Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Do Non-Response Follow-Ups Improve Or Reduce Data Quality?: A Review Of The Existing Literature, Kristen Olson

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

The paper systematically reviews existing literature on the relationship between the level of effort to recruit a sampled person and the measurement quality of survey data. Hypotheses proposed for this relationship are reviewed. Empirical findings for the relationship between level of effort as measured by paradata (the number of follow-up attempts, refusal conversion and time in the field) and question-specific item non-response rates, aggregate measures of item non-response rates, response accuracy and various measurement errors on attitudinal questions are examined through a qualitative review.

Hydromorphology Of The Econlockhatchee River, John Baker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Climate change and human activities alter the hydrologic systems and exerted global scale impacts on our environment with significant implications for water resources. Climate change can be characterized by the change of precipitation and temperature, and both precipitation pattern change and global warming are associated with the increase in frequency of flooding or drought and low flows. With increasing water demand from domestic, agricultural, commercial, and industrial sectors, humans are increasingly becoming a significant component of the hydrologic cycle. Human activities have transformed hydrologic processes at spatial scales ranging from local to global. Human activities affecting watershed hydrology include land …

A Study Of Ecological And Physiological Roles Of The Termite Associated Verrucomicrobium (Tav) Strains Through A System Biology Approach, Jantiya Isanapong

Earth & Environmental Sciences Dissertations

Termite hindguts are populated by a dense and diverse community of microbial symbionts working in concert to transform lignocellulosic plant material and derived residues into acetate, to recycle and fix nitrogen, and to remove oxygen. Although much has been learned about the breadth of microbial diversity in the hindgut, the ecophysiological roles of its members is less understood. In this study, we present new information about the ecophysiology of microorganism Diplosphaera colotermitum strain TAV2, an autochthonous member of the Reticulitermes flavipes gut community. An integrated high-throughput approach was used to determine the transcriptomic and proteomic profiles of cells grown under …

Development Of A Mathematical Model, Vump (Vinasse Utilization For Methane Production), Lucina MáRcia-De-Mello Kuusisto

Earth & Environmental Sciences Dissertations

Environmental pollution causes ongoing problems. Many countries are faced with the dilemma of finding alternative energy sources that are cost-effective and environmentally friendly. Biofuels have received much attention of late as potential alternative fuels. Although biofuels are indeed attractive energy sources, their manufacturing also brings environmental pollution. One of the most prominent biofuels is ethanol. In the US, the main feedstock for ethanol manufacturing is corn. In Brazil, as well as in some other countries, the main raw material is sugarcane. Although ethanol presents many advantages as a biofuel, including the fact that it is manufactured from renewable resources, there …

Benefits And Costs Of Saltland Pastures On Moderately Salt-Affected Land, Justin Hardy, Arjen Ryder

Resource management technical reports

Summary The analyses in this report show that there could be significant economic benefits to the state, regions and affected farm businesses from establishing improved saltland pasture systems on moderately salt-affected land. The report clearly describes the methods of analysis and the assumptions about prices, productivity and adoption levels. The price of grain has been used as the key factor controlling the economic value of the saltland grazing because grain is the alternative supplementary feed for sheep over the summer and autumn period. Therefore, where yield is below break-even on moderately salt-affected land, it has a higher economic value and …

Sampling From The Hardcore Process, William C. Dodds

CMC Senior Theses

Partially Recursive Acceptance Rejection (PRAR) and bounding chains used in conjunction with coupling from the past (CFTP) are two perfect simulation protocols which can be used to sample from a variety of unnormalized target distributions. This paper first examines and then implements these two protocols to sample from the hardcore gas process. We empirically determine the subset of the hardcore process's parameters for which these two algorithms run in polynomial time. Comparing the efficiency of these two algorithms, we find that PRAR runs much faster for small values of the hardcore process's parameter whereas the bounding chain approach is vastly …

Invisibility: A Mathematical Perspective, Austin G. Gomez

CMC Senior Theses

The concept of rendering an object invisible, once considered unfathomable, can now be deemed achievable using artificial metamaterials. The ability for these advanced structures to refract waves in the negative direction has sparked creativity for future applications. Manipulating electromagnetic waves of all frequencies around an object requires precise and unique parameters, which are calculated from various mathemat- ical laws and equations. We explore the possible interpretations of these parameters and how they are implemented towards the construction of a suitable metamaterial. If carried out correctly, the wave will exit the metamaterial exhibiting the same behavior as when it had entered. …

Applications Of Fourier Analysis To Audio Signal Processing: An Investigation Of Chord Detection Algorithms, Nathan Lenssen

CMC Senior Theses

The discrete Fourier transform has become an essential tool in the analysis of digital signals. Applications have become widespread since the discovery of the Fast Fourier Transform and the rise of personal computers. The field of digital signal processing is an exciting intersection of mathematics, statistics, and electrical engineering. In this study we aim to gain understanding of the mathematics behind algorithms that can extract chord information from recorded music. We investigate basic music theory, introduce and derive the discrete Fourier transform, and apply Fourier analysis to audio files to extract spectral data.

