Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Automated Grain-Matrix Segmentation In Photomicrographs Of Clastic Sedimentary Rocks Using Neuro-Visual Algorithms, Rajdeep Das

Doctoral Theses

Sediments and sedimentary rocks, covering almost sixty-five percent of exposed earth’s surface, contain features that allow us to interpret ancient depositional environments, and their role in the evolution of life on earth. Study of sedimentary rocks is also relevant to exploration of geo-economic resources including petroleum, ore minerals, and groundwater as well as research in environmental geology, anthropological studies, and the bi-directional relation of man and environment. One of the important and crucial steps in this study of the detrital sedimentary rocks like sandstone, is to know the size and shape of the grains/clasts (fragments of different minerals or rocks), …

Influence Of Tropical Cyclones, Southwest Monsoon, And Tropical Cyclone-Enhanced Southwest Monsoon On Rainfall Variability Over The Western Coast Of The Philippines, Alwin Bathan, Lyndon Mark Olaguera, Faye Abigail T. Cruz, Jose Ramon T. Villarin, Joel T. Maquiling, Maria Obiminda L. Cambaliza, John A. Manalo, Jun Matsumoto

SOSE Affiliate: Manila Observatory

This study investigates the processes driving interannual variability of rainfall over the western coast of the Philippines during the peak southwest monsoon (SWM) months (July–September) from 1961 to 2022. Specifically, it describes how tropical cyclones (TC), SWM, and TC-enhanced SWM influence SWM rainfall variability. Rainfall measurements from 11 stations along the western coast of the Philippines were classified into three types: direct TC rainfall (PD), indirect TC rainfall (PI), and SWM rainfall (PSM). The yearly contributions of PD, PI, and PSM to SWM rainfall were estimated to be 15.4 %, 33.1 %, and 51.5 %, respectively. Furthermore, four rainfall variability …

Higher-Order Exceptional Points In A Non-Reciprocal Waveguide Beam Splitter, Hamed Ghaemidizicheh, Shahram Dehdashti, Andreas Hanke, Ahmed Touhami, Janis Nötzel

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

Non-Hermitian systems have attracted significant interest because of their intriguing properties, including exceptional points (EPs), where eigenvalues and the corresponding eigenstates coalesce. In particular, quantum systems with EPs exhibit an enhanced sensitivity to external perturbations, which increases with the order of the EP. Therefore, higher-order EPs hold significant potential for advanced sensing applications, but they are challenging to achieve due to stringent symmetry requirements. In this work, we study the dynamics of a generalized lossy waveguide beam splitter with asymmetric coupling by introducing non-reciprocity as a tunable parameter to achieve higher-order EPs even without dissipation. Moreover, we analyze the evolution …

Understanding Batch-Normalization In Deep Neural Networks, Pendyala Sai Srujan

Master’s Dissertations

Batch Normalization (BN) is a commonly used technique in various deep learning architectures for tasks such as image classification and object detection. It stabilizes and accelerates training by normalizing the activations of intermediate layers using mean and variance of the batch, allowing the use of higher learning rates and often improving generalization through implicit regularization. During inference, BN uses running estimates of batch statistics accumulated during training. However, if individual batches are not representative of the overall data distribution, these accumulated statistics may not accurately approximate the population statistics. This discrepancy can lead to a phenomenon known as **estimation shift**, …

A Study On Planar 2-Center Problem, Shince K. Baby

Master’s Dissertations

The Planar-k-Centre problem is an important problem in the class of Optimal Facility Location problems, where given n points in the planar, the objective is finding the smallest k congruent discs such that their union encompasses all points. This dissertation examines a variant of this problem in which the L1 metric is used to determine the distances rather than the standard Euclidean metric, which we call L1P2C and a closely related problem which we call Undirected k Square Coverage where there is no directional constraint for the k squares which contain the given set of points. We have found two …

Draft Final 2025 Residential Metals Abatement Program (Rmap) Quality Assurance Project Plan (Qapp) Annual Update (Non-Residential Parcels And Residential Daycares), Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Morphology Based Galaxy Classification, Ayan Mukherjee

