Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

A Multi-Indexed Logistic Model For Time Series, Xiang Liu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, we explore a multi-indexed logistic regression (MILR) model, with particular emphasis given to its application to time series. MILR includes simple logistic regression (SLR) as a special case, and the hope is that it will in some instances also produce significantly better results. To motivate the development of MILR, we consider its application to the analysis of both simulated sine wave data and stock data. We looked at well-studied SLR and its application in the analysis of time series data. Using a more sophisticated representation of sequential data, we then detail the implementation of MILR. We compare …

Field Emissions Of (Hydro)Chlorofluorocarbons And Methane From A California Landfill, Alexander H. Sohn

Master's Theses

A comprehensive field investigation was conducted at Potrero Hills Landfill (PHL) located in Suisun City, California to quantify emissions of twelve (hydro)chlorofluorocarbons (i.e. F-gases). The specific target constituents for this study included CFC-11, CFC-12, CFC-113, CFC-114, HCFC-21, HCFC-22, HCFC-141b, HCFC-142b, HCFC-151a, HFC-134a, HFC-152a, and HFC-245fa. The majority of the F-gas emission studies have been conducted outside of the United States and very limited field landfill emission data are available in the United States. Because of historical usage of blowing agents in insulation foams including CFC-11, HCFC-142b, HFC-134a, and HFC-245fa, models reported in literature predicted high F-gas emissions from a landfill …

3rd Annual Sustainability Report, Saint Mary's College Of California

Sustainability Report

No abstract provided.

Ground-Penetrating Radar Water Content Mapping Of Golf Course Green Sand Layers, Barry J. Allred, Robert S. Freeland, Katherine R. Grote, Edward L. Mccoy, Luis R. Martinez, Debra L. Gamble

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Information on the spatial distribution of water content across the sand layer component of a golf course green can be important to golf course superintendents for evaluating drainage effectiveness and scheduling irrigation. To estimate the bulk volumetric water content of the sand layer at point locations across the green, a technique was developed that combined (1) depth (or thickness) of the sand layer measured with a steel shaft tile probe, (2) radar signal two-way travel time from the base of the sand layer obtained using a ground-penetrating radar (GPR) system with 900 MHz antennas, and (3) an empirical equation relating …

Novel Simulation To Avoid Bias In Measurement Of Hyperpolarized Pyruvate: Demonstrated In Phantom And In Vivo, Christopher M. Walker

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Dynamic nuclear polarization creates a transient hyperpolarized nuclear state that can dramatically increase the signal detected by magnetic resonance imaging. This signal increase allows real-time spectroscopic imaging of specific metabolites in vivo by magnetic resonance. Real-time imaging of both the spatial and chemical fate of hyperpolarized metabolites is showing great promise to meaningfully benefit clinical care of cancer patients. Imaging of hyperpolarized agents will have a larger clinical impact if it can function as a quantitative modality upon which clinical decisions can be made. However, quantitative measurement of hyperpolarized agents is currently difficult due to the restrictions imposed by the …

Assessing The Potential Clinical Impact Of Variable Biological Effectiveness In Proton Radiotherapy, Christopher R. Peeler Ph.D.

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

It has long been known that proton radiotherapy has an increased biological effectiveness compared to traditional x-ray radiotherapy. This arises from the clustered nature of DNA damage produced by the energy deposition of protons along their tracks in medium. This effect is currently quantified in clinical settings by assigning protons a relative biological effectiveness (RBE) value of 1.1 corresponding to 10% increased effectiveness compared to photon radiation. Numerous studies have shown, however, that the RBE value of protons is variable and can deviate substantially from 1.1, but experimental data on RBE and clinical evidence of its variability remains limited.

The …

Some Spectral Properties Of A Quantum Field Theoretic Hamiltonian, Devin Burnell Mcghie

Theses and Dissertations

We derive the ground-state eigenvalues and eigenvectors for a simplified version of the 1-D QED single electron-photon model that Glasgow et al recently developed [2]. This model still allows for meaningful interaction between electrons and photons while keeping only the minimum needed to do so. We investigate the interesting spectral properties of this model. We determine that the eigenvectors are orthogonal as one would expect and normalize them.

