Mathematics Commons^™

Problem Of The Week: A Student-Led Initiative To Bring Mathematics To A Broader Audience, Jordan M. Sahs, Brad Horner

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Problem of the Week (POW!) is a weekly undergraduate mathematics competition hosted by two graduate students from the UNO Math Department. It started with the goal to showcase variety, creativity, and intrigue in math to those who normally feel math is dry, rote, and formulaic. Problems shine light on both hidden gems and popular recreational math, both math history and contemporary research, both iconic topics and nontraditional ones, both pure abstraction and real-world application. Now POW! aims to increase availability and visibility in Omaha and beyond. Select problems from Fall 2021 to Spring 2023 are highlighted here: these received noteworthy …

Formal Conjugacy Growth In Graph Products I, Laura Ciobanu,, Susan Hermiller, Valentin Mercier

Department of Mathematics: Faculty Publications

In this paper we give a recursive formula for the conjugacy growth series of a graph product in terms of the conjugacy growth and standard growth series of subgraph products. We also show that the conjugacy and standard growth rates in a graph product are equal provided that this property holds for each vertex group. All results are obtained for the standard generating set consisting of the union of generating sets of the vertex groups.

Mathematical Models For Thalassemia, Hamda Mohammed Al Dhaheri

Theses

Thalassemia is a genetic blood disorder caused by gene mutation or deletion in a blood protein called hemoglobin. Treatment of thalassemia requires a life-long blood transfusion and removal of excessive iron in the blood stream, which usually causes a big pressure on health care systems. Various forms of thalassemia control measures have been used to reduce the prevalence of thalassemia major. This has resulted in a substantial reduction in the prevalence of thalassemia. However, the thalassemia carrier population remains high, which could lead to an increase in the thalassemia major population through carrier-to-carrier marriages. Thus, we developed two mathematical models …

Bernstein-Sato Theory For Singular Rings In Positive Characteristic, Jack Jack, Luis Núñez-Betancourt, Eamon Quinlan-Gallego

Department of Mathematics: Faculty Publications

The Bernstein-Sato polynomial is an important invariant of an element or an ideal in a polynomial ring or power series ring of characteristic zero, with interesting connections to various algebraic and topological aspects of the singularities of the vanishing locus. Work of Mustaţă, later extended by Bitoun and the third author, provides an analogous Bernstein-Sato theory for regular rings of positive characteristic.

In this paper, we extend this theory to singular ambient rings in positive characteristic. We establish finiteness and rationality results for Bernstein-Sato roots for large classes of singular rings, and relate these roots to other classes of numerical …

Tri-Plane Diagrams For Simple Surfaces In S4, Manuel Aragón, Zack Dooley, Alexander Goldman, Yucong Lei, Isaiah Martinez, Nicholas Meyer, Devon Peters, Scott Warrander, Ana Wright, Alex Zupan

Department of Mathematics: Faculty Publications

Meier and Zupan proved that an orientable surface K in S⁴ admits a tri-plane diagram with zero crossings if and only if K is unknotted, so that the crossing number of K is zero. We determine the minimal crossing numbers of nonorientable unknotted surfaces in S⁴, proving that c(P^n,m) = max{1, |n−m|}, where P^n,m denotes the connected sum of n unknotted projective planes with normal Euler number +2 and m unknotted projective planes with normal Euler number −2. In addition, we convert Yoshikawa’s table of knotted surface ch-diagrams to tri-plane …

Decomposition Rate As An Emergent Property Of Optimal Microbial Foraging, Stefano Manzoni, Arjun Chakrawal, Glenn Ledder

Department of Mathematics: Faculty Publications

Decomposition kinetics are fundamental for quantifying carbon and nutrient cycling in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Several theories have been proposed to construct process-based kinetics laws, but most of these theories do not consider that microbial decomposers can adapt to environmental conditions, thereby modulating decomposition. Starting from the assumption that a homogeneous microbial community maximizes its growth rate over the period of decomposition, we formalize decomposition as an optimal control problem where the decomposition rate is a control variable. When maintenance respiration is negligible, we find that the optimal decomposition kinetics scale as the square root of the substrate concentration, resulting …

Modeling And Analyzing Homogeneous Tumor Growth Under Virotherapy, Chayu Yang, Jin Wang

Department of Mathematics: Faculty Publications

We present a mathematical model based on ordinary differential equations to investigate the spatially homogeneous state of tumor growth under virotherapy. The model emphasizes the interaction among the tumor cells, the oncolytic viruses, and the host immune system that generates both innate and adaptive immune responses. We conduct a rigorous equilibrium analysis and derive threshold conditions that determine the growth or decay of the tumor under various scenarios. Numerical simulation results verify our analytical predictions and provide additional insight into the tumor growth dynamics.

