Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

A Markov Model For Baseball With Applications, Daniel Joseph Ursin

Theses and Dissertations

In this work we confirm a Markov chain model of baseball for 2013 Major League Baseball batting data. We describe the transition matrices for individual player data and their use in generating single and nine-inning run distributions for a given lineup. The run distribution is used to calculate the expected number of runs produced by a lineup over nine innings. We discuss batting order optimization heuristics to avoid computation of distributions for the 9! = 362, 880 distinct lineups for 9 players. Finally, we describe an implementation of the algorithms and review their performance against actual game data.

Design And Implementation Of A Near-Field Scanning Optical Module For Inverted Microscopes, Taher Ababneh

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation describes the design and implementation of a home-built near-field scanning optical microscope (NSOM) module for inverted microscopes. In this design, the NSOM module is built atop an inverted fluorescence microscope. This is particularly well suited for applications in which the normal imaging modes of the inverted microscope are still required to locate and study the sample before performing NSOM experiments. This module is used as a near-field instrument for nanostructure investigation of various samples including plane-ruled reflection gratings, AFM calibration standards, nanospheres and gold nanoparticles. In addition, we will demonstrate the ability to achieve nanometer-scale surface modification of …

Use Of Secure Messaging By United States Veterans And Significant Others, Claudia S. Derman

Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

USE OF SECURE MESSAGING BY UNITED STATES VETERANS AND SIGNIFICANT OTHERS

By

Claudia S. Derman

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 2014

Under the Supervision of Professor Karen H. Morin, PhD, RN, ANEF, FAAN

The purpose of this study was to describe the topics discussed using secure messaging (SM), the pattern of use of SM, and whether the themes discussed and/or the pattern of use varied based on gender and age of the SM user. Secure messaging is an example of a technology that focuses on patient-centered communication. Secure messaging allows patients to communicate with their clinicians using the Internet and …

Phosphorus Recycling By Profunda Quagga Mussels In Lake Michigan, Caroline Mosley

Theses and Dissertations

Quagga mussels (Dreissena rostiformis bugensis) act as ecosystem engineers in the southern basin of Lake Michigan, altering physical habitats and biogeochemical processes. Adapted to cold and oligotrophic conditions, profunda quagga mussels thrive on the soft substrate of deeper depths. At a 55 m site (10,000 mussels m-2) offshore from Milwaukee, WI, profunda mussel biomass (g m-2) was 1/3 of biomass (g m-2) measured at a 10 m comparison site (5,000 mussels m-2). Higher densities but less biomass is due to profunda mussels having less tissue for a given length and the population per m2 comprising of mostly small mussels ( …

Api Usage Verification Through Dataflow Analysis, Kenneth Baptiste Tapsoba

Theses and Dissertations

Using APIs in a program is often difficult because of the incomplete documentation and the shortage of available examples. To cope with that, we have seen the increase of API checking tools that provide efficient suggestions for API usage. However, most of those checking tools use a pattern-based analysis to determine errors such as misuse of API calls. In this thesis, we introduce a different analysis technique that relies on explicit API state transitions for the analysis of the program. We adopt a static dataflow analysis framework from SOOT to inspect state transitions at each program point.

An Analysis Of Co2-Driven Cold-Water Geysers In Green River, Utah And Chimayo, New Mexico, Zachary T. Watson

Theses and Dissertations

The eruption periodicity, CO2 bubble volume fraction, eruption velocity, flash depth and mass emission of CO2 were determined from multiple wellbore CO2-driven cold-water geysers (Crystal and Tenmile geysers, in Utah and Chimayó geyser in New Mexico). Utilizing a suite of temporal water sample datasets from multiple field trips to Crystal geyser, systematic and repeated trends in effluent water chemistry have been revealed. Crystal geyser has a four part eruption cycle composed of a minor eruption period (mEP), major eruption period (MEP), aftershock eruption period (Ae) and recharge (R). Tenmile geyser has a four part eruption cycle composed of MEP, drainage …

Spatial Dimensions Of Tower Karst And Cockpit Karst: A Case Study Of Guilin, China, Wei Huang

