Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Planning For A Corpus Of Continuous Ratings Of Spoken Dialog Quality, Nigel G. Ward

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

While many aspects of speech processing, including speech recognition and speech synthesis, have seen enormous advances over the past few years, advances in dialog have been more modest. This difference is largely attributable to the lack of resources that can support machine learning of dialog models and dialog phenomena. The research community accordingly needs a corpus of spoken dialogs with quality annotations every 100 milliseconds or so. We envisage a large and diverse collection: on the order of fifty hours of data, representing hundreds of speakers and many genres, with every instant labeled for interaction quality by one or more …

Scale-Invariance-Based Pre-Processing Drastically Improves Neural Network Learning: Case Study Of Diagnosing Lung Dysfunction In Children, Nancy Avila, Julio Urenda, Nelly Gordillo, Vladik Kreinovich

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

To adequately treat different types of lung dysfunctions in children, it is important to properly diagnose the corresponding dysfunction, and this is not an easy task. Neural networks have been trained to perform this diagnosis, but they are not perfect in diagnostics: their success rate is 60%. In this paper, we show that by selecting an appropriate invariance-based pre-processing, we can drastically improve the diagnostic success, to 100% for diagnosing the presence of a lung dysfunction.

Derivation Of Louisville-Bratu-Gelfand Equation From Shift- Or Scale-Invariance, Leobardo Valera, Martine Ceberio, Vladik Kreinovich

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

Louisville-Bratu-Gelfand equation appear in many different physical situations ranging from combustion to explosions to astrophysics. The fact that the same equation appears in many different situations seems to indicate that this equation should not depend on any specific physical process, that it should be possible to derive it from general principles. This is indeed what we show in this paper: that this equation can be naturally derived from basic symmetry requirements.

How To Fuse Expert Knowledge: Not Always "And" But A Fuzzy Combination Of "And" And "Or", Christian Servin, Olga Kosheleva, Vladik Kreinovich

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

In the non-fuzzy (e.g., interval) case, if two expert's opinions are consistent, then, as the result of fusing the knowledge of these two experts, we take the intersection of the two sets (e.g., intervals) describing the expert's opinions. In the experts are inconsistent, i.e., if the intersection is empty, then a reasonable idea is to assume that at least of these experts is right, and thus, to take the union of the two corresponding sets. In practice, expert opinions are often imprecise; this imprecision can be naturally described in terms of fuzzy logic -- a technique specifically designed to describe …

How To Generate "Nice" Cubic Polynomials -- With Rational Coefficients, Rational Zeros And Rational Extrema: A Fast Algorithm, Laxman Bokati, Olga Kosheleva, Vladik Kreinovich

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

Students feel more comfortable with rational numbers than with irrational ones. Thus, when teaching the beginning of calculus, it is desirable to have examples of simple problems for which both zeros and extrema point are rational. Recently, an algorithm was proposed for generating cubic polynomials with this property. However, from the computational viewpoint, the existing algorithm is not the most efficient one: in addition to applying explicit formulas, it also uses trial-and-error exhaustive search. In this paper, we propose a computationally efficient algorithm for generating all such polynomials: namely, an algorithm that uses only explicit formulas.

A Simple Quantitative Model Of Cognitive Tradeoff Phenomenon, Griselda Acosta, Eric Smith, Vladik Kreinovich

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

A recent study of chimpanzees has shown that on the individual basis, they are, surprisingly, much better than humans in simple tasks requiring intelligence and memory. A usual explanation -- called cognitive tradeoff -- is that a human brain has sacrificed some of its data processing (computation) abilities in favor of enhancing the ability to communicate; as a result, while individual humans may not be as smart as possible, jointly, we can solve complex problems. A similar cognitive tradeoff phenomenon can be observed in computer clusters: the most efficient computer clusters are not formed from the fastest, most efficient computers, …

Logarithms Are Not Infinity: A Rational Physics-Related Explanation Of The Mysterious Statement By Lev Landau, Francisco Zapata, Olga Kosheleva, Vladik Kreinovich

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

Nobel-prize winning physicist Lev Landau liked to emphasize that logarithms are not infinity -- meaning that from the physical viewpoint, logarithms of infinite values are not really infinite. Of course, from a literally mathematical viewpoint, this statement does not make sense: one can easily prove that logarithm of infinity is infinite. However, when a Nobel-prizing physicist makes a statement, you do not want to dismiss it, you want to interpret it. In this paper, we propose a possible physical explanation of this statement. Namely, in physics, nothing is really infinite: according to modern physics, even the Universe is finite in …

