Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Jackknife Empirical Likelihood Tests For Equality Of Generalized Lorenz Curves, Anton Butenko

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

A Lorenz curve is a graphical representation of the distribution of income or wealth within a population. The generalized Lorenz curve can be created by scaling the values on the vertical axis of a Lorenz curve by the average output of the distribution. In this thesis, we propose two nonparametric methods for testing the equality of two generalized Lorenz curves. Both methods are based on empirical likelihood and utilize a U -statistic. We derive the limiting distribution of the likelihood ratio, which is shown to follow a chi-squared distribution with one degree of freedom. We conduct simulations to compare the …

Knot Equivalence, Jacob Trubey

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

A knot is a closed curve in R3. Alternatively, we say that a knot is an embedding f : S1 → R3 of a circle into R3. Analogously, one can think of a knot as a segment of string in a three-dimensional space that has been knotted together in some way, with the ends of the string then joined together to form a knotted loop. A link is a collection of knots that have been linked together.

An important question in the mathematical study of knot theory is that of how we can tell when two knots are, or are …

Distance Correlation Based Feature Selection In Random Forest, Jose Munoz-Lopez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The Pearson correlation coefficient is a commonly used measure of correlation, but it has limitations as it only measures the linear relationship between two numerical variables. In 2007, Szekely et al. introduced the distance correlation, which measures all types of dependencies between random vectors X and Y in arbitrary dimensions, not just the linear ones. In this thesis, we propose a filter method that utilizes distance correlation as a criterion for feature selection in Random Forest regression. We conduct extensive simulation studies to evaluate its performance compared to existing methods under various data settings, in terms of the prediction mean …

Reverse Mathematics Of Ramsey's Theorem, Nikolay Maslov

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Reverse mathematics aims to determine which set theoretic axioms are necessary to prove the theorems outside of the set theory. Since the 1970’s, there has been an interest in applying reverse mathematics to study combinatorial principles like Ramsey’s theorem to analyze its strength and relation to other theorems. Ramsey’s theorem for pairs states that for any infinite complete graph with a finite coloring on edges, there is an infinite subset of nodes all of whose edges share one color. In this thesis, we introduce the fundamental terminology and techniques for reverse mathematics, and demonstrate their use in proving Kőnig's lemma …

Late Holocene Slip History Of The Central Garlock Fault, Mojave Desert, California, James Eric Burns

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This study investigates the late Holocene slip history of the central Garlock Fault, using measurements of left-lateral offsets of alluvial features from airborne and hand-held LiDAR imagery, drone photogrammetry, and field measurements. IRSL dating of the offset late Holocene alluvial deposits was compared to published paleoseismic records to estimate the number of earthquakes that contributed to the offsets. Focus was given to geomorphic features offset in the past 1-4 earthquakes. Results indicate the average slip per earthquake was about 5.75 m (range: 4.75 to 6.25 m) in the past four events in the El Paso Mountains (EPM) and was 4.3-7.3 …

Experimental Methodologies In Assessing Ceramic Shrinkage In Residual Fingerprints For Archaeological Application, Luke Aaron Burnor

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This research evaluates the extent of ceramic shrinkage using a natural clay source that was locally available and known to be used by native populations in the American Southwest. The experiment took into account variables of temper mixture and firing temperature to assess the extent and potential need for shrinkage calibration in archaeological biometric research (specifically fingerprints). An experimental design was employed to test shrinkage rates while accounting for natural temper materials found frequently in the archaeological record including sand, grog, and quartz. The experiment evaluated whether shrinkage rates may have skewed data collected in previous studies regarding sex and …

Heart Disease Prediction Using Binary Classification, Virendra Sunil Devare

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

In this project, I built a neural network model to predict heard disease with binary classification technique using patient information dataset from UCI Machine Learning repository. This dataset was preprocessed to remove missing elements and performed feature extraction. Our result shows that the model that I built has the best performance accuracy in heart disease classification if compared to other models and algorithms. The model achieved 94.98% accuracy after hyperparameter tuning and 0.947 area under the curve in ROC curve analysis. In addition, to identify the most important factors in heart disease prediction, I also performed feature importance analysis. Our …

