Mathematics Commons^™

On The Fundamental Group Of Plane Curve Complements, Mitchell Scofield

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Given a polynomial f(x,y) monic in y of degree d, we study the complement ℂ²-C, where C is the curve defined by the equation f(x,y)=0. The Zariski-Van Kampen theorem gives a presentation of the fundamental group of the complement ℂ²-C. Let NT be be the set of complex numbers x for which f(x,y) has multiple roots (as a polynomial in y). Let : ℂ − NT → ℂ^d − Δ be the map that …

Numerical Analysis And Fluid Flow Modeling Of Incompressible Navier-Stokes Equations, Tahj Hill

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The Navier-Stokes equations (NSE) are an essential set of partial differential equations for governing the motion of fluids. In this paper, we will study the NSE for an incompressible flow, one which density ρ = ρ0 is constant.

First, we will present the derivation of the NSE and discuss solutions and boundary conditions for the equations. We will then discuss the Reynolds number, a dimensionless number that is important in the observations of fluid flow patterns. We will study the NSE at various Reynolds numbers, and use the Reynolds number to write the NSE in a nondimensional form.

We will …

A Monolithic Arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian Finite Element Method For An Unsteady Stokes/Parabolic Interface Problem, Ian Kesler

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

In this thesis, a non-conservative arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian (ALE) method is developed

and analyzed for a type of linearized Fluid-Structure Interaction (FSI) problem in a

time dependent domain with a moving interface - an unsteady Stokes/parabolic interface

problem with jump coefficients. The corresponding mixed finite element approximation is

analyzed for both semi- and full discretization based upon the so-called non-conservative

ALE scheme. The stability and optimal convergence properties in the energy norm are

obtained for both schemes.

Exotic Phenomena In Dimension Four, Hannah R. Schwartz

Bryn Mawr College Dissertations and Theses

This thesis is a comparison of the smooth and topological categories in dimension 4. We first discuss lists of homeomorphic 4-manifolds with non-equivalent “exotic” smooth structures, and show that any finite list of smooth, closed, simply-connected 4-manifolds that are homeomorphic to a given one X can be obtained by removing a single compact contractible submanifold (or cork) from X, and then regluing it by powers of a boundary diffeomorphism. Furthermore, by allowing the cork to be noncompact, the collection of all the smooth manifolds homeomorphic to X can be obtained in this way. The existence of a universal noncompact cork …

Unbounded Derivations Of C*-Algebras And The Heisenberg Commutation Relation, Lara M. Ismert

Department of Mathematics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This dissertation investigates the properties of unbounded derivations on C*-algebras, namely the density of their analytic vectors and a property we refer to as "kernel stabilization." We focus on a weakly-defined derivation δ_D which formalizes commutators involving unbounded self-adjoint operators on a Hilbert space. These commutators naturally arise in quantum mechanics, as we briefly describe in the introduction.

A first application of kernel stabilization for δ_D shows that a large class of abstract derivations on unbounded C*-algebras, defined by O. Bratteli and D. Robinson, also have kernel stabilization. A second application of kernel stabilization provides a sufficient condition …

Admissibility Of C*-Covers And Crossed Products Of Operator Algebras, Mitchell A. Hamidi

Department of Mathematics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

In 2015, E. Katsoulis and C. Ramsey introduced the construction of a non-self-adjoint crossed product that encodes the action of a group of automorphisms on an operator algebra. They did so by realizing a non-self-adjoint crossed product as the subalgebra of a C*-crossed product when dynamics of a group acting on an operator algebra by completely isometric automorphisms can be extended to self-adjoint dynamics of the group acting on a C*-algebra by ∗-automorphisms. We show that this extension of dynamics is highly dependent on the representation of the given algebra and we define a lattice structure for an operator algebra's …

Contributions To Mcmc Methods In Constrained Domains With Applications To Neuroimaging, Sharang Chaudhry

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods form a rich class of computational techniques that help its user ascertain samples from target distributions when direct sampling is not possible or when their closed forms are intractable. Over the years, MCMC methods have been used in innumerable situations due to their flexibility and generalizability, even in situations involving nonlinear and/or highly parametrized models. In this dissertation, two major works relating to MCMC methods are presented.

