Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Why Best-Worst Method Works Well, Sean Aguilar, Vladik Kreinovich

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

In many cases, experts are much more accurate when they estimate the ratio of two quantities than when they estimate the actual values. For example, if it difficult to accurately estimate the height of a person on a photo, but if we have two people standing side by side, we can easily estimate to what extent one of them is taller than the other one. To get accurate estimates, it is therefore desirable to use such ratio estimates. Empirical analysis shows that to obtain the most accurate results, we need to compare all the objects with either the "best" object …

How Hot Is Too Hot, Sofia Holguin, Vladik Kreinovich

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

A recent study has shown that the temperature threshold -- after which even young healthy individuals start feeling the effect of heat on their productivity -- is 30.5 ± 1 C. In this paper, we use decision theory ideas to provide a theoretical explanation for this empirical finding.

Invariance Explains Empirical Success Of Many Intelligent Techniques, Olga Kosheleva, Vladik Kreinovich

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

In many applications of intelligent computing, we need to choose an appropriate function -- e.g., an appropriate re-scaling function, or an appropriate aggregation function. In applications of intelligent techniques, the problem of selecting an optimal function is usually too complex or too imprecise to be solved analytically, so the best functions are found empirically, by trying a large number of alternatives. In this paper, we show that in many such cases, the resulting empirical choice can be explained by natural invariance ideas. Example range from applications to building blocks of intelligent techniques -- such as aggregation (including hierarchical aggregation) and …

Why Exponential Almon Lag Works Well In Econometrics: An Invariance-Based Explanation, Laxman Bokati, Vladik Kreinovich

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

In many econometric situations, we can predict future values of relevant quantities by using an empirical formula known as exponential Almon lag. While this formula is empirically successful, there have been no convincing theoretical explanation for this success. In this paper, we provide such a theoretical explanation based on general invariance ideas.

Seemingly Counter-Intuitive Features Of Good-To-Great Companies Actually Make Perfect Sense: Possible Algorithmics-Based Explanations, Francisco Zapata, Eric Smith, Olga Kosheleva, Vladik Kreinovich

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

In the late 1990s, researchers analyzed what distinguishes great companies from simply good ones. They found several features that are typical for great companies. Interestingly, most of these features seem counter-intuitive. In this paper, we show that from the algorithmic viewpoint, many of these features make perfect sense. Some of the resulting explanations are simple and straightforward, other explanations rely on complex not-well-publicized results from theoretical computer science.

How Order And Disorder Affect People's Behavior: An Explanation, Sofia Holguin, Vladik Kreinovich

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

Experimental data shows that people placed in orderly rooms donate more to charity and make healthier food choices that people placed in disorderly rooms. On the other hand, people placed in disorderly rooms show more creativity. In this paper, we provide a possible explanation for these empirical phenomena.

Why Decision Paralysis, Sean Aguilar, Vladik Kreinovich

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

If a person has a small number of good alternatives, this person can usually make a good decision, i.e., select one of the given alternatives. However, when we have a large number of good alternatives, people take much longer to make a decision -- sometimes so long that, as a result, no decision is made. How can we explain this seemingly no-optimal behavior? In this paper, we show that this "decision paralysis" can be naturally explained by using the usual decision making ideas.

Why Five Stages Of Solar Activity, Why Five Stages Of Grief, Why Seven Plus Minus Two: A General Geometric Explanation, Miroslav Svitek, Olga Kosheleva, Vladik Kreinovich

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

A recent paper showed that the solar activity cycle has five clear stages, and that taking theses stages into account helps to make accurate predictions of future solar activity. Similar 5-stage models have been effective in many other application area, e.g., in psychology, where a 5-stage model provides an effective description of grief. In this paper, we provide a general geometric explanations of why 5-stage models are often effective. This result also explains other empirical facts, e.g., the seven plus minus two law in psychology and the fact that only five space-time dimensions have found direct physical meaning.

Why Micro-Size Objects Affect The Flow Much More Than Larger Ones: A Geometric Explanations With Applications Ranging From Volcanoes And Tornadoes To Blood, Fish, And Building Preservation, Laxman Bokati, Vladik Kreinovich

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

At first glance, the larger the object, the larger should be its effect on the surroundings -- in particular, the larger should be its effect on the surrounding flow. However, in many practical situations, we observe the opposite effect: micro-size particles affect the flow much more than larger-size particles. This seemingly counterintuitive phenomena has been observed in many situations: lava flow in the volcanoes, air circulation in tornadoes, blood flow in a body, the effect of fish on water circulation in the ocean, and the effect of added particles on seeping water that damages historic buildings. In this paper, we …

How To Make Inflation Optimal And Fair, Sean Aguilar, Vladik Kreinovich

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

A reasonably small inflation helps economy as a whole -- by encouraging spending, but it also hurts people by decreasing the value of their savings. It is therefore reasonably to come up with an optimal (and fair) level of inflation, that would stimulate economy without hurting people too much. In this paper, we describe how this can be potentially done.

