Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

In Fuzzy Decision Making, General Fuzzy Sets Can Be Replaced By Fuzzy Numbers, Christian Servin, Olga Kosheleva, Vladik Kreinovich

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

In many real decision situations, for each of the alternatives, we only have fuzzy information about the consequences of each action. This fuzzy information can be described by a fuzzy number, i.e., by a membership function with a single local maximum, or it can be described by a more complex fuzzy set, with several local maxima. We show that, from the viewpoint of decision making, it is sufficient to consider only fuzzy numbers. To be more precise, the decisions will be the same if we replace each original fuzzy set with the smallest fuzzy number of all fuzzy numbers of …

(Hypothetical) Negative Probabilities Can Speed Up Uncertainty Propagation Algorithms, Andrzej Pownuk, Vladik Kreinovich

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

One of the main features of quantum physics is that, as basic objects describing uncertainty, instead of (non-negative) probabilities and probability density functions, we have complex-valued probability amplitudes and wave functions. In particular, in quantum computing, negative amplitudes are actively used. In the current quantum theories, the actual probabilities are always non-negative. However, there have been some speculations about the possibility of actually negative probabilities. In this paper, we show that such hypothetical negative probabilities can lead to a drastic speed up of uncertainty propagation algorithms.

Plans Are Worthless But Planning Is Everything: A Theoretical Explanation Of Eisenhower's Observation, Angel F. Garcia Contreras, Martine Ceberio, Vladik Kreinovich

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

The 1953-1961 US President Dwight D. Eisenhower emphasized that his experience as the Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Forces in Europe during the Second World War taught him that "plans are worthless, but planning is everything". This sound contradictory: if plans are worthless, why bother with planning at all? In this paper, we show that Eisenhower's observation has a meaning: while directly following the original plan in constantly changing circumstances is often not a good idea, the existence of a pre-computed original plan enables us to produce an almost-optimal strategy -- a strategy that would have been computationally difficult …

Experimentally Observed Dark Matter Confinement Clarifies A Discrepancy In Estimating The Universe's Expansion Speed, Olga Kosheleva, Vladik Kreinovich

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

It is well known the our Universe is expanding. In principle, we can estimate the expansion speed either directly, by observing the current state of the Universe, or indirectly, by analyzing the cosmic background radiation. Surprisingly, these two estimates lead to somewhat different expansion speeds. This discrepancy is a important challenge for cosmologists. Another challenge comes from recent experiments that show that, contrary to the original idea that dark matter and regular (baryonic) matter practically do not interact, dark matter actually "shadows" the normal matter.

In this paper, we show that this "dark matter confinement" can explain the discrepancy between …

Why Mixture Of Probability Distributions, Andrzej Pownuk, Vladik Kreinovich

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

If we have two random variables ξ₁ and ξ₁, then we can form their mixture if we take ξ₁ with some probability w and ξ₂ with the remaining probability 1 − w. The probability density function (pdf) ρ(x) of the mixture is a convex combination of the pdfs of the original variables: ρ(x) = w * ρ₁(x) +( 1 − w) * ρ₂(x). A natural question is: can we use other functions f(ρ₁, ρ₂) to combine the pdfs, i.e., to produce a new pdf ρ(x) =f(ρ_{1 …}

Fuzzy Systems Are Universal Approximators For Random Dependencies: A Simplified Proof, Mahdokhat Afravi, Vladik Kreinovich

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

In many real-life situations, we do not know the actual dependence y = f(x₁, ..., x_n) between the physical quantities x_i and y, we only know expert rules describing this dependence. These rules are often described by using imprecise ("fuzzy") words from natural language. Fuzzy techniques have been invented with the purpose to translate these rules into a precise dependence y = f(x₁, ..., x_n). For deterministic dependencies y = f(x₁, ..., x_n), there are universal approximation results according to which for each continuous function on a …

A Consultation System For Cold - Heat Diagnosis According To Vietnamese Traditional Medicine Combining Positive And Negative Knowledge, Tran Thi Hue, Nguyen Hoang Phuong, Vladik Kreinovich

