Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Advancing Political Science With Machine Learning: A Gaussian Process Approach, Yehu Chen

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

The proliferation of data in recent decades including including survey, image and text data, has significantly transformed the landscape of political science research. Machine learning methods have played an instrumental role in analyzing these datasets, yet their application poses challenges in areas where political concepts are not directly measurable or the primary focus of inference is causality. In addition, the essence of machine learning algorithms being trained for prediction performance in a black-boxed manner, makes their outputs hardly interpretable and even unappreciated. This dissertation addresses these issues by proposing a novel methodological framework that employs Gaussian Process (GP) models, a …

Re: Revised Draft Final Butte Priority Soils Operable Unit (Bpsou) Insufficiently Reclaimed Sites: Bres No. 158 (Waste Rock Dump) Remedial Action Work Plan (Rawp), Mike Mcanulty

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Refining Participatory Design For Aac Users, Blade Frisch, Keith Vertanen

Michigan Tech Publications

Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) is a field of research and practice that works with people who have a communication disability. One form AAC can take is a high-tech tool, such as a software-based communication system. Like all user interfaces, these systems must be designed and it is critical to include AAC users in the design process for their systems. A participatory design approach can include AAC users in the design process, but modifications may be necessary to make these methods more accessible. We present a two-part design process we are investigating for improving the participatory design for high-tech AAC …

Physical And Chemical Characterization Of Recycled Glass Sand For Environmental Restoration, Shehbaz Ahmad, Julie P. Vanegas, Nicholas Borne, Natalia Butler, Toby Mendels, Leah A. Michaeloff, Diego Molina, Mary Salvaggio, Samantha Tamayo, Franziska Trautmann

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

Introduction

We rely on coastal resources for food, water, and energy. However, over 75% of U.S. coastlines are eroding. Concurrently, the U.S. recycles less glass than other developed countries, landfilling hundreds of millions of tons every year. Recycled glass sand has many potential benefits over natural sand for combatting land loss; for example, it can be produced with controlled particle size to better resist erosion, making it an excellent—and underutilized—material for environmental restoration.

Objectives

This research compares the physical and chemical properties of recycled glass sand to natural sands (beach and dredge) from the U.S. Gulf Coast to assess environmental …

Classification Of Human Trust In Ai Using Brain Activity Data, Danushka Bandara, Ruhuan Liao, Fatima Chowdhury, Leslie Abbott

Northeast Journal of Complex Systems (NEJCS)

Trust plays a crucial role in human-computer interaction, particularly in scenarios involving artificial intelligence (AI) systems. This study explores the feasibility of using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) data to classify trust levels in human-AI interaction scenarios. A total of 18 participants completed an image classification task with an AI team member while their hemodynamic responses were recorded using fNIRS. Preprocessing of fNIRS data involved motion artifact removal, filtering, and normalization. Exploratory analysis identified significant associations between hemodynamic responses in the prefrontal cortex and trust levels. An across-subject binary trust classification model was developed using machine learning techniques, achieving an F1 …

Coarse-Graining Spiking Reservoirs: Reducing Reservoir Size While Preserving Critical Dynamics, Tucker X. Mastin, Christof Teuscher

Northeast Journal of Complex Systems (NEJCS)

We propose an extension of renormalization into the domain of spiking neural networks, thereby providing a novel framework for coarse-graining neural networks without disrupting their critical properties. The proposed coarse-graining technique merges neurons and synaptic connections based on a graph-theoretic distance derived from synaptic weight strength and is configured to effectively prune the reservoir size while preserving the scale-free spiking dynamics indicative of criticality. Criticality in spiking neural networks may provide information-theoretic advantages by optimizing information processing and sensitivity to input. Using time-series prediction benchmarks, we demonstrate that networks operating at criticality exhibit up to 32% higher prediction accuracy before …

Comparing Methods For Glomerular Filtration Rate Estimation, Xiaoqian Zhu, Tariq Shafi, Keith Norris, Jeannette Simino, Srishti Shrestha, Thomas H. Mosley, Michael E. Griswold, Seth T. Lirette

Data Science Publications

Background: The glomerular filtration rate (GFR), estimated from serum creatinine (SCr), is widely used in clinical practice for kidney function assessment, but SCr-based equations are limited by non-GFR determinants and may introduce inaccuracies across racial groups. Few studies have evaluated whether advanced modeling techniques enhance their performance. Methods: Using multivariable fractional polynomials (MFP), generalized additive models (GAM), random forests (RF), and gradient boosted machines (GBM), we developed four SCr-based GFR-estimating equations in a pooled data set from four cohorts (n = 4665). Their performance was compared to that of the refitted linear regression-based 2021 CKD-EPI SCr equation using bias (median …