Land Use/ Land Cover Change Patterns And Trends In Two Dryland Regions, Omar Sulaiman Belhaj

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Development and climate change affect the environment in numerous ways and to varyingdegrees. This effect appears prominent and more influential in arid regions. Therefore, land use/ land cover in these regions experience profound changes such as plant cover decrease and extinction of some plant species. Also, land use/ land cover in these regions has critical impacts on the environment and its components, such as shrublands shrinking and losing the habitat of animal species. The degree of changes and effects reaches severe levels that become urgent to figure out the impacts and find solutions to stop or mitigate the negative consequences. …

Efficient Approaches To Steady State Detection In Multivariate Systems, Honglun Xu

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Steady state detection is critically important in many engineering fields such as fault detection and diagnosis, process monitoring and control. However, most of the existing methods are designed for univariate signals. In this dissertation, we proposed an efficient online steady state detection method for multivariate systems through a sequential Bayesian partitioning approach. The signal is modeled by a Bayesian piecewise constant mean and covariance model, and a recursive updating method is developed to calculate the posterior distributions analytically. The duration of the current segment is utilized to test the steady state. Insightful guidance is provided for hyperparameter selection. The effectiveness …

Optimization Of Quantum Circuits Using Spin Bus Multiqubit Gates For Quantum Dots, Miguel Gonzalo Rodriguez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The current conventional method for designing quantum circuits is to employ a number of single- and two-qubit gates, which often necessitate a lengthy sequence, imposing severe constraints on quantum coherence and quantum circuit complexity. Coupling multiple spin qubits to a common spin chain can result in a generically multiqubit gate. It is demonstrated that the multiqubit gate can substantially reduce the depth of quantum circuits and establish multiqubit entanglement considerably more quickly.

Variations In Copper Form Exposure Differentially Modulate Zea Mays (Corn) Physiological Responses, Carolina Valdes Bracamontes

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In the present study, Zea mays seedlings grown under nano Cu(OH)2 (nCu), bulk Cu(OH)2 (bCu), and ionic CuSO4 (iCu) compound exposure were harvested after six days. The nutritional profile was determined to be significantly disrupted in the roots by 1000 ppm bCu treatment, resulting in a 58.7% reduction in potassium compared to the control. In the shoots, a significant decrease of manganese was observed for 10 and 1000 ppm iCu treatments with 55.7% and 64.2% reductions, respectively. The overall protein content and catalase (CAT) enzymatic activity, however, remained unaffected in either roots or shoots, while an absence of polyphenol oxidase …

An Unmanned Surface Vehicle: Autonomous Sensor Integration System For Bathymetric Surveys, Fernando Sotelo Torres

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USVs) have been applied to earth sciences, with only a few studies conducted in water environments, as these systems provide autonomous measurement capabilities and transferability to other environmental settings. In this thesis, a reliable, yet economical, USV has been developed for bathymetric surveying of lakes. The system combines an autonomous navigation framework, environmental sensors and a multibeam echosounder to collect submerged topography, temperature, windspeed and monitor the vehicle status during prescribed path planning missions.

The main objective of this study is to provide a methodological framework to build a USV, with independent decision-making, efficient control, and long-range …

Exposure Of Candyland Red Tomatoes (¬Solanum Lycopersicum L.) To Various Metal Oxide Nanomaterials: Full Life Cycle And Assessment Of Fruit Quality, Jesus Manuel Cantu

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The use of nanotechnology in agriculture has attained high interest to enhance crop production due to their unique properties. Moreover, metal oxide nanomaterials can potentially supplement nutrients, enhance plant growth, and crop production. When investigating fruits' nutritional quality, carbohydrates and phytonutrients (bioactive compounds) play important roles. Therefore, it is important to understand how nanomaterials will affect the quality of tomato fruits. In this dissertation, various metal oxides were synthesized and applied to Candyland Red tomato seedlings to assess the plant growth and tomato production. In the first investigation, Candyland Red tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum) were exposed to synthesized pristine CuO and …

Water Sourcing Strategies Of Desert Vegetation In Varying Soil Textures With Vegetation Competition: A Stable Isotope Analysis, Martha Elizabeth Gardea

