Computer Sciences Commons^™

Introduction To Reconstructability Analysis, Martin Zwick

Complex Systems Faculty Publications and Presentations

This talk will introduce Reconstructability Analysis (RA), a data modeling methodology deriving from the 1960s work of Ross Ashby and developed in the systems community in the 1980s and afterwards. RA, based on information theory and graph theory, is a member of the family of methods known as ‘graphical models,’ which also include Bayesian networks and log-linear techniques. It is designed for exploratory modeling, although it can also be used for confirmatory hypothesis testing. RA can discover high ordinality and nonlinear interactions that are not hypothesized in advance. Its conceptual framework illuminates the relationships between wholes and parts, a subject …

Preliminary Results Of Bayesian Networks And Reconstructability Analysis Applied To The Electric Grid, Marcus Harris, Martin Zwick

Complex Systems Faculty Publications and Presentations

Reconstructability Analysis (RA) is an analytical approach developed in the systems community that combines graph theory and information theory. Graph theory provides the structure of relations (model of the data) between variables and information theory characterizes the strength and the nature of the relations. RA has three primary approaches to model data: variable based (VB) models without loops (acyclic graphs), VB models with loops (cyclic graphs) and state-based models (nearly always cyclic, individual states specifying model constraints). These models can either be directed or neutral. Directed models focus on a single response variable whereas neutral models focus on all relations …

Beyond Spatial Autocorrelation: A Novel Approach Using Reconstructability Analysis, David Percy, Martin Zwick

Complex Systems Faculty Publications and Presentations

Raster data are digital representations of spatial phenomena that are organized into rows and columns that typically have the same dimensions in each direction. They are used to represent image data at any scale. Common raster data are medical images, satellite data, and photos generated by modern smartphones.
Satellites capture reflectance data in specific bands of wavelength that correspond to red, green, blue, and often some infrared and thermal bands. These composite vectors can then be classified into actual land use categories such as forest or water using automated techniques. These classifications are verified on the ground using hand-held sensors. …

Reality Versus Grant Application Research “Plans”, Linda Burhansstipanov, Linda U. Krebs, Daniel Petereit, Mark Dignan, Sheikh Iqbal Ahamed, Michele Sargent, Krisin Cina, Kimberly Crawford, Doris Thibeault, Simone Bordeaux, Shalini Kanekar, Golam Mushih Tanimul Ahsan, Drew Williams, Ivor D. Addo

Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science Faculty Research and Publications

This article describes the implementation of the American Indian mHealth Smoking Dependence Study focusing on the differences between what was written in the grant application compared to what happened in reality. The study was designed to evaluate a multicomponent intervention involving 256 participants randomly assigned to one of 15 groups. Participants received either a minimal or an intense level of four intervention components: (1) nicotine replacement therapy, (2) precessation counseling, (3) cessation counseling, and (4) mHealth text messaging. The project team met via biweekly webinars as well as one to two in-person meetings per year throughout the study. The project …

A Note On Sum, Difference, Product And Ratio Of Kumaraswamy Random Variables, Avishek Mallick, Indranil Ghosh, Gholamhossein G. Hamedani

Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science Faculty Research and Publications

Explicit expressions for the densities of S = X₁ + X₂ , D = X₁ − X₂ , P = X₁X₂ and R= X₁/X₂ are derived when X₁ and X₂ are independent or sub-independent Kumaraswamy random variables. The expressions appear to involve the incomplete gamma functions. Some possible real life scenarios are mentioned in which such quantities might be of interest.