Integrable Systems On Symmetric Spaces From A Quadratic Pencil Of Lax Operators, Rossen Ivanov

Conference papers

The article surveys the recent results on integrable systems arising from quadratic pencil of Lax operator L, with values in a Hermitian symmetric space. The counterpart operator M in the Lax pair defines positive, negative and rational flows. The results are illustrated with examples from the A.III symmetric space. The modeling aspect of the arising higher order nonlinear Schrödinger equations is briefly discussed.

Multilayer Network Model Of Gender Bias And Homophily In Hierarchical Structures, Emerson Mcmullen

HMC Senior Theses

Although women have made progress in entering positions in academia and
industry, they are still underrepresented at the highest levels of leadership.
Two factors that may contribute to this leaky pipeline are gender bias,
the tendency to treat individuals differently based on the person’s gender
identity, and homophily, the tendency of people to want to be around those
who are similar to themselves. Here, we present a multilayer network model
of gender representation in professional hierarchies that incorporates these
two factors. This model builds on previous work by Clifton et al. (2019), but
the multilayer network framework allows us to …

An Adaptive Algorithm For `The Secretary Problem': Alternate Proof Of The Divergence Of A Maximizer Sequence, Andrew Benfante, Xiang Xu

OUR Journal: ODU Undergraduate Research Journal

This paper presents an alternate proof of the divergence of the unique maximizer sequence {𝑥∗ 𝑛} of a function sequence {𝐹𝑛(𝑥)} that is derived from an adaptive algorithm based on the now classic optimal stopping problem, known by many names but here ‘the secretary problem’. The alternate proof uses a result established by Nguyen, Xu, and Zhao (n.d.) regarding the uniqueness of maximizer points of a generalized function sequence {𝑆𝜇,𝜎 𝑛 } and relies on the strict monotonicity of 𝐹𝑛(𝑥) as 𝑛 increases in order to show divergence of {𝑥∗ 𝑛}. Towards this, limits of the exponentiated Gaussian CDF are …

The Power Of Supercomputing Applied To Fractal Image Generation, Charlin Me Duff

Mathematics Senior Capstones

This project looks into how parallelism benefits the runtime of generating large fractal images. First, it explains what the Julia and Mandelbrot Sets are, who discovered them, and how they are calculated. Following that is an introduction to supercomputers, parallel computing, and Cal Poly Humboldt’s very own supercomputer. Once groundwork is laid, I explain my process of adapting a fractal image generation program from serial computing to different levels of parallelism. After that, is an analysis of the effects of levels of parallelism on the runtime of large fractal image generation. This paper concludes with a reflection on the project …

Graphs Without A 2c3-Minor And Bicircular Matroids Without A U3,6-Minor, Daniel Slilaty

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications

In this note we characterize all graphs without a 2C3-minor. A consequence of this result is a characterization of the bicircular matroids with no U3,6-minor.

The Mceliece Cryptosystem As A Solution To The Post-Quantum Cryptographic Problem, Isaac Hanna

Senior Honors Theses

The ability to communicate securely across the internet is owing to the security of the RSA cryptosystem, among others. This cryptosystem relies on the difficulty of integer factorization to provide secure communication. Peter Shor’s quantum integer factorization algorithm threatens to upend this. A special case of the hidden subgroup problem, the algorithm provides an exponential speedup in the integer factorization problem, destroying RSA’s security. Robert McEliece’s cryptosystem has been proposed as an alternative. Based upon binary Goppa codes instead of integer factorization, his cryptosystem uses code scrambling and error introduction to hinder decrypting a message without the private key. This …

Measuring Racial Segregation In Los Angeles County Using Random Walks, Zarina Kismet Dhillon

CMC Senior Theses

As of now there is no universal quantitative measure used to evaluate racial segregation in different regions. This paper begins by providing a history of segregation, with an emphasis on the impact of redlining in the early 20th century. We move to its effect on the current population distribution in Los Angeles, California, and then provide an overview of the mathematical concepts that have been used in previous measurements of segregation. We then introduce a method that we believe encompasses the most representative aspects of preceding work, proposed by Sousa and Nicosia in their work on quantifying ethnic segregation in …

Counting Spanning Trees On Triangular Lattices, Angie Wang

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis focuses on finding spanning tree counts for triangular lattices and other planar graphs comprised of triangular faces. This topic has applications in redistricting: many proposed algorithmic methods for detecting gerrymandering involve spanning trees, and graphs representing states/regions are often triangulated. First, we present and prove Kirchhoff’s Matrix Tree Theorem, a well known formula for computing the number of spanning trees of a multigraph. Then, we use combinatorial methods to find spanning tree counts for chains of triangles and 3 × n triangular lattices (some limiting formulas exist, but they rely on higher level mathematics). For a chain of …