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Recent studies have suggested an ecohydrological separation of water exists in the northern Chihuahuan Desert, where vegetation types, rainfall regimes, and location in the terrain seem to determine the type of water (e.g. isotopically depleted or enriched in 18O and 2H) plants are able to source and use throughout their growing cycle. That work found evidence of creosote (Larrea tridentata) and mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa) using tightly bound soil water at both a site on an ephemeral channel and a site in higher elevated flat area because the isotopic signature of plant water at the beginning of the study did not …

Synthesis, Characterization, And Reactivity Studies Of Highly Reduced Early-Metal Complexes Supported By Imidazolin-2-Iminato Ligands, Maria Alejandra Gomez Torres

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Our group has shown that reduction of titanium complexes supported by the sterically encumbering N-donor ligands 1,3â??bis(Dipp)imidazolinâ??2â??iminato (ImDippNâ??) and ketimine guanidinate (ketGuan = [(tBuC=N)C(NDipp)2]-) gives access to electron rich platforms featuring a metal coordinated, reduced, dearomatized arene substituent, which act as an electronic reservoir capable of facilitating multi-electron transfer chemistry driven by the rearomatization driving force. For instance, the arene-masked Ti(II) synthon (DippketGuan)(η6-ImDippN)Ti (Dipp = 2,6-iPr2C6H3) (TiDipp) is a versatile and potent one- and two-electron reductant capable of distinctive late-metal type reactivity such as transfer hydrogenation and catalytic olefin hydrogenation. Interestingly, TiDipp can mediate the reversible cleavage of thiophene and, …

Chihuahuan Desert Rock Pool Community Assemblages: Patterns Of Taxonomic Diversity, Joseph Lee Mcdaniel

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

As climate change continues to become more prevalent, increasing temperatures and altering precipitation patterns will disrupt the environmental balance of ecosystems and spark the imminent threat of a 6th mass extinction event. Many researchers believe this has already begun, as losses for numerous taxonomic clades have been well documented; however, the loss of invertebrates is still unknown and may be much more severe than those of other animal clades. A significant factor contributing to the shortfall of invertebrate biodiversity loss is rooted in the lack of understanding of the diversity and distribution of these animals. There is still much to …

Pressure-Induced Phase Transition And Electronic Structure Changes In Equiatomic Fev, Homero Reyes Pulido

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Classical molecular dynamics methods can accurately describe a broad set of many-atomssystems. Although more economical, the results given by this framework lack the precision capable of density functional theory (DFT). Therefore, the structural stability of the B2 phase of a body-centered-cubic iron-vanadium (FeV) alloy using DFT on the electronic structure level is analyzed to verify and further explain classical results obtained by our group in this same alloy. Using Quantum Espresso and Phonopy for the computational simulations, the plotted band structure, electronic density of states (eDOS), phonon dispersions, charge density, and Fermi surfaces for various compressed unit cells are presented. …

A Computationally Efficient Wald Test In M-Estimation, Denisse Urenda Castañeda

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Under the maximum likelihood framework, three asymptotic overall tests have been well developed in generalized linear models (GLM) for testing the single null hypothesis H0 : θ = θ0, namely, the Wald test, Likelihood Ratio Test (LRT) and Score test also known as the Lagrange Multiplier test (LM). Modified versions of Wald, LR and LM tests can also be found for testing the significance of a portion of the parameter θ, i.e., if θ = (θ T 1 , θ T 2 ) T it is of interest to test H0 : θ2 = 0. However, with the constant increase …

Biological Interaction Of Mn-Based Nanomaterials With Capsicum Annuum L. Under Salinity Stress, Yuqing Ye

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The foliar application of nanomaterials as a method to overcome abiotic stress is relatively new compared to their use as fertilizers or pesticides in agricultural practice. It is also vital to understand the interface between leaf and nanomaterials, as nanomaterials might translocate into crop edible tissues, thus, causing potential toxicity in living beings during food consumption. In this dissertation, salt-stressed Capsicum annuum L was exposed to manganese (Mn) -based nanomaterials (Mn2O3 nanoparticles (MnNPs) and graphene quantum dots doped with Mn (GQD-Mn)) at different stages (seed germination and full life cycle). The dissertation focuses on investigating the mechanism of how Mn-based …

Phonon Dispersions Of Nonmagnetic Bcc Iron At High Pressures From Ab Initio Molecular Dynamics And Harmonic Ensemble Lattice Dynamics, Valeria Itzel Arteaga Muniz

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Numerous computational and experimental studies on the crystal structure of metals nearthe melt line, indicate the body-centered cubic (bcc) structure can be favored over other crystal phases at lower temperatures [1]-[4] and even in cases in which other crystal structures are thermodynamically more stable, bcc may nucleate first from the melt, at rapid cooling rates [5]. Iron (Fe) is a polymorph metal, with a bcc ferromagnetic structure at ambient conditions. Even though the phase diagram of Fe is well known at relatively low pressures, there is currently no consensus on the crystal structure of Fe below the melt line at …