Ecological Acclimation: A Framework To Integrate Fast And Slow Responses To Climate Change, Michael Stemkovski, Joey R. Bernhardt, Benjamin Wong Blonder, John B. Bradford, Kyra Clark-Wolf, Laura E. Dee, Margaret E. K. Evans, Virginia Iglesias, Loretta C. Johnson, Abigail J. Lynch, Sparkle L. Malone, Booke B. Osborne, Melissa A. Pastore, Michael Paterson, Malin L. Pinsky, Christine R. Rollinson, Oliver Selmoni, Jason J. Venkiteswaran, Anthony P. Walker, Nicole K. Ward, John W. Williams, Claire M. Zarakas, Peter B. Adler

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

1. Ecological responses to climate change occur across vastly different time-scales, from minutes for physiological plasticity to decades or centuries for community turnover and evolutionary adaptation. Accurately predicting the range of ecosystem trajectories will require models that incorporate both fast processes that may keep pace with climate change and slower ones likely to lag behind and generate disequilibrium dynamics. However, the knowledge necessary for this integration is currently fragmented across disciplines.

2. We develop ‘ecological acclimation’ as a unifying framework to emphasize the similarity of dynamics driven by processes operating on dramatically different time-scales and levels of biological organization. The …

Enhancing Biosecurity In Tamper-Resistant Large Language Models With Quantum Gradient Descent, Fahmida Hai, Saif Nirzhor, Rubayat Khan, Don Roosan

Computer and Data Science Faculty Publications

This paper introduces a tamper-resistant framework for large language models (LLMs) in medical applications, utilizing quantum gradient descent (QGD) to detect malicious parameter modifications in real time. Integrated into a LLaMA-based model, QGD monitors weight amplitude distributions, identifying adversarial fine-tuning anomalies. Tests on the MIMIC and eICU datasets show minimal performance impact (accuracy: 89.1 to 88.3 on MIMIC) while robustly detecting tampering. PubMedQA evaluations confirm preserved biomedical question-answering capabilities. Compared to baselines like selective unlearning and cryptographic fingerprinting, QGD offers superior sensitivity to subtle weight changes. This quantum-inspired approach ensures secure, reliable medical AI, extensible to other high-stakes domains.

The Nanograv 15 Yr Data Set: Search For Gravitational-Wave Memory, Gabriella Agazie, Akash Anumarlapudi, Anne M. Archibald, Zaven Arzoumanian, Jeremy G. Baier, Paul T. Baker, Bence Bécsy, Laura Blecha, Adam Brazier, Paul R. Brook, Sarah Burke-Spolaor, Rand Burnette, J. Andrew Casey-Clyde, Maria Charisi, Shami Chatterjee, Tyler Cohen, James M. Cordes, Neil J. Cornish, Fronefield Crawford, H. Thankful Cromartie, Kathryn Crowter

Pacific Faculty Work

We present the results of a search for nonlinear gravitational-wave (GW) memory in the NANOGrav 15 yr data set. We find no significant evidence for memory signals in the data set, with a maximum Bayes factor of 3.1 in favor of a model including memory. We therefore place upper limits on the strain of potential GW memory events as a function of sky location and observing epoch. We find upper limits that are not always more constraining than previous NANOGrav results. We show that it is likely due to the increase in common red noise between the 12.5 and 15 …

The Only Constant Is Change: The Role Of Genetic Diversification In Cancer And Beyond, Malgorzata Tyczynska Weh

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Genetic diversification, the process by which genetic variation arises in a population, is fundamental to evolution by natural selection. Mutation, a central diversification process, fuels adaptation across species, including in cancer. Yet most new mutations are neutral or deleterious on cell fitness, raising the question of how mutation-driven adaptation persists. To explore this paradox, I developed a spatial agent-based model (ABM) in which population fitness emerges from individual cells acquiring mutations at varied rates and with diverse fitness effects. I evaluated model behavior across adaptive states, mutation rates, and distributions of fitness effects. The results show that high mutation rates …

The Link Between Environmental Change And Invasive Species, Marion Murray, Meg Kast

All Current Publications

Climate change and invasive species represent two pressing environmental challenges facing our planet. Each poses a threat to global biodiversity and ecosystem stability, and together, they amplify the impacts of the other. As global temperatures rise and ecosystems are disrupted, new conditions are created that allow invasive species to spread more easily, establish themselves in new areas, and outcompete native species.