Why Grade Distribution Is Often Multi-Modal: An Uncertainty-Based Explanation, Olga Kosheleva, Christian Servin, Vladik Kreinovich

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

There are many different independent factors that affect student grades. There are many physical situations like this, in which many different independent factors affect a phenomenon, and in most such situations, we encounter normal distribution -- in full accordance with the Central Limit Theorem, which explains that in such situations, distribution should be close to normal. However, the grade distribution is definitely not normal -- it is multi-modal. In this paper, we explain this strange phenomenon, and, moreover, we explain several observed features of this multi-modal distribution.

Optimal Distribution Of Testing Resources Between Different System Levels, Griselda Acosta, Eric Smith, Vladik Kreinovich

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

When designing a system, we need to perform testing and checking on all levels of the system hierarchy, from the most general system level to the most detailed level. Our resources are limited, so we need to find the best way to allocate these resources, i.e., we need to decide how much efforts to use of each of the levels. In this paper, we formulate this problem in precise terms, and provide a solution to the resulting optimization problem.

Decision Theory Explains "Telescoping Effect" -- That Our Time Perception Is Biased, Laxman Bokati, Vladik Kreinovich

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

People usually underestimate time passed since distant events, and overestimate time passed since recent events. There are several explanations for this "telescoping effect", but most current explanations utilize specific features of human memory and/or human perception. We show that the telescoping effect can be explained on a much basic level of decision theory, without the need to invoke any specific ways we perceive and process time.

When Revolutions Happen: Algebraic Explanation, Julio Urenda, Vladik Kreinovich

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

At first glance, it may seem that revolutions happen when life becomes really intolerable. However, historical analysis shows a different story: that revolutions happen not when life becomes intolerable, but when a reasonably prosperous level of living suddenly worsens. This empirical observation seems to contradict traditional decision theory ideas, according to which, in general, people's happiness monotonically depends on their level of living. A more detailed model of human behavior, however, takes into account not only the current level of living, but also future expectations. In this paper, we show that if we properly take these future expectations into account, …

Why Bilingualism Helps Autistic Children Function: A Symmetry-Based Explanation, Olga Kosheleva, Vladik Kreinovich

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

One of the main problems of autistic children is that it is very difficult for them to switch to a different state, to a different activity -- and such switches are often needed. Researchers have recently shown that bilingualism helps autistic children function: namely, it is somewhat easier for bilingual children to switch to a new activity. In this paper, we provide a possible explanation for this empirical phenomenon. Namely, we show that, in general terms, autism means difficulty with breaking symmetries of a state, and we describe how this general reformulation indeed explains the above recently discovered phenomenon.

High Concentrations Naturally Lead To Fuzzy-Type Interactions And To Gravitational Wave Bursts, Oscar Galindo, Olga Kosheleva, Vladik Kreinovich

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

Fuzzy logic is normally used to describe the uncertainty of human knowledge and human reasoning. Physical phenomena are usually described by probabilistic models. In this paper, we show that in extremal conditions, when the concentrations are very large, some formulas describing physical interactions become fuzzy-type. We also show the observable consequences of such fuzzy-type formulas: they lead to bursts of gravitational waves.

Use Of Symmetries In Economics: An Overview, Vladik Kreinovich, Olga Kosheleva, Nguyen N. Thach, Nguyen Duc Trung

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

In this paper, we show that many semi-heuristic econometric formulas can be derived from the natural symmetry requirements. The list of such formulas includes many famous formulas provided by Nobel-prize winners, such as Hurwicz optimism-pessimism criterion for decision making under uncertainty, McFadden's formula for probabilistic decision making, Nash's formula for bargaining solution -- as well as Cobb-Douglas formula for production, gravity model for trade, etc.

