Statistics and Probability Commons^™

Comparison Of Statistical And Machine Learning Genomic Prediction Methods In Plant Breeding: Case Studies In Maize And Soybean, Igor Kuivjogi Fernandes

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Plant breeding is essential to increase genetic gain and food production worldwide. This study was conducted to evaluate new ways to use machine learning (ML) to tackle plant breeding challenges, where two ideas were tested — the first chapter focuses on how to combine genetic and environmental data using ML to improve the prediction of maize grain yield in multi-environment trials, while the second chapter centers on how to couple feature selection of molecular markers with ML to enhance prediction of yield in soybean, and, in both cases, ML approaches were compared to well-established statistical methods greatly adopted by the …

Learning De-Biased Representations For Remote-Sensing Imagery, Zichen Tian, Zhaozheng Chen, Qianru Sun

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Remote sensing (RS) imagery, requiring specialized satellites to collect and being difficult to annotate, suffers from data scarcity and class imbalance in certain spectrums. Due to data scarcity, training any large-scale RS models from scratch is unrealistic, and the alternative is to transfer pre-trained models by fine-tuning or a more data-efficient method LoRA. Due to class imbalance, transferred models exhibit strong bias, where features of the major class dominate over those of the minor class. In this paper, we propose debLoRA---a generic training approach that works with any LoRA variants to yield debiased features. It is an unsupervised learning approach …

Policies And Price Controls On The Research And Development Of Orphan Drugs In The United States And The European Union, Bena Pearl Filipczak Smith

Master's Theses

There is substantive literature surrounding the impact of price controls on the research and development (R&D) of new pharmaceutical products. The European Union (EU) and United States (US) are often studied in contrast to examine the influence of price controls as the US has fewer pharmaceutical price controls than the EU.

We find moderate evidence that the US spent more on annual domestic pharmaceutical R&D than the EU between 2004 and 2021, on average, before and after adjusting for GDP growth per capita and year. We find strong evidence that the US increased annual domestic R&D spending at a faster …

Using Neighborhood Information To Improve Fiber Direction Estimation From Neuroimaging Data, Anjan Mandal

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Accurately estimating neuronal fiber directions is crucial in neuroimaging analysis. The Ball-and-Stick Model (BSM), introduced by Behrens et al. (2003), and widely used in software tools like FSL, remains one of the most popular models for this purpose. BSM analyzes each voxel individually, based solely on its signal information.In this dissertation, we propose modifications to BSM, that incorporate signal information from neighboring voxels in the estimation process, potentially improving the accuracy of the estimates. Additionally, within the estimation process, we introduce two novel proposal distributions to enhance the efficiency of the Markov chain Monte Carlo sampling procedure on the simplex …

Decoding Neural Networks: An Information-Theoretic Guide To Interpretability, Error Analysis And Efficiency, Mackenzie J. Meni

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation addresses critical challenges in neural network design by leveraging entropy-based techniques to improve model efficiency, interpretability, and bias reduction. Focusing on the unique demands of computer vision applications, particularly object detection and classification for real-time systems, this work introduces a series of innovative methods centered on information theory. At the core of these methods is the Probabilistic Explanations of Entropic Knowledge (PEEK) framework, a tool developed to analyze and visualize entropy distributions across feature maps. PEEK offers insights into information flow within neural networks, making it possible to pinpoint layers that contribute meaningfully to decision-making or identify those …

Impact Of Snow Accumulation On Structural Integrity: Present And Future Perspectives, Kenneth K. Pomeyie

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

In the United States, accommodating the weight of accumulated snow on buildings is a crucial consideration in building design. Engineers are tasked with determining the design snow load, which is defined as the weight of accumulated snow that a structure should withstand to limit the risk of building collapse to an acceptably low level. Typically, this process involves analyzing historical data of the annual maximum snow accumulations for each snow season. However, accurately assessing these design snow loads entails navigating through a series of statistical challenges. This dissertation, composed of three papers, is dedicated to addressing these statistical hurdles in …

