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A Study Of Influential Statistics Associated With Success In The National Football League, Joseph Michael Roith

Statistics

This dissertation considers the most important aspects of success in the National Football League (NFL). Success is defined, for this paper, as winning individual games in the short term, and making the playoffs over the course of a season in the long term. Data was collected for 750 different regular season games over the course of five seasons in the NFL, and used to create models that identify those factors which are most significant towards winning at both the short term and long term levels. A point spread model was developed using an ordinary least squares regression method, and stepwise …

A Multi-Trait Mixed-Model For Genome-Wide Association Study In Barley Population, Qiang Li

Statistics

Genome-wide association study (GWAS) is a standard approach for studying the genetics of natural variation, typically focusing on association between single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and traits. For GWAS, if multiple traits are also correlated, some essential and important information among multi-traits can be lost in marginal analysis. Therefore, fully parameterized multi-trait mixed-model is emerged as a flexible approach that considers both the within-trait and between-trait variance components simultaneously for multiple traits. The phenotype data used in this research is 1100 barley entries with reaction of leaf spot diseases. In this dataset, there are two different traits, Rate (reaction of spot form …

Comparing Total Hip Replacement Drug Treatments For Cost And Length Of Stay, Blake James Huebner

Statistics

The objective of this study is to identify the potential effect anticoagulants, spinal blocks, and antifibrinolytics have on overall cost, length of stay, and re-admission rates for total hip replacement patients. We use ordinary least squares regression, multiple comparison testing, logistic regression, and chi square tests to fulfill this objective. The combination of warfarin and enoxaparin is associated with the highest cost and length of stay out of the anticoagulants studied. There is no clear combination of spinal blocks associated with the highest cost and length of stay. Tranexamic acid is associated with a reduction in length of stay and …

Demographic Analysis Of Student Evaluations, Lucas James Huebner

Statistics

Data was collected from North Dakota State University’s student rating of instructor’s forms during the fall of 2013 and the spring of 2014. This thesis investigates differences between male and female instructor’s ratings, as well as attempts to describe outcomes using other demographics. T-tests were performed comparing the means of class averages for male and female instructors for each question on the student evaluation. There was not a difference for the mean class averages between male and female instructors when the whole university was considered and when only looking at the College of Science and Math. The analysis conducted also …

Estimating Return On Initial Public Offering Using Mixtures Of Regressions, Xiyuan Liu

Statistics

Financial advisors working in a stock exchange market are often faced with a situation to convince a client of merits of investing in a company that just entered the market. To predict company's return based on its revenue, a simple linear regression may be used. This thesis finds that a model based on a mixture regressions is superior over a simple linear regression. The error term in each regression component is assumed to follow standard Gaussian distribution. The data is tested on 116 companies that entered the market as Initial Public Offering (IPO). A 2-component mixture regressions is found to …

Comparative Classification Of Prostate Cancer Data Using The Support Vector Machine, Random Forest, Dualks And K-Nearest Neighbours, Kekoura Sakouvogui

Statistics

This paper compares four classifications tools, Support Vector Machine (SVM), Random Forest (RF), DualKS and the k-Nearest Neighbors (kNN) that are based on different statistical learning theories. The dataset used is a microarray gene expression of 596 male patients with prostate cancer. After treatment, the patients were classified into one group of phenotype with three levels: PSA (Prostate-Specific Antigen), Systematic and NED (No Evidence of Disease). The purpose of this research is to determine the performance rate of each classifier by selecting the optimal kernels and parameters that give the best prediction rate of the phenotype. The paper begins with …

Hybrid Enhanced Epidermal Spacesuit Design Approaches, Joseph M. Jessup

Theses and Dissertations

A Space suit that does not rely on gas pressurization is a multi-faceted problem

that requires major stability controls to be incorporated during design and construction.The concept of Hybrid Epidermal Enhancement space suit

integrates evolved human anthropomorphic and physiological adaptations into its functionality, using commercially available bio-medical technologies to address shortcomings of conventional gas pressure suits, and the impracticalities of MCP suits. The prototype HEE Space Suit explored

integumentary homeostasis, thermal control and mobility using advanced bio-medical materials technology and construction concepts. The goal was a space suit that functions as an enhanced, multi-functional bio-mimic of the human epidermal layer …

Simulations Of Convectively-Induced Turbulence Based On Radar-Based Climatology Of Tropical Storm Types, Katelyn Barber

Theses and Dissertations

Convective hazards such as lightning, hail, and turbulence are known to be

dangerous to aviation. In order to limit aviation accidents associated with convection, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has several avoidance policies in place. Though these policies have been solely based on research performed in the midlatitude, continental United States (U.S.), U.S. aviation operations in the tropics still abide by the FAA avoidance policies. In this study, a limited three year climatology of tropical convection is created using both ground-based and satellite-based radar in the Guam region in order to analyze the frequency of several storm types and to …

Synchrophasor Technology And Applications: Benefits Over Conventional Measurements, Andrew Michael Berg

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the benefits of synchrophasor technology in bulk power system measurements. To accomplish this task, multiple methods of investigation and analysis have been conducted. First, a better understanding of the synchrophasor power measurement systems was achieved through a literature review. The review provided some perspective on the differences between these systems and the conventional systems of power measurements.