Master’s Dissertations

Galaxy evolution is an area of vital importance in current research as it is believed to hold vital clues of the past as well as the future of the universe. The structure or morphology of a galaxy acts as an indicator of its stage of evolution and may also shed light on the course of its future evolution. The deployment of high-resolution telescopes like James Webb Telescope has made available large amount of high-resolution images, thereby, facilitating the deployment of high-performance Machine Learning and Deep Learning techniques. In the proposed work, two different methods have been assessed to achieve better …

Multi-Modal Large Language Model For Visual Question Answering On Medical Domain, Srimanta Singha

Master’s Dissertations

Artificial intelligence (AI) strategies such as Multimodal learning, which can integrate inputs of multiple modes, e.g., image and text, have shown significant promise in medical applications. In this dissertation, we present our related study of a Multimodal Large Language Model (MLLM) designed for Visual Question Answering (VQA) in the medical domain, based on both image and text input modalities to improve diagnostic reasoning and decision support. Our model processes medical images (e.g., chest Xrays, CT scans, and ultrasound images) along with clinical text to answer complex, domain-specific questions. We employ a cross-modal fusion mechanism to align visual features with textual …

The Rise Of Faint, Red Active Galactic Nuclei At Z > 4: A Sample Of Little Red Dots In The Jwst Extragalactic Legacy Fields, Dale D. Kocevski, Steven L. Finkelstein, Guillermo Barro, Anthony J. Taylor, Antonello Calabrò, Brivael Laloux, Johannes Buchner, Jonathan R. Trump, Gene C.K. Leung, Guang Yang, Mark Dickinson, Pablo G. Pérez-González, Fabio Pacucci, Kohei Inayoshi, Rachel S. Somerville, Elizabeth J. Mcgrath, Hollis B. Akins, Micaela B. Bagley, Rebecca A.A. Bowler, Laura Bisigello, Adam Carnall

Pacific Faculty Work

We present a sample of 341 “little red dots” (LRDs) spanning the redshift range z ∼ 2-11 using data from the CEERS, PRIMER, JADES, UNCOVER, and NGDEEP surveys. Unlike past use of color indices to identify LRDs, we employ continuum slope fitting using shifting bandpasses to sample the same rest-frame emission blueward and redward of the Balmer break. This enables the detection of LRDs over a wider redshift range and with less contamination from galaxies with strong breaks that otherwise lack a rising red continuum. The redshift distribution of our sample increases at z < 8 and then undergoes a rapid decline at z ∼ 4.5, which may tie the emergence of these sources to the inside-out growth that galaxies experience during this epoch. We find that LRDs are ∼1 dex more numerous than X-ray- and UV-selected active galactic nuclei (AGN) at z ∼ 5-7. Within our sample, we have identified the first two X-ray-detected LRDs. An X-ray spectral analysis confirms that these AGN are moderately obscured with log ( N H / cm 2 ) of 23 . 3 − 1.3 + 0.4 and 22.7 2 − 0.16 + 0.13 . Our analysis reveals that reddened AGN emission dominates their rest-optical light, while the rest-UV originates from their host galaxies. We also present NIRSpec observations from the RUBIES survey of 17 LRDs that show broad emission lines consistent with AGN activity. The confirmed AGN fraction of our sample is 71% for sources with F444W < 26.5. In addition, we find three LRDs with blueshifted Balmer absorption features in their spectra, suggesting an outflow of high-density, low-ionization gas from near the central engine of these faint, red AGN.

The Impact Of Substrate Structure And Catalyst Identity On The Lewis-Acid Catalyzed Carbonyl-Olefin Metathesis Reaction, Cory William Schneider

Dissertations

The formation of carbon-carbon double bonds is one of the most important transformations in organic chemistry, as they are integral to the structural scaffold of many organic molecules. Thus, the development and understanding of reactions that form such bonds is crucial. Lewis-acid catalyzed carbonyl-olefin metathesis is one such reaction. Like many others, this reaction is sensitive to both the identity of the catalyst, as well as the structure of the substrate. In this dissertation, I present empirical and theoretical works investigating how the catalyst identity and the substrate direct the reactivity of the Lewis-acid catalyzed carbonyl-olefin metathesis reaction.

