Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

The Distribution Of The Significance Level, Paul O. Monnu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Reporting the p-value is customary when conducting a test of hypothesis or significance. The likelihood of getting a fictitious second sample and presuming the null hypothesis is correct is the p-value. The significance level is a statistic that interests us to investigate. Being a statistic, it has a distribution. For the F-test in a one-way ANOVA and the t-tests for population means, we define the significance level, its observed value, and the observed significance level. It is possible to derive the significance level distribution. The t-test and the F-test are not without controversy. Specifically, we demonstrate that as sample size …

Performing Holt-Winters Time Series Forecasting Using Neural Network Based Models, Kazeem Olanrewaju Bankole

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

We show how to create Artificial Neural Network based models for performing the well- known Holt-Winters time series analysis. Our work fares well compared to the well-known Holt-Winter time series prediction method while avoiding the burden of searching for the parameters of the model. We present the theoretical justification of the connection between the two models and experimental results showing the similarities of these models

Assessing Performance Optimization Strategies In Cloud-Native Environments Through Containerization And Orchestration Analysis, Daniel E. Ukene

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis comprises three distinct, yet interconnected studies addressing critical aspects of web infrastructure management. We begin by studying containerization via Docker and its impact on web server performance, focusing on Apache and Nginx hosted on virtualized environments. Through meticulous load testing and analysis, we provide insights into the comparative performance of these servers, adding users of this technology know which webservers to leverage when hosting their webservice along alongside the infrastructure to host it on. Next, we expand our focus to examine the performance of caching systems, namely Redis and Memcached, across traditional VMs and Docker containers. By comparing …

Scattering Of Electromagnetic Radiation By Bianisotropic Spheres, Maxwell A. Wallace

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Modern developments in materials science have led to the increased demand for the ability to control electromagnetic radiation at scales smaller than ever. One of the most important areas of research for controlling the manipulation of electromagnetic radiation, has been the studying of novel optical metamaterials, including the most general and complex form, bianisotropic metamaterials (BAMs). With modern developments in nano- engineering, paired with the advancement of more robust theoretical studies of BAMs, the demand for more novel BAM technologies has increased. With the advent of research of unbounded BAM media, as well as the recent extensions of Mie theory …

Simulation Of Wave Propagation In Granular Particles Using A Discrete Element Model, Syed Tahmid Hussan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The understanding of Bender Element mechanism and utilization of Particle Flow Code (PFC) to simulate the seismic wave behavior is important to test the dynamic behavior of soil particles. Both discrete and finite element methods can be used to simulate wave behavior. However, Discrete Element Method (DEM) is mostly suitable, as the micro scaled soil particle cannot be fully considered as continuous specimen like a piece of rod or aluminum. Recently DEM has been widely used to study mechanical properties of soils at particle level considering the particles as balls. This study represents a comparative analysis of Voigt and Best …

Characterization Of Carbon Nanotube/Polystyrene Composites Prepared Via Microwave-Induced Polymerization, Hubert Agamasu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs), with their excellent mechanical properties, are well suited to the production of composites with good strength-to-weight ratio. However, the use of nanotubes as reinforcement is hampered by the lack of interaction between their inert surfaces and matrices. This, coupled with the van der Waal’s interactions between individual nanotubes, leads to agglomeration of CNTs in media. Functionalization is an efficient means to disperse nanotubes as well as increase their reactivity. The irradiation of CNTs with microwaves generates instantaneous, localized heating, being used in this work to trigger the rapid, thermal, free radical polymerization of styrene. Under microwaves, olefin-functionalized …

Reinforcement Learning: Applying Low Discrepancy Action Selection To Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient, Aleksandr Svishchev

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Reinforcement learning (RL) is a subfield of machine learning concerned with agents learning to behave optimally by interacting with an environment. One of the most important topics in RL is how the agent should explore, that is, how to choose actions in order to rate their impact on long-term reward. For example, a simple baseline strategy might be uniformly random action selection. This thesis investigates the heuristic idea that agents will learn faster if they explore by factoring the environment’s state into their decision and intentionally choose actions which are as different as possible from what they have previously observed. …