Then, some utility grade data was acquired and analyzed. In this process, there were some aspects of confidentiality, and that required an added layer of discretion. However, the process made it possible to analyze a …

Using Computer Vision And Volunteer Computing To Analyze Avian Nesting Patterns And Reduce Scientist Workload, Kyle Andrew Goehner

Theses and Dissertations

This paper examines the use of feature detection and background subtraction algorithms to classify and detect events of interest within uncontrolled outdoor avian nesting video from the Wildlife@Home project. We tested feature detection using Speeded Up Robust Features (SURF) and a Support Vector Machine (SVM) along with four background subtraction algorithms — Mixture of Guassians (MOG), Running Gaussian Average (AccAvg), ViBe, and Pixel-Based Adaptive Segmentation (PBAS) — as methods to automatically detect and classify events from surveillance cameras. AccAvg and modified PBAS are shown to provide robust results and compensate for issues caused by cryptic coloration of the monitored species. …

Removal Of Blocking Artifacts From Jpeg-Compressed Images Using An Adaptive Filtering Algorithm, Riddhiman Goswami

Theses and Dissertations

The aim of this research was to develop an algorithm that will produce a considerable improvement in the quality of JPEG images, by removing blocking and ringing artifacts, irrespective of the level of compression present in the image. We review multiple published related works, and finally present a computationally efficient algorithm for reducing the blocky and Gibbs oscillation artifacts commonly present in JPEG compressed images. The algorithm alpha-blends a smoothed version of the image with the original image; however, the blending is controlled by a limit factor that considers the amount of compression present and any local edge information derived …

Student Teachers' Beliefs In Practice: Impact Of Teacher Education Preparation On Reading Curriculum, Assessment, And Instruction, Brittany Dawn Hagen

Theses and Dissertations

Reading education programs are responsible for developing effective teachers equipped with the foundational knowledge and instructional approaches to deliver a comprehensive and balanced literacy curriculum. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of teacher education reading programs on student teachers’ ability to understand and implement reading curriculum, assessment, and instruction, and to understand the extent to which students are transferring professional knowledge in practical ways. Participants of this explanatory sequential mixed methods study included 19 elementary spring student teachers from three Midwestern states. Quantitative data was collected through a survey sent to over 200 student teachers. Seven …

Investigation Of Laminar Convective Heat Transfer And Pressure Drop Of Sio2 Nanofluid In Ducts Of Different Geometries, Sunday Oluwafemi Hassan

Theses and Dissertations

Engineers are seeking alternatives to conventional heat transfer fluids and in an attempt to improve their thermal transport properties, they added thermally conductive solids into the conventional fluids resulting in a fluid called nanofluid. Nanofluid was suggested as an alternative solution to the problem and many publications reported its potential for heat transfer enhancement. This thesis describes the experimental study of 9.58% by vol. silica/water nanofluid flow through different flow geometries which are circular, hexagonal and rectangular ducts of close hydraulic diameter. The experiments are performed at uniform heat flux condition. The aim of this thesis is to determine experimentally …

Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis Of Graduate Students' Experiences Of Plagiarism By Their Professors, Kimberly Dawn (Hanson) Becker

Theses and Dissertations

This phenomenological study expands the inquiry on perceived academic misconduct by investigating the experiences of graduate students who have reported a professor’s misattribution of their work. The participants include five graduate students who formally reported a violation of academic integrity because they believed a faculty member had misattributed their work. During the incident, the faculty and students both participated in an academic setting in one or more of the following types of relationships: committee chair–advisee, committee member–student, classroom professor–graduate student, and research supervisor–graduate assistant. Two central research questions frame this study: How do graduate students who have reported that their …

Teacher Performance Assessments: Exploring Student Perspectives Of The Edtpa, Teri Jo Langlie