High-Resolution Temperature Profiling In The Pi Chamber: Variability Of Statistical Properties Of Temperature Fluctuations, Robert Grosz, Kamal Kant Chandrakar, Raymond A. Shaw, Jesse C. Anderson, Will Cantrell, Szymon P. Malinowski

Michigan Tech Research Data

This study delves into the small-scale temperature structure inside the turbulent convection Pi Chamber under three temperature differences (10, 15, and 20 K) at Rayleigh number Ra ~ 10^9 and Prandtl number Pr = 0.7. We performed high-frequency measurements (2 kHz) with the UltraFast Thermometer (UFT) at selected points along the vertical axis. The miniaturized design of the sensor with a resistive platinum-coated tungsten wire, 2.5 μm thick and 3 mm long, mounted on a miniature wire probe, allowed for vertically undisturbed temperature
profiling through the chamber’s depth spanning from 8 cm above the bottom to 5 cm below the …

Notes On The Invariance Of Tautness Under Lie Sphere Transformations, Thomas E. Cecil

Mathematics and Computer Science Department Faculty Scholarship

An embedding ϕ : V → Sⁿ of a compact, connected manifold V into the unit sphere Sⁿ ⊂ Rⁿ⁺¹ is said to be taut, if every nondegenerate spherical distance function d_p, p ∈ Sⁿ, is a perfect Morse function on V , i.e., it has the minimum number of critical points on V required by the Morse inequalities. In these notes, we give an exposition of the proof of the invariance of tautness under Lie sphere transformations due to ´Alvarez Paiva. First we extend the definition of tautness of submanifolds of S …

Multi-Level Differentiable Moving Particles With Partition Of Unity, Jinjin He

Dartmouth College Master’s Theses

Representing implicit geometry with intricate features has long been a challenge. Recent advances in Implicit Neural Representations (INRs) have shown great promise in applications such as 3D reconstruction, inverse rendering, and dynamic surface evolution. These methods leverage neural networks to model complex shapes continuously, offering advantages in resolution and flexibility over traditional discrete representations. Despite their success, efficiently handling fine geometric details and evolving dynamic scenes remains an open problem.

We introduce a differentiable moving particle representation based on the multi-level partition of unity (MPU) to model dynamic implicit geometries efficiently. Our approach employs two types of particles—feature particles and …

Human Gut Commensal Alistipes Timonensis Modulates The Host Lipidome And Delivers Anti-Inflammatory Outer Membrane Vesicles To Suppress Colitis In An Il10-Deficient Mouse Model, Ethan Older, Mary K. Mitchell, Andrew Campbell, Xiaoying Lian, Michael Madden, Yuzhen Wang, Lauren E. Van De Wal, Thelma Zaw, Brandon N. Vanderveen, Rodney Tatum, E. Angela Murphy, Yan-Hua Chen, Daping Fang, Melissa Ellermann, Jie Li

Faculty Publications

Correlative studies have linked human gut microbes to specific health conditions. Alistipes is one such microbial genus negatively linked to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). However, the protective role of Alistipes in IBD is understudied, and the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unknown. In this study, colonization of Il10-deficient mice with Alistipes timonensis DSM 27924 delays colitis development. Colonization does not significantly alter the gut microbiome composition, but instead shifts the host plasma lipidome, increasing phosphatidic acids while decreasing triglycerides. Outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) derived from Alistipes are detected in the plasma of colonized mice, carrying potentially immunomodulatory metabolites into the …

Perchlorate Brine Formation From Frost At The Viking 2 Landing Site, Vincent F. Chevrier

Geosciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

The presence and stability of brines on Mars’s surface remain a significant mystery in planetary exploration. Previous mechanisms proposed for brine formation include melting of ice-salt mixtures and salt deliquescence. However, melting lacks a recharge mechanism, and deliquescence is impeded by Mars’s extreme surface aridity. This study explores an underexplored process: the role of seasonal frost in brine formation. Utilizing meteorological data from the Viking 2 lander—the only mission, with Phoenix, to observe in situ water frost formation—I demonstrate that brines can form over approximately 30 sols at the end of winter as frost sublimates. The stable brines exhibit a …

Data Sonification: The Art Of Exploring Space Through Sound, Jessica Cotturone

Music: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

Data sonification is a cutting-edge, interdisciplinary field that involves the transformation of data into sound. As the amount of data collected in today’s world continues to rise exponentially, new collaborations between scientists, mathematicians, and musicians are exploring the potential applications of sonification. Turning data into sound can create new avenues for interpretation and can increase accessibility for visually-impaired populations. The sonic renderings produced by this practice exist on a spectrum from sound to music and vary in their levels of objectivity and expressivity. One of the major areas where data sonification is providing a new scientific and artistic perspective is …

