Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Inference For A Zero-Inflated Conway-Maxwell-Poisson Regression For Clustered Count Data., Hyoyoung Choo-Wosoba

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is directed toward developing a statistical methodology with applications of the Conway-Maxwell-Poisson (CMP) distribution (Conway, R. W., and Maxwell, W. L., 1962) to count data. The count data for this dissertation exhibit three different characteristics: clustering, zero inflation, and dispersion. Clustering suggests that observations within clusters are correlated, and the zero inflation phenomenon occurs when the data exhibit excessive zero counts. Dispersion implies that the mean is greater/smaller than the variance unlike a Poisson distribution. The dissertation starts with an introduction of inference for a zero-inflated clustered count data in the first chapter. Then, it presents novel methodologies …

Late Holocene Climate And Environmental Reconstruction Derived From The Asian Ice Core Array (Aica), Bjorn Grigholm

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Recent climate change has impacted natural and human systems across the Earth, emphasizing the need for greater understanding of both the existing and changing natural and anthropogenic forcing mechanisms and subsequent responses of the Earth’s climate system. High-resolution, multi-parameter ice core records retrieved and analyzed from two Asian Ice Core Array (AICA) sites, Geladaindong (central Tibetan Plateau) and Inilchek (central Tien Shan) were utilized to reconstruct atmospheric chemical concentrations and composition over the past ~100-500 years, improving the understanding of late Holocene climate and environmental variability in Asia. Both ice cores were analyzed for major and trace elements, major soluble …

The Complete Structure Of Linear And Nonlinear Deformations Of Frames On A Hilbert Space, Devanshu Agrawal

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A frame is a possibly linearly dependent set of vectors in a Hilbert space that facilitates the decomposition and reconstruction of vectors. A Parseval frame is a frame that acts as its own dual frame. A Gabor frame comprises all translations and phase modulations of an appropriate window function. We show that the space of all frames on a Hilbert space indexed by a common measure space can be fibrated into orbits under the action of invertible linear deformations and that any maximal set of unitarily inequivalent Parseval frames is a complete set of representatives of the orbits. We show …

Takens Theorem With Singular Spectrum Analysis Applied To Noisy Time Series, Thomas K. Torku

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The evolution of big data has led to financial time series becoming increasingly complex, noisy, non-stationary and nonlinear. Takens theorem can be used to analyze and forecast nonlinear time series, but even small amounts of noise can hopelessly corrupt a Takens approach. In contrast, Singular Spectrum Analysis is an excellent tool for both forecasting and noise reduction. Fortunately, it is possible to combine the Takens approach with Singular Spectrum analysis (SSA), and in fact, estimation of key parameters in Takens theorem is performed with Singular Spectrum Analysis. In this thesis, we combine the denoising abilities of SSA with the Takens …

Synthesis Of Two Monomers For Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (Pemfcs), Abdulmajeed A. Alayyaf

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The overall goal of this research is to synthesize two different monomers for proton exchange membrane (PEM) Fuel Cells. Such monomers are proposed to be polymerized to improve the efficiency and compatibility of electrodes and electrolytes in PEM fuel cells.

The first target is to synthesize 4-diazonium-3-fluoro PFSI zwitterionic monomer. Three steps were carried out in the lab. First one was the ammonolysis of 3-fluoro-4-nitrobenzenesulfonyl chloride. Second reaction was the bromination of Nafion monomer. The next coupling reaction, between brominated Nafion monomer and the 3-fluoro-4-nitrobenzenesulfonamide, was failed. The obstacles involve the harsh reaction condition and troublesome purification procedure.

