Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Plumbing The Depths Of The Shallow End: Exploring Persistent Homology Using Small Data, R. Anne Flynn

All NMU Master's Theses

Persistent homology is a prominent tool in topological data analysis. This thesis is designed to be an introduction and guide to a beginner in persistent homology. This comprehensive overview discusses the math used behind it, the code needed to apply it, and its current place in the field. We explain and demonstrate the algebraic topology which fuels persistent homology. Homotopies inspire homology groups, which are able to determine how many holes a shape has. By visualizing data as a shape, persistent homology determines what type of holes are present.

We demonstrate this by using the package TDA in the manipulation …

A Statistical Look Into How Common Soccer Metrics Influence Expected Goal Measures In The Professional Game, Tristan George Rumsey

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

The advent of sports analytics has ignited a fervor across all sporting disciplines, particularly soccer, where clubs are sprinting to harness vast data reserves to elevate team performance, spearhead effective marketing endeavors, and bolster financial gains crucial for club expansion. Much like Billy Beane's transformative "Moneyball" approach, soccer clubs are in pursuit of innovative strategies to transcend financial limitations and achieve triumph. In soccer, where goals are scarce commodities, heightened offensive efficacy becomes imperative. Presently, one metric stands out as pivotal in gauging a team's goal-scoring success: expected goals (xG). This metric quantifies the likelihood of a given shot or …

Domination In Graphs And The Removal Of A Matching, Geoffrey Boyer

All Theses

We consider how the domination number of an undirected graph changes on the removal of a maximal matching. It is straightforward that there are graphs where no matching removal increases the domination number, and where some matching removal doubles the domination number. We show that in a nontrivial tree there is always a matching removal that increases the domination number; and if a graph has domination number at least $2$ there is always a maximal matching removal that does not double the domination number. We show that these results are sharp and discuss related questions.

Strategy-Proof Social Choice Functions On Condorcet Domains., Flannery Marie Musk Wells

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A social choice function is said to be strategy-proof if no voter has any motivation to lie about their true preference. Strategy-proofness is a desirable property of social choice functions so we consider here functions that always satisfy this property. We add to this property the additional desirable conditions of anonymity and neutrality and present domains on which we can get a characterization of majority rule as the only social choice function that satisfies these three properties. Furthermore, we consider what functions look like when we drop the condition of anonymity.

Vectors And Vector Borne Disease: Models For The Spread Of Curly Top Disease And Culex Mosquito Abundance, Rachel M. (Frantz) Georges

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Mathematical models are useful tools in managing infectious disease. When designed appropriately, these models can provide insight into disease incidence patterns and transmission rates. In this work, we present several models that provide information that is useful in monitoring diseases spread by insects.

In the first part of this dissertation, we present two models that predict disease incidence patterns for Curly Top disease (CT) in tomato crops. CT affects a wide variety of plants and is spread through the bite of the Beet Leafhopper. This disease is particularly devastating to tomato crops. When infected, tomato plants present with stunted growth …

Bernstein Polynomials Method For Solving Multi-Order Fractional Neutral Pantograph Equations With Error And Stability Analysis, M. H. T. Alshbool

All Works

In this investigation, we present a new method for addressing fractional neutral pantograph problems, utilizing the Bernstein polynomials method. We obtain solutions for the fractional pantograph equations by employing operational matrices of differentiation, derived from fractional derivatives in the Caputo sense applied to Bernstein polynomials. Error analysis, along with Chebyshev algorithms and interpolation nodes, is employed for solution characterization. Both theoretical and practical stability analyses of the method are provided. Demonstrative examples indicate that our proposed techniques occasionally yield exact solutions. We compare the algorithms using several established analytical methods. Our results reveal that our algorithm, based on Bernstein series …

On The Existence Of Periodic Traveling-Wave Solutions To Certain Systems Of Nonlinear, Dispersive Wave Equations, Jacob Daniels

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

A variety of physical phenomena can be modeled by systems of nonlinear, dispersive wave equations. Such examples include the propagation of a wave through a canal, deep ocean waves with small amplitude and long wavelength, and even the propagation of long-crested waves on the surface of lakes. An important task in the study of water wave equations is to determine whether a solution exists. This thesis aims to determine whether there exists solutions that both travel at a constant speed and are periodic for several systems of water wave equations. The work done in this thesis contributes to the subfields …

A Comprehensive Uncertainty Quantification Methodology For Metrology Calibration And Method Comparison Problems Via Numeric Solutions To Maximum Likelihood Estimation And Parametric Bootstrapping, Aloka B. S. N. Dayarathne

