Applied Mathematics Commons^™

A New Approach To Generate Combinatorial Patterns In Logical Analysis Of Data And Its Application To Predict College Retention, Salihah Ahmed E. Jaafari

Theses and Dissertations

Student retention and degree completion remain central challenges for higher-education institutions, with significant implications for student success, institutional effectiveness, and public accountability. While advances in predictive analytics have enabled earlier identification of students at risk of withdrawal, many commonly used machine learning approaches suffer from limited interpretability, constraining their practical usefulness for advising, intervention, and policy decision making. This dissertation addresses the problem of predicting student persistence by developing and evaluating optimization based, interpretable classification models within the Logical Analysis of Data (LAD) framework. Building on existing LAD formulations, this research introduces two novel pattern generation models, the Best Term …

Adaptive Artificial Potential Field Guidance And Control For Autonomous Docking With Uncooperative And Unknown Spacecraft, Steven Holmberg

Theses and Dissertations

The increasing demand for on-orbit servicing (OOS), active debris removal (ADR), and space domain awareness (SDA) missions has increased the need for autonomous spacecraft rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO) with uncooperative and unknown targets. Traditional guidance and control methods are typically designed for cooperative systems with known geometry and state information. This work builds on previous research to develop and evaluate an artificial potential field (APF)-based control framework capable of autonomous operation with minimal prior target knowledge and applicability to both relatively static and tumbling spacecraft.

The proposed APF formulation incorporates established safety constructs from cooperative docking systems, including an …

Quantum Entanglement As A Resource For Coordinating Navigation, Aamir Ahmad

Theses and Dissertations

John Clauser, Michael Horne, Abner Shimony, and Richard Holt (CHSH) originally formulated the CHSH game as an experiment to establish entanglement as a quantum mechanical phenomenon that could not be predicted by classical theories. I will apply the quantum strategy used in the CHSH game to demonstrate that it also establishes a structure that employs entanglement as a resource to enable coordination without communication in the context of navigation.

Advancing Real-World Implementation Of The Well Optimized Linear Finder (Wolf) High-Speed Atmospheric Turbulence Compensation Method, Timothy Evan Coon

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation advances the real-world implementation of the Well Optimized Linear Finder (WOLF) method for high-speed Atmospheric Turbulence Compensation (ATC). Atmospheric turbulence introduces phase aberrations into optical wavefronts and degrades image quality in terrestrial imaging systems. Traditional phase diversity methods are computationally intensive and poorly suited to real-time operation. The WOLF method addresses these limitations through a novel, point-wise formulation of the optical transfer function (OTF) as a structured autocorrelation of the generalized pupil function (GPF). This formulation enables the estimation of phase aberrations at individual spatial coordinates with distributed computational complexity.

The research begins by developing a MATLAB-based simulation …

Existence Of Smooth Solutions For The Landau Equation With Hard Potentials, Shelly Ann Taylor

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is concerned with the Landau equation, an integro-differential equation that models the particle density of a plasma as it evolves in phase space. The main topic is the (large-data) local existence of classical solutions to the Landau equation in the case of hard potentials (γ ∈ (0, 1]). Solutions have previously been constructed by Chaturvedi [SIAM. J. Math. Anal., 55(5), 5345–5385, 2023] for initial data in an exponentially-weighted Sobolev space of order 10, but it is not a priori clear whether these solutions have more regularity than the initial data. We improve Chaturvedi’s existence result in two ways: …

Representation Learning For Generative Models With Applications To Healthcare, Astronautics, And Aviation, Van Minh Nguyen

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores applications of representation learning and generative models to challenges in healthcare, astronautics, and aviation.