Physics's Need For Interval Uncertainty And How It Explains Why Physical Space Is (At Least) 3-Dimensional, Olga Kosheleva, Vladik Kreinovich

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

One of the fundamental problems of modern physics is the problem of divergence: e.g., when we try to compute the overall energy of the electric field generated by a charged elementary particle, we get a physically meaningless infinite value. In this paper, we show that one way to avoid these infinities is to take into account that measurements are always imprecise -- and thus, we never get the exact values of the physical quantities, only intervals of possible values. We also show that 3-dimensional space is the simplest one in which such interval uncertainty is inevitable. This may explain why …

New Porous Semiconductor Nanocomposites As Dye-Sensitized Photocatalysts, Tahmina Akter

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The wide band gap layered semiconductors potassium titanium niobium oxide (KTiNbO5) and potassium hexaniobate (K4Nb6O17) along with a metal co-catalyst can be been used to generate hydrogen fuel from water. However, ultraviolet light is required, which limits their utility in solar energy conversion. Modification of these types of semiconductors can sensitize them to visible light, providing a promising way to produce clean, renewable hydrogen (H2) fuel. Many photocatalysts suffer from poor H2 production efficiencies under visible light, due to inadequate and unstable sensitizers, resulting in photocatalysts that fail quickly.

In this research, several new high surface area dye sensitized nanocomposites …

Application Of Urinary Metabolites For Cancer Detection, Qin Gao

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the 3rd most common cause of male cancer mortality in the US. Early diagnosis and treatment of PCa will improve the quality of care and reduce mortality. The prostate specific antigen (PSA) is commonly used in the current PCa screening, but its limitation has resulted in an intense search for more reliable biomarkers. Studies showed that dogs could differentiate PCa patients from negative control by sniffing their urine. As the odor profiles are generated by volatile organic compounds (VOCs), the finding suggests that particular VOCs could be linked to PCa, PCa risk levels and other cancers. …

Cmas/Volcanic Ash Infiltration Performance Of Yttria Rich-Zirconia Thermal Barrier Coatings Produced By Electron Beam Physical Vapor Deposition, Juan Jose Gomez Chavez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

For many years the use of thermal barrier coatings (TBC) in gas turbine engines has allowed a significant increase in engine operating temperatures which are above the Ni-based super alloys' melting point. The base material for TBCs is the state of the art 7 wt % yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) which provides the thermal protection. Current industry demands for increased engine efficiency has pushed TBCs to the limits where significant technological constrains have been identified. One of the main ones represents the high temperature corrosion of the TBC material due to the ingestion of silicate based airborne particles commonly referred …

A Bottom-Up Modeling Methodology Using Knowledge Graphs For Composite Metric Development Applied To Traffic Crashes In The State Of Texas, Daniel Michael Mejia

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Data is a key factor for understanding real-world phenomena. Data can be discovered and integrated from multiple sources and has the potential to be interpreted in a multitude of ways. Traffic crashes, for example, are common events that occur in cities and provide a significant amount of data that has potential to be analyzed and disseminated in a way that can improve mobility of people, and ultimately improve the quality of life. Improving the quality of life of city residents through the use of data and technology is at the core of Smart Cities solutions. Measuring the improvement that Smart …

Ultrafine Black Carbon: A Cumulative Assessment On The Physiology Of Lung - Derived Cells, M Esther Salinas