Cutthroat Trout In Utah, Hope Northagen, Ethan Gilliam

All Current Publications

This fact sheet is intended to inform anglers, aquatic recreationalists, and backyard conservationists interested in learning about a Utah native species, current restoration steps, and how their actions can help professionals restore native cutthroat trout populations.

Discontinuous Deforma Tion Analysis Of Progressive Toppling Of Rock Slopes With Fractured Slab Structure, Yuan Sifan, Li Tonglu, Haider Mumtaz, Zhang Changliang, Li Ping

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

Progressive toppling of rock sl opes with fractured slab structures is quite common in the slopes of hydropower and highway engineering,posing a potential safety risk during both construction and operational phases.The field investigation found that progressive toppling mostly occurs on slopes with concentrated tectonic stress,intense river incision,and high steepness.Typically,these slopes are composed of hard,thinly-layered,and overthrusted rock mass with a fractured slab structure.From a macroscopic point of view,progressive toppling failure is neither a collapse nor a slide but a form of discontinuous deformation.The traditional limit equilibrium method for slope stability analysis is not suitable for evaluating such slopes.In this paper,by taking …

Prediction For Humidity Adjustment Factor And Dry-Wet Cycle Reduction Factor Of Resilient Modulus Of Subgrade Soil Based On Ann, Wang Xufeng, Fu Wei, Peng Junhui, Hu Jiankun, Zhang Junhui, Li Zhiguang

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

Existing methods for determining the humidity adjustment factor and dry-wet cycle reduction factor of the resilient modulus of subgrade soil are mostly based on laboratory tests that consume a large amount of manpower and time,and the prediction accuracy is limited due to the constraints of specification value ranges.In order to achieve fast and accurate prediction of these two factors,the effects of stress state,moisture content,and the number of dry-wet cycles on the resilient modulus of subgrade soil were investigated through laboratory dynamic triaxial tests.Based on existing literature,physical parameters,state parameters,and stress parameters of subgrade soil were selected,and an artificial neural network prediction …

Experimental Study On Engineering Performance Of Post-Planted Precast Concrete Pile With Prebored Grouting, Zhao Yu, Wang Wei, Jiang Lei, Song Zhenya, Zhang Hao

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

The traditional piling methods of precast concrete (PC) piles are difficult to pass through the hard soil layers and tend to induce severe soil squeezing effects.To address this issue,the technology of a post-planted PC pile with prebored grouting was analyzed.Based on the project of the Hefei‒ Zongyang section of G3W Dezhou ‒ Shangrao Expressway,the bearing characteristics of post-planted PC piles were researched by the load tests of five piles in two different field test sections.The results show that the bearing capacity of the PC piles can be effectively improved by setting the cement mortar coating layer around the PC piles.The …

Research On Evaluation Index Of Low-Temperature Semi-Circular Bending Test Of Asphalt Mixtures, Lyu Songtao, Chen Qi, Lu Weiwei, Zhao Pei, Wang Jinping

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

This article aims to investigate the low-temperature crack resistance performance of asphalt mixtures under different aging conditions and loading rates and select appropriate indicators to accurately characterize and quantify their performance.Based on the semi-circular bending test,the influence of different aging degrees (unaged,short-term aged,long-term aged for three days,and long-term aged for five days ) and loading rates (50 mm/min,5 mm/min,0.5 mm/min,and 0.1 mm/min ) on the low-temperature performance of asphalt mixtures was investigated.The evaluation effect and applicable range of five crack resistance performance indicators,namely fracture energy (Gf),stress intensity factor (KIC),flexibility index (IFI),crack resistance index (ICRI),and balanced cracking index (IBCI),were studied through …

Research On Pavement Crack Segmentation Based On Swin-U, Wang Hua, Wang Liangcai, Xiong Feng, Hu Jing

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

To address the issues of overfitting,low computational speed,and insufficient target information extraction in pavement crack segmentation tasks,this study proposed a Swin-U network model based on the U-Net architecture.The model adopted the Swin-Transformer as the feature extraction module to enhance the model ’s fitting capability and enable more accurate crack feature extraction,thereby enhancing segmentation accuracy.Additionally,a stable loss function,Focal Loss,was introduced to improve the accuracy of target segmentation.Experiment results on a proprietary pavement crack dataset show that the Swin-U network model achieves pixel-level segmentation of crack images and significantly outperforms the traditional U-Net.On the test set,it improves the intersection over union and …

Study On Salt Release Mechanism Of Self-Melting Ice Asphalt Mixture And Its Impact On Road Performance, Li Tao, Zhang Xiu ’Ang

