Statistics and Probability Commons^™

Lifetime Modeling Of Deficient Bridges In New York, Levi Phippen

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Given the importance of bridges to a state's economy and strength, and the costs involved in building and maintaining bridges, maximizing their service life is essential. In order to safely extend a bridge's utility as long as possible, an understanding of its lifetime processes is needed. This paper attempts to model the lifetime of a bridge in New York once it has become deficient. Lifetime is defined to be the length of time between deficiency classification and failure. A bridge is considered deficient when certain structural components receive a poor rating in the National Bridge Inventory, which is compiled annually …

Family-Wise Error Rate Control In Quantitative Trait Loci (Qtl) Mapping And Gene Ontology Graphs With Remarks On Family Selection, Garrett Saunders

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

One of the great aims of statistics, the science of collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data, is to protect against the probability of falsely rejecting an accepted claim, or hypothesis, given observed data stemming from some experiment. This is generally known as protecting against a Type I Error, or controlling the Type I Error rate. The extension of this protection against Type I Errors to the situation where thousands upon thousands of hypothesis are examined simultaneously is known as multiple hypothesis testing. This dissertation presents an improvement to an existing multiple hypothesis testing approach, the Focus Level method, specific to gene …

Patient Rule Induction Method For Subgroup Identification Given Censored Data., Patrick James Trainor

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The identification of subgroups in clinical studies is an important aspect of personalized medicine. In order to develop tailored therapeutics, the factors that characterize subgroups with differential prognosis, response to treatment, and incidence of adverse events or toxicities must be elucidated. We present a generalization of a statistical learning algorithm, Patient Rule Induction Method (PRIM), that is well suited for this task given a right-censored time-to-event outcome measure. This algorithm works to recursively partition a covariate space into mutually exclusive boxes that can be utilized to define subgroups. Conceptually the algorithm is similar to classification and regression trees but rather …

Statistical Methods For Assessing Treatment Effects For Observational Studies., Kristopher C. Gardner 1984-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Though randomized clinical (RCTs) trials are the gold standard for comparing treatments, they are often infeasible or exclude clinically important subjects, or generally represent an idealized medical setting rather than real practice. Observational data provide an opportunity to study practice-based evidence, but also present challenges for analysis. Traditional statistical methods which are suitable for RCTs may be inadequate for the observational studies. In this project, four of the most popular statistical methods for observational studies: ANCOVA, propensity score matching, regression with the propensity score as a covariate, and instrumental variables (IV) are investigated through application to MarketScan insurance claims data. …

The Association Between The Il-1 Pathway, Isaac C. Wun

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM) is a potentially lethal malignancy that warrants attention and further research, as it is known to that there is an increasing rate of incidence in theUnited States, and it is also known that exposure to UV light is its most crucial risk factor, and family history of melanoma is also an important risk factor. Melanoma is an aggressive and lethal cancer in humans. There are an estimated new 132,000 melanoma cases annually worldwide, and the trend has doubled in the past 20 years. However, attempts to treat melanoma have encountered considerable resistance and remained ineffective. The …

Unifying Specific Climate Research With A Molar Climate Measure: A Situational Affordances Approach, Alice Brawley

All Theses

Organizational climate - briefly, the shared perceptions of a workplace - was originally studied as a molar concept, but this approach generally lacked focus and thus resulted in unmanageable measures. Organizational climate research has been subdivided into many areas of specific climate research focusing on particular organizational factors or outcomes, such as safety or customer service (Schneider, Ehrhart, & Macey, 2013). While the study of specific climates has been and remains worthwhile, recent literature in the area has called for a return to the molar or global conceptualization of organizational climate (Kuenzi & Schminke, 2009; Schneider et al., 2013). In …

Time Series Decomposition Using Singular Spectrum Analysis, Cheng Deng

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Singular Spectrum Analysis (SSA) is a method for decomposing and forecasting time series that recently has had major developments but it is not yet routinely included in introductory time series courses. An international conference on the topic was held in Beijing in 2012. The basic SSA method decomposes a time series into trend, seasonal component and noise. However there are other more advanced extensions and applications of the method such as change-point detection or the treatment of multivariate time series. The purpose of this work is to understand the basic SSA method through its application to the monthly average sea …

Beetles, Fungi And Trees: A Story For The Ages? Modeling And Projecting The Multipartite Symbiosis Between The Mountain Pine Beetle, Dendroctonus Ponderosae, And Its Fungal Symbionts, Grosmannia Clavigera And Ophiostoma Montium, Audrey L. Addison

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

As data collection and modeling improve, ecologists increasingly discover that interspecies dynamics greatly affect the success of individual species. Models accounting for the dynamics of multiple species are becoming more important. In this work, we explore the relationship between mountain pine beetle (MPB, Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins) and two mutualistic fungi, Grosmannia clavigera and Ophiostoma montium. These species are involved in a multipartite symbiosis, critical to the survival of MPB, in which each species benefits.

