Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Sediment Survey: Yr140127, Station S5372-S5375, Clay Bank, York River Virginia, Grace M. Massey, Kelsey A. Fall, Carl T. Friedrichs

Data

This dataset consists of sediment properties including grain size distribution, percent moisture, percent organic matter, sediment bed erodibility, as well as (in most cases) x-ray images of the sediment structure. Most samples were taken in support of an Acoustic Doppler Velocimeter (ADV) tripod deployed in nearby location.

Sediment Survey: Yr140409, Station S5376-S5380, Clay Bank, York River Virginia, Grace M. Massey, Kelsey A. Fall, Carl T. Friedrichs

Data

This dataset consists of sediment properties including grain size distribution, percent moisture, percent organic matter, sediment bed erodibility, as well as (in most cases) x-ray images of the sediment structure. Most samples were taken in support of an Acoustic Doppler Velocimeter (ADV) tripod deployed in nearby location.

Sediment Survey: Yr071016, Station 3947, Gloucester Point, York River Virginia, Grace M. Massey, Patrick J. Dickhudt, Carl T. Friedrichs

Data

This dataset consists of sediment properties including grain size distribution, percent moisture, percent organic matter, sediment bed erodibility, as well as (in most cases) x-ray images of the sediment structure. Most samples were taken in support of an Acoustic Doppler Velocimeter (ADV) tripod deployed in nearby location.

Tower Deployment: Yr150821 To Yr150831, Light Sensor, Clay Bank, York River Virginia, Grace M. Massey, Kelsey A. Fall, Carl T. Friedrichs

Data

Dataset consists of data collected during a tower deployment of multiple ONSET light sensors at varying depths to monitor light intensity and temperature.

Tower Deployment: Yr160406 To Yr160420, Light Sensor, Clay Bank, York River Virginia, Grace M. Massey, Kelsey A. Fall, Carl T. Friedrichs

Data

Dataset consists of data collected during a tower deployment of multiple ONSET light sensors at varying depths to monitor light intensity and temperature.

Tripod Deployment: Yr090226 To Yr090430, Adv, Clay Bank, York River Virginia, Grace M. Massey, Carl T. Friedrichs

Data

Dataset consists of burst data collected as part of a tripod deployment. The tripod included the following instruments: Acoustic Doppler Velocimeter (ADV), YSI6600 CTD, Sequoia LISST.

Tripod Deployment: Yr100927 To Yr110314, Adv, Clay Bank, York River Virginia, Grace M. Massey, Carl T. Friedrichs

Data

Dataset consists of burst data collected as part of a tripod deployment. The tripod included the following instruments: Acoustic Doppler Velocimeter (ADV), YSI6600 CTD.

Patterns Of Interdisciplinary Collaboration Resemble Biogeochemical Relationships In The Mcmurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica: A Historical Social Network Analysis Of Science, 1907–2016, Stephen M. Chignell, Adrian Howkins, Poppie Gullett, Andrew G. Fountain

Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Co-authorship networks can provide key insights into the production of scientific knowledge. This is particularly interesting in Antarctica, where most human activity relates to scientific research. Bibliometric studies of Antarctic science have provided a useful understanding of international and interdisciplinary collaboration, yet most research has focused on broad-scale analyses over recent time periods. Here, we take advantage of a ‘Goldilocks’ opportunity in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, an internationally important region of Antarctica and the largest ice-free region on the continent. The McMurdo Dry Valleys have attracted continuous and diverse scientific activity since 1958. It is a geographically confined region with …

Automated Conjecturing On The Independence Number And Minimum Degree Of Diameter-2-Critical Graphs, Joshua R. Forkin

Theses and Dissertations

A diameter-2-critical (D2C) graph is a graph with diameter two such that removing any edge increases the diameter or disconnects the graph. In this paper, we look at other lesser-studied properties of D2C graphs, focusing mainly on their independence number and minimum degree. We show that there exist D2C graphs with minimum degree strictly larger than their independence number, and that this gap can be arbitrarily large. We also exhibit D2C graphs with maximum number of common neighbors strictly greater than their independence number, and that this gap can be arbitrarily large. Furthermore, we exhibit a D2C graph whose number …