Vanadium Diselenide: On The Verge Of Charge Density Wave, Menghan Zhou

All Dissertations

Charge density wave (CDW) is a many-body state of matter in which both lattice and electron density are modulated by a new periodicity. CDW features discrete translational symmetry breaking, and mostly occurs in low-dimensional materials. Although CDW behaviors have been found in many materials, the underlying mechanism and the driving forces of CDW transition are still unclear. In particular, the origin of CDW in two-dimensional materials, especially in layered transition metal dicalchogenides (TMDCs), may be distinct from that in one-dimensional materials.

In this dissertation, the CDW transition in VSe2, a layered TMDC material, is explored. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations …

Spatial Variation In Germination Of Two Annual Brome Species In The Northern Great Plains, Erin K. Espeland, Jane M. Mangold, Natalie M. West

The Prairie Naturalist

Downy brome or cheat grass (Bromus tectorum L.) and field brome (B. arvensis L.; Synonym = Bromus japonicus Thunb. ex Murr.; Japanese brome) are two annual exotic species that have increased the intensity and frequency of fire cycles in the Intermountain West of the United States, with millions of dollars in associated costs (DiTomaso 2000). These invasive brome species have a different impact in the Northern Great Plains of North America where they commonly co-occur in disturbed sites (White and Currie 1983, Haferkamp et al. 1993). In these mixed-grass prairie rangelands, annual bromes compete against other forage species …

Review Of Waterfowl Of North America, Europe, And Asia: An Identification Guide By Sébastien Reeber, William L. Hohman

The Prairie Naturalist

Ducks, geese and swans (Family Anatidae) are the most popular and best studied group of birds in the world. The group has been the subject of classical books by Kortright (1942), Delacour (1954-1964), Bellrose (1976), Palmer (1976), Johnsgard (1978), and, most recently, Kear (2005) and Baldassarre (2014). The latest contribution to this rich legacy is an impressively illustrated identification guide for waterfowl found in North America, Europe and Asia by author and artist, Sébastien Reeber. This is an English-language version of Canards, Cygnes et Oies d’Europe, d’Asie et d’Amérique du Nord, published by Delachaux and Niestlé in late 2015. …

Review Of Birds Of Montana By Jeffrey S. Marks, Paul Hendricks, And Daniel Casey, Scott G. Somershoe

The Prairie Naturalist

The Birds of Montana is an impressive-looking tome, that includes 659 pages, 155 color range maps, 73 illustrations of species, and 16 color photos of Montana’s habitats. Upon the first bend of the binding, the reader will quickly realize the impressive depth of detail and research that went into writing and completing this book. Although Montana is the fourth largest state, one of the least populated states, and has few “binoculars on the ground,” the state has a fascinating and extensive ornithological history. The Birds of Montana is not a field guide, but rather it is an astonishingly comprehensive reference …

Expectation-Centered Analytics For Instructors And Students, Suzanne L. Dazo

Student Work

Learning analytics is the measurement, collection, analysis, and reporting of data about learners and their contexts. An outcome and primary goal of learning analytics should be to inform instructors, who are primary stakeholders, so that they can make effective decisions in their courses. To support instructor inquiry, I apply theory on reflective practice to learning analytic development. Articulating an instructor's pedagogical expectations is one way to begin facilitating a reflective practice. Expectations based on instructor goals serve as a natural next step and the springboard from which data can be collected. I hypothesize that a learning analytic that encodes and …

Myth Or Reality? Crowdsourcing As A Complex Problemsolving Model: Evidence From Software Developed By The Crowd And Professionals, Abhishek Tripathi

Student Work

Crowdsourcing is a problem-solving model. Conventional theory suggests that solving complex problems is a province of professionals, people with sufficient knowledge about the domain. Prior literature indicated that the crowd is also a great source for solving complex problems. However, there is a lack of experimental research to support that crowdsourcing is a useful model for complex problem-solving (CPS), especially in the software development context. The broad goal of this dissertation is to address this research gap and improve understanding of crowdsourcing as a viable and effective CPS model. This research proposed and tested a research model of perceived quality …

