart with major-shell occupations as the relevant degrees of freedom. The functional is based on Hohenberg-Kohn theory. Motivation for its form comes from both phenomenology and relevant microscopic systems, such as the three-level Lipkin Model. A global fit of the 17-parameter functional to nuclear masses yields a root- mean-square deviation of χ[chi] = 1.31 MeV, on the order of other mass models. The construction of the energy functional includes the development of a systematic method for selecting and testing possible functional terms. Nuclear radii are computed within …

Design And Implementation Of An Open Framework For Ubiquitous Carbon Footprint Calculator Applications, Farzana Rahman, Casey O'Brien, Sheikh Iqbal Ahamed, He Zhang, Lin Liu

Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science Faculty Research and Publications

As climate change is becoming an important global issue, more and more people are beginning to pay attention to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. To measure personal or household carbon dioxide emission, there are already plenty of carbon footprint calculators available on the web. Most of these calculators use quantitative models to estimate carbon emission caused by a user's activities. Although these calculators can promote public awareness regarding carbon emission due to an individual's behavior, there are concerns about the consistency and transparency of these existing CO₂ calculators. Apart from a small group of smart phone based carbon footprint calculator …

Automating Construction And Selection Of A Neural Network Using Stochastic Optimization, Jason Lee Hurt

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

An artificial neural network can be used to solve various statistical problems by approximating a function that provides a mapping from input to output data. No universal method exists for architecting an optimal neural network. Training one with a low error rate is often a manual process requiring the programmer to have specialized knowledge of the domain for the problem at hand.

A distributed architecture is proposed and implemented for generating a neural network capable of solving a particular problem without specialized knowledge of the problem domain. The only knowledge the application needs is a training set that the network …

Exploration And Comparison Of Methods For Combining Population- And Family-Based Genetic Association Using The Genetic Analysis Workshop 17 Mini-Exome, David W. Fardo, Anthony R. Druen, Jinze Liu, Lucia Mirea, Claire Infante-Rivard, Patrick Breheny

Biostatistics Faculty Publications

We examine the performance of various methods for combining family- and population-based genetic association data. Several approaches have been proposed for situations in which information is collected from both a subset of unrelated subjects and a subset of family members. Analyzing these samples separately is known to be inefficient, and it is important to determine the scenarios for which differing methods perform well. Others have investigated this question; however, no extensive simulations have been conducted, nor have these methods been applied to mini-exome-style data such as that provided by Genetic Analysis Workshop 17. We quantify the empirical power and false-positive …

Interactive Real-Time Embedded Systems Education Infused With Applied Internet Telephony, Kyle Persohn, Dennis Brylow

Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science Faculty Research and Publications

The transition from traditional circuit-switched phone systems to modern packet-based Internet telephony networks demands tools to support Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) development. In this paper, we introduce the XinuPhone, an integrated hardware/software approach for educating users about VoIP technology on a real-time embedded platform. We propose modular course topics for design-oriented, hands-on laboratory exercises: filter design, timing, serial communications, interrupts and resource budgeting, network transmission, and system benchmarking. Our open-source software platform encourages development and testing of new CODECs alongside existing standards, unlike similar commercial solutions. Furthermore, the supporting hardware features inexpensive, readily available components designed specifically for educational …

An Experimental Nexos Laboratory Using Virtual Xinu, Paul Ruth, Dennis Brylow

Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science Faculty Research and Publications

The Nexos Project is a joint effort between Marquette University, the University of Buffalo, and the University of Mississippi to build curriculum materials and a supporting experimental laboratory for hands-on projects in computer systems courses. The approach focuses on inexpensive, flexible, commodity embedded hardware, freely available development and debugging tools, and a fresh implementation of a classic operating system, Embedded Xinu, that is ideal for student exploration. This paper describes an extension to the Nexos laboratory that includes a new target platform composed of Qemu virtual machines. Virtual Xinu addresses two challenges that limit the effectiveness of Nexos. First, potential …

Advances In Graph-Cut Optimization: Multi-Surface Models, Label Costs, And Hierarchical Costs, Andrew T. Delong

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Computer vision is full of problems that are elegantly expressed in terms of mathematical optimization, or energy minimization. This is particularly true of "low-level" inference problems such as cleaning up noisy signals, clustering and classifying data, or estimating 3D points from images. Energies let us state each problem as a clear, precise objective function. Minimizing the correct energy would, hypothetically, yield a good solution to the corresponding problem. Unfortunately, even for low-level problems we are confronted by energies that are computationally hard—often NP-hard—to minimize. As a consequence, a rather large portion of computer vision research is dedicated to proposing …