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

In metrology, the science of measurements, straight line calibration models are frequently employed. These models help understand the instrumental response to an analyte, whose chemical constituents are unknown, and predict the analyte’s concentration in a sample. Techniques such as ordinary least squares and generalized least squares are commonly used to fit these calibration curves. However, these methods may yield biased estimates of slope and intercept when the calibrant, substance used to calibrate an analytical procedure with known chemical constituents (x-values), carries uncertainty. To address this, Ripley and Thompson (1987) proposed functional relationship estimation by maximum likelihood (FREML), which considers uncertainties …

Modeling Prices In Limit Order Book Using Univariate Hawkes Point Process, Wenqing Jiang

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents a time-changed geometric Brownian price model with the univariate Hawkes processes to trace the price changes in a limit order book. Limit order books are the core mechanism for trading in modern financial markets, continuously collecting outstanding buy and sell orders from market participants. The arrival of orders causes fluctuations in prices over time. A Hawkes process is a type of point process that exhibits self-exciting behavior, where the occurrence of one event increases the probability of other events happening in the near future. This makes Hawkes processes well-suited for capturing the clustered arrival patterns of orders …

Conditional Constrained And Unconstrained Quantization For A Uniform Distribution On A Hexagon, Christina Hamilton

Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, we have considered a uniform distribution on a regular hexagon and the set of all its six vertices as a conditional set. For the uniform distribution under the conditional set first, for all positive integers n ≥ 6, we obtain the conditional optimal sets of n-points and the nth conditional quantization errors, and then we calculate the conditional quantization dimension and the conditional quantization coefficient in the unconstrained scenario. Then, for the uniform distribution on the hexagon taking the same conditional set, we investigate the conditional constrained optimal sets of n-points and the conditional constrained quantization errors …

Conditional Quantization For Uniform Distributions On Line Segments And Regular Polygons, Tsianna Danielle Dominguez

Theses and Dissertations

Quantization for a Borel probability measure refers to the idea of estimating a given probability by a discrete probability with support containing a finite number of elements. If in the quantization some of the elements in the support are preselected, then the quantization is called a conditional quantization. In this thesis, we have investigated the conditional quantization for the uniform distributions defined on the unit line segments and m-sided regular polygons, where m ≥ 3, inscribed in a unit circle.

A Study Of Quantitative Reasoning Instructors’ Choices And Motivations When Teaching Quantitative Reasoning For The First Time, Trish Ann Harding

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study delves into the instructional decision-making processes of post-secondary instructors teaching quantitative reasoning (QR) courses for the first time. The study aims to address the gap in understanding how first-time QR instructors navigate the complexities of curriculum design and pedagogical strategies, and how these experiences contribute to their professional development. The research questions center on identifying the instructional decisions made by these instructors, exploring the factors influencing their decision-making, and understanding the impact of exercising agency has on their professional development. Through in-depth exploration, this study seeks to shed light on the challenges and opportunities faced by first-time …

How Mathematics Instructors Foster The Development Of Black Students' Mathematics Identity In Undergraduate Active Learning Mathematics Courses, Ashly J. Olusanya

Theses and Dissertations

Black students must overcome unique challenges to succeed in mathematics. Educators are tasked with identifying equitable teaching practices to support these students. Active learning (AL) is a teaching pedagogy that engages students in rigorous mathematical activities and encourages student participation. This research study will explore the professors’ beliefs about how students learn mathematics and why they use active learning in their collegiate mathematics courses. The study explores the connections between these beliefs and their reported use of instructional practices. The study also identifies the instructors’ beliefs about developing students’ mathematics identities, particularly their Black …

A Study On A Vector Complex Modified Korteweg-De Vries Equation, Changyan Shi

Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, we systematically study a vector complex modified Kordeweg-de Vries equation by combining Hirota's bilinear method and the the Kadomtsev–Petviashvili (KP) reduction method. This vector nonlinear equation is a multi-component generalization of the well-known modified Kordeweg-de Vries (mKdV) equation and can be reduced to the known Hirota equation, Sasa-Satsuma (SS) equation, Sasa-Satsuma-mKdV equation as well as coupled Sasa-Satsuma equation. First, we bilinearize the vector complex mKdV equation under both the zero and nonzero boundary conditions by introducing auxiliary tau functions. Then, starting from two sets of bilinear equations of multi-component KP hierarchy and single-component KP-Toda …

Analysis And Construction Of Artificial Neural Networks For The Heat Equations, And Their Associated Parameters, Depths, And Accuracies., Shakil Ahmed Rafi

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation seeks to explore a certain calculus for artificial neural networks. Specifi- cally we will be looking at versions of the heat equation, and exploring strategies on how to approximate them. Our strategy towards the beginning will be to take a technique called Multi-Level Picard (MLP), and present a simplified version of it showing that it converges to a solution of the equation �� ∂ ud�� (t, x) = (∇2xud) (t, x). ∂t We will then take a small detour exploring the viscosity super-solution properties of so- lutions to such equations. It is here that we will first encounter …

Representation Learning For Generative Models With Applications To Healthcare, Astronautics, And Aviation, Van Minh Nguyen

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores applications of representation learning and generative models to challenges in healthcare, astronautics, and aviation.