Problems In Chemical Graph Theory Related To The Merrifield-Simmons And Hosoya Topological Indices, William B. O'Reilly

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In some sense, chemical graph theory applies graph theory to various physical sciences. This interdisciplinary field has significant applications to structure property relationships, as well as mathematical modeling. In particular, we focus on two important indices widely used in chemical graph theory, the Merrifield-Simmons index and Hosoya index. The Merrifield-Simmons index and the Hosoya index are two well-known topological indices used in mathematical chemistry for characterizing specific properties of chemical compounds. Substantial research has been done on the two indices in terms of enumerative problems and extremal questions. In this thesis, we survey known extremal results and consider the generalized …

Railroad Condition Monitoring Using Distributed Acoustic Sensing And Deep Learning Techniques, Md Arifur Rahman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Proper condition monitoring has been a major issue among railroad administrations since it might cause catastrophic dilemmas that lead to fatalities or damage to the infrastructure. Although various aspects of train safety have been conducted by scholars, in-motion monitoring detection of defect occurrence, cause, and severity is still a big concern. Hence extensive studies are still required to enhance the accuracy of inspection methods for railroad condition monitoring (CM). Distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) has been recognized as a promising method because of its sensing capabilities over long distances and for massive structures. As DAS produces large datasets, algorithms for precise …

Enhancing Flight Delay Predictions Using Network Centrality Measures, Joseph Ajayi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Accurate prediction of flight delays remains a formidable challenge within the aviation industry, owing to its inherent complexity and the interconnectivity of its operations. Traditional flight prediction methods frequently utilize meteorological conditions—such as temperature, humidity, and dew point—alongside flight-specific data like departure and arrival times. However, these predictors often fall short of capturing the nuanced dynamics that lead to delays. This thesis introduces network centrality measures as novel predictors for enhancing the binary classification of flight arrival delays. Furthermore, it emphasizes the application of tree-based ensemble models, which are recognized for their superior ability to model complex relationships compared to …

Classification In Supervised Statistical Learning With The New Weighted Newton-Raphson Method, Toma Debnath

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, the Weighted Newton-Raphson Method (WNRM), an innovative optimization technique, is introduced in statistical supervised learning for categorization and applied to a diabetes predictive model, to find maximum likelihood estimates. The iterative optimization method solves nonlinear systems of equations with singular Jacobian matrices and is a modification of the ordinary Newton-Raphson algorithm. The quadratic convergence of the WNRM, and high efficiency for optimizing nonlinear likelihood functions, whenever singularity in the Jacobians occur allow for an easy inclusion to classical categorization and generalized linear models such as the Logistic Regression model in supervised learning. The WNRM is thoroughly investigated …

Bringing Gans To Medieval Times: Manuscript Translation Models, Tonilynn M. Holtz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Generative Adversarial Networks (GAN) recently emerged as a powerful framework for producing new knowledge from existing knowledge. These models aim to learn patterns from input data then use that knowledge to generate output data samples that plausibly appear to belong to the same set as the input data. Medieval manuscripts study has been an important research area in the humanities field for many decades. These rare manuscripts are often times inaccessible to the general public, including students in scholars, and it is of a great interest to provide digital support (including, but not limited to translation and search) for …

Effects Of Low-Cost, Low-Tech Tools For Riparian Restoration On Prairie Streams In Western South Dakota, James Andrew Joseph Bolyard

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Despite making up less than two percent of the overall landscape in the arid and semi-arid western US, riparian areas are a crucial resource for agriculture, livestock, and wildlife. However, many have impaired function and reduced riparian cover. Low-Cost, Low-Tech Tools (LCLTT) are a subset of Process-Based Restoration (PBR) used for riparian restoration that were chosen for their cost-effectiveness and minimal technical requirements. LCLTT has been tested in mountainous areas of the western US but only recently implemented in the Northern Great Plains (NGP). Given their novelty as an approach toward restoration for the region, professional restoration and landowner communities …