The first part investigates the use of Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) to synthesize realistic electronic health record (EHR) data. An initial attempt at training a GAN on the MIMIC-IV dataset encountered stability and convergence issues, motivating a deeper study of 1-Lipschitz regularization techniques for Auxiliary Classifier GANs (AC-GANs). An extensive ablation study on the CIFAR-10 dataset found that Spectral Normalization is key for AC-GAN stability and performance, while Weight Clipping fails to converge without Spectral Normalization. Analysis of the training dynamics provided further …

System Identification For Motion Control Of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Platform, Raj Ramesh Agarwal

Theses and Dissertations

Comprehensive research on Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) system identification for motion control parameters is presented in this thesis, with a focus on the necessity of precise control and improved performance. Using Pseudorandom Binary Sequence (PRBS) and Normally Distributed Random Numbers, it presents a unique technique for excitation of UAV dynamic systems. It also shows how effective random signals are in time-domain identification for precise control in a range of flying circumstances. The piece of research includes a thorough analysis and implementation of various approaches and its further improvements, highlighting the benefits and drawbacks of each. These approaches include the free …

Stochastic Optimal Control Of Conditional Mckean-Vlasov Equations With Jump And Markovian Switching, Charles Samuel Conly Sharp

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis obtains a number of results in stochastic optimal control for conditional McKean-Vlasov equations with jump and Markovian switching. First, we prove the uniqueness of the solutions and derive a relevant version of Itô's formula. We provide the dynamic programming principle and prove the associated verification theorem. A stochastic maximum principle is established. Further, we derive the relationship between dynamic programming and the stochastic maximum principle. Additionally, we utilize our stochastic maximum principle result for a mean-variance portfolio selection problem.

Two-Dimensional Boundary Value Problems For Quasi-Linear Hyperbolic Systems Of Second Order, Maram Alrumayh

Theses and Dissertations

Boundary value problems in a characteristic rectangle Ω = [0, ω1] × [0, ω2] for second order quasi-linear hyperbolic systems are considered. The concept of strong well– posedness of a boundary value problem is introduced. For initial–boundary value problems there are established: (i) Necessary and sufficient conditions of strong well–posedness; (ii) Unimprovable sufficient conditions of local and global solvability; (iii) Effective sufficient conditions of solvability of Nicoletti type two–point initial– boundary value problems in case, where the righthand side of the system has arbitrary growth order in some phase variables. For nonlocal boundary value problems there are established: (i) Necessary …

Development Of A Physics-Informed Neural Network For Prediction Of Blood Flow, Marcello Vittorio Mattei Di Eugenio

Theses and Dissertations

Abstract—Objective: We propose a new neural network architecture that accepts point clouds and outputs 3D velocity profiles for aneurysm geometries. Methods: We generated a synthetic aneurysm 3D flow dataset using CFD and used it to train our model architecture and compare it with other popular architectures like U-net and PointNet. We incorporate tools for improving model performance such as incorporating a distance function, a physics-informed loss to enforce the law of mass conservation, and the Huber loss to learn patterns across heterogeneous velocity components of multiple dimensions. Results: The tools implemented together with our architecture achieved the best performance on …

Low Reynolds Number Locomotion Near Interfaces In Two-Fluid Media, Avriel Rowena Mae Cartwright

Theses and Dissertations

Microorganisms often swim within complex fluid environments composed of multiple materials with very different properties. Biological locomotion, including swimming speed, is significantly impacted by the physical composition and rheology of the surrounding fluid environment, as well as the presence of phase boundaries and free interfaces, across which physical properties of the fluid media may vary greatly. Through computational simulations, we first investigate the classical Taylor’s swimming sheet problem near interfaces within multi-fluid environments using a two-fluid immersed boundary method. The accuracy of the methodology is illustrated through comparisons with analytical solutions. Our simulation results indicate that the interface dynamics and …

Modeling And Simulation Of Ion-Induced Volume Phase Transitions In Chemically-Active Polyelectrolyte Gels, Bindi Mahesh Nagda

Theses and Dissertations

Ion-induced volume phase transitions in polyelectrolyte gels play an important role in physiological processes such as mucus storage and secretion in the gut, nerve tissue excitation, and DNA packaging. Biological experiments show that polyelectrolyte gels may swell or collapse rapidly due to changes in external conditions such as ionic composition. The volume phase transition is accompanied by a monovalent/ divalent ion exchange between the polymer network and the solvent that make up the gel. We propose a 2D computational method for simulating mucus swelling and deswelling with a two-fluid mixture model. The model includes electro-diffusive transport of ionic species, the …