Soft Computing Ideas Can Help Earthquake Geophysics, Solymar Ayala Cortez, Aaron A. Velasco, Vladik Kreinovich

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

Earthquakes can be devastating, thus it is important to gain a good understanding of the corresponding geophysical processing. One of the challenges in geophysics is that we cannot directly measure the corresponding deep-earth quantities, we have to rely on expert knowledge, knowledge which often comes in terms of imprecise ("fuzzy") words from natural language. To formalize this knowledge, it is reasonable to use techniques that were specifically designed for such a formalization -- namely, fuzzy techniques, In this paper, we formulate the problem of optimally representing such knowledge. By solving the corresponding optimization problem, we conclude that the optimal representation …

Modern Cryptography, Samuel Lopez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

We live in an age where we willingly provide our social security number, credit card information, home address and countless other sensitive information over the Internet. Whether you are buying a phone case from Amazon, sending in an on-line job application, or logging into your on-line bank account, you trust that the sensitive data you enter is secure. As our technology and computing power become more sophisticated, so do the tools used by potential hackers to our information. In this paper, the underlying mathematics within ciphers will be looked at to understand the security of modern ciphers.

An extremely important …

Combinatorial Proofs Of Identities Of Alzer And Prodinger And Some Generalizations, John Engbers, Christopher Stocker

Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science Faculty Research and Publications

We provide combinatorial proofs of identities published by Alzer and Prodinger. These identities include that for integers b, n, and r with b ≥ 1 and n − 1 ≥ r ≥ 0 we have

and for integers b, n, and r with b ≥ 0 and n − 1 ≥ r ≥ 0 we have

Our combinatorial proofs generalize squares to sth powers, and involve generalized Eulerian numbers and generalized Delannoy numbers.

Dynamic Statistical Models For Pyroclastic Density Current Generation At Soufrière Hills Volcano, Robert L. Wolpert, Elaine T. Spiller, Eliza S. Calder

Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science Faculty Research and Publications

To mitigate volcanic hazards from pyroclastic density currents, volcanologists generate hazard maps that provide long-term forecasts of areas of potential impact. Several recent efforts in the field develop new statistical methods for application of flow models to generate fully probabilistic hazard maps that both account for, and quantify, uncertainty. However, a limitation to the use of most statistical hazard models, and a key source of uncertainty within them, is the time-averaged nature of the datasets by which the volcanic activity is statistically characterized. Where the level, or directionality, of volcanic activity frequently changes, e.g., during protracted eruptive episodes, or at …

Impacts Of Simultaneous Multislice Acquisition On Sensitivity And Specificity In Fmri, Benjamin B. Risk, Mary C. Kociuba, Daniel B. Rowe

Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science Faculty Research and Publications

Simultaneous multislice (SMS) imaging can be used to decrease the time between acquisition of fMRI volumes, which can increase sensitivity by facilitating the removal of higher-frequency artifacts and boosting effective sample size. The technique requires an additional processing step in which the slices are separated, or unaliased, to recover the whole brain volume. However, this may result in signal “leakage” between aliased locations, i.e., slice “leakage,” and lead to spurious activation (decreased specificity). SMS can also lead to noise amplification, which can reduce the benefits of decreased repetition time. In this study, we evaluate the original slice-GRAPPA (no leak block) …

The Kumaraswamy Marshall-Olkin Log-Logistic Distribution With Application, Selen Cakmakyapan, Gamze Ozel, Yehia Mousa Hussein El Gebaly, Gholamhossein G. Hamedani

Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science Faculty Research and Publications

In this paper, we define and study a new lifetime model called the Kumaraswamy Marshall-Olkin log-logistic distribution. The new model has the advantage of being capable of modeling various shapes of aging and failure criteria. The new model contains some well-known distributions as special cases such as the Marshall-Olkin log-logistic, log-logistic, lomax, Pareto type II and Burr XII distributions. Some of its mathematical properties including explicit expressions for the quantile and generating functions, ordinary moments, skewness, kurtosis are derived. The maximum likelihood estimators of the unknown parameters are obtained. The importance and flexibility of the new model is proved empirically …

Multi Self-Adapting Particle Swarm Optimization Algorithm (Msapso)., Gerhard Koch

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The performance and stability of the Particle Swarm Optimization algorithm depends on parameters that are typically tuned manually or adapted based on knowledge from empirical parameter studies. Such parameter selection is ineffectual when faced with a broad range of problem types, which often hinders the adoption of PSO to real world problems. This dissertation develops a dynamic self-optimization approach for the respective parameters (inertia weight, social and cognition). The effects of self-adaption for the optimal balance between superior performance (convergence) and the robustness (divergence) of the algorithm with regard to both simple and complex benchmark functions is investigated. This work …