Theses and Dissertations

At least 34 states require teacher candidates to complete a comprehensive teacher performance assessment (edTPA) during their student teaching experience. Teacher candidates are assigned the edTPA during this critical time in their preparation. One state--Minnesota--uses the edTPA portfolio exclusively for teacher preparation program approval. Teacher candidates in Minnesota thus devote considerable effort, during a critical time in their teacher preparation program, in the completion of an assessment where the results do not affect their ability to obtain a teaching license. This study explored the impact of the edTPA's timing and perception of personal benefit on the level of effort teacher …

Sleep Quality And Sympathovagal Balance During Stress, David Andrew Reichenberger

Psychology

Sleep has been shown to be associated with the sympathetic and parasympathetic branches of the autonomic nervous system at rest and during stress. However, sleep has not been examined in the context of sympathovagal balance (the coupled relationship between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems) during stress. The current study investigated whether sleep quality was associated with sympathovagal activity and reactivity to stress. Female participants (N=59) underwent a psychosocial stress task and completed the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index while EKG and ICG data were collected. Sleep quality was associated with pre-ejection period at rest and during stress, ps<.05, but was not associated with high-frequency heart rate variability or with sympathovagal reactivity, ps>.05. These …

Crop Price And Land Use Change: Forecasting Response Of Major Crops Acreage To Price And Economic Variables In North Dakota, Abilio Barros Soares

Natural Resources Management

The objective of this study is to examine land use change for cropping systems in North Dakota. Using Seemingly Unrelated Regression with full information maximum likelihood estimation method, acreage forecasting models for barley, corn, oats, soybean, and wheat were developed to examine the extent to which farmers’ expectations of prices and costs affect their crop choices. The results of the study show that farmers’ decision for acreage allocation is varied across the crops depending on how responsive they are to price, cost and yield of its own and competing crops. Substitutability and complementarity relationship of crops in the production have …

Synthesis, Characterization, And Modeling Of New Molecule-Based Magnets, Christopher Samuel Olson

Materials and Nanotechnology

The chemical bond and its role as a mediator of magnetic exchange interaction remains an important aspect in the study of magnetic insulators and semiconductors. The M[TCNE] (M = transition metal, TCNE = tetracyanoethylene) class of organic-based magnets has attracted considerable interest since VII[TCNE]x (x ~ 2) exhibits one of the highest critical temperatures for its class – Tc ~ 400 K – in addition to highly spin-polarized conduction and valance bands (Eg ~ 0.5 eV), thus foreseeing potential spintronic application. The magneto-structural factors underlying this exceptional behavior remain elusive, however, due to the amorphous nature of the material. To …

Gorenstein Dimension Over Some Rings Of The Form R [0 Plus]C, Pye Phyo Aung

Mathematics

Commutative algebra is the study of commutative rings and other abstract structures based on commutative rings. Modules can be viewed as a common generalization of several of those structures, and some invariants, e.g. homological dimensions, of modules are used to characterize certain properties of the base ring. Some generalizations of such invariants include C-Gorenstein dimensions, where C is a semidualizing module over a commutative noetherian ring. Holm and Jørgensen [16] investigate some connections between C-Gorenstein dimensions of an R-complex and Gorenstein dimensions of the same complex viewed as a complex over the "trivial extension" R × C. I generalize some …

Colorings Of Zero-Divisor Graphs Of Commutative Rings, Rebecca Elizabeth Ramos

Mathematics

We will focus on Beck’s conjecture that the chromatic number of a zero-divisor graph of a ring R is equal to the clique number of the ring R. We begin by calculating the chromatic number of the zero-divisor graphs for some finite rings and characterizing rings whose zero-divisor graphs have finite chromatic number, known as colorings. We will discuss some properties of colorings and elements called separating elements, which will allow us to determine that Beck’s conjecture holds for rings that are principal ideal rings and rings that are reduced. Then we will characterize the finite rings whose zero-divisor graphs …

A New Generalization Of Cohen-Kaplansky Domains, Diana Michelle Kennedy

Mathematics

The goal of this thesis is to provide an new generalization of Cohen-Kaplansky domains, stemming from questions related to valuation domains. Recall that a Cohen-Kaplansky domain is an atomic integral domain that contains only a nite number of irreducible elements (up to units). In the new generalization presented in this thesis, we remove the atomic condition required in the de nition of a Cohen-Kaplansky domain and add in the extra condition that our integral domain has nitely many irreducible elements, say 1; 2; ; n, such that for every nonzero nonunit y in the domain there exists an irreducible element, …

Semidualizing Dg Modules Over Tensor Products, Hannah Lee Altmann

Mathematics

In this dissertation, we study rings: sets with addition, subtraction, and multiplication. One way to study a ring is by studying its modules: the algebraic objects the ring acts on. Since it is impractical to study all of its modules, I study its semidualizing modules. These modules have proven useful in the study of the composition of local ring homomorphisms of finite G-dimension and Bass numbers of local rings. Let R be a commutative, noetherian ring with identity. A finitely generated R-module C is semidualizing if the homothety map χ(R/C) : R → HomR(C,C) is an isomorphism and Ext(i/R)(C,C) = …

