Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

A Tale Of Two Toroidal Graphs, Akshat Gulgulia

Honors Theses

A graph is toroidal if it can be embedded on a torus which is a doughnut-shaped surface. Two well-known examples of toroidal graphs are the complete graph K5 and the complete bipartite graph K3,3. In this thesis we elucidate the association of the subject matter with two renowned enigmas in graph theory, namely the Five Princes Problem and the Three Utilities Problems. Additionally, we look at their association with several renowned theorems in topological graph theory. We explore the link between these two graphs and a contemporary labeling concept.

A Survey Of The Murray State University Csis Department Of Student And Instructor Attitudes In Relation To Earlier Introduction Of Version Control Systems, Gavin Johnson

Honors College Theses

Over the previous 20 years, the software development industry has overseen an evolution in application of Version Control Systems (VCS) from a Centralized Version Control System (CVCS) format to a Decentralized Version Control Format (DVCS). Examples of the former include Perforce and Subversion whilst the latter of the two include Github and BitBucket. As DVCS models allow software contributors to maintain their respective local repositories of relevant code bases, developers are able to work offline and maintain their work with relative fault tolerance. This contrasts to CVCS models, which require software contributors to be connected online to a main server. …

Numerical Investigation To Produce A Fundamental Polygon, Elizabeth Sipes

Honors College Theses

There exist multiple types of geometry, differing in the postulates they are based on, and therefore the theorems and proofs that make up said geometry. Hyperbolic geometry differs from others by allowing there to exist multiple lines through a single point not on a given line, that are parallel to the given line. Every geometry has the idea of distance and isometries, distance preserving maps. By considering special collections of isometries called discrete groups, we can construct interesting surfaces, such as the torus and genus-g surface. The connection between the surface and the discrete group can be understood through …

Finite State And Sequential Automata, Kriti Gulgulia

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

A System Of Communication Between Two Computers Using Novel Frequency Shift Keying Techniques, Jared Reyes

Honors Thesis

Frequency shift keying (FSK) is an old but powerful form of modulation that powered much of the early modems of the 1960’s, and the author felt inspired to make his own version of audio binary FSK modulation. He researched the general history and legacy of the Bell 103, a modem using FSK that defined telecommunication for the next few decades. Using research of the most common English characters of recent emails to determine which English characters should have the shortest bit length, a novel character encoding standard was created using variable bit rate. In addition, he has created a modulation …

Semantic Segmentation Of Point Cloud Sequences Using Point Transformer V3, Marion Sisk

Master's Theses

Semantic segmentation of point clouds is a basic step for many autonomous systems including automobiles. In autonomous driving systems, LiDAR sensors are frequently used to produce point cloud sequences that allow the system to perceive the environment and navigate safely. Modern machine learning techniques for segmentation have predominately focused on single-scan segmentation, however sequence segmentation has often proven to perform better on common segmentation metrics. Using the popular Semantic KITTI dataset, we show that by providing point cloud sequences to a segmentation pipeline based on Point Transformer v3, we increase the segmentation performance between seven and fifteen percent when compared …

Machine Learning-Based Gps Jamming And Spoofing Detection, Alberto Squatrito

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The increasing reliance on Global Positioning System (GPS) technology across various sectors has exposed vulnerabilities to malicious attacks, particularly GPS jamming and spoofing. This thesis presents an analysis into detection and mitigation strategies for enhancing the resilience of GPS receivers against jamming and spoofing attacks. The research entails the development of a simulated GPS signal and a receiver model to accurately decode and extract information from simulated GPS signals. The study implements the generation of jammed and spoofed signals to emulate potential threats faced by GPS receivers in practical settings. The core innovation lies in the integration of machine learning …

Designing For Deployable, Secure, And Generic Machine Learning Systems, Li-Yun Wang

Dissertations and Theses

Machine learning systems have catalyzed numerous image-centric applications owing to the significant achievements of machine learning algorithms and models. While these systems have showcased the efficacy of machine learning models, certain challenges persist, such as machine learning system design and security vulnerabilities inherent in deep neural networks. Moreover, the deployment of deep neural network models remains a significant hurdle. This dissertation introduces a multimedia prototyping framework tailored for visual analytical applications, improving the reusability of video analysis software tools with minimal performance overhead. Furthermore, we present novel image-processing techniques designed to bolster the robustness of deep neural networks and propose …

Trip - Transformer Interatomic Potential Predicts Realistic Energy Surface Using Physical Bias, Bryce Eric Hedelius