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

To study the long-term salt release characteri stics of self-melting ice asphalt mixture and the impact of the complete salt release on pavement durability,an accelerated salt release method was developed using a Los Angeles abrasion tester.The salt release mechanism under varying asphalt types,deicing agent contents,and gradation types was revealed.The impact of the complete salt release on road performance was analyzed.Results show that the Los Angeles abrasion tester-based salt release method achieves 91 times and 114 times higher salt release efficiency than the magnetic stirrer and natural immersion methods,respectively.SBS-modified asphalt mixture exhibits a longer salt release duration.The salt release duration is …

Long-Term Water P Ermeability Performance Of Asphalt Mixtures Under Wide-Scope Void Ratio, Chen Sanxi, Guan Hongxin, Yao Ming, Mo Zhiwei, Jiang Wangheng

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

In order to compare the water pe rmeability performance of asphalt mixtures with different void ratios after scouring and clogging,self-developed equipment was adopted to conduct vertical water permeability tests,dynamic water scouring-based water permeability tests,water pressure tests,and simulated clogging tests on semi-open-graded DK- 13 mixtures with void ratios of 9%,11%,and 13%,as well as open-graded PA- 13 mixtures with void ratios of 15%,17%,and 19%.The experimental results show that:① The water permeability performance of the asphalt mixture becomes better as the void ratio increases.The water permeability coefficient changes relatively small after the void ratio of the asphalt mixture reaches 15%,which is attributed to …

Research On Size Effect On Cubic Compressive Strength Of Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag-Fly Ash Stabilized Large-Size Macadam, Liu Qunyan, Liu Liping, He Miao, Yuan Lingqing, Zhang Liang

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

To analyze the effect of specimen size on the compressive strength of ground granulated blast furnace slag-fly ash (GGBFS-FA ) stabilized large-size macadam,the 200 mm × 200 mm × 200 mm cubic specimen and 3 d compressive strength were designated as a reference specimen and strength in this study,and numerical simulations of compressive strength were performed by using a discrete element method for GGBFS-FA stabilized large-size macadam specimens with a maximum particle size (dmax) of 73 mm and five side lengths of 2.0dmax,2.5dmax,3.0dmax,3.5dmax,and 4.0dmax.The size effect mechanism on the mixture ’s compressive strength was revealed from the perspective of energy.By …

Semi-Flexible Pavement Structure Analysis Based On Double Modulus Theory, Pan Qinxue, Zhou Shurui, Hu Jia, Zhang Long, Song Xiaojin, Liu Hongfu

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

Semi-flexible pavement materials have significant differences in tension and compression.If the mechanical response analysis of pavement structures is conducted by using the traditional linear elastic theory with a single modulus,there will be a considerable deviation from actual situations.To analyze and optimize semi-flexible pavement structures,this paper compared the changes in key mechanical responses of pavement structures under six different semi-flexible layer positions and thickness combinations based on the double modulus theory.The results show that there is a significant difference in the calculation results of key mechanical responses of the pavement based on the double modulus theory and the single modulus theory,with …

Effect Of Mineral Admixtures On Properties Of Shotcrete, Ma Kaikai, Zhao Feng, Sun Rongxiao, Han Song, Hu Peng, Wang Kun

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

To study the influence of different mineral admixtures on the properties of shotcrete,the effects of four kinds of mineral admixtures including fly ash,silica fume,metakaolin,and carbon black on the rebound rate,one-shot thickness,and compressive strength of shotcrete were analyzed through tests on concrete rebound rate,one-shot thickness,and compressive strength.The results show that:① as the content of carbon black,silica fume,and metakaolin increases from 5% to 10%,the rebound rate of shotcrete decreases by 25.76%,16.46%,and 16.70%,respectively;② carbon black and silica fume have a good effect on increasing the one-shot thickness of concrete.When the content of carbon black and silica fume is 10%,the one-shot thickness exceeds 35 …

Study On Rheological Properties Of Basalt Fiber Asphalt Mastic Modified With Silane Coupling Agent, Liu Yuande, Zheng Nanxiang, Zhang Xiang, Gao Haiwei, Zhang Bowen

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

To investigate the rheological properties of basalt fiber asphalt mastic,a silane coupling agent was used as a modifier for basalt fibers,and the effects of varying fiber contents were analyzed. Cone penetration tests,bending beam rheological tests,and dynamic shear rheometer tests were conducted to evaluate the rheological properties of asphalt mastic consistency, high-temperature stability,and low-temperature cracking resistance under different temperatures and fiber contents.The findings show that the silane-coupled basalt fibers enhance the shear strength and consistency of asphalt mastic.After modification,the phase angle decreases;elastic response increases,and complex modulus improves.Adsorption capacity between fibers and asphalt increases significantly,enhancing high-temperature deformation resistance and low-temperature cracking resistance …