Novel Architectures And Optimization Algorithms For Training Neural Networks And Applications, Vasily I. Zadorozhnyy

Theses and Dissertations--Mathematics

The two main areas of Deep Learning are Unsupervised and Supervised Learning. Unsupervised Learning studies a class of data processing problems in which only descriptions of objects are known, without label information. Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) have become among the most widely used unsupervised neural net models. GAN combines two neural nets, generative and discriminative, that work simultaneously. We introduce a new family of discriminator loss functions that adopts a weighted sum of real and fake parts, which we call adaptive weighted loss functions. Using the gradient information, we can adaptively choose weights to train a discriminator in the direction …

Beginner's Analysis Of Financial Stochastic Process Models, David Garcia

HMC Senior Theses

This thesis explores the use of geometric Brownian motion (GBM) as a financial model for predicting stock prices. The model is first introduced and its assumptions and limitations are discussed. Then, it is shown how to simulate GBM in order to predict stock price values. The performance of the GBM model is then evaluated in two different periods of time to determine whether it's accuracy has changed before and after March 23, 2020.

The Lagrangian Formulation For Wave Motion With A Shear Current And Surface Tension, Conor Curtin, Rossen Ivanov

Articles

The Lagrangian formulation for the irrotational wave motion is straightforward and follows from a Lagrangian functional which is the difference between the kinetic and the potential energy of the system. In the case of fluid with constant vorticity, which arises for example when a shear current is present, the separation of the energy into kinetic and potential is not at all obvious and neither is the Lagrangian formulation of the problem. Nevertheless, we use the known Hamiltonian formulation of the problem in this case to obtain the Lagrangian density function, and utilising the Euler-Lagrange equations we proceed to derive some …

Bifurcation Levels Of The Integral Manifolds Of The Newtonian N-Body Problem, Hannah G. Havel

CURE Proceedings

The N-body problem, first proposed by Isaac Newton, is a field of study in mathematics and physics that involves predicting the motion of particles moving under their mutual gravitational attraction. It has significance to many areas of science, including physics and computer science, and is crucial in understanding how the universe works. In fact, it was a primary motivation for Newton's development of calculus. An important application of the N-body problem is within celestial mechanics and involves how planets and other celestial bodies move with mutual gravitational attraction. It is important in developing how satellites behave in space using complicated …

Odd Solutions To Systems Of Inequalities Coming From Regular Chain Groups, Daniel Slilaty

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications

Hoffman’s theorem on feasible circulations and Ghouila-Houry’s theorem on feasible tensions are classical results of graph theory. Camion generalized these results to systems of inequalities over regular chain groups. An analogue of Camion’s result is proved in which solutions can be forced to be odd valued. The obtained result also generalizes the results of Pretzel and Youngs as well as Slilaty. It is also shown how Ghouila-Houry’s result can be used to give a new proof of the graph- coloring theorem of Minty and Vitaver.

Clusters, Curves, And Centroids: Stellar Flare Morphology In The Ultraviolet, Vera Berger

Pomona Senior Theses

With a novel sample of 495 high-cadence light curves for stellar flares in the near-ultraviolet, I explore similarity measures, clustering algorithms, averaging methods, and curve fitting techniques for time series. This work seeks to provide insight into whether stellar flares are similar across stars, if we can identify physically meaningful patterns in their light curves, and how to construct a comprehensive model for flares. I construct the first empirical template for flare light curves in the ultraviolet, and compute ``average elements" of flares displaying complex features such as quasi-periodic oscillations and multipeak structures. Developing accurate models for flares in the …

Medical Diagnosis Via Refined Neutrosophic Fuzzy Logic: Detection Of Illness Using Neutrosophic Sets, K. Hemabala, B. Srinivasa Kumar, Florentin Smarandache

Branch Mathematics and Statistics Faculty and Staff Publications

The objective of the paper is to implement and validate diagnosis in the medical field via refined neutrosophic fuzzy logic (RNFL). As such, we have proposed a Max-Min composition (MMC) method in RNFL. This method deals with the diagnosis under certain constraints like uncertainty and indeterminacy. Further, we have considered the diagnosis problems to validate the sensitivity analysis of the novel multi attribute decision-making technique. Finally, we gave the graphical representations and compared the obtained results with other existing measures in refined neutrosophic fuzzy sets.