The second …

Consensus Model Of Families Of Images Using Tensor-Based Fourier Analysis, Joel A. Shelton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A consensus model is a statistical approach that uses a family of signals or in our case, a family of images to generate a predictive model. In this thesis, we consider a family of images that are represented as tensors. In particular, our images are (2,0)-tensors. The consensus model is produced by utilizing the quantum Fourier transform of a family of images as tensors to transform images to images. We write a quantum Fourier transform in the numerical computation library for Python, known as Theano to produce the consensus spectrum. From the consensus spectrum, we produce the consensus model via …

New Records Of Colubrids From The Late Hemphillian Gray Fossil Site Of Northeastern Tennessee, Derek J. Jurestovsky

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Gray Fossil Site is a rich Hemphillian (North American Land Mammal Age) locality located in northeastern Tennessee which has produced tens-of-thousands of fossils of multiple taxa including hundreds of individual snake skeletal remains. Analyzed here are cranial and vertebral fossils identified as belonging to various colubrid taxa including Carphophis sp., Gyalopion sp., Heterodon sp., Natricinae indeterminate, Thamnophis sp., and a new, undescribed genus and species. In addition, multiple new features of snake vertebrae are described, some of which question the validity of the genus Neonatrix. Finally, the distribution and paleoecology of the listed genera allows an interpretation of …

Peccaries (Artiodactyla: Tayassuidae) From The Late Miocene To Early Pliocene Gray Fossil Site: Regional Implications With A Review Of Tayassuinae, Evan M. Doughty

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Analysis of the Gray Fossil Site peccary material indicates the presence of up to three species. Comparisons with the tayassuid material known from the Tyner Farm and Bone Valley Formation of Florida allows the identification of Mylohyus elmorei and at the GFS. Within the GFS material, Prosthennops cf. P. serus and cf. Catagonus sp. are also tentatively recognized but further verification is required. The known range for Prosthennops is expanded into the Appalachian region. Presence of M. elmorei at the Gray Fossil Site provides the first known occurrence of this species outside of the Palmetto fauna of Florida, indicating that …

Ecological Niche Modeling Of The North American Giant Salamander: Predicting Current And Future Potential Distributions And Examining Environmental Influences, Selena S. Roark

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

North American Giant Salamanders (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis), commonly known as hellbenders, have been experiencing a population decline for decades due to human influences, such as pollution and habitat destruction. Many efforts are underway to save the hellbender but their entire potential geographical range has not been well-studied. Currently, hellbender populations are delineated by county boundaries and are on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List. The Genetic Algorithm for Rule-set Production, an Ecological Niche Model, was used to model the current hellbender potential distribution at a macro-scale under two different environmental scenarios. Additionally, future potential distributions were …

Description Of Cranial Elements And Ontogenetic Change Within Tropidolaemus Wagleri (Serpentes: Crotalinae)., Nicolette L. Hill

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Tropidolaemus wagleri is a species of Asian pitviper with a geographic range including Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Bruniei, parts of Indonesia, and the hilippines. Tropidolaemus is a member of the Crotalinae subfamily, within Viperidae. The genus Tropidolaemus includes five species, and was once included within the genus Trimeresurus. While some osteologic characteristics have been noted a comprehensive description of cranial elements has not been produced for T. wagleri. An in-depth description of the cranial skeleton of Tropidolaemus wagleri lays the foundation for future projects to compare and contrast other taxa within Crotalinae and Viperidae. The chosen reference specimen …

Immobilization Of Heteropolyacids In Silica Gel, Opeyemi Adetola

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Silica gels containing incorporated heteropolyacids (HPAs) were synthesized in acidic media by co-condensation of tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) with phosphotungstic or phosphomolybdic acids using sol-gel technique. Effect of the synthesis conditions on their structure and morphology was studied. Yields of modified materials were some lower as compared to non-modified silica gels. All materials were mesoporous but contained micropores in their structures. Presence of bands of Keggin’s structures in FT-IR spectra along with absence of XRD patterns of crystalline HPAs confirmed their fine incorporation into silica network. Particle sizes of modified materials were 800-1100 nm excepting for W-containing sample obtained with trimethylstearylammonium chloride. …

Development And Applications Of Novel Hf-Based Fluorination Reagents : Dmpu-Hf., Otome Elisha Okoromoba