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Combustion-derived nanomaterials are noxious ultrafine (<100 nm) aerosolized by-products generated by human activity. They pose threats to pulmonary health due to their small size, allowing them to penetrate deep into the alveolar regions causing detrimental responses downstream. Indeed, an examination between nanocarbon particle exposure and poor pulmonary health via cellular behavior was needed. I hypothesized that low-dose and long-term administrations of carbonaceous nanoparticles contribute to respiratory conditions by irritating lung-derived cells. Responses to ultrafine black carbon (UBC), a key component of airborne pollutants, by human lung A549 and murine lung LA4 epithelial cells, human peripheral-blood monocytes THP1, and murine macrophages RAW264.7 were investigated. These lines were chosen because epithelial cells and mononuclear cells (monocytes and macrophages) are the first to come in contact with inhaled particulate matter (PM) and contribute to stress and inflammation of pulmonary tissues. The cells were first plated on day zero and fed fresh UBC suspended in culture media on days one, four, and seven. The exposure regimen included three different low-level concentrations of UBC. On day ten, all cells were prepared for subsequent assays. Effects on cellular viability revealed that UBC was modestly cytotoxic while ATPase and esterase activity (termed enzyme vitality for the purpose of this study) were significantly diminished in a dose-dependent manner. Additionally, beta-galactosidase proportionally increased with UBC concentration compared to untreated cells, indicating that cellular senescence was promoted across all cell types. Multiple markers of oxidative stress were subsequently measured, showing non-uniform trends and displaying moderate accumulation of oxidative damage, contingent upon cell line and UBC treatment. However, a significant induction of inner mitochondrial membrane depolarization of human UBC-treated cells was observed; an aberrant cell-cycle progression was found across all cells. The implemented regimen of UBC exposure elicited an imbalance of free (reduced) glutathione, altered mitochondrial potential, and abnormal cell-cycle activity. This method demonstrated that modifications across both species induced changes to cellular fitness overall. The data supported that compounding nanosized black carbon exposure could negatively affect overall pulmonary cell health by distinctively modifying intracellular activity. Additionally, we further surmised that sustained exposure to nanocarbon could impair innate immunity. Therefore, reactive oxygen species (ROS), reactive nitrogen species (RNS), and cytokine levels upon continuous administrations to 3.0 μg/mL UBC after brief challenges to microbial proxies were assessed; on day 9, the cells were succumbed to three different microbial insults (LPS, Poly I:C, and Zymosan). On day 10, measurements demonstrated a moderate accumulation of oxidative stress, conditional to each cell type. Thus, UBC plus microbe approach triggered pro-oxidant levels and cytokine production across different cell types and diminished phagocytic response by murine macrophages. Based on the results, ultrafine-PM exposure may impair inflammatory function in response to pathogenic infections. In summation, our findings indicated that additive nanosized UBC in combination with microbe-like challenges may compromise cellular behavior, suggesting potential ways by which inhalation of ultrafine-PM may contribute to or exacerbate poor pulmonary health.

Earthquake Magnitude Prediction Using Support Vector Machine And Convolutional Neural Network, Esther Amfo

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

A deep learning-based method Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) and Support Vector Machine (SVM) for earthquake prediction is proposed. Large-magnitude earthquakes triggered by earthquakes can kill thousands of people and cause millions of dollars worth of economic losses. The accurate prediction of large-magnitude earthquakes is a worldwide problem.

In recent years, deep learning technology that can automatically extract features from mass data has been applied in image recognition, natural language processing, object recognition, etc., with great success. We explore to apply deep learning technology to earthquake prediction, we propose a deep learning method for continuous earthquake prediction using historical seismic events. …

Study Of Blinking Statistics In Silver Coated Cobalt Ferrite Single Nanoprticle Using Two-Photon Fluorescence Microscopy, Rajen Kumar Goutam

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Two-photon fluorescence microscopy is a powerful tool to study the molecular and cellular interactions. This technology is a non-invasive approach with the advantage of three-dimensional imaging up to submicron resolution. Two-photon excitation process is the result of simultaneous absorption of two photons that has special features of reduced photodamaged and elongated penetration depth on samples. In this work, blinking statistics of silver-coated Cobalt ferrite (CoFe2O4) single nanocrystal is studied using two-photon fluorescence microscopy. By defining the intensity threshold, the observed fluorescence is divided into two distinct stages: OFF and ON states. Both of these states followed the inverse power law. …

Fault Kinematics Of The Southern Rio Grande Rift: Exploring The Possibility Of Fault Reactivation, Georgina Rodriguez Gonzalez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The region in and around the southern Rio Grande rift has experienced a long and complex tectonic history since the Precambrian era. In addition to recording extension directions due to the opening of the Rio Grande rift, faults can also possibly record contractional deformation related to the Laramide orogeny, extension along the boundary of the Mesozoic Chihuahua Trough, and possibly strike - slip movement since the Precambrian related to the Texas Lineament. The northern and central segments of the Rio Grande rift preserve mostly N - S-trending faults, whereas the southern segment preserves NW - SE-trending faults. The main hypoThesis …

Exploring Paths For Water Services And Human Capabilities In U.S.-Mexico Border Colonias, Chilton Tippin

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This Thesis examines causes and consequences of water insecurity in colonias on the U.S.-Mexico border and explores potential pathways for improving situations wherein low-income households lack reliable access to water and sewer services. Colonias are low-income, rural and/or semi-rural communities that lack basic services, such as paved streets, water, and sewer. Through in-depth interviews, surveys, and ethnographic observations, the research presented here describes needs, desires, and capabilities of residents in two high-needs Texas colonias. First, findings elucidate the lived experiences of water insecurity in colonias households, leading to an argument that lacking water access constitutes a nexus, wherein water insecurity …