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

The aim of the paper is to show that in practice, the Cold - Heat diagnosis of Vietnamese Traditional Medicine is better to combining positive and negative knowledge. Based on text book and experiences of Traditional medicine practitioner we build the knowledge base combining positive knowledge and negative knowledge for Cold - Heat diagnosis. Then we use the FuzzRESS - A Fuzzy Rule-based Expert System Shell for Medical Consultation combining Positive and Negative Knowledge to such called A consultation system for Cold - Heat diagnosis according to Vietnamese Traditional medicine combining positive and negative knowledge. Finally, the developed system is …

Why Unexpectedly Positive Experiences Make Decision Makers More Optimistic: An Explanation, Andrzej Pownuk, Vladik Kreinovich

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

Experiments show that unexpectedly positive experiences make decision makers more optimistic. However, there seems to be no convincing explanation for this experimental fact. In this paper, we show that this experimental phenomenon can be naturally explained within the traditional utility-based decision theory.

Why Decimal System And Binary System Are The Most Widely Used: A Possible Explanation, Gerardo Muela

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

What is so special about numbers 10 and 2 that decimal and binary systems are the most widely used? One interesting fact about 10 is that when we start with a unit interval and we want to construct an interval of half width, then this width is exactly 5/10; when we want to find a square of half area, its sides are almost exactly 7/10, and when we want to construct a cube of half volume its sides are almost exactly 8/10. In this paper, we show that 2, 4, and 10 are the only numbers with this property -- …

Probabilistic And More General Uncertainty-Based (E.G., Fuzzy) Approaches To Crisp Clustering Explain The Empirical Success Of The K-Sets Algorithm, Vladik Kreinovich, Olga Kosheleva, Shahnaz Shahbazova, Songsak Sriboonchitta

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

Recently, a new empirically successful algorithm was proposed for crisp clustering: the K-sets algorithm. In this paper, we show that a natural uncertainty-based formalization of what is clustering automatically leads to the mathematical ideas and definitions behind this algorithm. Thus, we provide an explanation for this algorithm's empirical success.

Beyond Traditional Applications Of Fuzzy Techniques: Main Idea And Case Studies, Vladik Kreinovich, Olga Kosheleva, Thongchai Dumrongpokaphan

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

Fuzzy logic techniques were originally designed to translate expert knowledge -- which is often formulated by using imprecise ("fuzzy") from natural language (like "small") -- into precise computer-understandable models and control strategies. Such a translation is still the main use of fuzzy techniques. Lately, it turned out that fuzzy methods can help in another class of applied problems: namely, in situations when there are semi-heuristic techniques for solving the corresponding problems, i.e., techniques for which there is no convincing theoretical justification. Because of the lack of a theoretical justification, users are reluctant to use these techniques, since their previous empirical …

Estimating The Coefficients Of A Linear Differential Operator, Maria Ivette Barraza

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Principal Differential Analysis (PDA; Ramsay, 1996) is used to obtain low dimensional representations of functional data, where each observation is represented as a curve. PDA seeks to identify a Linear Differential Operator (LDO) L = ω0I + ω 1D + ... + ωmDm, where I denotes the identity function and D j the jth derivative, that satisfies as closely as possible that Lx = 0 for each functional observation x. A theorem from analysis establishes that the coefficients of the LDO are in the Sobolev space, and thus can be approximated by B-splines. Current PDA software used to estimate the …

Quantifying The Characteristic Length Of A Combustor For An Ionic Liquid Monopropellant Thruster, Kimberly Marie Hogge

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Ionic liquid monopropellants are currently being researched as a promising alternative to hydrazine in propulsion systems. This report presents a flame study that delineates the flame length of the expected decomposition products from an ionic liquid monopropellant. Through these studies, the characteristic length of a combustion chamber will be defined through calculations and empirical correlations. There is limited information on designing a propulsion system for an ionic liquid monopropellant. Therefore, defining the magnitude for an effective characteristic length serves as beneficial in designing a propulsion system for an ionic liquid monopropellant thruster.