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The utility of fluorine in medicinal and manufacturing chemistry is undisputed. Despite its usefulness, the incorporation of fluorine in organic molecules is not without challenges. Regardless of their electrophilic or nucleophilic nature, most, if not all, fluorinating reagents derive from HF. Nucleophilic reagents are less expensive compared with their counterparts, and many are not commercially available. The Hammond laboratory is interested in developing and applying HF-based fluorination reagents that are cost effective and capable of enhancing both classical and metal based transformations. The following chapters describe some of the applications of our HF-based reagent. Chapter 2 discusses the preparation and …

Analyzing The Phenologic Dynamics Of Kudzu (Pueraria Montana) Infestations Using Remote Sensing And The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index., Faye Peters

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Non-native invasive species are one of the major threats to worldwide ecosystems. Kudzu (Pueraria montana) is a fast-growing vine native to Asia that has invaded regions in the United States making management of this species an important issue. Estimated normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) values for the years 2000 to 2015 were calculated using data collected by Landsat and MODIS platforms for three infestation sites in Kentucky. The STARFM image-fusing algorithm was used to combine Landsat- and MODIS-derived NDVI into time series with a 30 m spatial resolution and 16 day temporal resolution. The fused time series was …

Description, Taphonomy, And Paleoecology Of The Late Pleistocene Peccaries (Artiodactyla: Tayassuidae) From Bat Cave, Pulaski County, Missouri, Aaron L. Woodruff

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The late Pleistocene faunal assemblage from Bat Cave, central Ozarks, Missouri provides an opportunity to assess specific aspects of behavior, ecology, and ontogeny of the extinct peccary Platygonus compressus. All identifiable elements referable to this taxon were catalogued and examined, and a minimum number of individuals of 70 was determined for the sample. The presence of distinct, non-overlapping age groups suggests that P. compressus utilized Bat Cave on a seasonal basis. A predator-prey relationship with Canis dirus, the second most abundant vertebrate from the Bat Cave site, is also described in this study. Damage patterns suggest that the …

Facilitating Conceptual Learning In Quantitative Chemistry, Sarah R. Johnson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Traditional chemistry laboratory courses have a manual consisting of “step-by-step” experiments; instructions are given to complete experiments, requiring minimal information/concepts processing to be successful. This experience leaves students unprepared for the real-world, where critical thinking skills are needed to conduct research. This study focused on building analytical techniques, conceptual knowledge, and critical thinking skills used to solve research problems. A new quantitative chemistry laboratory manual was developed to transition students from traditional to inquiry-based experiments, requiring analytical method development. Data showed students having less difficulty using the new manual (0.8281 average difficulty) on method development exam questions and experiments, compared …

Strategies Of Balancing: Regulation Of Posture As A Complex Phenomenon, Allison Leich Hilbun

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The complexity of the interface between the muscular system and the nervous system is still elusive. We investigated how the neuromuscular system functions and how it is influenced by various perturbations. Postural stability was selected as the model system, because this system provides complex output, which could indicate underlying mechanisms and feedback loops of the neuromuscular system. We hypothesized that aging, physical pain, and mental and physical perturbations affect balancing strategy, and based on these observations, we constructed a model that simulates many aspects of the neuromuscular system. Our results show that aging changes the control strategy of balancing from …

Synthesis Of Diazonium (Perfluoroalkyl) Arylsulfonimide Monomers From Perfluoro (3-Oxapent-4-Ene) Sulfonyl Fluoride For Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell, Faisal Ibrahim

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Two diazonium perfluoroalkyl arylsulfonimide (PFSI) zwitterionic monomers, 4-diazonium perfluoro(3-oxapent-4-ene)benzenesulfonimide (I) and 4-(trifluoromethyl)-2-diazonium perfluoro(3-oxapent-4-ene)benzenesulfonimide (II) have been synthesized from perfluoro(3-oxapent-4-ene) sulfonyl fluoride (POPF) for proton exchange membrane fuel cells. PFSI polymers are proposed as new electrolytes due to their better thermal stability, inertness to electrochemical conditions, and lower susceptibility to oxidative degradation and dehydration. For a better integration between the electrode and the electrolyte, the PFSI polymers are expected to be grafted onto the carbon electrode via the diazonium moiety.