Extensive phenological modeling has been done to determine how temperature affects the timing of life events and cold-weather mortality of MPB. The fungi have also …

Computational Topics In Lie Theory And Representation Theory, Thomas J. Apedaile

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The computer algebra system Maple contains a basic set of commands for working with Lie algebras and matrices. The purpose of this thesis was to extend the functionality of these Maple packages in a number of important areas. First, programs for defining multiplication in several different types of algebras were created to allow users to perform a wider variety of calculations. Second, commands were created for calculating some basic properties of matrix representations of semisimple Lie algebras. This allows a user to identify a given matrix representation by a collection of integers which do not change when the basis of …

Physically Based Preconditioning Techniques Applied To The First Order Particle Transport And To Fluid Transport In Porous Media, Michael Rigley

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Solving linear systems is at the heart of many scientific applications from the PreAlgebra's student solving for x and y for basic geometry problems to the computational scientist solving billions of equations with billions of variables for weather forecasting, modeling fusion reactions, or web search algorithms. In this study we look at improving the efficiency of solving large linear systems that result from two applications. The first includes linear systems that result from solving differential equations for the movement of atomic particles in particle emitting, void, and absorbing regions. The second includes solving linear systems that result from solving differential …

Implementation And Application Of The Curds And Whey Algorithm To Regression Problems, John Kidd

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A common statistical problem is trying to predict two or more variables using a set of predictor variables. The simplest model for this situation is called multivariate linear regression. This method uses each set of predictor variables to predict each of the response variables separately. This approach seems counter-intuitive as any possible relationship between the variables being predicted is ignored.

Breiman and Friedman found a way to take advantage of relationships among the response variables to increase the accuracy of the predictions for each of the predicted variables with an algorithm they called Curds and
Whey. It uses other statistical …

A Stochastic Parameter Regression Model For Long Memory Time Series, Rose Marie Ocker

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

In a complex and dynamic world, the assumption that relationships in a system remain constant is not necessarily a well-founded one. Allowing for time-varying parameters in a regression model has become a popular technique, but the best way to estimate the parameters of the time-varying model is still in discussion. These parameters can be autocorrelated with their past for a long time (long memory), but most of the existing models for parameters are of the short memory type, leaving the error process to account for any long memory behavior in the response variable. As an alternative, we propose a long …

Table Games Revenue Management: A Bayesian Approach, Daryl F. Boykin

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

With growing competition for casino floor space, the Table Games department is under increased pressure to improve revenues. Current systems in the department rely upon a supervisor's intuitive knowledge about business trends hourly to respond to business levels. By using Bayesian analysis, it is possible to develop a functional revenue management system for making optimal business decisions in the Table Game Departments.

Statistical Modeling, Exploration, And Visualization Of Snow Water Equivalent Data, James Beguah Odei

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Due to a continual increase in the demand for water as well as an ongoing regional drought, there is an imminent need to monitor and forecast water resources in the Western United States. In particular, water resources in the Intermountain West rely heavily on snow water storage. Thus, the need to improve seasonal forecasts of snowpack and considering new techniques would allow water resources to be more effectively managed throughout the entire water-year. Many available models used in forecasting snow water equivalent (SWE) measurements require delicate calibrations.

In contrast to the physical SWE models most commonly used for forecasting, we …

Assessing The Impact Of Misclassification When Comparing Prevalence Data: A Novel Sensitivity Analysis Approach, Ninet Sinaii, Sean D. Cleary, Pamela Stratton

Epidemiology Faculty Publications

Background: A simple sensitivity analysis technique was developed to assess the impact of misclassification and verify observed prevalence differences between distinct populations.