A Framework For Generating Data To Simulate Application Scoring, Kenneth Kennedy, Sarah Jane Delany, Brian Mac Namee

Conference papers

In this paper we propose a framework to generate artificial data that can be used to simulate credit risk scenarios. Artificial data is useful in the credit scoring domain for two reasons. Firstly, the use of artificial data allows for the introduction and control of variability that can realistically be expected to occur, but has yet to materialise in practice. The ability to control parameters allows for a thorough exploration of the performance of classification models under different conditions. Secondly, due to non-disclosure agreements and commercial sensitivities, obtaining real credit scoring data is a problematic and time consuming task. By …

Basic R Matrix Operations, Joseph Hilbe

Joseph M Hilbe

No abstract provided.

A Geospatial Based Decision Framework For Extending Marssim Regulatory Principles Into The Subsurface, Robert Nathan Stewart

Doctoral Dissertations

The Multi-Agency Radiological Site Survey Investigation Manual (MARSSIM) is a regulatory guidance document regarding compliance evaluation of radiologically contaminated soils and buildings (USNRC, 2000). Compliance is determined by comparing radiological measurements to established limits using a combination of hypothesis testing and scanning measurements. Scanning allows investigators to identify localized pockets of contamination missed during sampling and allows investigators to assess radiological exposure at different spatial scales. Scale is important in radiological dose assessment as regulatory limits can vary with the size of the contaminated area and sites are often evaluated at more than one scale (USNRC, 2000). Unfortunately, scanning is …

A Study On Facility Planning Using Discrete Event Simulation: Case Study Of A Grain Delivery Terminal., Sarah M. Asio

Department of Industrial and Management Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The application of traditional approaches to the design of efficient facilities can be tedious and time consuming when uncertainty and a number of constraints exist. Queuing models and mathematical programming techniques are not able to capture the complex interaction between resources, the environment and space constraints for dynamic stochastic processes. In the following study discrete event simulation is applied to the facility planning process for a grain delivery terminal. The discrete event simulation approach has been applied to studies such as capacity planning and facility layout for a gasoline station and evaluating the resource requirements for a manufacturing facility. To …

The Utility Of Transient Sensitivity For Wildlife Management And Conservation: Bison As A Case Study, Michael Buhnerkempe, Nathanial Burch, Sarah J. Hamilton, Kerry M. Byrne, Eddie Childers, Kirstin A. Holfelder, Lindsay Mcmanus, Matthew I. Pyne, Greg Schroeder, Paul F. Doherty

Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science Faculty Research and Publications

Developing effective management strategies is essential to conservation biology. Population models and sensitivity analyses on model parameters have provided a means to quantitatively compare different management strategies, allowing managers to objectively assess the resulting impacts. Inference from traditional sensitivity analyses (i.e., eigenvalue sensitivity methods) is only valid for a population at its stable age distribution, while more recent methods have relaxed this assumption and instead focused on transient population dynamics. However, very few case studies, especially in long-lived vertebrates where transient dynamics are potentially most relevant, have applied these transient sensitivity methods and compared them to eigenvalue sensitivity methods. We …

Ranking Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms With Support Vector Regression In Continuous Phenotypes, Seif Shahidain

Theses

Support vector machines (SVM) have been used to improve the ranking of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) over traditional chi-square tests in disease case studies [2]. In this investigation, ranking SNPs with support vector regression (SVR) was compared to the Wald test in predicting continuous phenotypes. SVR-ranked SNPs consistently outperformed the Wald test-ranked SNPs to provide a more accurate prediction of the phenotype with fewer SNPs across several methods of prediction.

Putting Artists On The Map: A Five Part Study Of Greater Cleveland Artists' Location Decisions - Part 5: Properties Analysis - Artist Housing Characteristics, Mark Salling, Gregory Soltis, Charles Post, Sharon Bliss, Ellen Cyran

All Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs Publications

A series of reports detailing the residential and work space location preferences of Cuyahoga county's artists.