All the reaction intermediates and the final product were characterized with 1H NMR, 19F NMR and IR …

Neighborhood-Restricted Achromatic Colorings Of Graphs, James D. Chandler Sr.

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A (closed) neighborhood-restricted 2-achromatic-coloring of a graph G is an assignment of colors to the vertices of G such that no more than two colors are assigned in any closed neighborhood. In other words, for every vertex v in G, the vertex v and its neighbors are in at most two different color classes. The 2-achromatic number is defined as the maximum number of colors in any 2-achromatic-coloring of G. We study the 2-achromatic number. In particular, we improve a known upper bound and characterize the extremal graphs for some other known bounds.

Global Supply Sets In Graphs, Christian G. Moore

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

For a graph G=(V,E), a set S⊆V is a global supply set if every vertex v∈V\S has at least one neighbor, say u, in S such that u has at least as many neighbors in S as v has in V \S. The global supply number is the minimum cardinality of a global supply set, denoted γgs (G). We introduce global supply sets and determine the global supply number for selected families of graphs. Also, we give bounds on the global supply number for general graphs, trees, and grid graphs.

Some Contributions To Nonparametric And Semiparametric Inference For Clustered And Multistate Data., Sandipan Dutta

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is composed of research projects that involve methods which can be broadly classified as either nonparametric or semiparametric. Chapter 1 provides an introduction of the problems addressed in these projects, a brief review of the related works that have done so far, and an outline of the methods developed in this dissertation. Chapter 2 describes in details the first project which aims at developing a rank-sum test for clustered data where an outcome from group in a cluster is associated with the number of observations belonging to that group in that cluster. Chapter 3 proposes the use of …

Propensity Score Methods : A Simulation And Case Study Involving Breast Cancer Patients., John Craycroft

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Observational data presents unique challenges for analysis that are not encountered with experimental data resulting from carefully designed randomized controlled trials. Selection bias and unbalanced treatment assignments can obscure estimations of treatment effects, making the process of causal inference from observational data highly problematic. In 1983, Paul Rosenbaum and Donald Rubin formalized an approach for analyzing observational data that adjusts treatment effect estimates for the set of non-treatment variables that are measured at baseline. The propensity score is the conditional probability of assignment to a treatment group given the covariates. Using this score, one may balance the covariates across treatment …

Urban Flooding And Sewer Inundation On The University Of Louisville Belknap Campus., Justin T. Hall

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Over the past few decades on the University of Louisville Belknap campus urban flooding has become more frequent as a result of surface water runoff and sewer inundation. This urban flooding is a result of ongoing watershed urbanization and rapid expansion of the local sewer system to accommodate the expanding city of Louisville. However little research has been conducted on this issue, despite continued flooding on and adjacent to campus. Using the EPA Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) we applied a dual drainage modeling approach that combines both surface and subsurface drainage data to produce a flood hydrograph at the …

Chemoselective Reactions And Their Applications In Metabolite Isolation And Analysis., Sadakatali Shokatali Gori

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Chemoselectivity is the preferential reaction of a reagent with a select functional group among other plausible reactions. This dissertation describes chemoselective reagents and methods explored to develop more accurate, efficient and high-throughput means to quantify metabolites containing either thiol, carboxylic acid or 1,2-diol moieties directly from biological mixtures. Chapter 1 discusses how dysregulation of thiol- or carboxylic acid-containing metabolites is either the cause or effect of cellular dysfunction. Quantifying such metabolites is important in discovery of pathways to understand etiology of diseases. Chapter 1 also discusses the need for sustainable syntheses using renewable resources and describes the traditional methods for …

Direct Band Gap Gallium Antimonide Phosphide (Gasbxp1-X) For Solar Fuels., Harry Benjamin Russell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Photoelectrochemical water splitting has been identified as a promising route for achieving sustainable energy future. However, semiconductor materials with the appropriate optical, electrical and electrochemical properties have yet to be discovered. In search of an appropriate semiconductor to fill this gap, GaSbP, a semiconductor never tested for PEC performance is proposed here and investigated. Density functional theory (DFT+U) techniques were utilized to predict band gap and band edge energetics for GaSbP alloys with low amount of antimony. The overall objective of this dissertation is to understand the suitability of GaSb_xP_1-x alloys for photoelectrochemical water splitting application. Specifically, …