Wavelength Scale Resonant Structures For Integrated Photonic Applications, Matthew Weed

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

An approach to integrated frequency-comb filtering is presented, building from a background in photonic crystal cavity design and fabrication. Previous work in the development of quantum information processing devices through integrated photonic crystals consists of photonic band gap engineering and methods of on-chip photon transfer. This work leads directly to research into coupled-resonator optical waveguides which stands as a basis for the primary line of investigation. These coupled cavity systems offer the designer slow light propagation which increases photon lifetime, reduces size limitations toward on-chip integration, and offers enhanced light-matter interaction. A unique resonant structure explained by various numerical models …

Sparse Ridge Fusion For Linear Regression, Nozad Mahmood

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

For a linear regression, the traditional technique deals with a case where the number of observations n more than the number of predictor variables p (n > p). In the case n < p, the classical method fails to estimate the coefficients. A solution of the problem is the case of correlated predictors is provided in this thesis. A new regularization and variable selection is proposed under the name of Sparse Ridge Fusion (SRF). In the case of highly correlated predictor, the simulated examples and a real data show that the SRF always outperforms the lasso, eleastic net, and the S-Lasso, and the results show that the SRF selects more predictor variables than the sample size n while the maximum selected variables by lasso is n size.

Optically Induced Forces In Scanning Probe Microscopy, Dana Kohlgraf-Owens

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The focus of this dissertation is the study of measuring light not by energy transfer as is done with a standard photodetector such as a photographic film or charged coupled device, but rather by the forces which the light exerts on matter. In this manner we are able to replace or complement standard photodetector-based light detection techniques. One key attribute of force detection is that it permits the measurement of light over a very large range of frequencies including those which are difficult to access with standard photodetectors, such as the far IR and THz. The dissertation addresses the specific …

A Question Of Values: Overpopulation And Our Choice Between Procreative Rights And Security-Survival, Megan T. Latta

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis analyzes the beliefs of population theorist Julian L. Simon through the creation of a harm principle. It specifically analyzes his argument that we value our freedom to choose how many children we want above all other values in the context of overpopulation and environmental destruction. The developed harm principle is meant to give us a method to decide how to balance our personal freedom with our security-survival. I begin with an overview of Simon’s work, as well as an exposition of other prominent population theorists. I then propose a principle that is a utilitarian alternative to John Stuart …

State Level Earned Income Tax Credit’S Effects On Race And Age: An Effective Poverty Reduction Policy, Anthony J. Barone

CMC Senior Theses

In this paper, I analyze the effectiveness of state level Earned Income Tax Credit programs on improving of poverty levels. I conducted this analysis for the years 1991 through 2011 using a panel data model with fixed effects. The main independent variables of interest were the state and federal EITC rates, minimum wage, gross state product, population, and unemployment all by state. I determined increases to the state EITC rates provided only a slight decrease to both the overall white below-poverty population and the corresponding white childhood population under 18, while both the overall and the under-18 black population for …

A Machine Learning Approach To Diagnosis Of Parkinson’S Disease, Sumaiya F. Hashmi

CMC Senior Theses

I will investigate applications of machine learning algorithms to medical data, adaptations of differences in data collection, and the use of ensemble techniques.

Focusing on the binary classification problem of Parkinson’s Disease (PD) diagnosis, I will apply machine learning algorithms to a primary dataset consisting of voice recordings from healthy and PD subjects. Specifically, I will use Artificial Neural Networks, Support Vector Machines, and an Ensemble Learning algorithm to reproduce results from [MS12] and [GM09].