Preservice Mathematics Teachers' Conceptions And Enactments Of Modeling Standards, Hyunyi Jung, Jill Newton

Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science Faculty Research and Publications

Mathematical modeling has been highlighted recently as Common Core State Standards for Mathematics [CCSSM] included Model with Mathematics as one of the Standards for Mathematical Practices [SMP] and a modeling strand in the high school standards. This common aspect of standards across most states in the U.S. intended by CCSSM authors and policy makers seems to mitigate the diverse notions of mathematical modeling. When we observed secondary mathematics preservice teachers [PSTs] who learned about the SMP and used CCSSM modeling standards to plan and enact lessons, however, we noted differences in their interpretations and enactments of the standards, despite their …

Characterizations And Infinite Divisibility Of Certain Recently Introduced Distributions Iv, Gholamhossein G. Hamedani

Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science Faculty Research and Publications

Certain characterizations of recently proposed univariate continuous distributions are presented in different directions. This work contains a good number of reintroduced distributions and may serve as a source of preventing the reinvention and/or duplication of the existing distributions in the future.

Physical Applications Of The Geometric Minimum Action Method, George L. Poppe Jr.

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This thesis extends the landscape of rare events problems solved on stochastic systems by means of the \textit{geometric minimum action method} (gMAM). These include partial differential equations (PDEs) such as the real Ginzburg-Landau equation (RGLE), the linear Schroedinger equation, along with various forms of the nonlinear Schroedinger equation (NLSE) including an application towards an ultra-short pulse mode-locked laser system (MLL).

Additionally we develop analytical tools that can be used alongside numerics to validate those solutions. This includes the use of instanton methods in deriving state transitions for the linear Schroedinger equation and the cubic diffusive NLSE.

These analytical solutions are …

Analysis Of 2016-17 Major League Soccer Season Data Using Poisson Regression With R, Ian D. Campbell

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

To the outside observer, soccer is chaotic with no given pattern or scheme to follow, a random conglomeration of passes and shots that go on for 90 minutes. Yet, what if there was a pattern to the chaos, or a way to describe the events that occur in the game quantifiably. Sports statistics is a critical part of baseball and a variety of other of today’s sports, but we see very little statistics and data analysis done on soccer. Of this research, there has been looks into the effect of possession time on the outcome of a game, the difference …

Secure Multiparty Protocol For Differentially-Private Data Release, Anthony Harris

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

In the era where big data is the new norm, a higher emphasis has been placed on models which guarantees the release and exchange of data. The need for privacy-preserving data arose as more sophisticated data-mining techniques led to breaches of sensitive information. In this thesis, we present a secure multiparty protocol for the purpose of integrating multiple datasets simultaneously such that the contents of each dataset is not revealed to any of the data owners, and the contents of the integrated data do not compromise individual’s privacy. We utilize privacy by simulation to prove that the protocol is privacy-preserving, …

Efficient Reduced Bias Genetic Algorithm For Generic Community Detection Objectives, Aditya Karnam Gururaj Rao

Theses

The problem of community structure identification has been an extensively investigated area for biology, physics, social sciences, and computer science in recent years for studying the properties of networks representing complex relationships. Most traditional methods, such as K-means and hierarchical clustering, are based on the assumption that communities have spherical configurations. Lately, Genetic Algorithms (GA) are being utilized for efficient community detection without imposing sphericity. GAs are machine learning methods which mimic natural selection and scale with the complexity of the network. However, traditional GA approaches employ a representation method that dramatically increases the solution space to be searched by …

Optimization Of Biogas Production Process In Solid State Digesters In Semiarid Areas Of Northern Tanzania, Debora J Mahushiab, Alfred Nn Muzukaa, Revocatus L Machunda