Cucurbit[7]Uril-Tetramethylrhodamine Conjugate For Direct Sensing And Cellular Imaging, Andrew T. Bockus, Lauren C. Smith, Amy G. Grice, Omar A. Ali, Carolyn C. Young, William Mobley, Ashley Leek, James Lewis Roberts, Brittany Vinciguerra, Lyle D. Isaacs, Adam R. Urbach

Chemistry Faculty Research

This paper describes the design and synthesis of a conjugate (Q7R) comprising the synthetic host cucurbit[7]uril (Q7) linked to the fluorescent dye tetramethylrhodamine (TMR), and the characterization of its optical and guest-binding properties as well as its cellular uptake. Q7R was synthesized in two steps from monofunctionalized azidobutyl-Q7 and NHS-activated TMR. The fluorescence of Q7R is quenched upon guest binding, and this observable was used to determine equilibrium dissociation constant (K_d) values. Unexpectedly, the K_d values for guests binding to Q7R and to unmodified Q7 were essentially identical. Therefore, Q7R can directly report binding to Q7 without …

Studies With Dynamic Nuclear Imaging Image Reconstruction Algorithm, Haoran Chang

Theses and Dissertations

Non-negative matrix factorization (NMF) is a useful method for those non-negative multivariate data. In nuclear imaging, NMF, which is also called factor analysis, is used to analyze the 4D image of positron emission tomography and single positron emission computed tomography. Normally, we use factor analysis of dynamic structure (FADS) for the dynamic reconstruction [1]. However, this reconstruction algorithm is extremely dependent on the initial data, which means the result may be unstable when the initial data is not good enough. There are several ways for the initializing, such as splined initialized (SIFADS) [2] and clustering initialized (CIFA) [3][4]. In this …

Cryogenic Viscous Liquids On Icy Moons, Danielle Neighbour

Civil Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

The study of cryogenically viscous liquids such as methane and ethane offers critical insight into the behavior of fluids on icy moons such as Saturn’s moon Titan. Shrouded by a hazy hydrocarbon shield, Titan’s significant nitrogen atmosphere of 1.5 bar, methane-driven hydrological cycle, and lakes and rivers are vaguely similar to our Earthly home. The European-created Huygens probe, carried by the Cassini spacecraft, arrived on Titan’s surface in January 2005 [1]. Upon landing, Huygens photographed its landing site, as seen in Figure 1. The photo depicts rock like objects, thought to be comprised of water ice sitting in a dry …

The Role Of Biotic And Environmental Factors In Spatial And Temporal Variability Of Indian River Lagoon Copepod Communities, Hannah G. Kolb

Theses and Dissertations

The role of zooplankton communities as the link between phytoplankton and secondary consumers is dependent on the species make-up of the copepod community. Copepods often dominate zooplankton in numbers and biomass and are frequently the dominant grazers. Species variabilities in behavioral and morphological traits, and seasonal variances in species make-up, have the potential to alter trophic dynamics in planktonic communities. The goal of this study was to identify the driving forces behind copepod community composition and better understand the role of key species in the Northern Indian River Lagoon (N-IRL). Copepods made up 76% of the N-IRL zooplankton community and …

Speleogenesis And Delineation Of Megaporosity And Karst Geohazards Through Geologic Cave Mapping And Lidar Analyses Associated With Infrastructure In Culberson County, Texas, Jon T. Ehrhart

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Gypsum Plain region of the Delaware Basin hosts approximately 1800 km² of the Castile Formation outcrop. A myriad of karstic developments from closed sinkholes to large multi-kilometer cave systems have been documented within the region. Karst studies on the distribution and speleogenetic evolution within Castile strata began within the last decade with ever increasing data resolution. In this study, a combination of both physical field surveys and analyses of high resolution (~30 cm accuracy) LiDAR data was used to create a theoretical model for karst development across the region. This idealized model considers speleogenetic formation type variations (hypogene …

An Open Source Approach To Serve A Large Number Of Computer Users Using Block-Level Streaming, Max D. Torres