Theses and Dissertations

Accurate interatomic energies and forces enable high-quality molecular dynamics simulations, torsion scans, potential energy surface mapping, and geometry optimization. Machine learning algorithms have enabled rapid estimates of energies and forces with high accuracy. Further development of machine learning algorithms holds promise for producing general potentials that support dozens of atomic species. I present my own Transformer Interatomic Potential (TrIP): a chemically sound potential based on the SE(3)-Transformer. TrIP's species-agnostic architecture--using continuous atomic representation and homogenous graph convolutions--encourages parameter sharing between atomic species for more general representations of chemical environments, keeps a reasonable number of parameters, serves as a form of …

An Analysis Of Pollution In Liverpool, Uk, Luke W. Lawson

Honors Theses

Within this experiment the different levels of pollution in areas around Liverpool were tested. These areas were Stanley Park, Lunt Meadows, and Woolton Road. At Stanley Park one of two transects had a geochemical analysis as well as magnetic measurements run to investigate source attribution within the urban environment resulting in data showing high variability in soil properties among the transect. With data supporting evidence of diamagnetic, paramagnetic, and ferromagnetic properties in soil along the same transect. At Lunt Meadows, through the use of XRF for soil samples and nitrate and phosphate testing for water samples, it was found that …

Virtual Reality As An Adjunct To Behavior Therapy: A Systematic Literature Review, Alya Alharrasi

Honors Theses

The World Health Organization (WHO) projects that by 2030, mental disorders will become the primary source of global disease burden [1]. Anxiety-related disorders, including specific phobias, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and various forms of general or specific anxiety, are the most rapidly growing mental health disorders worldwide [2]. In the United States (US), over 1 in 10 American youths are experiencing depression, resulting in a severe impact on their personal, academic, or professional encounters and social engagements [3]. Similarly, anxiety disorders affect up to one-third of the US population during their lifetime [4].

Due to the growth of mental health …

A 2-D Numerical Model For Evaluating Daylight Penetration In Short Tunnels For Enhanced Driver Safety, Joachim James

Master's Theses

It is commonly assumed that daylight will adequately penetrate short tunnels, leading to the misconception that artificial lighting is unnecessary during the daytime. Past studies revealed higher frequency of crashes in short tunnels and despite that there is lack of national guidelines warranting artificial lighting for short tunnels. Inadequately lit tunnels pose safety risks, while excessive lighting can be costly. Hence, it becomes crucial to investigate the extent of daylight penetration in short tunnels and identify disappearance zones within these tunnels. This research can help determine the necessity of artificial lighting, and which specific areas of the tunnel require lighting. …

Models Of Low Mass Stars As Physical Labratories, Emily M. Boudreaux

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

Low mass stars account for approximately 70 percent of the stellar populations (Conroy & Van Dokkum, 2012); yet, due to their small sizes and cool temperatures they account for only a small fraction of the galaxies luminosity function (Laughlin et al., 1997). Moreover, due to the lack of laboratory conditions available to astronomy and astrophysics low mass stars can provide a rare controlled environment for calibrations of numerical models. Consequently, across multiple domains there has been significant interest in these key astronomical objects. In this thesis I present three projects which have further revealed properties of low mass stars and …

Microplastic Quantification On The Effect Of Endoparasite Communities In Florida Seabirds, Sarah N. Prieto

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

Microplastics are being studied in a variety of different projects to better understand their impact and threat to wildlife species. Although there is an understanding that microplastics are affecting our wildlife, there are still questions about how coastal seabirds come to ingest them and how the ingestion is altering critical biological processes, such as that for endoparasite communities. This project aims to determine a better understanding of two main objectives: assessment of the presence of secondary ingestion of microplastics in coastal seabirds due to the fish species they prey on and relationship between microplastics and endoparasite communities' structure and state …

Towards A Practical Method For Monitoring Kinetic Processes In Polymers With Low-Frequency Raman Spectroscopy, Robert Vito Chimenti

Theses and Dissertations

Unlike liquids and crystalline solids, glassy materials exist in a constant state of structural nonequilibrium. Therefore, a comprehensive understanding of material kinetics is critical for understanding the structure-property-processing relationships of polymeric materials. Amorphous materials universally display low-frequency Raman features related to the phonon density of states resulting in a broad disorder band for Raman shifts below 100 cm-1, which is related to the conformational entropy and the modulus. This disorder band is dominated by the Boson peak, a feature due to phonon scattering because of disorder and can be related to the transverse sound velocity of the material, and a …

Molybdenum Alkylidyne Complexes With Phenoxide Ligands For Alkyne Metathesis, Marvin L. Stewart Jr

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Abstract

Alkyne metathesis is a powerful synthetic tool, which provides easy access to complex organic molecules in a single-step. It is a dynamic covalent reaction that scrambles alkynes, carbon-carbon triple bonds (C≡C). Molybdenum- or tungsten-alkylidyne (Mo≡C, W≡C) complexes are typically used as catalyst to cleave and reform alkyne bonds. Our goal has been to gain a deeper understanding of the intrinsic differences between functional ligands by the development of novel phenoxide ligands.