Theses and Dissertations

Tower karst (fenglin) and cockpit karst (fengcong) are two globally important representative styles of tropical karst. Previously proposed sequential and parallel development models are preliminary, and geomorphological studies to date do not provide enough satisfactory evidence to delineate the spatial and temporal relation between the two landscapes. This unclear interpretation of tower-cockpit relationships not only obscures understanding of the process-form dynamics of these tropical karst landforms, but also confuses their definition. Moreover, previous technological limitations, as well as the fragmental nature of the karst landscapes, has limited incorporation of geologic and other data into broad geospatial frameworks based on geographic …

Evaluation And Forecast Of Energy Consumption In Different Sectors Of The United States Using Artificial Neural Networks, Arash Kialashaki

Theses and Dissertations

The United States is a country which consumes a vast amount of energy. In order to keep the development of the United States sustainable (diverse and productive over the time) energy planning should be carried out comprehensively and precisely. This dissertation presents a specific mathematical modeling approach towards energy demand modeling of the United States and forecast future energy demand. To generate more detailed and accurate results, this dissertation investigates the energy demand of each sector separately using the analysis of trend for unique set of independent parameters which affect the energy demand in that sector.

In solving a forecast …

An Optimization Method For Estimating Joint Parameters Of The Hip And Knee, Ben Tesch

Theses and Dissertations

Biomechanics, generally speaking, concerns the application of engineeringprinciples to the study of living things. This work is concerned withhuman movement analysis, a subfield of biomechanics, where the methodsof classical mechanics are applied to human movement. This field hascontributed to the general understanding of human movement, and itstechniques are used in the diagnosis and treatment of disease. Centralto the field is the process of measuring human movement. Since classicalmechanics deals with the motion of rigid bodies, and ideal measurementsystem would be able to accurately record the exact pose --- combinedposition and orientation --- of the bones. The techniques that reachthis ideal …

Oligomerization Of The Sterile-2 G-Protein Coupled Receptor In Yeast Cells In The Presence And Absence Of Alpha-Factor Pheromone Using Fluorescence Spectroscopy And Forster Resonance Energy Transfer Analysis, Joel David Paprocki

Theses and Dissertations

G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are the largest family of receptors that respond to a wide variety of extracellular stimuli, including molecular ligands such as odorants, neurotransmitters, and hormones, as well as physical agents sigh as light and pressure. The stimulation event results in initiating conformational changes in the structure of the receptor, which further results in the release of the heterotrimeric G-protein; the latter has a variety of functions within signaling pathways in cellular biology. The GPCR explored in this investigation is the Sterile 2 α-factor receptor (Ste2), whose natural function is that of a yeast mating pheromone receptor. Its natural …

Text Mining Of Patient Demographics And Diagnoses From Psychiatric Assessments, Eric James Klosterman

Theses and Dissertations

Automatic extraction of patient demographics and psychiatric diagnoses from clinical notes allows for the collection of patient data on a large scale. This data could be used for a variety of research purposes including outcomes studies or developing clinical trials. However, current research has not yet discussed the automatic extraction of demographics and psychiatric diagnoses in detail. The aim of this study is to apply text mining to extract patient demographics - age, gender, marital status, education level, and admission diagnoses from the psychiatric assessments at a mental health hospital and also assign codes to each category. Gender is coded …

The Structure And Ferroelectric Properties Of Iron-Doped Lead Titanate, Michael Bartlein

Theses and Dissertations

Multiferroics are a class of poorly understood, but technologically important materials. Lead(II) titanate (PbTiO$_3$) is a known perovskite ferroelectric. By doping PbTiO$_3$ with Fe$^{3+}$ at the Ti site, we produce the multiferroic PbTi$_{1-x}$Fe$_x$O$_3$ (PTFO). Using selected area electron diffraction on a transmission electron microscope, the structure of PTFO is investigated. Of particular interest is identifying the cubic-to-tetragonal transition at the Curie temperature. As the concentration of Fe increases, the crystal becomes more cubic and experiences a lower transition temperature. I also establish a procedure for preparing bulk PTFO samples for ferroelectric testing and present preliminary results establishing ferroelectricity in these …

Mind & Matter: The Discursive Construction Of The Iphone In Apple's Advertising, Nicholas Stratton