Electronic Tuning Of Dimolybdenum Complexes Through Symmetry Manipulation Of Formamidinate Ligands In Their Second Coordination Sphere, Iván Alonso Cervantes Cervantes Martã­Nez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Alternative sustainable energy sources are required to decrease our dependence on carbon-based fuels. Small molecule activation is one of the most promising to fulfill global energy demand and maintain a sustainable world. Most of the industrial processes relevant for global energy supply and expenditure involves small molecules and metal catalysts. However, it is still required to gain fundamental insights on how these catalysts achieve such reactions. Dinuclear compounds, namely dimolybdenum complexes, may serve as a good experimental model to understand metal-metal cooperativity and its influence in catalysis.

In Chapter 2, three unsymmetric aryl formamidines were synthesized and characterized through 1H …

Origin And Characterization Of Intrasalt Non-Halite Lithologies Of The Neoproterozoic Patawarta Diapir, Central Flinders Ranges, South Australia, Rachelle A. Kernen

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Non-halite lithologies in salt diapirs are variously referred to as clasts, chips, rafts, stringers, sutures, and encased minibasins in the literature. Due to the complexities of gathering and processing seismic reflection data within salt bodies, nonhalite intrasalt lithologies, collectively referred to as inclusions here, are often first identified while drilling wells. These wells may penetrate unexpected lithologies of unknown fluid pressure, which can result in economic failure and pose serious drilling hazards and a threat to human life. Therefore, it is imperative to identify and determine the nature of inclusions prior to drilling, and ideally during the well planning process …

Towards A More Efficient Representation Of Functions In Quantum And Reversible Computing, Oscar Galindo, Laxman Bokati, Vladik Kreinovich

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

Many practical problem necessitate faster computations. Simple physical estimates show that the only way to achieve a drastic computation speedup is to use quantum -- or, more generally, reversible -- computing. Thus, we need to be able to transform the existing algorithms into reversible form. Such transformation schemes exist. However, such schemes are not very efficient. Indeed, in general, when we write an algorithm, we composed it of several pre-existing modules. It would be nice to be able to similarly compose a reversible version of our algorithm from reversible version of these moduli -- but the existing transformation schemes cannot …

Time-Reflective Text Representations For Semantic Evolution Tracking And Trend Analytics, Roberto Camacho Barranco

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The extraction of significant, relevant, and useful trends from massive document collections, such as a streaming newswire or scientific publications, is a challenging and significant problem in many different fields, including intelligence analysis, recommendation systems, and scientific research. However, techniques that tackle trend analytics of such large text corpora are limited because research that addresses the temporal nature of these publications is still in its early stages. In this work, we first show that it is possible to capture the evolution of a story (or trend) by connecting the dots between different documents in a text corpus. The observed results …

Manfreda Maculosa Leaf Extracts And Their Effects On Whole And Selected Myotoxic Components In Crotalid Venom, Charles Steven Gilbert

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Manfreda spp have been used for the treatment of snakebite by several cultures in North and Central America (Austin & Honychurch, 2004, Johnson, 1999, Moerman, 2008, Verhoek, 1978a). There has been no systematic study of the genus Manfreda for its usefulness in the treatment of snakebite.

While the annual incidence of snakebite in the United States is relatively low (approximately 8,000 - 10,000), with a low mortality rate of 5 - 6 cases per year, there is still significant morbidity associated with snakebite (CDC - NIOSH, 2018, Springhouse Corp (eds), 2005). Worldwide numbers of the cases of snakebite can only …

Phase Diagram Of Nuclear Matter, Adrian Gaytan Terrazas

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Nowadays it is well known that nuclear matter has a liquid and a gas phase, as well as a coexistence of phases region. Symmetric nuclear matter (same number of protons and neutrons) exhibit phase transitions from the gas phase to a liquid-gas mixture. A useful tool to represent such phases and transitions is through diagrams that show the necessary conditions of density and temperature to be in either of the phases.

Now the question is, what if we extend the traditional phase diagram for symmetric matter to the asymmetric

cases (different number of protons and neutrons)?

This study uses classical …