Impact Of Solar Radiation On Perchlorate Formation In The Atmosphere: Evidence From Ice Core Measurements, Bishnu Kunwar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Perchlorate, which derives from both anthropogenic and natural sources in the current environment, poses a substantial health hazard to humans as it competes with iodine uptake in the thyroid gland. Consequently, there has been considerable concern about minimizing human exposure to environmental perchlorate by restricting its release from man-made sources. However, the absence of a clear understanding regarding the respective contributions of man-made and natural sources has hindered widespread regulation efforts. A 300-year (1700–2007) Summit, Greenland ice core record from a previous study showed relatively stable perchlorate concentrations in Greenland snow prior to 1980, with some elevated perchlorate levels associated …

Species Distribution Modeling Of Aquilegia Brevistyla (Ranunculaceae): A Critically Imperiled Black Hills Disjunct Species, Eric Daniel Puetz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Unchecked human activity is contributing to rising levels of greenhouse gas emissions, changes in land use, altered disturbance/fire regimes, spread of invasive species, and loss of biological diversity and related breakdown of ecosystem services. Additionally, climatic shifts may lead to phenological mismatches between species and their environments if these changes outpace a species’ ability to adapt or migrate to a more suitable habitat. Isolated mountain populations are particularly threatened by unpredictable climatic conditions, as they may have limited migration corridors and often lower levels of genetic diversity to move or adapt, respectively. As these negative feedbacks compound on the landscape, …

Mitigating The Shortcomings Of Language Models: Strategies For Handling Memorization & Adversarial Attacks, Aly Kassem

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Deep learning models have recently achieved remarkable progress in Natural Language Processing (NLP), specifically in classification, question-answering, and machine translation. However, NLP models face challenges related to security and privacy. Security-wise, even small perturbations in the input can significantly impact a model's prediction. This highlights the importance of generating natural adversarial attacks to analyze the weaknesses of NLP models and bolster their robustness through adversarial training (AT). Conversely, Large Language Models (LLMs) are trained on vast amounts of data, which may include sensitive information. If exposed, this poses a risk to personal privacy. LLMs can memorize portions of their training …

Influence Of Landscape And Nutrients On Stable Isotope Dynamics And Food Webs In A River Prior To Re-Establishing Fish Migration, Selina Al-Nazzal

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Great Lakes tributaries are undergoing major ecosystem restoration through dam removal aimed at improving habitat connectivity. Re-establishing connectivity can have consequences for both desirable and undesirable species, especially in watersheds that risk the invasion of non-native species. To predict and evaluate the effects of reconnecting native fish habitats, I used stable isotopes of carbon (δ13C), nitrogen (δ15N), and sulphur (δ34S), spatial stream network (SSN) models and trophic niche measurements to examine the influence of land cover and nutrient concentration on the trophic ecology and distribution of stable isotopes of biofilm, macroinvertebrates, and fishes in the Boardman/Ottaway River (BOR), a tributary …

Advanced Deep Learning Multivariate Multi-Time Series Framework For A Novel Covid-19 Dataset, Swastik Bagga

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis introduces an innovative framework aimed at addressing the complexities of predicting outcomes in multivariate multi time series datasets in regression analysis. By applying this framework to a novel COVID-19 dataset, it enhances predictive analytics by providing accurate forecasts for epidemic trends at regional or provincial levels, going beyond national-level analysis. The framework incorporates advanced data preprocessing, feature selection, engineering, encoding, and model architecture, effectively capturing intricate variable interactions and temporal dependencies. This makes it a powerful tool for tackling multivariate multi time series regression challenges, offering valuable insights for informed decision-making. Predicting outcomes in such datasets is challenging …