Evaluation Of A Roller Method For Geochemical Leach Testing, Troy Allen Svede

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Currently, multiple tests are being used when evaluating an MSE wall backfill material for pH, conductivity, chloride concentration, and sulfate concentration. There is no one test to measure all four characteristics when testing a soil. Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) uses four different tests to measure these characteristics. The goal of this research was to refine a simplified test procedure that was created by David Borrok et al., the Tex-620-M. The method that was developed to replace the current TxDOT test procedures Tex-620-J, Tex-128-E, and Tex-145-E test procedures is the Tex-620-M2. Leaching kinetics were analyzed for gravel and fines by …

Active Learning Effect On The Public's Perception Of Anthropogenic Global Climate Change, Ivy Gisselle Trevizo

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Anthropogenic, or human-caused global climate change has been debated for many years among the public despite the growing evidence that there is scientific consensus on this topic. A gap has been discovered between scientific evidence of increasing temperatures and the public's perception on climate change. This gap has been hypothesized to come from the method in which the scientific community represents scientific evidence. The goal of this study was to determine if active learning techniques around local and regional climate change and climate change impacts changes the awareness, perception, and behavioral intentions of different segments of the public. The study …

Renewable Energy Systems Optimization Using Monte Carlo Simulation And Evolutionary Algorithms, Nicolas Lopez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This Dissertation explores the Renewable Energy Integration Problem, and proposes a Genetic Algorithm embedded with a Monte Carlo simulation to solve large instances of the problem that are impractical to solve via full enumeration. The Renewable Energy Integration Problem is defined as finding the optimum set of components to supply the electric demand to a hybrid

microgrid. The components considered are solar panels, wind turbines, diesel generators, electric batteries, connections to the power grid and converters, which can be inverters and/or rectifiers. The methodology developed is explained as well as the combinatorial formulation. In addition, 2 case studies of a …

Ac Susceptibility And Epr Investigations Of Superspin Dynamics In Manganese Oxide Nanoparticles, Mahesh Koirala

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

We have investigated the superspin dynamics of 5 nm and 10 nm mixed state Mn3O4 nanoparticles utilizing ac-susceptibility and electron paramagnetic resonance measurements. The out of phase component of the ac-susceptibility measurements show a magnetic anomaly below (T

A New Method For Ultra-Low Sulfate Extraction And A Pilot Study In Arid Soils, Marisela Montelongo

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Sulfur in soils is a crucial nutrient for all organisms including plants. Sulfate (SO42-), a water soluable anion, is a good source of this important element. Because of the importance of sulfur for agriculture, the use of sulfate has been well studied in temperate climate zones, and it is generally accepted that microbes play a critical role in controlling the availability of sulfate. Organically bound sulfur, such as sulfate esters and carbon-bonded sulfur, compounds that are generated and decomposed by microbes, are essential sulfur sources for plants under these conditions. For arid environments, knowledge of sulfate turnover in soils by …

Exposure Of Commercial Titanium Dioxide And Copper Hydroxide Nanomaterials On Basil (Ocimum Basilicum): A Life Cycle And Transgenerational Study, Wenjuan Tan

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Although thousands of reports have shown that engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) can alter several agronomical, physiological, and biochemical parameters in plant and mammal systems, the effects of long-term exposure and varietal responses are scarce. Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (nano-TiO2) and copper hydroxide nanoparticles [nano-Cu(OH)2], which are widely used in agriculture, medicine, food industry, textile, among other areas, are among the ENMs with high production and consumption globally. Though reports indicate that these ENMs affected plant development and metabolism, their interactions with basil (Ocimum basilicum) are unknown. Basil is a popular culinary herb worldwide, featured in Asian and European cuisine and has more …