Tanzania Journal of Science

Solid state digestion process has received much attention due to its low water requirements, making it preferred in semi-arid areas as well. In this study, the performance of the household solid state digesters was evaluated through monitoring of the feedstock mixing ratios and using the digester gas pressure as a measure of performance. Additionally, a batch study to verify the appropriate and optimal mixing ratio of feedstocks was also done. The mixing ratios of cow dung to water were 2:1, 3:1 and 4:1. Total solids determined were 120, 150 and 170 mg/g for the ratios 2:1, 3:1 and 4:1, respectively. …

Graph Pebbling: Doppelgangers And Lemke Graphs, Mark Powers

17th Annual Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Performance (2018)

Graph pebbling is a mathematical game played on a connected graph. A configuration places a nonnegative number of pebbles on each vertex. A move between a pair of adjacent vertices removes two pebbles from one vertex and places one pebble on the other. A configuration is solvable if a sequence of pebbling moves can be made to place a pebble on any given vertex. The pebbling number of a graph is the minimum number of pebbles so that any configuration is solvable. A graph satisfies the two-pebbling property if any configuration of more than twice the pebbling number minus the …

Quantum Attacks On Modern Cryptography And Post-Quantum Cryptosystems, Zachary Marron

Senior Honors Theses

Cryptography is a critical technology in the modern computing industry, but the security of many cryptosystems relies on the difficulty of mathematical problems such as integer factorization and discrete logarithms. Large quantum computers can solve these problems efficiently, enabling the effective cryptanalysis of many common cryptosystems using such algorithms as Shor’s and Grover’s. If data integrity and security are to be preserved in the future, the algorithms that are vulnerable to quantum cryptanalytic techniques must be phased out in favor of quantum-proof cryptosystems. While quantum computer technology is still developing and is not yet capable of breaking commercial encryption, these …

Economics Of Commitment: Why Giving Away Some Freedom Makes Sense, Vladik Kreinovich, Olga Kosheleva, Mahdokhat Afravi, Genesis Bejarano, Marisol Chacon

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

In general, the more freedom we have, the better choices we can make, and thus, the better possible economic outcomes. However, in practice, people often artificially restrict their future options by making a commitment. At first glance, commitments make no economic sense, and so their ubiquity seems puzzling. Our more detailed analysis shows that commitment often makes perfect economic sense: namely, it is related to the way we take future gains and losses into account. With the traditionally assumed exponential discounting, commitment indeed makes no economic sense, but with the practically observed hyperbolic discounting, commitment is indeed often economically beneficial.

Why Bellman-Zadeh Approach To Fuzzy Optimization, Olga Kosheleva, Vladik Kreinovich

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

In many cases, we need to select the best of the possible alternatives, but we do not know for sure which alternatives are possible and which are not possible. Instead, for each alternative x, we have a subjective probability p(x) that this alternative is possible. In 1970, Richard Bellman and Lotfi Zadeh proposed a heuristic method for selecting an alternative under such uncertainty. Interestingly, this method works very well in many practical applications, while similarly motivated alternative formulas do not work so well. In this paper, we explain the empirical success of the Bellman-Zadeh approach by showing that its formulas …

How Interval Measurement Uncertainty Affects The Results Of Data Processing: A Calculus-Based Approach To Computing The Range Of A Box, Andrew Pownuk, Vladik Kreinovich

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

In many practical applications, we are interested in the values of the quantities y₁, ..., y_m which are difficult (or even impossible) to measure directly. A natural idea to estimate these values is to find easier-to-measure related quantities x₁, ..., x_n and to use the known relation to estimate the desired values y_i. Measurements come with uncertainty, and often, the only thing we know about the actual value of each auxiliary quantity x_i is that it belongs to the interval [X_i − Δ_i, X_i + Δ_{i …}

Why Under Stress Positive Reinforcement Is More Effective? Why Optimists Study Better? Why People Become Restless? Simple Utility-Based Explanations, Francisco Zapata, Olga Kosheleva, Vladik Kreinovich

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

In this paper, we use the utility-based approach to decision making to provide simple answers to the following three questions: Why under stress positive reinforcement is more effective? Why optimists study better? Why people become restless?