The first part investigates the use of Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) to synthesize realistic electronic health record (EHR) data. An initial attempt at training a GAN on the MIMIC-IV dataset encountered stability and convergence issues, motivating a deeper study of 1-Lipschitz regularization techniques for Auxiliary Classifier GANs (AC-GANs). An extensive ablation study on the CIFAR-10 dataset found that Spectral Normalization is key for AC-GAN stability and performance, while Weight Clipping fails to converge without Spectral Normalization. Analysis of the training dynamics provided further …

Hilbert Reciprocity Over Number Fields, Dillon Snyder

Honors Scholar Theses

A Hilbert symbol has the value 1 or −1 depending on the existence of solutions to a certain quadratic equation in a local field, R, or C. Hilbert reciprocity states that for a number field F and two nonzero a and b in F, the product of Hilbert symbols associated to a and b at all the places of F is 1. That is, these Hilbert symbols are −1 for a finite, even number of places of F . Hilbert reciprocity when F = Q is equivalent to the classical quadratic reciprocity law, so Hilbert reciprocity in number fields can …

A Post-Quantum Mercurial Signature Scheme, Madison Mabe

All Theses

This paper introduces the first post-quantum mercurial signature scheme. We also discuss how this can be used to construct a credential scheme, as well as some practical applications for the constructions.

Ramanujan Type Congruences For Quotients Of Klein Forms, Timothy Huber, Nathaniel Mayes, Jeffery Opoku, Dongxi Ye

School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

In this work, Ramanujan type congruences modulo powers of primes p≥5 are derived for a general class of products that are modular forms of level p. These products are constructed in terms of Klein forms and subsume generating functions for t-core partitions known to satisfy Ramanujan type congruences for p=5,7,11. The vectors of exponents corresponding to products that are modular forms for Γ1(p) are subsets of bounded polytopes with explicit parameterizations. This allows for the derivation of a complete list of products that are modular forms for Γ1(p) of weights 1≤k≤5 for primes 5≤p≤19 and whose Fourier coefficients …

Local Existence Of Solutions To A Nonlinear Autonomous Pde Model For Population Dynamics With Nonlocal Transport And Competition, Michael R. Lindstrom

School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Highlights

• Partial differential equation models are ubiquitous in applied sciences.

• A partial differential equation based in ecology is studied for solution existence.

• Energy methods and convergence analysis lead to local classical solutions.

Abstract

In this paper, we prove that a particular nondegenerate, nonlinear, autonomous parabolic partial differential equation with nonlocal mass transfer admits the local existence of classical solutions. The equation was developed to qualitatively describe temporal changes in population densities over space through accounting for location desirability and fast, long-range travel. Beginning with sufficiently regular initial conditions, through smoothing the PDE and employing energy arguments, we obtain a sequence …

Analysis Of Nonsmooth Neural Mass Models, Cadi Howell

Honors College

Neural activity in the brain involves a series of action potentials that represent “all or nothing” impulses. This implies the action potential will only “fire” if the mem- brane potential is at or above a specific threshold. The Wilson-Cowan neural mass model [6, 28] is a popular mathematical model in neuroscience that groups excita- tory and inhibitory neural populations and models their communication. Within the model, the on/off behavior of the firing rate is typically modeled by a smooth sigmoid curve. However, a piecewise-linear (PWL) firing rate function has been considered in the Wilson-Cowan model in the literature (e.g., see …

An Investigation Into Problem Solving In The Calculus Iii Classroom, Joseph Godinez

Honors College

The importance of tertiary education has grown to new heights, especially in the United States. A critical component of successful modern professionals remains the ability to employ problem-solving strategies and techniques. This study seeks to investigate initial problem-solving strategies employed by post-secondary students enrolled in Calculus II when presented with problems common to integral calculus. In- person pair-wise interviews were conducted asking six participants to sort integrals into categories based on the technique they would use to solve it. Participant responses were analyzed using a concept image composed of general and topic-specific symbolic forms, related conceptual images and concept definitions, …

Identifying Disease-Related Gene-Environment Interactions Based On Method Of Moments, Linchuan Shen

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Human diseases are often caused by a complex interplay of multiple factors, including genetics and environmental factors. These factors can play critical roles in the development and progression of diseases. Although genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have successfully identified many genetic variants associated with human diseases, the estimated effects of these variants are small and can explain only a relatively small portion of the heritability of the underlying diseases.