Computation Of Least Angle Regression Coefficient Profiles And Lasso Estimates., Sandamala Hettigoda

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Variable selection plays a significant role in statistics. There are many variable selection methods. Forward stagewise regression takes a different approach among those. In this thesis Least Angle Regression (LAR) is discussed in detail. This approach has similar principles as forward stagewise regression but does not suffer from its computational difficulties. By using a small artificial data set and the well-known Longley data set, the LAR algorithm is illustrated in detail and the coefficient profiles are obtained. Furthermore a penalized approach to variable reduction called the LASSO is discussed, and it is shown how to compute its coefficient profiles efficiently …

Synthesis, Characterization, And Electronic Properties Of Novel 2d Materials : Transition Metal Dichalcogenides And Phosphorene., George Anderson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Scaling electronic devices has become paramount. The current work builds upon scaling efforts by developing novel synthesis methods and next generation sensing devices based on 2D materials. A new combination method utilizing thermal evaporation and chemical vapor deposition was developed and analyzed to show the possibilities of Transition Metal Dichalcogenide monolayers and heterostructures. The materials produced from the above process showed high degrees of compositional control in both spatial dimensions and chemical structure. Characterization shows controlled fabrication of heterostructures, which may pave the way for future band gap engineering possibilities. In addition, Phosphorene based field effect transistors, photodetectors, and gas …

Integrated Analysis Of Mirna/Mrna Expression And Gene Methylation Using Sparse Canonical Correlation Analysis., Dake Yang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a large number of small endogenous non-coding RNA molecules (18-25 nucleotides in length) which regulate expression of genes post-transcriptionally. While a variety of algorithms exist for determining the targets of miRNAs, they are generally based on sequence information and frequently produce lists consisting of thousands of genes. Canonical correlation analysis (CCA) is a multivariate statistical method that can be used to find linear relationships between two data sets, and here we apply CCA to find the linear combination of differentially expressed miRNAs and their corresponding target genes having maximal negative correlation. Due to the high dimensionality, sparse …

Sparse Feature Learning For Image Analysis In Segmentation, Classification, And Disease Diagnosis., Ehsan Hosseini-Asl

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The success of machine learning algorithms generally depends on intermediate data representation, called features that disentangle the hidden factors of variation in data. Moreover, machine learning models are required to be generalized, in order to reduce the specificity or bias toward the training dataset. Unsupervised feature learning is useful in taking advantage of large amount of unlabeled data, which is available to capture these variations. However, learned features are required to capture variational patterns in data space. In this dissertation, unsupervised feature learning with sparsity is investigated for sparse and local feature extraction with application to lung segmentation, interpretable deep …

A Log Rank Test For Clustered Data Under Informative Within-Cluster Group Size., Mary Elizabeth Gregg

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The log rank test is a popular nonparametric test for comparing the marginal survival distribution of two groups. When data are organized within clusters and the size of clusters or the distribution of group membership within a cluster is related to an outcome of interest, traditional methods of data analysis can be biased. In this thesis, we develop a within-cluster group weighted log rank test to compare marginal survival time distributions between groups from clustered data, correcting for cluster size and intra-cluster group size informativeness. The performance of this new test is compared with the unweighted and cluster-weighted log rank …

Investigating The Influences Of Climate On The High Elevation Snowpack Hydrology In The Upper Colorado Region., Claire-Louise Bode

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A change in climate in the western United States has already affected and will continue to affect the onset of snow melt in many parts of the country. The effect of climate change on snow water equivalent, snowmelt runoff and total streamflow with respect to their elevation distribution is examined across the Colorado Headwaters Basin. This is a high altitude location within the Upper Colorado Basin region. The total streamflow of this region has a significant contribution from the spring season snow melt. An increase in air temperature in the Colorado Headwaters Basin over a few years will change the …