Evapotranspiration And Energy Balance Of Irrigated Urban Turfgrass, Matthew D. Miksch

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Water usage for irrigation is a big consumer of water resources in urban areas in Utah and other parts of the Intermountain Region of the Western United States. As populations continue to increase in these states, it is important to understand how much water is being used by urban landscapes in order to plan and manage future water resources. Evapotranspiration (ET), or the amount of water leaving a surface over a certain timeframe due to both transpiration from plants and evaporation from the soil, is a key variable in understanding how much water urban landscapes are really using to grow …

From Mountain Streams To Urban Rivers: An Assessment Of Microplastic Sources And Characteristics, Macy Gustavus

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Plastic products are produced and discarded at an alarming rate. Bottles, bags, toys, and clothing break down into tiny plastic pieces called microplastics, ranging in size from an eraser on the top of a pencil to smaller in size than a red blood cell. Microplastics are becoming so common in the environment that they travel in the atmosphere, rivers, and ocean currents in ways that are similar to other types of Earth Systems Cycles (i.e., the water cycle). In this study, we explored microplastic sources and sinks in a freshwater river system and how seasonal changes in discharge affect how …

A Classification Of Tensors In Ecsk Theory, Joshua James Leiter

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

You might have heard of Einstein’s theory of General relativity (GR): it is the one where mass and energy curve the fabric of spacetime to create gravity. This is the major theory which allows communication through satellites and our GPS to work too! Wormholes have interested me, but there are some issues about forming them in GR. Interestingly enough, elementary particles are also characterized by their spin in the standard model. However, intrinsic spin is nowhere geometrically coupled to the geometry of spacetime in Einstein’s theory. Later, Élie Cartan, Dennis Sciama, and Tom Kibble all flushed out adding different aspects …

Deep Learning With Attention Mechanisms In Breast Ultrasound Image Segmentation And Classification, Meng Xu

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Breast cancer is a great threat to women’s health. Breast ultrasound (BUS) imaging is commonly used in the early detection of breast cancer as a portable, valuable, and widely available diagnosis tool. Automated BUS image analysis can assist radiologists in making accurate and fast decisions. Generally, automated BUS image analysis includes BUS image segmentation and classification. BUS image segmentation automatically extracts tumor regions from a BUS image. BUS image classification automatically classifies breast tumors into benign or malignant categories. Multi-task learning accomplishes segmentation and classification simultaneously, which makes it more appealing and practical than an either individual task. Deep neural …

Investigating The Effect Of Greediness On The Coordinate Exchange Algorithm For Generating Optimal Experimental Designs, William Thomas Gullion

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Design of Experiments (DoE) is the field of statistics concerned with helping researchers maximize the amount of information they gain from their experiments. Recently, researchers have been turning to optimal experimental designs instead of classical/catalog experimental designs. One of the most popular algorithms used today to generate optimal designs is the Coordinate Exchange (CEXCH) Algorithm. CEXCH is known to be a greedy algorithm, which means it tends to favor immediate, locally best designs instead of globally optimal designs. Previous research demonstrated that this tradeoff was efficacious in that it reduced the cost of a single run of CEXCH and allowed …

Generative Neural Network Approach To Designing And Optimizing Dynamic Inductive Power Transfer Systems, Andrew Pond Curtis

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Electric vehicles (EVs) offer many improvements over traditional combustion engines including increasing efficiency, while decreasing cost of operation and emissions. There is a need for the development of cheap and efficient charging systems for the future success of EVs. Most EVs currently utilize static plug-in charging systems. An alternative charging method of significant interest is dynamic inductive power transfer systems (DIPT). These systems utilize two coils, one placed in the vehicle and one in the roadway to wirelessly charge the vehicle as it passes over. This method removes the current limitations on EVs where they must stop and statically charge …