The first involves the development of a method to identify the number and directions of nerve fibers using diffusion-weighted MRI measurements. For this, the biological problem is …

Two-Stage Mixed Integer Stochastic Programming And Its Application To Bond Portfolio Optimization, Nasser Aedh Alreshidi

Theses and Dissertations

We consider a two-stage stochastic bond portfolio optimization problem, where an investor aims to optimize the cost of bond portfolio under different scenarios while ensuring predefined liabilities during a given planning horizon. The investor needs to optimally decide whether to buy, hold, or sell bonds based upon present market conditions under different scenarios and varying assumptions, where the scenarios are determined based on interest rates and buying prices of the bonds. Three stochastic integer programming models are proposed and applied to real-data from Saudi Sukuk (Bond) Market. The case-study results demonstrate the varying optimal decisions made to manage bond portfolio …

Multi-Class Logical Analysis Of Data With Relaxed Patterns And Its Extension To Survival Analysis, Travaughn Coren Bain

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation builds on a previously successful optimization based linear program multi-class classification method, called Logical Analysis of Data (LAD), and improves its generalization capability by introducing relaxed constraint modifications and then further extends and applies it to Survival Analysis. First, we propose the relaxed modifications onto the constraints of the mixed integer linear program (MILP) in the pattern generation phase of LAD. Our modifications are aimed at minimizing the degree of over-fitting to noise, allowing for added flexibility to widen the solution space in hopes to discover more robust classification rules. The proposed method introduces relaxed homogeneity and minimum …

Existence And Classification Of Solutions To Nonlinear Elliptic Equations, Haseeb E. Ansari

Theses and Dissertations

The so-called Lane-Emden equation is a model in astrophysics, useful to problems in analysis and conformal geometry, and is closely related to the Yamabe Problem and the Uniformization Theorem. We discuss several important results for the equation, which include proving that the equation admits a distribution solution if and only if p is greater than the Serrin exponent, that classical solutions admit the form of a "bubble function" if p is equal to the Sobolev exponent, and no classical solutions exist for p less than the Sobolev exponent. A new proof of an extended result is also included.

Pm2.5 Data Reliability And Air Quality Improvement Trends In Beijing, Huimin Li

Theses and Dissertations

PM2.5 has been a main environmental concern due to its adverse effects on human health and society. We used data from two sources: monitoring station of the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, and several nearby monitoring stations of the Chinese Ministry of Environmental Protection. This study includes investigating (1) PM2.5 historical data reliability, (2) PM2.5 real-time data reliability, and (3) air quality improvement trends in Beijing over the past decade. We used graphical methods, descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and inferential analyses including paired samples t-test, ANOVA, and Kruskal-Wallis test. We reported effect sizes to aid study on practical significance. Inferential procedures' …

Generalizations Of The Arcsine Distribution, Rebecca Rasnick

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The arcsine distribution looks at the fraction of time one player is winning in a fair coin toss game and has been studied for over a hundred years. There has been little further work on how the distribution changes when the coin tosses are not fair or when a player has already won the initial coin tosses or, equivalently, starts with a lead. This thesis will first cover a proof of the arcsine distribution. Then, we explore how the distribution changes when the coin the is unfair. Finally, we will explore the distribution when one person has won the first …

Taking Notes: Generating Twelve-Tone Music With Mathematics, Nathan Molder

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There has often been a connection between music and mathematics. The world of musical composition is full of combinations of orderings of different musical notes, each of which has different sound quality, length, and em phasis. One of the more intricate composition styles is twelve-tone music, where twelve unique notes (up to octave isomorphism) must be used before they can be repeated. In this thesis, we aim to show multiple ways in which mathematics can be used directly to compose twelve-tone musical scores.