Structural System Reliability Analysis Method For Cable-Supported Bridges Based On Deep Belief Networks, Chen Zhenyu, Xie Bo, Lu Naiwei

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

Aiming at the high-precision reconstruction of structural function functions caused by the strong nonlinearity of cable load-bearing bridge structures,this study presented a structural system reliability analysis method based on a deep belief network (DBN ).A long-span suspension bridge was used as the engineering background to identify the dominant fault path of the structural system and analyze the law of structural fault path transfer caused by the deterioration of the suspender strength.Numerical analysis results show that DBN can capture the nonlinear mechanical behavior of the finite element model of the suspension bridge,thereby making the implicit statically indeterminate functional function explicit and …

Research On Rc-Uhpc Composite Slab Frame Culvert Technology In Wave-Affected Areas, Qiu Junfeng

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

To address the problems in the construction of offshore bridges and culverts such as the structures susceptible to waves,limited layout,and high cost of soft foundation treatment,this paper proposed a new technical solution for reinforced concrete and ultra-high performance concrete (RC-UHPC ) composite slab frame culverts.With supporting engineering,the ordinary box culvert was selected as a comparison scheme for technical and economic analysis,and the design points and construction procedures of new structures were introduced.Based on the calculation results of the overall bearing force,the bearing performance of the top slab under different load conditions was analyzed,along with an investigation of the secondary internal …

Inverse Analysis Of Thermal Parameters Of Concrete Box Girder Based On De-Bp Neural Network, Yao Yong, Yan Yu, Sun Bo Wen, Wang Yuesong, Jiang Tianyong

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

In view of temperature cracks in concrete box girders easily occurring during construction,an inverse analysis method based on uniform design theory and differential evolution back propagation (DE-BP ) neural network was proposed to accurately obtain the thermal parameters of concrete box girders and ensure the reliability of temperature analysis of concrete box girders.This method established the nonlinear relationship between the temperature peak of characteristic points and the thermal parameters through the DE-BP neural network.By using the uniform design method and the Abaqus finite element numerical model,130 sets of sample data were generated.Based on the ratio of 12∶1 for training samples …

Research On Key Construction Monitoring Technology Of Long-Span Skewed Arch And Curved Beam Bridge, Xu Yufeng, Zhang Zhantao, Xie Yunfei, Li Zihui

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

As a new structure with sloping arch ribs and curved main beams,a skewed arch and curved beam bridge markedly differs from the conventional bridge in construction monitoring technology due to its complex structure and prominent spatial effect.To investigate the key technology in construction monitoring,this study took a long-span skewed arch and curved beam bridge as the engineering background and discussed construction process simulation analysis,field monitoring,and parameter identification and adjustment of the bridge.The results show that the plate-shell unit model has higher calculation accuracy and can comprehensively show the stresses in all directions of the bridge compared with the beam element …

Study On Aerodynamic Optimization Of Π-Shaped Cable-Stayed Bridge With Vortex-Induced Vibration In Mountainous Areas, Zeng Min, Liu Hanyun, Mao Na, Chen Baixiang, Han Yan, Li Chunguang

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

Given vortex-induced vibrations of bridges caused by high wind attack angles in mountainous canyons,this study investigated the vortex-induced dynamic characteristics of a Π-shaped steel-concrete composite beam cable-stayed bridge in a mountainous canyon under high wind attack angles based on wind tunnel tests and examined aerodynamic measures for vortex suppression.Firstly,a finite element model of the bridge was established,and the dynamic characteristics of the bridge in both the completed and construction states were analyzed.Subsequently,a 1∶50 scale detailed segment model was designed based on similarity theory to analyze the vortex-induced vibration performance of the original main beam under conventional wind attack angles of …

Wind Tunnel Experiment On Wind-In Duced Vibration Performance Of Arch-Shaped Inclined Steel Bridge Tower In Construction Free-Standing State Using Ae Roelastic Model, Xu Peijun, Deng Fei Yun, Chen Shixuan, Zhang Jiren

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

This paper presented a wind tunnel experimental study on the wind-induced response characteristics of a rectangular-sectioned arch-shaped inclined steel bridge tower during the construction free-standing stage.A 1:50 scaled aeroelastic model was employed to conduct experiments at different wind yaw angles β (0°‒180°).The experimental results indicate:① under the uniform flow field,the tower in its free-standing state does not experience galloping when the bridge ’s wind speed reaches 60 m/s;② under the uniform flow field,the tower exhibits bending vortex-induced vibrations (VIVs ) along the bridge direction or transverse to the bridge direction.However,the amplitudes of the tower top displacements associated with these VIVs …