Daytime Versus Nighttime Sprinkler Irrigation Of Two Urban Crops In A Semi-Arid Climate At High-Elevation, Samikshya Pyakurel

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Nighttime irrigation scheduling is a longstanding water conservation approach to reduce evaporative losses in Utah's semi-arid, urban landscapes. However, residential demand now exceeds system capacity, and the efficiency of the practice has come under question. Therefore, the objectives of this study include: 1) quantify whether a water savings exists between day and night irrigation with a water balance and energy balance approach, and 2) analyze microclimate and crop quality effects to determine any changes to evaporative demand or plant stress by irrigation timing. In 2019, we established 12 field plots in North Logan, UT (41.77° N, -111.81° W, 1380 m …

Wearable Sensor Gait Analysis For Fall Detection Using Deep Learning Methods, Haben Girmay Yhdego

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

World Health Organization (WHO) data show that around 684,000 people die from falls yearly, making it the second-highest mortality rate after traffic accidents [1]. Early detection of falls, followed by pneumatic protection, is one of the most effective means of ensuring the safety of the elderly. In light of the recent widespread adoption of wearable sensors, it has become increasingly critical that fall detection models are developed that can effectively process large and sequential sensor signal data. Several researchers have recently developed fall detection algorithms based on wearable sensor data. However, real-time fall detection remains challenging because of the wide …

The Development Of Sociomathematical Norms In The Transition To Tertiary Exam-Oriented Individualistic Mathematics Education In An East Asian Context, Woong Lim, Hyunkyoung Yoon, Younggon Bae, Oh Nam Kwon

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

This study investigates social, mathematical, and sociomathematical norms perceived by college students in an engineering mathematics course and examines the students’ sense of mathematics as signals of individual merit. Data sources include a survey and one-on-one interviews with 38 students. The findings help illustrate student perceptions of academic social norms in a large-lecture course represented by the acquisition model of learning in college, detached from communal and collaborative disciplinary practices. Findings provide insights into the local educational context of an East Asian country as a case study when exam-oriented mathematics is institutionalized as normalcy.

Green Synthesis Of Glutethimide Intermediate Via Nash Reaction, Zahria Patrick

Undergraduate Research Symposium

The purpose of my research project is to utilize green chemistry principles to synthesize an intermediate for Glutethimide, a drug used to treat patients with insomnia. Many pharmaceutical processes require the use of halide-containing chemicals which are harmful to the environment when discarded as waste. Not only does this waste affect the quality of drinking water and aquatic life, but it affects the economy as well. The cost of waste disposal increases with the increasing difficulty of treating it and thus raises the cost of production for pharmaceutical companies.
The reaction of choice is a nucleophilic aromatic substitution of hydrogen, …

Simulating Mass Extinctions In An Agent-Based Evolutionary Model, Emily Vastola, Will Hayes, Joe Milliano, Tyler Hanke, Ian Heye, Dawn M. King, Sonya Bahar

Undergraduate Research Symposium

In an agent-based model of evolutionary dynamics which has been shown to undergo a nonequilibrium phase transition from extinction to survival, we apply coalescent theory to investigate the responses of population lineages to simulated mass extinctions. In the model, organisms reproduce via assortative mating on a neutral fitness landscape; parameters including the mutability (distance offspring may be distributed away from their parents in the fitness landscape) and the death parameter (percentage of organisms randomly removed during each generation) control the phase transition. Lineage structure can be characterized using the time to most recent common ancestor (TMRCA). We examine how this …

Upcoming Solar Eclipses Worth A Trip, Erik Johnson

Natural Science Faculty

Two types of solar eclipses will be visible in the United States over the next 12 months. These rare events won't take place again in the contiguous 48 states for the next twenty years and they are both worth making a trip to see.