Theses and Dissertations

The widespread adoption of smartphone technology in the contemporary United States requires critical reflection on its role within society. This thesis compares the way Apple's television advertising discourse, from 2007 to 2011, frames the iPhone to consumers with the way Apple's iAd promotional material frames the iPhone to advertisers, and considers what the disparity between these two frameworks says about the still-evolving role of smartphone technology in society. It argues that the disparity between these two frameworks is indicative of a fundamental tension within smartphone technology. This tension is reflected in Apple's ability to discursively construct the iPhone as a …

Part I: Synthesis And Biological Evaluations Of Potent Class L Selective Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors Part Ii: Aqueous Complexes For Efficient Sizebased Separation Of Americium From Curium Part Iii: Designing Strong Chiral Bronsted Acids And Their Application For Oxaxinanones Derivatization And The Aza-Henry Reaction, Joseph Steve Ulicki

Theses and Dissertations

PART I: SYNTHESIS AND BIOLOGICAL EVALUATIONS OF POTENT CLASS l SELECTIVE HISTONE DEACETYLASE INHIBITORS

Histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi) have found a wide variety of medicinal uses and are most noted for their specific apoptotic action towards cancer cells1. Several hydroxamates and tetrapeptides HDACi have since been moved on to phase 1 and 2 clinical trials, with FK228 & SAHA having already been approved for treatment of advanced cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL). FK228 & SAHA are pan-HDACi which d compounds describes the unselective inhibition for any of the 11 Zn2+-dependent HDAC isoforms. Research in the past five years, has shifted towards …

Fault-Controlled Advective, Diffusive, And Eruptive Co2 Leakage From Natural Reservoirs In The Colorado Plateau, East-Central Utah, Na-Hyun Jung

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated a natural analogue for CO2 leakage near Green River, Utah, aiming to understand the influence of various factors on CO2 leakage and to reliably predict underground CO2 behavior after injection for geologic CO2 sequestration. Advective, diffusive, and eruptive characteristics of CO2 leakage were assessed via a soil CO2 flux survey and numerical modeling. The field results show anomalous CO2 fluxes (> 10 g m-2 d-1) along the faults, particularly adjacent to CO2-driven cold springs and geysers (e.g., 36,259 g m-2 d-1 at Crystal Geyser), ancient travertines (e.g., 5,917 g m-2 d-1), joint zones in sandstone (e.g., 120 …

Analyzing State Attempts At Implementing The Common Core State Standards For High School Geometry: Case Studies Of Utah And New York, Edward Steltenpohl

Theses and Dissertations

This study analyzes two state attempts at aligning curricula to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in secondary school geometry. The education departments of Utah and New York have approved curricula aimed at aligning to the Common Core State Standards: the Mathematics Vision Project (MVP) and EngageNY (ENY) respectively. This study measures the extent to which those curricula align with the content demands of the relevant Common Core Standards. The results indicate that, while the two curricula vary in structure and assumptions about learners, each one aligns well with the Common Core State Standards in secondary school geometry. We conclude …

Modification Of Pyrimidine And Purine Nucleotides By "Click" Chemistry: Design, Synthesis And Properties Study, Mohammad Mojibul Haque

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation consists of three main parts, totaling five chapters, and focuses on developing novel nucleosides via "click" chemistry and studying their potential biological

properties. Chapter three describes the synthesis and properties of coumarin-modified fluorescent DNAs. Coumarin-modified 2'-deoxythymidine was synthesizedvia "click" chemistry and incorporated into oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs) which induce photoreversible interstrand cross-link (ICL) upon 350/254 nm photoirradiation. The irradiation at 350 nminduces DNA cross-linking with ODNs containing coumarin. The cross-linked DNA products formed from coumarin are not fluorescent. Further investigation showed that coumarin moiety undergoes the (2π+2π) photocycloaddition with 2'-deoxythymidine (dT), 2'-deoxycytidine (dC), and to a much lower extent, 2'-deoxyadenine …

Contractible N-Manifolds And The Double N-Space Property, Pete Sparks

Theses and Dissertations

We are interested in contractible n-manifolds M which decompose or split as M = A union B where A,B, and A intersect B are all homeomorphic to Euclidean n-space or A,B, and A intersect B are all homeomorphic to the n-dimensional unit ball. We introduce a 4-manifold M containing a spine which splits as A union B with A,B, and A intersect B all collapsible which in turn implies M splits as the union of two 4-balls whose intersection is also a 4-ball. From M we obtain a countably infinite collection of distinct 4-manifolds all of which split this way. …