Semitic Root Encoding: Tokenization Based On The Templatic Morphology Of Semitic Languages In Nmt, Brendan T. Hatch

Theses and Dissertations

The morphological structure of Semitic languages like Arabic and Hebrew is based on non-concatenative roots and templates. This complex word structure used by humans is obscured to neural models that use traditional tokenization algorithms. In this work, I present and evaluate Semitic Root Encoding (SRE), a tokenization method that represents Semitic words with distinct root and template stem tokens, and apply it to neural machine translation (NMT). I evaluate whether tokenization with the SRE method leads to increases in translation quality, whether it allows NMT models to hypothesize unseen word forms needed at inference, and how impervious resulting NMT models …

Structural Analysis Of The Aileu Metamorphic Complex And The Laclo Fault Of Timor Leste, Banda Arc-Continent Collision, Emma C. Morrison

Theses and Dissertations

This study presents a structural analysis of the brittle and ductile features within the Aileu Metamorphic Complex of Timor Leste, located in the active Banda Arc–Australian continental collision zone. The deformation history of the complex is interpreted from the Permian–Jurassic deposition of sediments and basalts into intra-arc basins of Gondwana, through to the present- day collision of the Australian continental margin. This collision led to the development of the Wetar Suture and subsequent back-thrusting of the Aileu metamorphic rocks northward over the Banda forearc. Field evidence confirms that the Laclo Fault is currently active, with the most recent movement exhibiting …

How Transitioning Autistic Adults Consciously Perform Neurotypical Communication, Makenna J. Allred

Theses and Dissertations

Using semi-structured interviews this research explored the experiences of transitioning autistic adults with online communication. Participants shared information about navigating online communication, highlighting specific challenges such as interpreting tone and sarcasm, managing unspoken social norms, like emoji use, and responding to ambiguous or unexpected interactions. Participants shared that misunderstandings do occur in their online communication and how they recognize those miscommunications and strategize around preventing and mitigating them. These findings reveal that while computer-mediated communication offers opportunities for connection, it also presents unique obstacles that can exacerbate feelings of frustration due to miscommunications or misunderstandings. To prevent these social frictions …

Class Groups And Selmer Groups In Special Families, Debanjana Kundu, Abhishek _

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

We explore the relationship between (3-isogeny induced) Selmer group of an elliptic curve and the (3 part of) the ideal class group, over certain non-abelian number fields.

A Veblenian Approach To Chaos Theory, Isaiah Henry

Hatfield Graduate Journal of Public Affairs

This paper provides a comparative analysis of Veblen's belief in disequilibrium, the field of chaos theory, and how these two frameworks connect. We explore the similarities and differences between Veblen's theories and the principles of chaos theory, including their shared emphasis on complexity and unpredictability. By analyzing the connections between Veblen's economic theories and chaos theory, we can gain a deeper understanding of the nature of disequilibrium and the complex forces that shape our world.

Re: Comment Letter For Butte Priority Soils Operable Unit (Bpsou) Superfund Operation And Maintenance (O&M) Request For Maintenance – Kelley Stormwater Channels (Dated April 22, 2025), Emma Rott

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

2025 July 10 - Tennessee Weekly Drought Summary, Tennessee Climate Office, East Tennessee State University

Tennessee Climate Office Weekly Drought Summaries

No abstract provided.

Virtual Reality’S Impact On Tourist Attitudes In Islamic Religious Tourism: Exploring Emotional Attachment And Vr Presence, Eman Alkhalifah, Ramy Hammady, Mahmoud Abdelrahman, Alyaa Darwish, Ella Cranmer, Ons Al-Shamaileh, Aikaterini Bourazeri, Timothy Jung

All Works

This study explores the integration of immersive technologies, specifically virtual reality (VR), to enhance tourist experiences in the rapidly expanding religious tourism sector. Despite VR’s potential, limited research has examined its impact on religious tourism. This study addresses this gap by investigating the role of emotional attachment in influencing VR presence during pre-, on-site, and postexperiences of VR-mediated religious tourism. A quantitative survey was conducted with 201 respondents who participated in VR religious tourism activities. The empirical analysis, conducted using SPSS and AMOS structural equation modeling (SEM), assessed how VR-mediated religious tourism impacts VR presence and tourist attitudes before actual …