Next, I will adapt a secondary regression dataset of PD recordings and combine it with the primary binary classification dataset, testing various techniques to consolidate …

Fundamental Limits Of Detection In The Near And Mid Infrared, Nathan Lenssen

CMC Senior Theses

The construction of the James Webb Space Telescope has brought attention to infrared astronomy and cosmology. The potential information about our universe to be gained by this mission and future infrared telescopes is staggering, but infrared observation faces many obstacles. These telescopes face large amounts of noise by many phenomena, from emission off of the mirrors to the cosmic infrared background. Infrared telescopes need to be designed in such a way that noise is minimized to achieve sufficient signal to noise ratio on high redshift objects. We will investigate current and planned space and ground based telescopes, model the noise …

Ica Model Order Selection Of Task Co-Activation Networks, Kimberly L. Ray, D. Reese Mckay, Peter M. Fox, Michael C. Riedel, Angela M. Uecker, Christian F. Beckman, Stephen M. Smith, Peter T. Fox, Angela Laird

Department of Physics

Independent component analysis (ICA) has become a widely used method for extracting functional networks in the brain during rest and task. Historically, preferred ICA dimensionality has widely varied within the neuroimaging community, but typically varies between 20 and 100 components. This can be problematic when comparing results across multiple studies because of the impact ICA dimensionality has on the topology of its resultant components. Recent studies have demonstrated that ICA can be applied to peak activation coordinates archived in a large neuroimaging database (i.e., BrainMap Database) to yield whole-brain task-based co-activation networks. A strength of applying ICA to BrainMap data …

Coherent Manipulation Of Quantum States In A Coupled Cavity-Atom System, Yanhua Wang, Jinyin Wan, Bichen Zhou, Jiepeng Zhang, Yifu Zhu

Department of Physics

We study atomic coherence and interference in four-level atoms confined in an optical cavity and explores the interplay between cavity QED and electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT). The destructive interference can be induced in the coupled cavityatom system with a free-space control laser tuned to the normal mode resonance and leads to suppression of the normal mode excitation. Then by adding a pump laser coupled to the four-level atoms from free space, the control-laser induced destructive interference can be reversed and the normal mode excitation is restored. When the free-space control laser is tuned to the atomic resonance and forms a …

Toward University Modeling Instruction—Biology: Adapting Curricular Frameworks From Physics To Biology, Seth Manthey, Eric Brewe

Department of Physics

University Modeling Instruction (UMI) is an approach to curriculum and pedagogy that focuses instruction on engaging students in building, validating, and deploying scientific models. Modeling Instruction has been successfully implemented in both high school and university physics courses. Studies within the physics education research (PER) community have identified UMI’s positive impacts on learning gains, equity, attitudinal shifts, and self-efficacy. While the success of this pedagogical approach has been recognized within the physics community, the use of models and modeling practices is still being developed for biology. Drawing from the existing research on UMI in physics, we describe the theoretical foundations …

From Vision To Change: Educational Initiatives And Research At The Intersection Of Physics And Biology, Eric Brewe, Nancy Pelaez, Todd J. Cooke

Department of Physics

In this editorial we link the articles published in this Special Issue with the framework from Vision and Change and summarize findings from the editorial process of assembling the Special Issue.

Viewpoint Invariant Gesture Recognition And 3d Hand Pose Estimation Using Rgb-D, Paul Doliotis

Computer Science and Engineering Dissertations

The broad application domain of the work presented in this thesis is pattern classifi-cation with a focus on gesture recognition and 3D hand pose estimation. One of the main contributions of the proposed thesis is a novel method for 3D hand pose estimation using RGB-D. Hand pose estimation is formulated as a database retrieval problem. The proposed method investigates and introduces new similarity measures for similarity search in a database of RGB-D hand images. At the same time, towards making 3D hand pose estimation methods more automatic, a novel hand segmentation method is introduced which also relies on depth data. …

No Longer A Complex, Not Yet A Molecule: A Challenging Case Of Nitrosyl O-Hydroxide, Hoon, Majher I. Sarker, Tasnuva Shahrin, Mark G. Steinmetz, Qadir K. Timerghazin

Chemistry Faculty Research and Publications

N-(9-Oxothioxanthenyl)benzothiophene carboxamides bearing leaving groups (LG⁻ = Cl⁻, PhS⁻, HS⁻, PhCH₂S⁻) at the C-3 position of the benzothiophene ring system photochemically cyclize with nearly quantitative release of the leaving group, LG⁻. The LG⁻ photoexpulsions can be conducted with 390 nm light or with a sunlamp. Solubility in 75% aqueous CH₃CN is achieved by introducing a carboxylate group at the C-6 position of the benzothiophene ring. The carboxylate and methyl ester derivatives regiospecifically cyclize at the more hindered C-1 position of the thioxanthone ring. …

Global Permutationally Invariant Potential Energy Surface For Ozone Forming Reaction, Mehdi Ayouz, Dmitri Babikov

Chemistry Faculty Research and Publications

We constructed new global potential energy surface for O + O₂ → O₃ reaction. It is based on high level electronic structure theory calculations and employs fitting by permutationally invariant polynomial functions. This method of surface construction takes full advantage of permutation symmetry of three O nuclei and allows reducing dramatically the number of ab initio data points needed for accurate surface representation. New potential energy surface offers dramatic improvement over older surface of ozone in terms of dissociation energy and behavior along the minimum energy path. It can be used to refine the existing theories of ozone …