Methods: The prevalence of self-reported comorbid diseases in 4,331 women with surgically-diagnosed endometriosis was compared to published clinical and population-based prevalence estimates. Disease prevalence misclassification was assessed by assuming over-reporting in the study sample and under-reporting in the general (comparison) population. Over- and under-reporting by 10%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 90% was used to create a 5×5 table for each disease. The new prevalences represented by each table cell were compared by p-values, prevalence odds ratios, and 95% …

The Effect Of Commercial Tests For Aneuploidy Screening Using Cell-Free Fetal Dna On Rates Of Invasive Testing In Clinical Practice, Adetola Louis-Jacques Md, Courtney R. Burans Ms, Cgc, Sarah Robinson, Elizabeth A. Schofield, Joanne Quiñones Md, Msce, John C. Smulian Md, Mph, Meredith Rochon Md

Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology

No abstract provided.

Use Of Commercial Tests For Aneuploidy Screening Using Cell-Free Fetal Dna In Clinical Practice (Poster), Adetola Louis-Jacques Md, Courtney R. Burans Ms, Cgc, Sarah Robinson, Elizabeth A. Schofield, Joanne Quiñones Md, Msce, John C. Smulian Md, Mph, Meredith Rochon Md

Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology

No abstract provided.

Rct Evaluating Safety & Efficacy Of Sodium Hyaluronate/Carboxymethylcellulose At Cesarean Delivery, Daniel G. Kiefer Md, Jolene C. Muscat Md, Jarrett Santorelli Bs, Martin R. Chavez Md, Cande V. Ananth Phd, Mph, John C. Smulian Md, Mph, Anthony M. Vintzileos Md

Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology

No abstract provided.

Does Cervical Ripening Via Intracervical Balloon Placement Increase The Risk Of Chorioamnionitis In Patients With Premature Rupture Of Membranes At Term?, Irena B. Cabrera Md, Joanne Quiñones Md, Msce, Danielle E. Durie Md, Jacob Rust, John C. Smulian Md, Mph, William E. Scorza Md

Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology

No abstract provided.

Amniotic Fluid Index Or Deepest Vertical Pocket?, Joanne Quiñones Md, Msce, R Melody Reynolds Md, Daniel G. Kiefer Md, Meredith Rochon Md, Katie Karabasz-Brown, John C. Smulian Md, Mph

Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology

No abstract provided.

Asset Returns From A Distance-Based Random Partition Model, Richard D. Payne, David B. Dahl, Brian M. Hartman

Journal of Undergraduate Research

When pricing an insurance product, many factors a ect market returns. Policyholder behavior (lapses, mortality, morbidity, etc.), policy riders (guarantees, look-backs, ratchets, etc.), industry and government forces (competition and regulation), among others can all depend on the asset returns and a ect the total risk exposure from the market. In these complicated settings, an analytical solution is often unavailable and the asset returns will need to be simulated. Regime- switching models are important in nance and actuarial science because they are often successful in simulating asset returns. These models t the complicated nature of market risk exposure more e ectively …

Success In Professional Baseball: The Value Of Above Average Position Players, Heath Detweiler

Senior Honors Theses

In professional baseball, efficient spending is the key to success. Because modern player contracts are so costly, front offices must seek out the most valuable players. In addition, to reach the playoffs, teams need offensively above average players at some positions. Together, these facts lead to an interesting question of whether or not defensive position impacts the value of offensively above average players. To answer this question, reliable metrics of offensive ability must be employed and appropriately analyzed.

Through an analysis involving on-base percentage, park-adjusted linear weights, and weighted on-base average over the course of the 2010 through 2013 Major …

Application And Extension Of Weighted Quantile Sum Regression For The Development Of A Clinical Risk Prediction Tool, Ghalib Bello

Theses and Dissertations

In clinical settings, the diagnosis of medical conditions is often aided by measurement of various serum biomarkers through the use of laboratory tests. These biomarkers provide information about different aspects of a patient’s health and the overall function of different organs. In this dissertation, we develop and validate a weighted composite index that aggregates the information from a variety of health biomarkers covering multiple organ systems. The index can be used for predicting all-cause mortality and could also be used as a holistic measure of overall physiological health status. We refer to it as the Health Status Metric (HSM). Validation …

A Study Of The Relationship Between Childhood Body Size And Adult Blood Pressure, Cardiovascular Structure And Function, Yangyang Deng