Keynote - Data? We Don't Have Time For Data: A Realistic Look At Law Enforcement Use Of And Need For Human Trafficking Data, Doug Gilmer Phd

SMU Human Trafficking Data Conference

Drawing on over 35 years of law enforcement experience (25 years with the Department of Homeland Security), Dr. Gilmer will speak from a government and law enforcement perspective on the need and use for human trafficking data. Some agencies and components of the U.S. government, and individual states, are heavily invested in collecting data to satisfy their reporting requirements. From a law enforcement perspective, however, big human trafficking data sets are rarely examined. Data science in law enforcement is a relatively new phenomenon, and most law enforcement officers do not have the time, resources, or background to collect or analyze …

Comparative Analysis Of Matrix Factorization And Neural Collaborative Filtering For Movie Recommendation Systems, Mahyar Alinejad

Data Science and Data Mining

This paper presents a comparative study of two recommendation system approaches for predicting movie ratings: Matrix Factorization with Stochastic Gradient Descent (SGD) optimization and Neural Collaborative Filtering (NCF) using Tensor Flow. The study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of these methods in recommending movies to users based on the MovieLens 100K dataset. The Matrix Factorization approach utilizes latent features to model user preferences and item characteristics, optimizing parameters through SGD. On the other hand, NCF integrates traditional collaborative filtering with neural networks to capture complex user-item interactions. Experimental results demonstrate the performance of both models in terms of Root Mean …

Effects Of Elevated Temperatures On Tooth Structure During Polymerization Of Composite Resin With A Variety Of Light Sources, Enas G. Yonis

Al-Bahir

This study investigated the impact of high temperatures on dental tissues during the polymerization of optical fillings using a diode laser and two types of pulsed and continuous LED devices. Three distinct light source units were employed: a laser diode, an LEDition, and a LED.B. Temperature increases were measured at a distance of 1 mm from the thermocouple to the tip of the device. To create an experimental model, we fixed the operational voltage of the polymerization device and maintained a 1 mm gap between the terminal and the thermocouple wire. Temperature readings and thermal background (TO) measurements were taken …

Teamwork And Artificial Intelligence (Ai) : Examining The Effects Of Teammate Identity, Deception, And Ai Literacy On Team Dynamics And Performance In Human-Human Vs. Human-Ai Teams, Jenna Korentsides

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to be integrated into collaborative work environments, understanding how humans interact with AI teammates is increasingly important. This study examined how people’s beliefs about who they are working with (whether a teammate is human or AI) can influence teamwork outcomes. Specifically, we explored how perceived teammate identity affects task performance and team experience, with a focus on trust and communication as potential mediators, and AI literacy (familiarity and comfort with AI) as a moderator. Participants completed a series of timed, collaborative problem-solving tasks using a bomb defusal simulation. Each participant worked with both a human …

Revised Unsteady Drag Force And Its Impact On Particle Dynamics At High Reynolds Numbers, Ahmad Talaei, Timothy J. Garrett

Physics Student Research

The accurate modeling of particle motion in viscous fluids at high Reynolds numbers remains a fundamental challenge, particularly under unsteady flow conditions where nonlinear effects dominate. This study introduces a revised unsteady drag formulation, extending its applicability beyond previous studies. By integrating classical solutions of the Navier–Stokes equations, the new formulation overcomes the limitations of the Maxey–Riley–Gatignol (MRG) equation, addressing non-physical memory effects associated with Basset drag and extending its applicability to higher Reynolds numbers.

Through experimental comparisons and direct numerical simulations (DNS), the revised equation of motion is compared to the MRG equation, both during steady-state conditions and non-equilibrium …

Cannabis Concentrate Vaping Chemistry, Kaelas R. Munger, Killian M. Anreise, Robert M. Strongin

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background:

This review article addresses the vaping chemistry of manufactured cannabis concentrates—a topic that remains under-researched despite the widespread availability and growing popularity of these products. Given their current prevalence and the fact that many of the findings discussed herein are from early-stage investigations, further research is essential to fully assess the public health risks associated with concentrate use. The purpose of this article is to help begin to bridge this knowledge gap by outlining the technical challenges of studying cannabis concentrates and to present evidence-based data concerning toxicant exposures as a foundation for future investigations.

Methods:

A search of …