Sustainable Grain Transportation In Ukraine Amidst War Utilizing Knarm And Knowwheregraph, Yinglun Zhang, Antonina Broyaka, Jude Kastens, Allen M. Featherstone, Cogan Shimizu, Pascal Hitzler, Hande Küçük Mcginty

Computer Science and Engineering Faculty Publications

In this work, we propose a sustainable path-finding application for grain transportation during the ongoing Russian military invasion in Ukraine. This application is to build a suite of algorithms to find possible optimal paths for transporting grain that remains in Ukraine. The application uses the KNowledge Acquisition and Representation Methodology(KNARM) and the KnowWhereGraph to achieve this goal. Currently, we are working towards creating an ontology that will allow for a more effective heuristic approach by incorporating the lessons learned from the KnowWhereGraph. The aim is to enhance the path-finding process and provide more accurate and efficient results. In the future, …

Hydrodynamic Characteristics And Sediment Distribution Patterns In Wulan Delta Estuary, Demak, Indonesia, Max Rudolf Muskananfola, Sigit Febrianto, Diah Ayuningrum

Makara Journal of Technology

The Wulan Delta, located in Wedung, Demak, was formed due to the sedimentation process of the Wulan and Serang rivers. Sediment transport starts from rivers to the sea; the process carries nutrients and various chemicals derived from agricultural, industrial, or household activities. This study aims to analyze the characteristics of hydrodynamics, suspended sediment, and bottom sediments in the Wulan Delta waters, Demak. Field data were collected in transitional season two (October) 2022. The obtained data were then analyzed in the laboratory at the Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Science. Results showed that the speed of the surface current in the …

Uniform Distributions On Curves And Quantization, Joseph Rosenblatt, Mrinal Kanti Roychowdhury

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

The basic goal of quantization for probability distribution is to reduce the number of values, which is typically uncountable, describing a probability distribution to some finite set and thus to make an approximation of a continuous probability distribution by a discrete distribution. It has broad application in signal processing and data compression. In this paper, first we define the uniform distributions on different curves such as a line segment, a circle, and the boundary of an equilateral triangle. Then, we give the exact formulas to determine the optimal sets of n -means and the n th quantization errors for different …

Mathematical Modeling Of Egain Droplets Sliding Down An Inclined Plane, Shawn Koohy, Kathryn Massey, Luis Schneegans, Megan Vezzetti, Keith Hillaire, Souradip Chattopadhyay, Jessie Chen, Carmen Lee, Karen Daniels

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Eutectic Gallium-Indium (EGaIn) is a room-temperature liquid metal alloy that dramatically changes its surface tension and dynamics under an applied electric field. EGaIn has been used heavily in soft electronics engineering due to its high conductivity, malleability, and safety. However, the absence of mathematical modeling in the current literature makes its behavior difficult to understand and predict. In this study, we present a one-dimensional lubrication model for the dynamics of an EGaIn droplet moving along an inclined plane. Our model incorporates essential physical effects and parameters including oxidation, capillary action, diffusion, gravity, and Marangoni effects. In particular, we incorporate effects …

Test Of Scientific Literacy Skills (Tosls) Indicates Limited Scientific Thinking Gains As A Result Of Science And Mathematics General Education, Pamela M. Propsom, William M. Tobin, Jacqueline R. Roberts

Interdisciplinary Faculty Scholarship

A number of instruments designed to measure scientific literacy exist, but none has been used to assess improvements in undergraduates’ scientific thinking over their college career. This study utilized the Test of Scientific Literacy Skills (TOSLS) in a longitudinal fashion to measure scientific thinking gains of over 800 students from matriculation to graduation at a small liberal arts college. We found the TOSLS to be a useful assessment instrument. Our results indicated rather small benefits of science general education overall, though there were larger improvements for some demographic groups (i.e., women, first-generation college students). STEM majors showed much greater development …

Propuesta De Un Modelo De Enseñanza En Las Matemáticas Enfocado En La Solución De Problemas En El Nivel Secundario En Puerto Rico, Carlos J. Colon Rivera