Comparative Lineament And Geomorphic Analysis Of Chaotic Terrains And Noctis Labyrinthus, Mars, Sarah A. Walton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Noctis Labyrinthus (NL) is an extensional trough network connecting the Tharsis rise and Valles Marineris on Mars. Chaotic terrains are a group of polygonally-fractured surface features commonly associated with subsidence due to rapid fluid loss within the subsurface. Polygonal surface patterns are seen at both sites, where geometric topographic highs are bounded by low troughs. Lineaments, topography, and geomorphology of NL and chaotic terrains were analyzed to determine tectonics and fluid influence in the formation and evolution of both sites. NL shows preferential fracture patterns associated with regional extension. Lineaments within chaotic terrains do not show cumulative preferential trends but …

Interactive Effects Of Sublethal Concentrations Of Fracking Biocides And Abandoned Mine Drainage On Amphipod Behavior, Kelly Lenhart

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examined the sublethal effects of three pollutants, namely glutaraldehyde, 4,4-dimethyloxazolidine (DMO), and abandoned mine drainage (AMD), on amphipods. The primary objective was to investigate their combined effects on amphipods. The three pollutants, despite having the potential to combine in the environment, have not been studied to determine their potential for detrimental interactive effects which could result in unexpected environmental damage.

The research employed a series of experimental setups involving controlled exposure of amphipods to varying, putatively sublethal, concentrations of the chemicals of interest. Subsequently, effects were assessed via both behavioral and feeding assessments. To facilitate this analysis, novel …

Modeling Forest Growth Using Sentinel-2-Derived Variables And Site Data, Peter G. Larson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Growing stock volume (GSV) is an important metric for determining economic yield, carbon sequestration and other ecosystem services. GSV has traditionally been estimated in situ by measuring individual trees in a stand. This process is slow and expensive, and, as a result, is not a viable means to estimate GSV on a large scale. It is also not feasible in places that are difficult to access and in places that do not have reliable management records. Multispectral optical sensors mounted on satellites are an important technology for monitoring forest resources because they offer the possibility of measuring forest resources quickly …

Elucidating The Pd Active Sites Of Bimetallic Gold-Palladium Catalysts Using Chemisorption And Titration Techniques, Andrew T. Boucher

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A bimetallic nanoparticle catalyst combines two different metals on an oxide support, which can increase the selectivity towards useful products that may be too tightly bound to a monometallic catalyst. To explore the surface properties of such a system, we made a group of four PdAu bimetallic catalysts with varying gold mass loadings to compare with a parent Pd catalyst. The parent catalyst was synthesized using ion exchange, and gold was added to this parent Pd catalyst using incipient wetness impregnation (IWI) to create four bimetallic catalysts. All catalysts were characterized using H₂ and CO chemisorption in tandem with …

Advances In Cellulose Nanomaterial-Based Foams For Environmental Applications, Md Musfiqur Rahman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The use of metal-oxide nanoparticles adsorbents is limited to fixed-bed columns in industrial-scale water treatment applications. This limitation is commonly attributed to the tendency of nanoparticles to aggregate, the use of non-sustainable and inefficient polymeric resins as supporting materials, or a lack of adsorption capacity. Foams and aerogels derived from cellulose nanomaterials have unique characteristics, such as high porosity and low density, which enables their use in a variety of environmental applications, including water treatment. However, the overall use of cellulose nanomaterial-based foams in various environmental sectors is limited due to the high cost of production associated with time- and …

Quantifying Tidewater Glacier-Fjord Environments In The Rapidly Changing Regions Of West And South Greenland, Sydney Baratta

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Greenland Ice Sheet has undergone rapid mass loss over the last four decades, primarily through solid and liquid discharge at marine-terminating outlet glaciers. The acceleration of these glaciers is in part due to the increase in temperature of ocean water in contact with the glacier terminus. However, quantifying meltwater injection and heat transport can be challenging due to iceberg abundance, which threatens instrument survival and fjord accessibility. Additionally, acceleration and eventual retreat of tidewater glaciers onto land can change glacier forcing, completely altering fjord water-meltwater dynamics. Here, we couple in situ and remote sensing methods to quantify the upper-layer …