In chapter 2 we explore the detailed synthesis of novel phenoxide podand ligands in an effort to identify their mo-alkylidyne complexes. We were able to synthesize a variety …

Mathematical Modeling For Dental Decay Prevention In Children And Adolescents, Mahdiyeh Soltaninejad

Dissertations

The high prevalence of dental caries among children and adolescents, especially those from lower socio-economic backgrounds, is a significant nationwide health concern. Early prevention, such as dental sealants and fluoride varnish (FV), is essential, but access to this care remains limited and disparate. In this research, a national dataset is utilized to assess sealants' reach and effectiveness in preventing tooth decay, particularly focusing on 2nd molars that emerge during early adolescence, a current gap in the knowledge base. FV is recommended to be delivered during medical well-child visits to children who are not seeing a dentist. Challenges and facilitators in …

Maximizing Data Optimization: Analysis, Retention, And Website Accessibility, Selena Cade

Culminating Experience Projects

As a graduate assistant at Grand Valley, there is significant involvement with a program that assists middle and high school students with learning about college. As a preface, the information presented in this document will remain anonymous and confidential for the program's benefit.

Students receive a campus tour, eat at the dining halls, and obtain information about college. Before students arrive, a pre-visit survey is sent to gauge their college knowledge. After the visit, a post-visit survey with the same questions is sent out to determine if they gained more knowledge. This data has rarely been viewed in the past …

Head Tail Open: Open Tailed Classification Of Imbalanced Document Data, Chetan Joshi

Theses and Dissertations

Deep learning models for scanned document image classification and form understand- ing have made significant progress in the last few years. High accuracy can be achieved by a model with the help of copious amounts of labelled training data for closed-world classification. However, very little work has been done in the domain of fine-grained and head-tailed(class imbalance with some classes having high numbers of data points and some having a low number of data points) open-world classification for documents. Our proposed method achieves a better classification results than the baseline of the head-tail-novel/open dataset. Our techniques include separating the head-tail …

Electrosprayed Serine Octamer Magic Number Cluster: Formation Via Gas Phase Assembly And Collision-Induced Dissociation, Vida Alinezhad

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Magic number clusters refer to ion species that exhibit unusually high intensities in electrospray ionization (ESI) mass spectrometry (MS) experiments. The serine octamer cluster [Ser₈+H]⁺ is of special interest since its formation mechanism and structure remain controversial, although a recently proposed model in the literature represents a possible candidate structure. Nonetheless, the formation mechanism of [Ser₈+H]⁺ remains unexplored. Some hypotheses suggest that it may pre-exist in bulk solution, or that [Ser₈+H]⁺ can be a collision-induced dissociation (CID) product of large clusters formed in evaporating ESI droplets. We used ESI-MS, mobile proton …

Methods For Computing Rovibrational Spectral Data With Applications To Inorganic Oxides And Hydrocarbons, Alexandria Watrous

Honors Theses

Computational chemistry focuses on finding solutions to the time-independent Schrödinger equation for systems of interest to study their molecular properties such as rovibrational spectral data. Any molecule containing more than one electron cannot be solved explicitly but coupled cluster theory offers one of the best approximations. One such application of this method is to molecules of astrochemical interest to support observation and experimental data. Chapters 2, 3, and 4 look at the performance of new couple cluster theory methods including composite and hybrid methods for ground and excited state rovibrational data. Chapters 5 - 9 use the previously mentioned methods …

The Effect Of Fixed Time Delays On The Synchronization Phase Transition, Shaizat Bakhytzhan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Nature is full of synchronization phenomena, which are essential to many scientific fields like biology, chemistry, physics, and neuroscience. The Kuramoto model is a well-known theoretical model that helps explain the fundamental ideas behind synchronization dynamics [6]. Nevertheless, in practical situations, systems frequently display intrinsic latency, which can greatly impact their behavior during synchronization. This insight inspired our work, which looks at the results of adding temporal delays to the Kuramoto model. In particular, we investigate how the system’s synchronization dynamics are affected by delays. We shed light on the mechanisms underpinning synchronization in the face of temporal delays and …

Evaluating Appropriate Participant Training Period For Anuran Auditory Surveys, Evianna Goebel

Honors Projects

Auditory surveys are common in anuran research as they can tell a lot about a species without being intensely laborious or costly. There has not been much research on training periods for those taking part in the surveys. Proper training is necessary and improper training can hinder a project and lead to skewed results. In this study, we took students from several biology 2040 classes and had them study the calls of 11 frog species in NW Ohio. From the data, we can conclude that 2 weeks of roughly 100 minutes of study time is not enough for successful results …