Empirical Methods For Predicting Student Retention- A Summary From The Literature, Matt Bogard

Economics Faculty Publications

The vast majority of the literature related to the empirical estimation of retention models includes a discussion of the theoretical retention framework established by Bean, Braxton, Tinto, Pascarella, Terenzini and others (see Bean, 1980; Bean, 2000; Braxton, 2000; Braxton et al, 2004; Chapman and Pascarella, 1983; Pascarell and Ternzini, 1978; St. John and Cabrera, 2000; Tinto, 1975) This body of research provides a starting point for the consideration of which explanatory variables to include in any model specification, as well as identifying possible data sources. The literature separates itself into two major camps including research related to the hypothesis testing …

Implementation Of Numerically Stable Hidden Markov Model, Usha Ramya Tatavarty

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

A Hidden Markov model (HMM) is a statistical Markov model in which the system being modeled is assumed to be a Markov process with unobserved (hidden) states. HMM is an extremely flexible tool and has been successfully applied to a wide variety of stochastic modeling tasks. One of the first applications of HMM is speech recognition. Later they came to be known for their applicability in handwriting recognition, part-of-speech tagging and bio-informatics.

In this thesis, we will explain the mathematics involved in HMMs and how to efficiently perform HMM computations using dynamic programming (DP) which makes it easy to implement …

Putting Artists On The Map: A Five Part Study Of Greater Cleveland Artists' Location Decisions - Part 4: Predictive Analysis - Regression Modeling, Mark Salling, Gregory Soltis, Charles Post, Sharon Bliss, Ellen Cyran

All Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs Publications

A series of reports detailing the residential and work space location preferences of Cuyahoga county's artists.

Putting Artists On The Map: A Five Part Study Of Greater Cleveland Artists' Location Decisions - Part 3: Attitudinal Analysis - Artist Housing And Space Survey, Mark Salling, Gregory Soltis, Charles Post, Sharon Bliss, Ellen Cyran

All Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs Publications

A series of reports detailing the residential and work space location preferences of Cuyahoga county's artists.

Prospective K-8 Teachers’ Knowledge Of Relational Thinking, Marta Magiera, Leigh A. Van Den Kieboom, John Moyer

Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science Faculty Research and Publications

The goal of this study was to examine two issues: First, pre-service teachers’ ability and inclination to think relationally prior to instruction about the role relational thinking plays in the K-8 mathematics curriculum. Second, to examine task specific variables possibly associated with pre-service teachers’ inclination to engage in relational thinking. The results revealed that preservice teachers engage in relational thinking about equality, however, their inclination to do so is rather limited. Furthermore, they tend to engage in relational thinking more frequently in the context of arithmetic than algebra-related tasks. Pre-service teachers’ inclination to engage in relational thinking appeared to also …

Characterization Of The Threshold For Nad(P)H:Quinone Oxidoreductase Activity In Intact Sulforaphane-Treated Pulmonary Arterial Endothelial Cells, Robert D. Bongard, Gary S. Krenz, Adam J. Gastonguay, Carol L. Williams, Brian J. Lindemer, Marilyn P. Merker

Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science Faculty Research and Publications

Treatment of bovine pulmonary arterial endothelial cells in culture with the phase II enzyme inducer sulforaphane (5 μM, 24 h; sulf-treated) increased cell-lysate NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase (NQO1) activity by 5.7 ± 0.6 (mean ± SEM)-fold, but intact-cell NQO1 activity by only 2.8 ± 0.1-fold compared to control cells. To evaluate the hypothesis that the threshold for sulforaphane-induced intact-cell NQO1 activity reflects a limitation in the capacity to supply NADPH at a sufficient rate to drive all the induced NQO1 to its maximum activity, total KOH-extractable pyridine nucleotides were measured in cells treated with duroquinone to stimulate maximal NQO1 activity. NQO1 activation …

Common Hypercyclic Vectors For The Conjugate Class Of A Hypercyclic Operator, Kit C. Chan, Rebecca Sanders

Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science Faculty Research and Publications

Given a separable, infinite dimensional Hilbert space, it was recently shown by the authors that there is a path of chaotic operators, which is dense in the operator algebra with the strong operator topology, and along which every operator has the exact same dense G_δ set of hypercyclic vectors. In the present work, we show that the conjugate set of any hypercyclic operator on a separable, infinite dimensional Banach space always contains a path of operators which is dense with the strong operator topology, and yet the set of common hypercyclic vectors for the entire path is a dense …

Semidistributive Inverse Semigroups, Ii, Kyeong Hee Cheong, Peter Jones

Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science Faculty Research and Publications

The description by Johnston-Thom and the second author of the inverse semigroups S for which the lattice LJ(S) of full inverse subsemigroups of S is join semidistributive is used to describe those for which (a) the lattice L(S) of all inverse subsemigroups or (b) the lattice lo(S) of convex inverse subsemigroups have that property. In contrast with the methods used by the authors to investigate lower semimodularity, the methods are based on decompositions via G_S, the union of the subgroups of the semigroup (which is necessarily cryptic).