Essays On Sofwtare Development Projects: Impact Of Social And Technological Factors On Project Performance And Co-Diffusion Of Software Sourcing Arrangements, Niharika Dayyala

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Software development is a complicated process which is accomplished by the combined effort of the key elements such as people, processes, and technology. Software development firms are on a constant quest to identify the best practices for managing the key elements to improve their software development project outcomes and to deliver successful software projects. This Dissertation aims to study key elements that can influence the software development project performance through three distinctive studies. The first essay of this Dissertation investigates the impact of people factors on software project outcomes. Specifically, it examines the impact of team characteristics on the software …

Neutrino Oscillations And The Reno Experiment, Karla Rosita Tellez Giron Flores

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Neutrinos are the second most common particles in the universe, after the photons. Neutrinos (and antineutrinos) exist in three different "flavors", namely, electron, tau and muon neutrinos. A physical neutrino, however, can oscillate among these three flavors and, thus, it is said to be a mix of the three flavor states. In quantum mechanics representation, it is said that the three flavor states are the mixture of the three mass states. This mixture of neutrinos can generally be parameterized by the three so-called mixing angles (&thetas;12, &thetas;23, &thetas;13), three squared mass differences Δmij 2, i, j = 1, 2, 3 …

Design And Regioselective Synthesis Of Fullerene Derivatives For Metal-Organic Hybrid Architectures, Catalina Suarez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In the last years different fullerene derivatives and endohedral fullerenes have been reported and their potential applications as electronic, magnetic, catalytic, biological and optical materials have been explored. In this work we describe the characterization of new endohedral fullerenes; the exohedral functionalization of fullerenes with organic addends or metal clusters and their application in metal-organic hybrid architectures.

We synthesized fullerene polymers with a variety of staircase linear architectures, zigzag polymers and a perfectly linear polymer using an hexakis-fullerene adduct with two 4,5-diazafluorene groups located at trans-1 positions, using Hg, Cd, Zn and33 Cu as the metal centers. Our results showed …

Self-Interaction Corrected Polarizabilities Of Small Molecules, Sharmin Akter

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Density Functional Theory (DFT) is one of the most successful and popular computational Quantum Mechanical approaches to understand materials. DFT allows the prediction of material properties from the electron density. Although in principle density functional theory is exact, it, however, relies on approximate functional for exchange-correlation energy. Due to the approximate nature of the exchange-correlation functional, the self-Coulomb energy of the electrons is not exactly canceled out by the self-exchange leading the spurious self-interaction error (SIE). This error is responsible for the unphysical orbital energies of DFT and delocalization of the orbitals. The orbital energies of the valence electrons are …

Depositional Controls And Sequence Stratigraphy Of Lacustrine To Marine Transgressive Deposits In A Rift Basin, Lower Cretaceous Bluff Mesa, Indio Mountains, West Texas, Andrew Anderson

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Successful hydrocarbon exploration in former rift basins of the South Atlantic pre-salt has generated interest in understanding depositional, diagenetic, and stratigraphic controls on pre-salt deposits. However, most studies to date have focused on attributes and controls on presalt lacustrine carbonate reservoir systems and little work has been done on the overlying marine sealing facies. Currently our standard sequence stratigraphic model of marine transgression of rift systems involves a single pulse of marine flooding over fluvially-incised valleys resulting in backstepping of fluvial and estuarine siliciclastic facies within the erosionally confined zone of an incised valley. However, the pre-salt systems of the …

Studies Of Air Pollutants And Their Impact On Respiratory And Cardiovascular Diseases In The El Paso Del Norte Region With Emphasis On Mobile Emissions, Juan Gustavo Arias Ugarte

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Air pollution may cause different diseases, such as cardiovascular and lung diseases. Traffic is a major source of mobile emissions causing air pollution. Exhaust emissions from mobile sources (Emissions of Carbon Monoxide, Nitrogen Oxides and Hydrocarbons) and Non-exhaust (Brake and Tire) are complex mixtures of gases and dust, including a large number of ultrafine particles, especially in areas with high traffic density. Recent studies have shown high rates of morbidity and mortality in people exposed to these types of emissions because the fine and ultrafine particles can be transported from the respiratory airways to the organs, thus contributing to increase …