Unique K3 Surfaces With Purely Non-Symplectic Automorphism: Insights From Weighted Projective Spaceunique K3 Surfaces With Purely Non-Symplectic Automorphism:\\Insights From Weighted Projective Space, Elizabeth Melville

Theses and Dissertations

K3 surfaces have garnered attention across various fields, from optics and dynamics to high energy physics, making them a subject of extensive study for many decades. Recent work by mathematicians, including Brandhorst [1], has focused on non-symplectic automorphisms, aiming to categorize K3 surfaces that admit such automorphisms. Brandhorst made a list of unique K3 surfaces with purely non-symplectic automorphisms and established specific criteria for a K3 surface to be isomorphic to one on his list. This thesis aims to provide an alternative representation of select K3 surfaces from Brandhorst's list. While Brandhorst predominantly characterizes these surfaces as elliptic K3 surfaces, …

Geometries Gon Wild, Naat Ambrosino

Undergraduate Theses

A circle is mathematically defined as the collection of points a given distance away from a set point. Thus, the appearance of a circle varies dramatically across different metrics—for example, the taxicab metric (as popularized by Krause and Reynolds) has a circle that is a Euclidean square. As such, metrics can be partially defined by the appearance of their unit circles. This paper focuses on creating and analyzing an infinite set of metrics defined by their circles being regular polygons. Additionally, it provides a method of exactly generating a regular n-gon given a center, included point, and specified orientation.

An Ethnography Of Permaculture In Southwest Michigan, Lily Burke

Honors Theses

Permaculture is a holistic design system for meeting human and environmental needs in a sustainable way, using local conditions and circumstances to shape land use and food production practices. My project questions what it means to practice permaculture in southwest Michigan, and how environmental ideological commitments can translate into action and practice. Ethnographically investigating these questions through semi-structured interviews and participant observation with individuals in the permaculture community, along with extensive reading of permaculture materials, my study adds to research on applications and adoptions of permaculture in suburban contexts, and sheds light on how ecological ideological commitments can translate into …

Plasma Diagnostics For Anode Cathode Plasmas And High Energy Density Physics On A Linear Transformer Driver, Robert Beattie-Rossberg

Electrical and Computer Engineering ETDs

A twelve-brick air insulated linear transformer driver (LTD) was characterized by charging to voltages ranging from 30 to 70 kV and delivering energy to two separate resistive loads. Various plasma diagnostics were built and fielded with an emphasis on the design, implementation and analysis of a Mach Zehnder interferometer, a moiré deflectometer and a spectroscopy system providing information on the temporal evolution of plasma electron density and atomic composition. Rogowski coils, XRD radiation detectors, framing camera images and time integrated DSLR images are used to further understand load conditions where current data, x ray radiation data, velocity data and instability …

Sign-A-Mander: A Mobile App That Enhances Asl Learning With Computer Vision, Sandrine Adap

Honors Theses

Several machine learning researchers have developed algorithms recognizing American Sign Language (ASL), but few have applied the algorithms to real-world situations, such as with portable ASL learning applications. This project develops a beta version of a mobile application designed to allow beginner ASL learners to practice basic ASL vocabulary and receive feedback about their signing accuracy. Building on Dongxu Li et al.’s I3D sign language recognition algorithm and 2000-word dataset, the app seeks to determine whether the I3D algorithm can sufficiently recognize a user’s motions when recorded from a mobile device and accurately classify whether or not the user signed …

Andrews University Pre-Professional Students Preparedness For A Future With Artificial Intelligence, Zachary Alignay

Honors Theses

Artificial Intelligence technology has advanced considerably over the past four years. With such rapid technological development, the question has to be asked if students are adequately educated on the implications and abilities of artificial intelligence. Are Andrews University pre-professional students prepared for future careers with artificial intelligence? To approach this question, a survey of students across multiple perspectives was conducted to sample if there was a consensus, or lack thereof, on the perception of ethics regarding artificial intelligence, to ask students how using artificial intelligence has changed their education, what purposes it can be used or cannot be used, personal …

The Lowest Discriminant Ideal Of Cayley-Hamilton Hopf Algebras, Zhongkai Mi

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Discriminant ideals are defined for an algebra R with central subalgebra C and trace tr : R → C. They are indexed by positive integers and more general than discriminants. Usually R is required to be a finite module over C. Unlike the abundace of work on discriminants, there is hardly any literature on discriminant ideals. The levels of discriminant ideals relate to the sums of squares of dimensions of irreducible modules over maximal ideals of C containing these discriminant ideals. We study the lowest level when R is a Cayley-Hamilton Hopf algebra, i.e. C is also a Hopf subalgebra, …