Inferential Procedures For Dominance Analysis Measures In Multiple Regression, Shuwen Tang

Theses and Dissertations

In order to better interpret a selected multiple regression model, researchers are often interested in whether a predictor is significantly more important than another or not. This study investigates the performance of the Normal-Theory based (asymptotic) confidence interval and bootstrap confidence intervals for predictors' dominance relationships using both normal and non-normal data. The results show that asymptotic confidence interval method is adequate to make inferences for comparing two general dominance measures when the distribution is multivariate normal or slightly non-normal and when the effect size is no less than 0.15 and the sample size is at least 100. However, the …

Cellular Zinc Trafficking: The Zinc Proteome And Its Reactions With Cadmium, Mohammad Ali Namdarghanbari

Theses and Dissertations

Metals play a crucial role in living systems. Iron, zinc, copper, molybdenum, and manganese are involved in many essential biological activities. Among transition metals, zinc after iron is the most abundant transition metal in the human body and the most abundant in the brain. It exists in more than 3000 proteins, which comprise about 10% of the human proteome. Zn2+ dyshomeostasis is associated with chronic diseases such as metabolic syndrome, diabetes and related complications, bone loss, growth retardation in young children, and neurological and behavioral problems. Despite a good knowledge obtained for metabolism of some metal ions such as copper, …

Three Essays On Opinion Mining Of Social Media Texts, Shuyuan Deng

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation research is a collection of three essays on opinion mining of social media texts. I explore different theoretical and methodological perspectives in this inquiry. The first essay focuses on improving lexicon-based sentiment classification. I propose a method to automatically generate a sentiment lexicon that incorporates knowledge from both the language domain and the content domain. This method learns word associations from a large unannotated corpus. These associations are used to identify new sentiment words. Using a Twitter data set containing 743,069 tweets related to the stock market, I show that the sentiment lexicons generated using the proposed method …

Contribution Of Multidomain Titanomagnetite To The Intensity And Stability Of Mars Crustal Magnetic Anomalies, Stefanie A. Brachfeld, David Cuomo, Lisa Tatsumi-Petrochilos, Julie A. Bowles, Deepa Shah, Julie E. Hammer

Geosciences Faculty Articles

Two basalts with compositions relevant to the crusts of Mars and Earth were synthesized at igneous temperatures and held at 650°C for 21 to 257 days under quartz-fayalite-magnetite ƒO₂ buffer conditions. The run products are germane to slowly cooled igneous intrusions, which might be a significant volumetric fraction of the Martian crust and carriers of magnetic anomalies in the Southern Highlands. Both basalts acquired intense thermoremanent magnetizations and intense but easily demagnetized anhysteretic remanent magnetizations carried by homogeneous multidomain titanomagnetite. Hypothetical intrusions on Mars composed of these materials would be capable of acquiring intense remanences sufficient to generate the …

Making Water Resource Decisions More "Informationally" Efficient: Development Of A Geospatial Water Rights Decision Support System For Kittitas County, Washington, Michael Pease, Jeremy Murray

International Journal of Geospatial and Environmental Research

In semi-arid river basins like the Yakima River Basin in central Washington State, United States of America, water demand can exceed available supply on an annual basis. More informed decisions about water supply and current allocation have the potential to improve water management. This research created a geospatial water rights database for the Yakima River Basin. The creation of a publicly available decision support system mapping water rights can provide water managers another tool to help achieve this goal. This paper describes the creation of the Decision Support System. In addition it looks at the current utility of the system, …

Curie Temperatures Of Titanomagnetite In Ignimbrites: Effects Of Emplacement Temperatures, Cooling Rates, Exsolution, And Cation Ordering, Mike J. Jackson, Julie A. Bowles

Geosciences Faculty Articles

Pumices, ashes, and tuffs from Mt. St. Helens and from Novarupta contain two principal forms of titanomagnetite: homogeneous grains with Curie temperatures in the range 350–500°C and oxyexsolved grains with similar bulk composition, containing ilmenite lamellae and having Curie temperatures above 500°C. Thermomagnetic analyses and isothermal annealing experiments in combination with stratigraphic settings and thermal models show that emplacement temperatures and cooling history may have affected the relative proportions of homogeneous and exsolved grains and have clearly had a strong influence on the Curie temperature of the homogeneous phase. The exsolved grains are most common where emplacement temperatures exceeded 600°C, …