Continuous Field Sensor Authentication And Process Integrity Assurance Mechanisms In Critical National Infrastructures, Abel Osvaldo Gomez Rivera

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The growing modernization of traditional Industrial Cyber-Physical Systems (ICPSs) has increased the probability and effectiveness of cyber attacks by integrating modern communication technologies that expose security vulnerabilities like lack of access control policies to adversaries. The exponential growth of cyber attacks has caught the attention of stakeholders that have proposed cybersecurity initiatives to protect ICPSs. ICPSs are part of the Critical National Infrastructures (CNIs) supporting the society's sustainability and national security. The cybersecurity initiatives aiming to address cyber attacks proposed by stakeholders must continuously authenticate constrained devices. Operational thresholds and process integrity assurance must also be maintained. A centralized ICPS …

Characterization Of A Flex-Fuel Oxy-Combustion System Through Experimental Investigation And Computational Modeling, Md Mohieminul I. Khan

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Oxy-fuel combustion has the potential to offer high thermal efficiency and lower pollutants emission compared to other existing combustion technologies. More than 63% of the worldâ??s electricity is produced by fossil fuel combustion which also is the major reason for greenhouse gas emissions. Oxy combustion offers a solution to it. Oxy combustion uses pure oxygen as an oxidizer instead of air which eliminates the NOx and SOx products from the exhaust. In oxy-combustion flue gas mainly consists of CO2 and water vapor. Furthermore, combustion in presence of pure oxygen results in higher flame temperature and hence promises higher thermal efficiency. …

Neoglycoproteins As Potential Biomarkers And Vaccines For Chagas Disease, Elisa Garcia Carvajal

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Trypanosoma cruzi, the causal agent of Chagas disease (CD), currently affects 6-8 million people worldwide, predominantly in Latin America, where the parasite is endemic. The treatment of CD is based on two drugs, benznidazole (BZN) and nifurtimox (NFX). These drugs cause adverse effects and are more effective in the acute phase of the disease. Conventional serology assays can be used for diagnosis, but they are not suitable for determining chemotherapy effectiveness because patients take approximately 10-20 years to exhibit negative seroconversion. Although CD has become a global health problem, specific biomarkers are still needed for the follow-up of chemotherapy and …

Diverse Effects Of Ev Charging Infrastructure On Electric Power Distribution Systems, Travis Michael Moore Newbolt

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The advanced technology of today has allowed for an avenue into cleaner forms of energy that will not only protect our environment but also continue to advance our society. Among the many forms of clean energy, electric vehicles (EV) have the potential to mitigate our consumption of fossil fuels in vehicle transportation industries. In the U.S. for 2021, EVs account for approximately 700,000 registrations. That number is projected to increase to 2 million by 2030. Although EVs do reduce the number of emissions when compared to an internal combustion engine, they do however shift the responsibility to utility companies to …

Investigating The Effects Of Decoupling Cache And Core Speed On Power, Throughput, And Energy, David Daniel Pruitt

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

A variety of computer systems from HPC to mobile systems are power limited and performance sensitive. These systems use very similar components at different scales. Dynamic Voltage and Frequency Scaling (DVFS) features enable modulation of CPU performance and efficiency characteristics to power, energy and timing requirements.Programs have a variety of computational characteristics. If a CPU subsystem substantially limits a particular programâ??s execution progress, that programâ??s throughput will vary proportionally with the subsystemâ??s clock frequency. In contrast, if a CPU subsystem does not substantially limit throughput, the impact of a change in its clock frequency will result in a diminimus change …

Population Genetics Of Two Sympatric Species, The Round-Tailed Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma Modestum) And The Greater Earless Lizard (Cophosaurus Texanus), In The Indio Mountains Of West Texas, Logan Miles Horne

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Population genetics of two sympatric species, the round-tailed horned lizard (phrynosoma modestum) and the greater earless lizard (cophosaurus texanus), in the Indio mountains of West Texas.

How To Detect The Fundamental Frequency: Approach Motivated By Soft Computing And Computational Complexity, Eric Freudenthal, Olga Kosheleva, Vladik Kreinovich

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

Psychologists have shown that most information about the mood and attitude of a speaker is carried by the lowest (fundamental) frequency. Because of this frequency's importance, even when the corresponding Fourier component is weak, the human brain reconstruct this frequency based on higher harmonics. The problems is that many people lack this ability. To help them better understand moods and attitudes in social interaction, it is therefore desirable to come up with devices and algorithms that would reconstruct the fundamental frequency. In this paper, we show that ideas from soft computing and computational complexity can be used for this purpose.