Detecting gene-environment interactions (G × E) can shed light on the biological mechanisms of diseases. However, most existing methods that investigate G × E only look at how one environmental …

Standard And Non-Standard Log-Linear Models For 2 × 2 Contingency Tables, G M Toufiqul Hoque

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Log-linear models can be used to model the joint relationship of two or more categorical variables in a multiway contingency table. In a log-linear model, the logarithm of the expected joint counts (or the logarithm of the joint probabilities) in a contingency table can be written as a linear model.

Most log-linear models used in practice are standard. Standard log-linear models include the traditional parameter terms we see in ANOVA models: an overall effect, main effects, and various kinds of interaction terms.

Standard log-linear models are divided into hierarchical and non-hierarchical. Hierarchical models satisfy the hierarchy principle: if a higher-order …

Elasticity Of Orders In Quadratic Rings Of Integers, Jared Kettinger

All Theses

This project explores elasticity in quadratic rings of integers, specifically, those of the form Z[pω] where p is a rational prime which remains prime in Z[w]. For these rings, we establish an upper bound on the elasticity which is attained in many cases. We also prove that this upper bound is an equality in the case when the ring of integers is a unique factorization domain. During this process, we also prove theorems about the class group of quadratic rings of integers and develop a useful method for calculating a constant similar to the Davenport constant.

Error Estimates For A Mixed Finite Element Method For The Maxwell's Transmission Eigenvalue Problem, Chao Wang, Jintao Cui, Jiguang Sun

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 2

In this paper, we analyze a numerical method combining the Ciarlet-Raviart mixed finite element formulation and an iterative algorithm for the Maxwell's transmission eigenvalue problem. The eigenvalue problem is first written as a nonlinear quad-curl eigenvalue problem. Then the real transmission eigenvalues are proved to be the roots of a non-linear function. They are the generalized eigenvalues of a related linear self-adjoint quad-curl eigenvalue problem. These generalized eigenvalues are computed by a mixed finite element method. We derive the error estimates using the spectral approximation of compact operators, the theory of mixed finite element method for quad-curl problems, and the …

Weighted Ehrhart Theory: Extending Stanley's Nonnegativity Theorem, Esme Bajo, Robert Davis, Jesús A. De Loera, Alexey Garber, Sofía Garzón Mora, Katharina Jochemko, Josephine Yu

School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

We generalize R. P. Stanley's celebrated theorem that the h∗-polynomial of the Ehrhart series of a rational polytope has nonnegative coefficients and is monotone under containment of polytopes. We show that these results continue to hold for weighted Ehrhart series where lattice points are counted with polynomial weights, as long as the weights are homogeneous polynomials decomposable as sums of products of linear forms that are nonnegative on the polytope. We also show nonnegativity of the h∗-polynomial as a real-valued function for a larger family of weights.

We generalize R. P. Stanley's celebrated theorem that the h ⁎ -polynomial of …

Art And Math Via Cubic Polynomials, Polynomiography And Modulus Visualization, Bahman Kalantari

LASER Journal

Throughout history, both quadratic and cubic polynomials have been rich sources for the discovery and development of deep mathematical properties, concepts, and algorithms. In this article, we explore both classical and modern findings concerning three key attributes of polynomials: roots, fixed points, and modulus. Not only do these concepts lead to fertile ground for exploring sophisticated mathematics and engaging educational tools, but they also serve as artistic activities. By utilizing innovative practices like polynomiography—visualizations associated with polynomial root finding methods—as well as visualizations based on polynomial modulus properties, we argue that individuals can unlock their creative potential. From crafting captivating …

An Investigation Into The Causes Of Home Field Advantage In Professional Soccer, Paige E. Tomer

Mathematics, Statistics, and Computer Science Honors Projects

Home-field advantage is the sporting phenomenon in which the home team outperforms the away team. Despite its widespread occurrence across sports, the underlying reasons for home-field advantage remain uncertain. In this paper, we employ a range of statistical methods to explore the causal relationships of potential determinants of home-field advantage. We measure home-field advantage using match outcomes and differential metrics (e.g., differences in yellow cards received). In an attempt to narrow the research disparity between men’s and women’s sports, we utilize data from the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) and the English Premier League (EPL) to investigate potential causes of …

A Discussion On Estimation Of The Best Constant For Spherical Restriction Inequalities, Hongyi Liu

Mathematics, Statistics, and Computer Science Honors Projects

The restriction conjecture asks for a meaningful restriction of the Fourier transform of a function to a sufficiently curved lower dimensional manifold. It then conjectures certain size estimates for this restriction in terms of the size of the original function. It has been proven in 2 dimensions, but it is open in dimensions 3 and larger, and is an area of much recent active effort. In our study, instead of aiming to prove the restriction conjecture, we target understanding its worst-case scenarios within known estimates. Specifically, we investigate the extension operator applied to antipodally concentrating profiles, examining the ratio of …