Global Upper Bounds For The Landau Equation Of Plasma Physics In The Very Soft Potentials Case, Caleb Solomon

Theses and Dissertations

This paper explores global upper bounds for solutions of the Landau equation in the soft potentials case (γ < −2). In particular, this paper explores the case of γ ∈ [−3,−2). Working with a classical solution to the Landau equation weighted by a cut-off function χ and using the Moser iteration, an upper bound for the L∞v norm of the solution to the Landau equation f is obtained proportianally to the L2 v norm of f with the assumptions of positive, essentially bounded coefficients. The supremum of f for t ∈ [0, T], x ∈ R3, v ∈ BR for some large radius R is shown to be bounded polynomially in R.

On Clinical Use Of Infrared Cameras For Video-Based Estimation Of 3d Facial Kinematics, William Mackenzie Harrington

Theses and Dissertations

Neurological and neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s disease (PD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and stroke can cause speech and orofacial motor impairments with devastating effects on quality of life. Analysis of orofacial movement provides vital information for early diagnosis and tracking disease progression, but current clinical practice relies on perceptual assessments performed by clinicians, which are unreliable and insensitive to early symptoms. New methods in machine learning have enabled automatic and objective assessment of orofacial kinematics from color and depth videos, hence we introduce MEADepthCamera, a mobile application for RGB-D video and audio recording and automatic estimation of 3D facial …

On The Spectral Theory Of Linear Differential-Algebraic Operators With Periodic Coefficients, Bader Alshammari

Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, the spectral theory of linear differential algebraic equations (DAEs) is considered in detail and extended to treat the weighted spectral theory which generalizes the classical theory, i.e., we develop the spectral theory for the most general DAEs: J df dt + Hf = λWf, (0.0.1) where J is a constant nonzero skew-Hermitian n×n-matrix, both H and W are dperiodic Hermitian n×n-matrices with Lebesgue measurable functions as entries, and W is positive semidefinite and invertible for a.e. t ∈ R (i.e., Lebesgue almost everywhere). Under weakest hypotheses on H and W currently known, called the local index-1 hypotheses, …

Relaxation Of Variational Principles For Z-Problems In Effective Media Theory, Kenneth Beard

Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, we consider a class of Z-problems and their associated effective operators on Hilbert spaces which arise in effective media theory, especially within the theory of composites. We provide a unified approach to obtaining solutions of the Z-problem, formulas for the effective operator in terms of generalized Schur complements, and their associated variational principles (e.g., the Dirichlet minimization principle), while allowing for relaxation of the standard hypotheses on positivity and invertibility for the classes of operators usually considered in such problems. The Hilbert space framework developed here is inspired by the methods of orthogonal projections and Hodge decompositions. …

Dirichlet Type Boundary Value Problems For Linear And Quasi{Linear Hyperbolic Equations Of Higher Order, Reemah Alhuzally

Theses and Dissertations

Dirichlet type problems for quasi-linear hyperbolic equations are considered. For two-dimensional boundary value problems there are established:

(i) Unimprovable sufficient conditions of unique solvability and well-posedness of linear problems in piecewise smooth domains;

(ii) Unimprovable Sufficient conditions of unique solvability of linear problems in smooth convex domains.

(iii) Optimal Sufficient conditions of solvability, unique solvability and strong well-posedness of quasi-linear problems in piecewise smooth domains;

(iv) Optimal sufficient conditions of solvability and unique solvability of quasi- linear problems in smooth convex domains.

For three-dimensional linear boundary value problems there are established:

(i) Unimprovable sufficient conditions of unique solvability and well-posedness …

On A Class Of Critical N-Laplacian Problems, Tsz Chung Ho

Theses and Dissertations

We establish some existence results for a class of critical N-Laplacian problems in a bounded domain in R^N. In the absence of a suitable direct sum decomposition, we use an abstract linking theorem based on the Z₂-cohomological index to obtain a nontrivial critical point.