Early Detection Of Risk Factor For Suicidal Ideation Among Senior High School Students In Jakarta: Updated Measurement, Nova R. Yusuf, Sabarinah Prasetyo, Byron J. Good

Kesmas

The key strategy to address suicide in adolescents is school-based suicidal prevention by adapting a screening instrument to the local culture and policymakers’ perception of suicide. This study aimed to develop an instrument for the early detection of risk for suicidal ideation and identify influential risk factors for suicidal ideation among high school students in Jakarta, Indonesia. This study was conducted in 2018 with a mixed-method design (quantitative and qualitative approaches). It was found that 5% of students had suicidal ideation in July–November 2018, and 13.8% had a high-risk factor for suicidal ideation. The instrument developed in this study consisted …

Telemedicine Adoption In Developing Economies: A Systematic Review On The Enablers And Barriers, Zaidbren Macabato, Lemuel Clark Velasco, Art Brian Escabarte, Mae-Lanie Ong Poblete, Armando Isla Jr., Rentor Cafino, Sarah Lizette Aquino-Cafino, Frevy Teofilo-Orencia

Kesmas

Telemedicine’s adoption has been effective in certain contexts despite being controversial in certain settings because of its tendency to cause misdiagnosis and concerns about data privacy. This study aimed to synthesize the research findings on the factors leading to the adoption of telemedicine among developing economies. The study utilized Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis methodology to analyze 27 related literature and the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology to map out the factors considered enablers and barriers in adopting telemedicine. Results showed that performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, and facilitating conditions were significant predictors. …

Spatial Pattern And Differential Expression Analysis With Spatial Transcriptomic Data, Fei Qin, Xizhi Luo, Bo Cai Ph.D., Feifei Xiao, Guoshuai Cai

Faculty Publications

The emergence of spatial transcriptomic technologies has opened new avenues for investigating gene activities while preserving the spatial context of tissues. Utilizing data generated by such technologies, the identification of spatially variable (SV) genes is an essential step in exploring tissue landscapes and biological processes. Particularly in typical experimental designs, such as case-control or longitudinal studies, identifying SV genes between groups is crucial for discovering significant biomarkers or developing targeted therapies for diseases. However, current methods available for analyzing spatial transcriptomic data are still in their infancy, and none of the existing methods are capable of identifying SV genes between …

Pediatric Renal Cell Carcinoma (Prcc) Subpopulation Environmental Differentials In Survival Disadvantage Of Black/African American Children In The United States: Large-Cohort Evidence, Laurens Holmes, Phatismo Masire, Arieanna Eaton, Robert Mason, Mackenzie Holmes, Justin William, Maura Poleon, Michael Enwere

College of Population Health Faculty Papers

OBJECTIVE: Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is a rare but severe and aggressive pediatric malignancy. While incidence is uncommon, survival is relatively low with respect to acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), AML, lymphoma, ependymoma, glioblastoma, and Wilms Tumor. The pediatric renal cell carcinoma (pRCC) incidence, cumulative incidence (period prevalence), and mortality vary by health disparities' indicators, namely sex, race, ethnicity, age at tumor diagnosis, and social determinants of health (SDHs) as well as Epigenomic Determinants of Health (EDHs). However, studies are unavailable on some pRCC risk determinants, such as area of residence and socio-economic status (SES). The current study aimed at assessing …

Evaluating Trauma-Informed Design In A Mental Health Setting: A Community-Based Research Case Study, Marie Spence

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This case study utilized a community-based research framework to explore how the Trauma-Informed Design framework can be implemented in a mental health setting. This study focused on the site of Empower Therapy Practice, a private mental health practice in the Denver Metro Area, to engage clients and staff to participate in advisory boards and inform the interior design of a new office space. To explore the application of Trauma-Informed Design, participants engaged in a variety of research activities, including an evaluative questionnaire, Photovoice, and focus group. Advisory board members identified various aspects of Trauma-Informed Design which meaningfully translate to therapeutic …

Financialization And Price Volatility: An Empirical Analysis On Speculation In The Oil Market, Audry F. Oliveira Carnivale