Computable Reducibility Of Equivalence Relations, Marcello Gianni Krakoff

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Computable reducibility of equivalence relations is a tool to compare the complexity of equivalence relations on natural numbers. Its use is important to those doing Borel equivalence relation theory, computability theory, and computable structure theory. In this thesis, we compare many naturally occurring equivalence relations with respect to computable reducibility. We will then define a jump operator on equivalence relations and study proprieties of this operation and its iteration. We will then apply this new jump operation by studying its effect on the isomorphism relations of well-founded computable trees.

Formally Verifying Peano Arithmetic, Morgan Sinclaire

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

This work is concerned with implementing Gentzen’s consistency proof in the Coq theorem prover.

In Chapter 1, we summarize the basic philosophical, historical, and mathematical background behind this theorem. This includes the philosophical motivation for attempting to prove the consistency of Peano arithmetic, which traces itself from the first attempted axiomatizations of mathematics to the maturation of Hilbert’s program. We introduce many of the basic concepts in mathematical logic along the way: first-order logic (FOL), Peano arithmetic (PA), primitive recursive arithmetic (PRA), Gödel's 2nd Incompleteness theorem, and the ordinals below ε₀.

In …

Weighted Aggregation Methods For Linear And Nonlinear Cluster Analysis With Applications To Cancer Research, Meshal Shutaywi

Theses and Dissertations

Due to advancements in data acquisition, large amount of data are collected on a daily basis. Analysis of the collected data is an important task to discover the patterns, extract the features, and make informed decisions. A vital step in data analysis is dividing the subjects (elements, individuals) in different groups based on their similarities. One way to group the subjects is clustering. Clustering methods can be divided into two categories, linear and non-linear. K-means is a commonly used linear clustering method, while Kernel K-means is a non-linear technique. Kernel K-means projects the elements to a new space using a …

Ensemble Correlation Coefficient For Variable Association Detection, Wejdan Deebani

Theses and Dissertations

Subjects in a population are represented by their characteristics, and the characteristics are represented by variables. Identifying the relationship between these variables is essential for prediction, hypothesis testing, and decision making. The relation between two variables is often quantified using a correlation factor. Once correlations between response and independent variables are known, they can be used to make predictions regarding response variables. That is, if two variables are correlated, by observing one, we can make predictions about the other one. A more accurate prediction can be made where there is a strong relationship between variables. Several correlation factors have been …

Understanding The Impact Of Peer-Led Workshops On Student Learning, Afolabi Ibitoye, Nadia Kennedy, Armando Cosme

Publications and Research

As students we often wonder why some subjects are easy to understand and requires not much effort in terms of re-reading the material, for us to grasp what it entails. One subject seems to remain elusive and uneasy for a vast majority of learners at all levels of education; that subject is Mathematics, it is one subject that most learners finds difficult even after doubling the amount of time spent on studying the material. My intention is to explore ways to make Mathematics easier for other students using feedback from students enrolled in NSF mathematics peer leading workshops, and use …

Perfect Double Roman Domination Of Trees, Ayotunde Egunjobi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

See supplemental content for abstract

Methods For Meta–Analyses Of Rare Events, Sparse Data, And Heterogeneity, Brinley Zabriskie

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The vast and complex wealth of information available to researchers often leads to a systematic review, which involves a detailed and comprehensive plan and search strategy with the goal of identifying, appraising, and synthesizing all relevant studies on a particular topic. A meta–analysis, conducted ideally as part of a comprehensive systematic review, statistically synthesizes evidence from multiple independent studies to produce one overall conclusion. The increasingly widespread use of meta–analysis has led to growing interest in meta–analytic methods for rare events and sparse data. Conventional approaches tend to perform very poorly in such settings. Recent work in this area has …