Near-Optimal Control Of Switched Systems With Continuous-Time Dynamics Using Approximate Dynamic Programming, Tohid Sardarmehni

Mechanical Engineering Research Theses and Dissertations

Optimal control is a control method which provides inputs that minimize a performance index subject to state or input constraints [58]. The existing solutions for finding the exact optimal control solution such as Pontryagin’s minimum principle and dynamic programming suffer from curse of dimensionality in high order dynamical systems. One remedy for this problem is finding near optimal solution instead of the exact optimal solution to avoid curse of dimensionality [31]. A method for finding the approximate optimal solution is through Approximate Dynamic Programming (ADP) methods which are discussed in the subsequent chapters.

In this dissertation, optimal switching in switched …

Understanding Natural Keyboard Typing Using Convolutional Neural Networks On Mobile Sensor Data, Travis Siems

Computer Science and Engineering Theses and Dissertations

Mobile phones and other devices with embedded sensors are becoming increasingly ubiquitous. Audio and motion sensor data may be able to detect information that we did not think possible. Some researchers have created models that can predict computer keyboard typing from a nearby mobile device; however, certain limitations to their experiment setup and methods compelled us to be skeptical of the models’ realistic prediction capability. We investigate the possibility of understanding natural keyboard typing from mobile phones by performing a well-designed data collection experiment that encourages natural typing and interactions. This data collection helps capture realistic vulnerabilities of the security …

Volume 10, Taylor Hogg, Tiffany Carter, Brandyn Johnson, Haleigh James, Josh Baker, Tyler Cernak, Kirsten Bauer, Allie Snavely, Mary Zell Galen, Eric Powell, Thomas Wise, Katie Kinsey, Beth Barbolla, Maeleigh Ferlet, Rebecca Morra, Michala Day, Alexandra Evangelista, Max Flores, Harley Hodges, Clardene Jones, Harrison Samaniego, Jamesha Watson, Abby Gargiulo, Heather Green, Haley Klepatzki, Juan Guevara, Dani Bondurant, Michael Joseph Link Jr., Pamela Dahl, Maeve Losen, Charlotte Murphey

Incite: The Journal of Undergraduate Scholarship

Introduction Dr. Roger A. Byrne

An Analysis of Media Framing in Cases of Violence Against Women by Taylor Hogg

Writing in the Discipline of Nursing by Tiffany Carter

Photography by Brandyn Johnson

The Hidden Life of Beef Cattle: A Study of Cattle Welfare on Traditional Ranches and Industrial Farms by Haleigh James

Bloodworth's by Josh Baker and Tyler Cernak

Prosimians: Little Bodies, Big Significance by Kirsten Bauer

Skinformed by Allie Snavely

Coopertition and Gracious Professionalism: The Effects of First Robotics Folklore and Culture on the Stem Community by Mary Zell Galen

Tilt by Eric Powell And Thomas Wise

The Millennial …

Text Classification Of Installation Support Contract Topic Models For Category Management, William C. Sevier

Theses and Dissertations

Air Force Installation Contracting Agency manages nearly 18 percent of total Air Force spend, equating to approximately 57 billion dollars. To improve strategic sourcing, the organization is beginning to categorize installation-support spend and assign accountable portfolio managers to respective spend categories. A critical task in this new strategic environment includes the appropriate categorization of Air Force contracts into newly created, manageable spend categories. It has been recognized that current composite categories have the opportunity to be further distinguished into sub-categories leveraging text analytics on the contract descriptions. Furthermore, upon establishing newly constructed categories, future contracts must be classified into these …

A Survey On Network Security-Related Data Collection Technologies, Huaqing Lin, Zheng Yan, Yu Chen, Lifang Zhang

Faculty Publications, Information Systems & Technology

Security threats and economic loss caused by network attacks, intrusions, and vulnerabilities have motivated intensive studies on network security. Normally, data collected in a network system can reflect or can be used to detect security threats. We define these data as network security-related data. Studying and analyzing security-related data can help detect network attacks and intrusions, thus making it possible to further measure the security level of the whole network system. Obviously, the first step in detecting network attacks and intrusions is to collect security-related data. However, in the context of big data and 5G, there exist a number of …