A Computational Model Of Arterial Thrombus Mechanics In Stenotic Channels, Elise Kole Aspray

Theses and Dissertations

Platelet aggregation is one of the major components of blood clotting. The proximal cause of most heart attacks and many strokes is the rapid formation of a blood clot (thrombus) in response to the rupture or erosion of an arterial atherosclerotic plaque. In the context of a stenotic artery (i.e., an artery whose lumen is partially blocked by the plaque) understanding how the thrombus forms presents additional challenges because of the extremely high shear rates and stresses present as a consequence of the constriction. In this dissertation, we use a two-phase continuum model to investigate the stability of an existing …

Schur Complement Algebra And Operations With Applications In Multivariate Functions, Realizations, And Representations, Anthony Dean Stefan

Theses and Dissertations

We provide a new approach to the following multidimensional realizability problem: Can an arbitrary square matrix, whose entries are from the field of multivariate rational functions over the complex numbers, be realized as a Schur complement of a linear matrix pencil with symmetries? To answer this problem, we prove the main theorem of M. Bessmertny˘ı,“On realizations of rational matrix functions of several complex variables,” in Vol. 134 of Oper. Theory Adv. Appl., pp. 157-185, Birkh¨auser Verlag, Basel, 2002 and have included additional symmetries as an extension to his results. Furthermore, we were so thorough in our constructive approach that we …

Stability Results For Special Solutions Of Scalar-Field Equations With Variable Coeffcients, Mashael Ibrahiem Alammari

Theses and Dissertations

We study the long-time behavior of general semilinear scalar-field equations on the real line with variable coefficients in the linear terms. In the first part of the dissertation, we take the coefficients to be uniformly small, but slowly decaying, perturbations of a constant-coefficient operator. We are motivated by the question of how these perturbations of the equation may change the stability properties of kink solutions (one-dimensional topological solitons). We prove existence of a stationary kink solution in our setting, and perform a detailed spectral analysis of the corresponding linearized operator, based on perturbing the linearized operator around the constant-coefficient kink. …

The Brezis-Nirenberg Problem For The Generalized Kirchhoff Equation, Erisa Hasani

Theses and Dissertations

We study a class of critical Kirchhoff problems with a general nonlocal term. The main difficulty here is the absence of a closed-form formula for the compactness threshold. First we obtain a variational characterization of this threshold level. Then we prove a series of existence and multiplicity results based on this variational characterization.

Optimal Control Of Multiphase Free Boundary Problems For Nonlinear Parabolic Equations, Evan Cosgrove

Theses and Dissertations

Dissertation research is on the optimal control of systems with distributed parameters described by singular nonlinear partial differential equations (PDE) modeling multi-phase Stefan type second order parabolic free boundary problems. This type of free boundary problems arise in various applications, such as biomedical engineering problem on the laser ablation of biological tissues, aerospace engineering problem on the ice accretion in aircrafts mid-flight, biomedical problem on the growth of cancerous tumor, and many other phase transition processes in thermophysics and fluid mechanics. The aim of the optimal control of distributed free boundary systems is two fold: identification of functional parameters of …

Numerical Simulation Of Low Reynolds Number Locomotion In Viscoelastic Media, Nesreen Abdulrahim Althobaiti

Theses and Dissertations

We use computational models to investigate 2D swimmers within various fluid media with low Reynolds Number. Extensions of the standard Immersed Boundary (IB) Method are proposed so that the fluid media may satisfy no slip, partial slip or free-slip conditions on the moving boundary. The fluid equations are solved through a Multigrid preconditioned GMRES solver. Our numerical results indicate that slip may lead to substantial speed enhancement for swimmers in a viscoelastic fluid, as well as in a viscoelastic two-fluid mixture. Under the slip conditions, the speed of locomotion is dependent in a nontrivial way on both the viscosity and …

Critical Elliptic Boundary Value Problems With Singular Trudinger-Moser Nonlinearities, Shiqiu Fu

Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation, we prove the existence of solutions for two classes of eliptic problems that are critical with respect to singular Trudinger-Moser embedding. The proofs are based on compactness and regularity arguments.