Feature Extraction Of Footwear Impression Images For Quality Assessment, Alexandra Hill

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Forensic footwear impression analysis is a valuable tool in criminal investigations. Extracting useful features from images of footwear impressions is a critical step in this process. However, the quality of these images can vary widely, making feature extraction challenging. In order to give a quality assessment rating to a footwear impression image, the image should first be analyzed to extract features from the impression. In this paper, we present a method to extract features from a 2D grayscale footwear impression image. A Hierarchical Grid Model implementation has been adapted from use on a 3D dataset to assist in finding features, …

Early Termination In Phase Ii Clinical Trials: Admissible Designs Using Decreasingly Informative Priors, Chen Wang

Theses and Dissertations

In Phase II clinical trials, Thall and Simon’s Bayesian posterior probability design is commonly implemented to allow for an early termination to determine whether a new treatment warrants further investigation in a larger-scale Phase III trial; this in turn requires a pre-selected prior distribution based on known clinical opinion or historical information. Moreover, this Bayesian approach can result in an issue of inflating type I error rate by monitoring interim data to inform early termination decisions. Alternatively, a Bayesian approach with the decreasingly informative prior (DIP), which is an informative yet skeptical prior, can be implemented to overcome the contentious …

Effects Of Slip On Highly Viscous Thin-Film Flows Inside Vertical Tubes (Constant Radius, Constricted And Flexible), Mark S. Schwitzerlett

Theses and Dissertations

Viscous liquid film flows in a tube arise in numerous industrial and biological applications, including the transport of mucus in human airways. Previous modeling studies have typically used no-slip boundary conditions, but in some applications the effects of slip at the boundary may not be negligible. We derive a long-wave model based on lubrication theory which allows for slippage along the boundary. Linear stability analysis verifies the impact of slip-length on the speed, growth rate, and wavelength of the most unstable mode. Nonlinear simulations demonstrate the impact of slip-length on plug formation and wave dynamics. These simulations are conducted for …

Not Your Typical Tower Of Sauron, John Adam

Mathematics & Statistics Faculty Publications

The picture is of the tapering Chester Shot Tower, located in Chester, England. It was built in 1799 for the manufacture of lead shot for use in the Napoleonic Wars. Molten lead was poured through a sieve at the top of the tower, with the tiny droplets forming perfect spheres during the fall; these were then cooled in a vat of water at the base. This process was less labor intensive than an earlier method using molds. It is the oldest of the three remaining shot towers in the UK.

Question 1: Using the parked van at the base, estimate …

The Lie Algebra Sl2(C) And Krawtchouk Polynomials, Nkosi Alexander

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Lie algebra L = sl2(C) consists of the 2 × 2 complex matrices that have trace zero, together with the Lie bracket [y, z] = yz − zy. In this thesis we study a relationship between L and Krawtchouk polynomials. We consider a type of element in L said to be normalized semisimple. Let a, a^∗ be normalized semisimple elements that generate L. We show that a, a^∗ satisfy a pair of relations, called the Askey-Wilson relations. For a positive integer N, we consider an (N + 1)-dimensional irreducible L-module V consisting of the homogeneous polynomials in two variables …

Optimal Agricultural Land Use: An Efficient Neutrosophic Linear Programming Method, Maisam Jdid, Florentin Smarandache

Branch Mathematics and Statistics Faculty and Staff Publications

The increase in the size of the problems facing humans, their overlap, the division of labor, the multiplicity of departments, as well as the diversity of products and commodities, led to the complexity of business and the emergence of many administrative and production problems. It was necessary to search for appropriate methods to confront these problems. The science of operations research, with its diverse methods, provided the optimal solutions. It addresses many problems and helps in making scientific and thoughtful decisions to carry out the work in the best way within the available capabilities. Operations research is one of the …

On Refined Neutrosophic Finite P-Group, Sunday Adesina Adebisi, Florentin Smarandache

Branch Mathematics and Statistics Faculty and Staff Publications

The neutrosophic automorphisms of a neutrosophic groups G (I) , denoted by Aut(G (I)) is a neu-trosophic group under the usual mapping composition. It is a permutation of G (I) which is also a neutrosophic homomorphism. Moreover, suppose that X1 = X(G (I)) is the neutrosophic group of inner neutrosophic auto-morphisms of a neutrosophic group G (I) and Xn the neutrosophic group of inner neutrosophic automorphisms of Xn-1. In this paper, we show that if any neutrosophic group of the sequence G (I), X1, X2, … is the identity, then G (I) is nilpotent.

Neutrosophic Treatment Of The Modified Simplex Algorithm To Find The Optimal Solution For Linear Models, Florentin Smarandache, Maissam Ahmad Jdid

Branch Mathematics and Statistics Faculty and Staff Publications

Science is the basis for managing the affairs of life and human activities, and living without knowledge is a form of wandering and a kind of loss. Using scientific methods helps us understand the foundations of choice, decision-making, and adopting the right solutions when solutions abound and options are numerous. Operational research is considered the best that scientific development has provided because its methods depend on the application of scientific methods in solving complex issues and the optimal use of available resources in various fields, private and governmental work in peace and war, in politics and economics, in planning and …