Uncovering The Influence Of Household Sociodemographic And Behavioral Characteristics On Summer Water Consumption In The Portland Metropolitan Area, Chang-Yu Hong, Heejun Chang

International Journal of Geospatial and Environmental Research

As urban areas continue to expand, sustainable urban water resource management has become an important issue in green and sustainable city planning. Using single-family residential (SFR) household survey, we identified the determinants of household summer daily water consumption from 2000 to 2005 in Portland, Oregon. The multiple regression results show that approximately 41% of variations in SFR water consumption is explained by average building size, household attitude to water conservation, community engagement of household, and presence of native plants in the garden. The multi-level modeling results show that household attitude to water conservation is an important predictor of SFR water …

Assessing The Impacts Of Climate Change, Urbanization, And Filter Strips On Water Quality Using Swat, Mike Psaris, Heejun Chang

International Journal of Geospatial and Environmental Research

Precipitation changes and urban growth are two factors altering the state of water quality. Changes in precipitation will alter the amount and timing of flows, and the corresponding sediment and nutrient dynamics. Meanwhile, densification associated with urban growth will create more impervious surfaces which will alter sediment and nutrient loadings. Land and water managers rely on models to develop possible future scenarios and devise management responses to these projected changes. We use the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) to assess potential changes in stream flow, sediment, and nutrient loads in two urbanizing watersheds in Northwest Oregon, USA. We evaluate …

Molecular Dynamics (Md) Study On The Electrochemical Properties Of Electrolytes In Lithium-Ion Battery (Lib) Applications, Negin Salami

Theses and Dissertations

While the high energy density and the power along with longer cycle life and less requirements of maintenance distinguish the rechargeable lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) from other energy storage devices, development of an electrolyte of LIBs with optimized properties still constitutes a challenge towards next-generation LIB systems with robust electrochemical performance. The electrolytes serve as the medium to provide ionic conduction path between the electrodes as their basic function. Conductivity of the solutions are mainly affected by their transport properties and the electrolyte electrode/separator interfacial phenomena. Although many contributions on thermodynamic properties of the electrolytes consist of alkyl carbonates mixed with …

A Decision Support System To Analyze, Predict, And Evaluate Solar Energy System Performance: Pvsysco (Photovoltaic System Comparison), Lisa Bosman

Theses and Dissertations

In 2010, the U.S. Department of Energy announced the SunShot Initiative, which aims to reduce the total installation cost of solar technologies by 75% between 2010 and 2020. This implies that solar energy is a top priority in the U.S. and many other countries. The purpose of this dissertation research is focused on creating a model to better understand the performance and reliability of photovoltaic (PV) energy systems over time. The model will be used to analyze, predict, and evaluate the performance of PV systems, taking into consideration technological and geographical location attributes. The overall research goal is to build …

Option Pricing For A General Stock Model In Discrete Time, Cindy Lynn Nichols

Theses and Dissertations

{As there are no arbitrage opportunities in an efficient market, the seller of an option must find a risk neutral price. This thesis examines different characterizations of this option price. In the first characterization, the seller forms a hedging portfolio of shares of the stock and units of the bond at the time of the option's sale so as to reduce his risk of losing money. Before the option matures, the present value stock price fluctuates in discrete time and, based on those changes, the seller alters the content of the portfolio at the end of each time period. The …

A Preliminary Evaluation Of Advanced Dvorak Technique-Derived Intensity Estimate Errors And Biases During The Extratropical Transition Of Tropical Cyclones Using Synthetic Satellite Imagery, Alex Manion

Theses and Dissertations

Real-time and historical tropical cyclone (TC) intensity estimates during extratropical transition (ET) are derived mainly from satellite-based methods such as the Dvorak Technique (DT) and Advanced Dvorak Technique (ADT). However, the empirical relationships developed between cloud organization patterns and cyclone intensity that underlie the DT and ADT are primarily tropical in nature and thus become less reliable during ET. Preliminary analyses suggest that ADT-derived intensity estimates are weak-biased during ET; however, due to the lack of direct observations of cyclone intensity during ET, the extent to which this is true is unknown. Herein, an attempt to quantify errors during this …