A Computational Investigation Of The Biomechanics For Platelets Aggregation, Ghadah Mohammed Alhawael

Theses and Dissertations

The proximal cause of most heart attacks and many strokes is the rapid formation of a blood clot (thrombus) in response to the rupture or erosion of an arterial atherosclerotic plaque. The formation of a thrombus in arteries is a very complex process whose workings are subjects of intense research. In this dissertation, we investigate the biomechanics of platelet aggregation in large arteries using a two-phase continuum computational model. The model tracks the number densities of various platelet populations, the concentration of one platelet-activating chemical, as well as the number densities of inter-platelet bonds. Through the formation of elastic bonds, …

Optimal Control Of Coefficients For The Second Order Parabolic Free Boundary Problems, Ali Hagverdiyev

Theses and Dissertations

Dissertation aims to analyze inverse Stefan type free boundary problem for the second order parabolic PDE with unknown parameters based on the additional information given in the form of the distribution of the solution of the PDE and the position of the free boundary at the final moment. This type of ill-posed inverse free boundary problems arise in many applications such as biomedical engineering problem about the laser ablation of biomedical tissues, in-flight ice accretion modeling in aerospace industry, and various phase transition processes in thermophysics and fluid mechanics. The set of unknown parameters include a space-time dependent diffusion, convection …

Some Free Boundary Problems For The Nonlinear Degenerate Multidimensional Parabolic Equations Modeling Reaction-Diffusion Processes, Amna Abu Weden

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation presents a full classification of the short-time behavior of the interfaces or free boundaries for the nonlinear second order degenerate multidimensional parabolic partial differential equation (PDE) ut −∆u m +buβ = 0, x ∈ R N ,0 < t < T (1) with m > 0, β > 0,b ∈ R, arising in various applications in fluid mechanics, filtration of oil or gas in a porous media, plasma physics, reaction-diffusion equations in chemical kinetics, population dynamics in mathematical biology etc. as a mathematical model of nonlinear diffusion phenomena in the presence of the absorption or release of energy. Cauchy problem with compactly supported and nonnegative initial function …

Analysis Of Interfaces For The Nonlinear Degenerate Second Order Parabolic Equations Modeling Diffusion-Convection Processes, Lamees Kadhim Ali Alzaki

Theses and Dissertations

Dissertation pursues analysis of the short-time evolution of interfaces or free boundaries for the non-negative solutions of the nonlinear degenerate second order parabolic partial differential equation (PDE) ut = ( u m ) xx +b ( u γ ) x , x ∈ R,t > 0; m > 1, γ > 0,b ∈ R (1) modeling diffusion-convection processes arising in fluid or gas flow in a porous media, plasma physics, population dynamics in mathematical biology and other applications. Due to the implicit degeneration (m > 1), PDE (1) it possesses a property of the finite speed of propagation and develops interfaces or free boundaries …

Nonlocal Boundary Value Problems For Linear Hyperbolic Systems With Two Independent Variables, Afrah Almutairi

Theses and Dissertations

Nonlocal boundary value problems in a characteristic rectangle for second order linear hyperbolic systems are considered. There are established: (i) Unimprovable sufficient conditions for general boundary value problems to possess the Fredholm property; (ii) Optimal sufficient conditions of unique solvability of general boundary value problems; (iii) Effective sufficient conditions for doubly periodic problems to possess the Fredholm property; (iv) Unimprovable sufficient conditions of unique solvability of doubly periodic problems; (v) Effective sufficient conditions for boundary value problems of periodic type to possess the Fredholm property; (vi) Unimprovable sufficient conditions of unique solvability of boundary value problems of periodic type; (vii) …