Theses and Dissertations

El propósito del estudio fue proponer un modelo educativo enfocado en la solución de problemas matemáticos en el nivel secundario, y se realizó la revisión sistemática para evaluarlo. El marco teórico incluyó teorías heurísticas y modelos educativos. La metodología de seis fases que se empleó en este estudio, incluyendo la formulación de preguntas investigativas, búsqueda de literatura, selección de investigaciones, levantamiento de información, análisis y resumen de resultados y exposición y discusión de estos. Se siguieron guías para revisiones sistemáticas y criterios de inclusión y exclusión para evaluar la efectividad de modelos didácticos en la disciplina de matemáticas con énfasis …

Shop Less, Shop Better: Ethical And Sustainability Concerns Throughout The Fast Fashion Supply Chain, Natali Ann Hoeg

Pacific Undergraduate Research and Creativity Conference (PURCC)

My capstone project is a series of short essays that describe how fast fashion is having negative impacts on local environments, communities, and supply chains. This research is a review of technical sources describing manufacturing of clothing and certification processes for alternative, sustainable textile production. Additionally, this review incorporates perspectives from journalists and documentarians, visiting and describing farms and factories that are involved with fast fashion production. This project was carried out over the course of a semester, as an independent study. The essays focus on the environmental and social impacts of fast fashion. Each of the six essays approaches …

Neutrosophic Mcdm Methodology For Evaluation Onshore Wind For Electricity Generation And Sustainability Ecological, Karam M. Sallam, Ali Wagdy Mohamed

Neutrosophic Systems with Applications

The conviction in the necessity of renewable energy has been prompted by both the constantly increasing need for power production and the ecological issues of recent years. When it comes to generating power in a sustainable manner, wind is among the most essential renewable energy sources. This research attempts to present a structural technique for assessing the performance of operational onshore wind facilities with respect to the three dimensions of sustainability. The energy production, environmental effect, and practicability of onshore wind facilities are all dependent on accurate assessments. Wind resources, site accessibility, environmental impact, permitting and regulatory requirements, turbine technology, …

Inaugural Artificial Intelligence For Public Health Practice (Ai4php) Retreat: Ontario, Canada, Jacqueline K. Kueper, Laura C. Rosella, Richard G. Booth, Brent D. Davis, Sarah Nayani, Maxwell J. Smith, Dan Lizotte

Computer Science Publications

The Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Public Health Practice Retreat was a hybrid event held in October 2022 in London, Ontario to achieve three main goals: 1) Identify both the goals of public health practitioners and the tasks that they undertake as part of their practice to achieve those goals that could be supported by AI, 2) Learn from existing examples and the experience of others about facilitators and barriers to AI for public health, and 3) Support new and strengthen existing connections between public health practitioners and AI researchers. The retreat included a keynote presentation, group brainstorming exercises, breakout group …

Going All-In With Vector Representations Of Electric And Magnetic Fields In Introductory Calculus-Based Physics, Craig Looney

Physics Faculty Publications

While most introductory calculus-based textbooks introduce a fully-vectorized expression for the electric field due to a point charge, they rarely – if ever – introduce a fully-vectorized expression for the magnetic field due to an infinitely long current, and corresponding field superposition problems are normally solved by the method of components (find magnitudes, break magnitudes into components, sum the respective components). In this poster I will explain why I teach a fully-vectorized approach – starting with the fully-vectorized field expressions and summing the fields vector-algebraically – alongside the more traditional method of components in my introductory calculus-based physics course, and …

The Sharp Bounds Of A Quasi-Isometry Of P-Adic Numbers In A Subset Real Plane, Kathleen Zopff

Undergraduate Theses

P-adic numbers are numbers valued by their divisibility by high powers of some prime, p. These numbers are an important concept in number theory that are used in major ideas such as the Reimann Hypothesis and Andrew Wiles’ proof of Fermat’s last theorem, and also have applications in cryptography. In this project, we will explore various visualizations of p-adic numbers. In particular, we will look at a mapping of p-adic numbers into the real plane which constructs a fractal similar to a Sierpinski p-gon. We discuss the properties of this map and give formulas for the sharp bounds of its …