Signal And Noise In Complex-Valued Sense Mr Image Reconstruction, Daniel B. Rowe, Iain P. Bruce

Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science Faculty Research and Publications

In fMRI, brain images are not measured instantaneously and a volume of images can take two seconds to acquire at a low 64x64 resolution. Significant effort has been put forth on many fronts to decrease image acquisition time including parallel imaging. In parallel imaging, sub-sampled spatial frequency points are measured in parallel and combined to form a single image. Measurement time is decreased at the expense of increased image reconstruction difficulty and time. One significant parallel imaging technique known as SENSE utilizes a complex-valued regression coefficient estimation process with transposes replaced by conjugate transposes. However, in SENSE the noise structure …

Characterizing The Arc, Paul Bankston

Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science Faculty Research and Publications

We offer a mathematical logic framework for talking about when a given topological space is characterizable relative to a “class of its peers.” The framework involves a relational alphabet for which there is a natural way of assigning relational structures to spaces in the peer class; and a putative characterization of the given space consists of a set of first-order sentences over that alphabet, all true for the space. The attempted characterization is a success if any peer space satisfying all the sentences is inevitably homeomorphic to the given space.

For example, it has long been known that the arc …

An Approach To Nearest Neighboring Search For Multi-Dimensional Data, Yong Shi, Li Zhang, Lei Zhu

Faculty and Research Publications

Finding nearest neighbors in large multi-dimensional data has always been one of the research interests in data mining field. In this paper, we present our continuous research on similarity search problems. Previously we have worked on exploring the meaning of K nearest neighbors from a new perspective in PanKNN [20]. It redefines the distances between data points and a given query point Q, efficiently and effectively selecting data points which are closest to Q. It can be applied in various data mining fields. A large amount of real data sets have irrelevant or obstacle information which greatly affects the effectiveness …

The (1,2)-Step Competition Graph Of A Tournament, Kim A. S. Factor, Sarah Merz

Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science Faculty Research and Publications

The competition graph of a digraph, introduced by Cohen in 1968, has been extensively studied. More recently, in 2000, Cho, Kim, and Nam defined the m-step competition graph. In this paper, we offer another generalization of the competition graph. We define the (1,2)-step competition graph of a digraph D, denoted C_1,2(D), as the graph on V(D) where {x,y}∈E(C_1,2(D)) if and only if there exists a vertex z≠x,y, such that either d_D−y( …

Determinants Of Health Care Use Among Rural, Low-Income Mothers And Children: A Simultaneous Systems Approach To Negative Binomial Regression Modeling, Swetha Valluri

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

The determinants of health care use among rural, low-income mothers and their children were assessed using a multi-state, longitudinal data set, Rural Families Speak. The results indicate that rural mothers’ decisions regarding health care utilization for themselves and for their child can be best modeled using a simultaneous systems approach to negative binomial regression. Mothers’ visits to a health care provider increased with higher self-assessed depression scores, increased number of child’s doctor visits, greater numbers of total children in the household, greater numbers of chronic conditions, need for prenatal or post-partum care, development of a new medical condition, and …

Flipping The Winner Of A Poset Game, Adam O. Kalinich '12

Student Publications & Research

Partially-ordered set games, also called poset games, are a class of two-player combinatorial games. The playing field consists of a set of elements, some of which are greater than other elements. Two players take turns removing an element and all elements greater than it, and whoever takes the last element wins. Examples of poset games include Nim and Chomp. We investigate the complexity of computing which player of a poset game has a winning strategy. We give an inductive procedure that modifies poset games to change the nim-value which informally captures the winning strategies in the game. For a generic …

Longitudinal Investigation Of The Curricular Effect: An Analysis Of Student Learning Outcomes From The Liecal Project In The United States, Jinfa Cai, Ning Wang, John Moyer, Chuang Wang, Bikai Nie

Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science Faculty Research and Publications

In this article, we present the results from a longitudinal examination of the impact of a Standards-based or reform mathematics curriculum (called CMP) and traditional mathematics curricula (called non-CMP) on students’ learning of algebra using various outcome measures. Findings include the following: (1) students did not sacrifice basic mathematical skills if they are taught using a Standards-based or reform mathematics curriculum like CMP; (2) African American students experienced greater gain in symbol manipulation when they used a traditional curriculum; (3) the use of either the CMP or a non-CMP curriculum improved the mathematics achievement of all students, including …

Prevalence Of Piscine Myocarditis Virus (Pmcv) In Marine Fish Species, Torstein Tengs Dr.

Dr. Torstein Tengs

No abstract.