Theses and Dissertations

There are several options for providing a large number of computers to users for their daily tasks. A typical setup may consist of a large number of computers where each relies on an HDD consisting of the required software, sufficient RAM, a capable CPU that meets the software requirements, and a stable network connection. This thesis proposes the use of the open-source AoE protocol to stream an OS to a user computer from a central server. Since the streaming is done from a well-protected central storage, the AoE protocol is less prone to failures compared to the traditional approach based …

A Multi-Value Sequence Generated By Power Residue Symbol And Trace Function Over Odd Characteristic Field, Yasuyuki Nogami, Satoshi Uehara, Kazuyoshi Tsuchiya, Nasima Begum, Hiroto Ino, Robert Morelos-Zaragoza

Faculty Publications

This paper proposes a new multi-value sequence generated by utilizing primitive element, trace, and power residue symbol over odd characteristic finite field. In detail, let p and k be an odd prime number as the characteristic and a prime factor of p-1, respectively. Our proposal generates k-value sequence T={ti | ti=fk(Tr(ωi)+A)}, where ω is a primitive element in the extension field $\F{p}{m}$, Tr(⋅) is the trace function that maps $\F{p}{m} \rightarrow \f{p}$, A is a non-zero scalar in the prime field $\f{p}$, and fk(⋅) is a certain mapping function based on k-th power residue symbol. Thus, the proposed sequence has …

Privacy Protection And Aggregate Health Data: A Review Of Tabular Cell Suppression Methods (Not) Employed In Public Health Data Systems, Gregory J. Matthews, Ofer Harel, Robert H. Aseltine Jr.

Mathematics and Statistics: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Public health research often relies on individuals’ confidential medical data. Therefore, data collecting entities, such as states, seek to disseminate this medical data as widely as possible while still maintaining the privacy of the individual for legal and ethical reasons. One common way in which this medical data is released is through the use of Web-based Data Query Systems (WDQS). In this article, we examined WDQS listed in the National Association for Public Health Statistics and Information Systems (NAPHSIS) specifically reviewing them for how they prevent statistical disclosure in queries that produce a tabular response. One of the most common …

High-Energy Neutron Backgrounds For Underground Dark Matter Experiments, Yu Chen

Dissertations - ALL

Direct dark matter detection experiments usually have excellent capability to distinguish nuclear recoils, expected interactions with Weakly Interacting Massive Particle (WIMP) dark matter, and electronic recoils, so that they can efficiently reject background events such as gamma-rays and charged particles. However, both WIMPs and neutrons can induce nuclear recoils. Neutrons are then the most crucial background for direct dark matter detection. It is important to understand and account for all sources of neutron backgrounds when claiming a discovery of dark matter detection or reporting limits on the WIMP-nucleon cross section. One type of neutron background that is not well understood …

Development Of Multicomponent Coupled-Cluster Theory And Its Application To Nanoclusters And Molecular Systems, Benjamin Harrison Ellis

Dissertations - ALL

Many theoretical and computational methods are based upon the Born-Oppenheimer approximation. This approximation greatly simplifies the search for a wave function that describes all electrons and nuclei in a chemical system. This is accomplished by assuming that the motion of nuclei and electrons are vastly different; the motion of the two particle types is decoupled. While the BO approximation is ubiquitous in computational and theoretical studies, it is not always justifiable. There are two main cases where this approximation is not valid. The first is when nuclear and electronic motion cannot be decoupled. Decoupling the motion leads to incorrect observations …

Laboratory Investigations Into The Fate Of Aromatic Pollutants In Natural Waters, Jarod Nathaniel Grossman

Dissertations - ALL

Condensed phases in the atmosphere, such as cloud droplets and aerosols, often contain both water and organic matter (OM). Reactivity can differ significantly between aqueous and organic phases. We have measured photolysis kinetics of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) anthracene and pyrene in several organic solvents and in water, in miscible and phase-separated aqueous-organic mixtures, in the presence of halide salts (NaCl, NaBr, and NaI), and in simulated seawater. Moreover, the roles of singlet oxygen and pH were investigated on the kinetics at atmospherically-relevant wavelengths. Photolysis rate constants generally increased with increasing solvent polarity. Our results suggest that OM could …

Transport And Optical Conductivity In The Hubbard Model: A High-Temperature Expansion Perspective, Edward Perepelitsky, Andrew Galatas, Jernej Mravlje, Rok Žitko, Ehsan Khatami, B. Shastry, Antoine Georges