Theses and Dissertations

BACKGROUND: Little is known of the effects of obesity, body size and body composition, and blood pressure (BP) in childhood on hypertension (HBP) and cardiac structure and function in adulthood due to the lack of long-term serial data on these parameters from childhood into adulthood. In the present study, we are poised to analyze these serial data from the Fels Longitudinal Study (FLS) to evaluate the extent to which body size during childhood determines HBP and cardiac structure and function in the same individuals in adulthood through mathematical modeling. METHODS: The data were from 412 males and 403 females in …

Socioeconomic And Demographic Factors Modify The Association Between Informal Caregiving And Health In The Sandwich Generation, Elizabeth K. Do, Steven A. Cohen, Monique J. Brown Ph.D., Mph

Faculty Publications

Background

Nearly 50 million Americans provide informal care to an older relative or friend. Many are members of the “sandwich generation”, providing care for elderly parents and children simultaneously. Although evidence suggests that the negative health consequences of caregiving are more severe for sandwiched caregivers, little is known about how these associations vary by sociodemographic factors.

Methods

We abstracted data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System to determine how the association between caregiving and health varies by sociodemographic factors, using ordinal logistic regression with interaction terms and stratification by number of children, income, and race/ethnicity.

Results

The association between …

New Pod Error Expressions, Error Bounds, And Asymptotic Results For Reduced Order Model Of Parabolic Pdes, John R. Singler

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Research & Creative Works

The derivations of existing error bounds for reduced order models of time varying partialdi erential equations (PDEs) constructed using proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) haverelied on bounding the error between the POD data and various POD projections of that data.Furthermore, the asymptotic behavior of the model reduction error bounds depends on theasymptotic behavior of the POD data approximation error bounds. We consider time varyingdata taking values in two di erent Hilbert spacesHandV, withVH, and prove exactexpressions for the POD data approximation errors considering four di erent POD projectionsand the two di erent Hilbert space error norms. Furthermore, the exact error expressions …

Nonparametric Identifiability Of Finite Mixture Models With Covariates For Estimating Error Rate Without A Gold Standard, Zheyu Wang, Xiao-Hua Zhou

UW Biostatistics Working Paper Series

Finite mixture models provide a flexible framework to study unobserved entities and have arisen in many statistical applications. The flexibility of these models in adapting various complicated structures makes it crucial to establish model identifiability when applying them in practice to ensure study validity and interpretation. However, researches to establish the identifiability of finite mixture model are limited and are usually restricted to a few specific model configurations. Conditions for model identifiability in the general case have not been established. In this paper, we provide conditions for both local identifiability and global identifiability of a finite mixture model. The former …

A Comparison Of Students’ Perceptions Of Stress In Parallel Problem-Based And Lecture-Based Curricula, Sonia Wardley, Brooks Applegate, Deyab Almaleki, James Van Rhee

Research and Creative Activities Poster Day

Introduction

What is stress? Research asserts that stress is the mental state that results from an inability to cope (Burton 2004)

Why focus on stress?

• Persistent stress can lead to serious psychological problems such as interpersonal difficulties, depression, anxiety, and even suicide (Shapiro 2000)
• Several studies have found up to a third of medical students experience stress-related problems

The importance of this study comes from: A review of the extent literature suggests there is no systematic inquiry of the effects of stress experienced by students in LBL and PBL curricula in PA education

Biological Pathways In Determining Personalized Treatments, Ariana Hedges, Dr. W. Evan Johnson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

At the current state of diagnostic capability, two patients with the same cancer diagnosis may respond very differently to the same treatment. Unfortunately, failure to respond to a particular treatment wastes valuable time and may result in disease progression that may be detrimental for the patient. Therefore, diagnoses finely tuned to individual patients would better guide treatment while eliminating the trial and error that is often part of current medical practice.

Smoking And Tuberculosis In Ukraine, Noel Ellison, Dr. Bruce Collings

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Tuberculosis (TB) is a contagious bacterial infection caused by mycobacterium Tuberculosis. While some people consider TB to be a “dead” disease that was eradicated years ago, it is, in fact, very much alive in the world today. It is estimated that more than two billion people are infected with TB bacilli1; this is approximately one third of the world’s population. There are many factors associated with the development of TB. Previous research links socioeconomic factors as well as HIB-TB co-infection with the TB epidemic. Countries that are poorer and have higher levels of HIV tend to have more cases of …