Spatial And Temporal Variability In Snow Properties And Firn Volume Across The Juneau Icefield In Southeast Alaska, Mikaila Mannello

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Glaciers are important freshwater resources which have far reaching impacts on a range of local to global systems and processes, including ecosystems and societies. As global climate continues to change, the response of glaciers has largely been reductions in ice mass and widespread retreat. A high degree of accumulation and ablation occurs in the near surface which is exposed to the atmosphere. The Juneau Icefield (JIF) has, up until the mid-2010s, historically responded climate change anomalously where its main drainage, Taku Glacier (here forward referred to its native name T’aakú Kwáan Sít’i), has been advancing while all other JIF outlet …

Context-Driven Behavior: Improved Contextual Reasoning For Context-Aware Agents, Christian L. Wilson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Over the last three decades, a considerable amount of research has been dedicated to improving an artificial agent's ability to recognize and deal effectively with context. In this paper, I discuss a framework for a novel form of contextual reasoning. Unlike existing contextual reasoning frameworks, which allow an agent to apply its contextual knowledge after it is operating in an instance of a known context, the model I discuss allows an agent to reason about context proactively. With a proactive model, an agent forecasts the future contexts it will encounter, then takes steps to ensure its behaviors are appropriate for …

Synthesis Of Poly(Styrene-Co-Butyl Acrylate) Pickering Emulsion With Montmorillonite Nanoparticles And Its Comparison With Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate Surfactant On Affecting The Water Barrier Properties Of Coated Paper, Chidubem H. Uchefuna

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Water-borne barrier dispersion coatings on paper have emerged as an alternative to extrusion coatings on paper due to improved recycling, high application speed, and other end of life attributes. Pigments are often added to improve the performance of dispersion coatings. The use of pigments to form a Pickering emulsion during the polymerization step for the production of a barrier coating on paper has not been discussed in the literature.

In this study, montmorillonite (MMT) pigment varied from 0-6 % pigment volume concentration (PVC) was used to synthesize dispersion coatings consisting of poly(styrene-co-butylacrylate) latex and compared with sodium dodecyl …

Nonsmooth Epidemic Models With Evolutionary Game Theory, Cameron Morin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the utilization of game theory and nonsmooth functions to enhance the accuracy of epidemiological simulations. Traditional sensitivity analysis encounters difficulties when dealing with nondifferentiable points in nonsmooth functions. However, by incorporating recent advancements in nonsmooth analysis, sensitivity analysis techniques have been adapted to accommodate these complex functions. In pursuit of more accurate simulations, evolutionary game theory, primarily the replicator equation, is introduced, modeling individuals’ decision making processes when observing others’ choices. The SEIR model is explored in depth, and additional complexities are incorporated, leading to the creation of an expanded SEIR model, the Be-SEIMR model.

A Map-Algebra-Inspired Approach For Interacting With Wireless Sensor Networks, Cyber-Physical Systems Or Internet Of Things, David Almeida

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The typical approach for consuming data from wireless sensor networks (WSN) and Internet of Things (IoT) has been to send data back to central servers for processing and analysis. This thesis develops an alternative strategy for processing and acting on data directly in the environment referred to as Active embedded Map Algebra (AeMA). Active refers to the near real time production of data, and embedded refers to the architecture of distributed embedded sensor nodes. Network macroprogramming, a style of programming adopted for wireless sensor networks and IoT, addresses the challenges of coordinating the behavior of multiple connected devices through a …

The Impact Of Conservation Land On Property Taxes And Municipal Budgets In Maine: A Mixed-Methods Study, Abigail Bennett

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study is an interdisciplinary project done in collaboration with the Municipal Budget and Conservation Working group, a group of stakeholders that formed in 2018 to study conservation and town budgets. We use mixed methods to explore the impacts of conservation and municipal budgets in Maine. We use regression analysis on 21 years of panel data to identify causal relationships between conservation and mill rates, controlling for economic and town budget factors. We found statistically significant but small effects on average, with a 1% increase in conserved acres in a town associated with average tax bill increases of $1 or …