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Financialization has facilitated the trade of futures contracts because of deregulatory policies increasing speculation. Speculation has created a more fragile market inducing riskier investments and aggravating price volatility. Three post-Keynesian theories, the financial instability hypothesis, money manager capitalism and markup, explain how policy altering the banking structure has developed financialization from lax regulation. Previous research has emphasized supply and demand as the main determinants of oil price changes, but it’s important to consider how structural changes from policy stimulating a more financialized economy has impacted volatility. With Brent Crude oil price data and West Texas Intermediate (WTI) open interest and …

Status Quo Of Large-Scale Models, Risks And Challenges, And Recommended Countermeasures, Le Cheng, Yang Xiao

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Large-scale models (large models) are not only central to technological innovation, but also deeply entwined with national security, economic transformation, and social governance. This study examines the status quo of large-model development, identifies the key risks and challenges, and proposes response strategies, aiming to provide theoretical and policy insights for China’s navigations in global artificial intelligence (AI) competition and advances technological innovation. The research indicates that competition in the large-model market is fierce, while the industry is gradually consolidating. Competition in large models between China and the United States has escalated into a form of geopolitical contest. From a technical …

Disparities In The Prevalence Of Hospitalizations And In-Hospital Mortality Due To Acute Myocardial Infarction Among Patients With Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: A Nationwide Retrospective Study, Umar Hayat, Faisal Kamal, Muhammad Kamal, Wasique Mirza, Tariq Ahmad, Manesh Gangwani, Dushyant Dahiya, Hassam Ali, Shiva Naidoo, Sara Humayun, Hayrettin Okut, Muhammad Aziz

Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Faculty Papers

Background: Non-alcoholic liver disease (NAFLD) may be associated with cardiovascular diseases; however, only a few studies have analyzed this relationship. We aimed to assess the epidemiologic data and the association between NAFLD and acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in the United States. Methods: The National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database 2016-2019 was queried using ICD10-CM diagnostic codes to identify hospitalizations of AMI + NAFLD. Essential demographic variables were analyzed to determine the disparities in the prevalence of AMI hospitalizations and deaths among NAFLD patients. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models determined the association between NAFLD and AMI hospitalizations and death. …

Third Ward Casper 2023 Final Report, Zuri Dale, Vishnu Nepal, Debra Maxwell, Ashlee Young

COVID Research

The 2023 Third Ward CASPER Final Report conducted by Texas Southern University (TSU) and the Houston Health Department assessed public health conditions in Houston's Third Ward community. The initiative utilized the Community Assessment for Public Health Emergency Response (CASPER) methodology to gather household-based data, informing public health decisions, emergency responses, and future resource allocation.

Objective and Key Findings: The mission aimed to assess health needs, promote health resources, and build community relationships. Notable findings include that over 36% of households reported hypertension, while 19% experienced poor mental health. Access barriers to healthcare persisted, particularly due to lack of insurance. Nearly …

Early Ctdna Kinetics As A Dynamic Biomarker Of Cancer Treatment Response, Aaron Li, Emil Lou, Kevin Leder, Jasmine Foo

Annual Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology Education and Research

No abstract provided.

Poverty And Its Geospatial Association With Access To Hiv Treatment In Malawi, Zvifadzo Matsena Zingoni, Justin Okano, Joan Ponce, Luckson Dullie, Sally Blower

Annual Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology Education and Research

No abstract provided.

Kreig: Quantifying The Relationship Between Sars-Cov-2 Viral Load And Infectiousness, Aurelien Marc

Annual Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology Education and Research

No abstract provided.

Simulating Interventions To Improve Reproducibility In Scientific Publications, Ben G. Fitzpatrick

Annual Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology Education and Research

No abstract provided.

Modelling Saccharomyces Cerevisiae For The Production Of Fermented Beverages, Paul A. Valle Dr., Yolocuauhtli Salazar Dr., Luis N. Coria Dr., Oscar N. Soto Dr., Jesus B. Paez Dr.

Annual Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology Education and Research

No abstract provided.