Integral Closure And The Generalized Multiplicity Sequence, Thomas Boyd Dunn

Mathematics

See Dissertation Document for Full Abstract (Mathematical Symbols Included)

The Use Of Electrospun Soy Protein Isolate/Polyvinyl Alcohol Nanofibers For Controlled Drug Delivery As Well As Investigation Into Mass Production, David Paul Gutschmidt

Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics

As the global movement progresses towards environmental awareness, industries are attempting to become less dependent on petroleum based materials. This study investigates the incorporation of Soy Protein Isolate (SPI) into nanofibers and their potential applications. Initially mechanical testing was conducted; it was found that at 1:1 ratio of SPI to polymer (PVA) was optimal. For drug release test, SPI based nanofibers were tested via three formulations including nanoparticle implementation. Results observed that loading the drug onto the nanoparticle showed sustained release, ~67% release at 70 hours. Mathematical models of both diffusion and erosion confirmed experimental findings. SPI based nanofibers were …

Examination Of The Impact Of Helmets On The Level Of Transferred Loads To The Head Under Ballistic And Blast Loads, Mehdi Salimi Jazi

Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics

The main causes of human Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBIs) in war zones are ballistic impacts and blast waves. While understanding the mechanism of TBI and the brain injury thresholds are in urgent needs, efficiency of helmets as injury protective is not well-examined. To address these gaps, this study investigates the impact of ballistic helmets and padding systems on the biomechanical responses of the brain under dynamic ballistics and blasts loads. A nonlinear human head-neck finite element modeling procedure has been employed for the analysis. The results are examined against de-facto standard experimental data. The response of the finite element head …

Customizing Course Redesign And Flipped Classroom Models To Improve Learning Environment, Taeil Yi, Jerzy Mogilski

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

This article is about a successful adoption of course redesign model of mathematics courses at the Department of Mathematics in the University of Texas at Brownsville (UTB), a Hispanic serve university in the south Texas. Around 2007 National Center for Academic Transformation (NCAT) recommended six models for using of information technology to redesign courses in mathematics: the supplemental model, the replacement model, the emporium model, the fully online model, the buffet model, and the linked workshop model. Because of the local educational environment and resources none of the six models could be implemented exactly like it was described by NCAT. …

Geomorphic Landform Design As An Alternative For Conventional Valley Fill Surface Mine Reclamation: Assessing Conceptual Design, Groundwater Modeling, And Contaminant Desorption, Nathan C. Depriest

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This research aimed to evaluate the potential of applying geomorphic landform design (GLD) principles to valley fill reclamation, specifically in southern West Virginia, central Appalachia, USA. When constructing reclaimed landforms, GLD aims to mimic the geomorphology of reference landforms that are stable and in erosive and hydrologic equilibrium. Challenges with the technique have been identified related to use in central Appalachia. Reference landform design values vary by location and need to be quantified at a local scale for site-specific design. Due to the steep slopes of existing valleys, constructing engineered landforms that naturally blend in with the surrounding environment may …

The Modeling And Stability Analysis Of Humans Balancing An Inverted Pendulum, Yaohui Ding

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The control of an inverted pendulum is a classical problem in dynamics and control theory. Without active control, the inverted pendulum by itself is inherently unstable, thus serving as an ideal platform for control algorithms design and testing. This study utilizes an inverted pendulum setup to investigate the characteristics of manual control in executing a single-axial compensatory task. An inverted pendulum with sliding base on a single-axial rail was built for this purpose. Human subjects were asked to stabilize the pendulum by sliding the base on the rail. To mathematically quantify the characteristics of human manual control, a quasi-linear lead-lag …

January 2015 News Releases, University Of Montana--Missoula. Office Of University Relations

University of Montana News Releases, 1928, 1956-present

No abstract provided.

The Architecture Of Stimmung, Nicholas Brandt

Architecture Theses

This thesis examines the environment, atmosphere and experience of patients who have undergone treatment for or who have been affected by cancer. The design is inspired by Martin Heidegger's concept of “Stimmung” (mood, atmosphere or attunement) in which mood constitutes how we as individuals experience the world as it is directly related to our feelings, thoughts and our understandings. According to the writer Matthew Ratcliffe, being in some mood or another is essential to the distinctively human way of “belonging to the world.” Located in Quincy, Washington, the rural cancer treatment and recovery center will help the patient reconnect with …