Frozen Rotor Approximation In The Mixed Quantum/Classical Theory For Collisional Energy Transfer: Application To Ozone Stabilization, Alexander Teplukhin, Mikhail V. Ivanov, Dmitri Babikov

Chemistry Faculty Research and Publications

A frozen-rotor approximation is formulated for the mixed quantum/classical theory of collisional energy transfer and ro-vibrational energy flow [M. Ivanov and D. Babikov, J. Chem. Phys.134, 144107 (Year: 2011)]. Numerical tests are conducted to assess its efficiency and accuracy, compared to the original version of the method, where rotation of the molecule in space is treated explicitly and adiabatically. New approach is considerably faster and helps blocking the artificial ro-vibrational transitions at the pre- and post-collisional stages of the process. Although molecular orientation in space is fixed, the energy exchange between rotational, vibrational, and translational digresses of freedom still occurs, …

A Note On Unmixed Ideals Of Veronese Bi-Type, Monica La Barbiera

Turkish Journal of Mathematics

We classify the unmixed ideals of Veronese bi-type and in some cases we give a description of their associated prime ideals.

A Nonlocal Parabolic Problem In An Annulus For The Heaviside Function In Ohmic Heating, Fei Liang, Hongjun Gao, Charles Bu

Turkish Journal of Mathematics

In this paper, we consider the nonlocal parabolic equation u_t=\Delta u+\frac{\lambda H(1-u)}{\big(\int_{A_{\rho, R}} H(1-u)dx\big)^2}, x\in A_{\rho, R} \subset R^2, t>0, with a homogeneous Dirichlet boundary condition, where \lambda is a positive parameter, H is the Heaviside function and A_{\rho, R} is an annulus. It is shown for the radial symmetric case that: there exist two critical values \lambda_* and \lambda^*, so that for 0

Strong Solution For A High Order Boundary Value Problem With Integral Condition, Ahcene Merad, Ahmed Lakhdar Marhoune

Turkish Journal of Mathematics

The present paper is devoted to a proof of the existence and uniqueness of strong solution for a high order boundary value problem with integral condition. The proof is based by a priori estimate and on the density of the range of the operator generated by the studied problem.

Derived And Residual Sylvester-Hadamard Designs And The Smith Normal Form, İlhan Hacioğlu

Turkish Journal of Mathematics

We computed the Smith normal form of Sylvester-Hadamard designs and its complement, their derived and residual Sylvester-Hadamard designs and their complementary derived and residual Sylvester-Hadamard designs.

A Variation Of Supplemented Modules, Gökhan Bi̇lhan, Ayşe Tugba Güroğlu

Turkish Journal of Mathematics

Over a general ring, an R-module is w-supplemented if and only if amply w-supplemented. It is proved that over a local Dedekind domain, all modules are w-supplemented and over a non-local Dedekind domain, an R-module M is w-supplemented if and only if Soc(M)\ll M or M=S_0 \oplus (\bigoplus_{i \in I} K), where S_0 is a torsion, semisimple submodule of M and K is the field of quotients of R.

Structure Theorems For Rings Under Certain Coactions Of A Hopf Algebra, Gaetana Restuccia, Rosanna Utano

Turkish Journal of Mathematics

Let \{D_1,..., D_n\} be a system of derivations of a k-algebra A, k a field of characteristic p > 0, defined by a coaction \delta of the Hopf algebra H_c = k[X_1,..., X_n]/(X_1^p,..., X_n^p), c \in \{0,1\}, the Lie Hopf algebra of the additive group and the multiplicative group on A, respectively. If there exist x_1, \dots, x_n \in A, with the Jacobian matrix (D_i(x_j)) invertible, [D_i,D_j] = 0, D_i^p = cD_i, c \in \{0, 1\}, 1 \leq i, j \leq n, we obtain elements y_1,..., y_n \in A, such that D_i(y_j) = \delta_{ij}(1 + cy_i), using properties of H_c-Galois extensions. …

Growth And Distortion Theorems For Multivalent Janowski Close-To-Convex Harmonic Functions With Shear Construction Method, Yaşar Polatoğlu, Hati̇ce Esra Özkan, Emel Yavuz Duman

Turkish Journal of Mathematics

In this paper we introduce the class of m-valent Janowski close to convex harmonic functions. Growth and distortion theorems are obtained for this class. Our study is based on the harmonic shear methods for harmonic functions.