Faculty Publications

We derive analytical expressions for the spectral moments of the dynamical response functions of the Hubbard model using the high-temperature series expansion. We consider generic dimension d as well as the infinite-d limit, arbitrary electron density n, and both finite and infinite repulsion U. We use moment-reconstruction methods to obtain the one-electron spectral function, the self-energy, and the optical conductivity. They are all smooth functions at high temperature and, at large U, they are featureless with characteristic widths of the order of the lattice hopping parameter t. In the infinite-d limit, we compare the series expansion results with accurate numerical …

Laboratory Experiences In Mathematical Biology For Post-Secondary Mathematics Students, Matthew Lewis

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In addition to the memorization, algorithmic skills and vocabulary which is the default focus in many mathematics classrooms, professional mathematicians are expected to creatively apply known techniques, construct new mathematical approaches and communicate with and about mathematics. We propose that students can learn these professional, higher level skills through Laboratory Experiences in Mathematical Biology (LEMBs) which put students in the role of mathematics researcher creating mathematics to describe and understand biological data. LEMBs are constructed so they require no specialized equipment and can easily be run in the context of a college math class. Students collect data and develop mathematical …

Statistical Techniques To Model And Optimize Performance Of Scientific, Numerically Intensive Workloads, Steena Dominica Steven Monteiro

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Projecting performance of applications and hardware is important to several market segments—hardware designers, software developers, supercomputing centers, and end users. Hardware designers estimate performance of current applications on future systems when designing new hardware. Software developers make performance estimates to evaluate performance of their code on different architectures and input datasets. Supercomputing centers try to optimize the process of matching computing resources to computing needs. End users requesting time on supercomputers must provide estimates of their application’s run time, and incorrect estimates can lead to wasted supercomputing resources and time. However, application performance is challenging to predict because it is …

Galaxy And Mass Assembly (Gama) : Detection Of Low-Surface-Brightness Galaxies From Sdss Data., Richard P. Williams, I. K. Baldry, L. S. Kelvin, P. A. James, S. P. Driver, M. Prescott, S. Brough, M. J. I. Brown, L. J. M. Davies, Benne W. Holwerda, J. Liske, P. Norberg, A. J. Moffett, A. H. Wright

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

We report on a search for new low-surface-brightness galaxies (LSBGs) using Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) data within the Galaxy And Mass Assembly (GAMA) equatorial fields. The search method consisted of masking objects detected with SDSS photo, combining gri images weighted to maximize the expected signal-to-noise ratio, and smoothing the images. The processed images were then run through a detection algorithm that finds all pixels above a set threshold and groups them based on their proximity to one another. The list of detections was cleaned of contaminants such as diffraction spikes and the faint wings of masked objects. From these, …

Investigation Of Dynamic Biological Systems Using Direct Injection And Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry, Adam Clayton Swensen

Theses and Dissertations

In biological systems, small changes can have significant impacts. It is, therefore, very important to be able to identify these changes in order to understand what is occurring in the organism. In many cases, this is not an easy task. Mass spectrometry has proven to be a very useful tool in elucidating biological changes even at a very small scale. Several different mass spectrometry based techniques have been developed to discover and investigate complex biological changes. Some of these techniques, such as proteomics, have been through years of development and have advanced to the point that anyone can complete complex …

Managing The Spread Of Alfalfa Stem Nematodes (Ditylenchus Dipsaci): The Relationship Between Crop Rotation Periods And Pest Re-Emergence, S. Jordan, Claudia Nischwitz, R. Ramirez, Luis F. Gordillo

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications

Alfalfa is a critical cash/rotation crop in the western region of the United States, where it is common to find crops affected by the alfalfa stem nematode (Ditylenchus dipsaci). Understanding the spread dynamics associated with this pest would allow growers to design better management programs and farming practices. This understanding is of particular importance given that there are no nematicides available against alfalfa stem nematodes and control strategies largely rely on crop rotation to non-host crops or by planting resistant varieties of alfalfa. In this paper we present a basic host-parasite model that describes the spread of the …