Structural Modifications In The Rbxcs1-Xpo 4 (0 ≤ X ≤ 1) Superprotonic Conductor Series: A Single-Crystal X-Ray Diffraction And Impedance Spectroscopy Study, Andres Jose Encerrado Manriquez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

We have used single-crystal X-ray diffraction measurements to investigate the structural modifications induced by Rb-doping of the protonic conductor CsH2PO4. Data collected on the RbxCs 1-xH2PO4 (0 ≤ x ≤ 1) series shows that the monoclinic P21/m CsH2PO4 presentation persists upon Rb-doping up until x = 0.8. Rb0.8Cs0.2H2PO 4 exhibits a previously unreported P21/c monoclinic structure, where the mirror plane is lost and disorder is present in the PO4 tetrahedra even at room temperature. Higher levels of x display a tetragonal I-42d unit cell isomorphic with the known structure of RbH2PO 4. The temperature dependence of the proton conductivity determined …

Analysis Of Gesture Frequency And Amplitude As A Function Of Personality In Virtual Agents, Alex Michael Rayon

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Embodied conversational agents are changing the way humans interact with technology. Agents are expected to behave like people, both verbally and non-verbally. Researchers within the Human-Computer Interaction community have found many attributes of an agentâ??s gesture contribute to an agentâ??s perceived personality and believability.

Gesture amplitude and frequency are two of the attributes that contribute to the naturalness of a gesture. Currently, no previous studies have defined an empirical baseline for generating natural gestures for these two attributes. I seek to discover whether gesture amplitude and frequency affect how users perceive an agentâ??s naturalness, and which gestures would be preferred …

Advancing High Spatial And Spectral Resolution Remote Sensing For Observing Plant Community Response To Environmental Variability And Change In The Alaskan Arctic, Sergio Armando Vargas

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The Arctic is being impacted by climate change more than any other region on Earth. Impacts to terrestrial ecosystems have the potential to manifest through feedbacks with other components of the Earth System. Of particular concern is the potential for the massive store of soil organic carbon to be released from arctic permafrost to the atmosphere where it could exacerbate greenhouse warming and impact global climate and biogeochemical cycles. Even though substantial gains to our understanding of the changing Arctic have been made, especially over the past decade, linking research results from plot to regional scales remains a challenge due …

Spectroscopic Analysis Of Neurotransmitters: A Theoretical And Experimental Raman Study, Matthew Alonzo

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) was applied to investigate the feasibility in the detection and monitoring of the dopamine (DA) neurotransmitter adsorbed onto silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) at 10-11 molar, a concentration far below physiological levels. In addition, density functional theory (DFT) calculations were obtained with the Gaussian-09 analytical suite software to generate the theoretical molecular configuration of DA in its neutral, cationic, anionic, and dopaminequinone states for the conversion of computer-simulated Raman spectra. Comparison of theoretical and experimental results show good agreement and imply the presence of dopamine in all of its molecular forms in the experimental setting. The dominant …

Gypsum, Calcite, And Dolomite Caprock Fabrics And Geochemistry From The Gypsum Valley Salt Diapir, Paradox Basin, Southwestern Colorado, Kevin Lerer

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Caprocks are found on top of or in a lateral position relative to salt diapirs. The caprocks predominantly comprise sulfate minerals such as anhydrite or gypsum, which presumably accreted during the dissolution of salt from evaporite sediments. In some cases, the sulfate minerals are replaced by carbonate minerals, referred to as "carbonate caprock". Carbonate caprocks associated with salt diapirs are important because they can act as reservoirs or conduits for hydrocarbons, and because they can be easily misidentified as carbonate lithologies belonging to the stratigraphy of the sedimentary sequences adjacent to the diapir, which can jeopardize the accurate interpretation of …