Radiative Width Of K*(892) From Lattice Quantum Chromodynamics, Archana Radhakrishnan

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

In this dissertation, we use lattice quantum chromodynamics to explore the radiative transitions of πK to K, to calculate the radiative width of the resonant K*(892) which appears in the P-wave πK → γK transition amplitude. The matrix elements are extracted from three-point functions calculated in a finite-volume discretized lattice with a pion mass of 284 MeV. The finite-volume amplitudes, which are constrained over a large number of πK energy points and four-momentum transfers, are mapped to the infinite volume transition amplitude by using the Lellouch-Lüscher formalism. The radiative width is determined to be …

Multi-Step Prediction Using Tree Generation For Reinforcement Learning, Kevin Prakash

Master's Projects

The goal of reinforcement learning is to learn a policy that maximizes a reward function. In some environments with complete information, search algorithms are highly useful in simulating action sequences in a game tree. However, in many practical environments, such effective search strategies are not applicable since their state transition information may not be available. This paper proposes a novel method to approximate a game tree that enables reinforcement learning to use search strategies even in incomplete information environments. With an approximated game tree, the agent predicts all possible states multiple steps into the future and evaluates the states to …

Jparsec - A Parser Combinator For Javascript, Sida Zhong

Master's Projects

Parser combinators have been a popular parsing approach in recent years. Compared with traditional parsers, a parser combinator has both readability and maintenance advantages.

This project aims to construct a lightweight parser construct library for Javascript called Jparsec. Based on the modular nature of a parser combinator, the implementation uses higher-order functions. JavaScript provides a friendly and simple way to use higher-order functions, so the main construction method of this project will use JavaScript's lambda functions. In practical applications, a parser combinator is mainly used as a tool, such as parsing JSON files.

In order to verify the utility of …

Enabling Use Of Signal In A Disconnected Village Environment, Evan Chopra

Master's Projects

A significant portion of the world still does not have a stable internet connection. Those people should have the ability to communicate with their loved ones who may not live near by or to share ideas with friends. To power this achievable reality, our lab has set out on making infrastructure for enabling delay tolerant applications. This network will communicate using existing smartphones that will relay the information to a connected environment. The proof of concept application our lab is using is Signal as it offers end to end encryption messaging and an open source platform our lab can develop.

Using Machine Learning To Maximize First-Generation Student Success A Contribution To The Mission Of Aiding The Underserved, Mustafa Emre Yesilyurt

Master's Projects

The Leadership and Career Accelerator (UNVS 101) is a course offered at San José State University (SJSU) designed to hone industry skills in and provide support to students of underserved backgrounds. The main goal of this study is to determine which features are most significant to identifying the students at risk of failing the course. This will allow faculty to better focus data collection efforts and facilitate an increase in classifier accuracy. The data came as three distinct sets (sources). One contained features describing student demographics and academic history, another described the students’ experience in the course, and a third …

Social Disorganisation Theory And Violent Crime: A Spatial-Econometric Analysis Of Chicago And Sydney, Anthony N. Greening

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The spatialisation of violent crime is explored in two large case studies, Chicago and Sydney, using spatial econometric methods and macro-sociological variables derived from Social Disorganisation Theory.

Social Disorganisation Theory (SDT) is introduced in terms of its formulation in response to highly specific conditions arising in Chicago, as well as its adoption of methodological and theoretical developments from existing traditions. This specificity belies its breadth of application and enduring presence in criminology. With “Social Disorganisation Theory” hosting a wealth of highly nuanced academic dialogue conducted under its banner, current incarnations of SDT appear as branches on an evolutionary tree. This …

Deep Learning Augmentation For Medical Image Analysis, Fouzia Altaf

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Deep learning is at the center of the current rise of computer aided diagnosis in medical imaging. This technology has the ability to mimic extremely complex mathematical functions for predictive tasks. These functions are encoded as computational models that are learned directly from data. Deep learning models are known to achieve human-level accuracy for predictive tasks. However, such a performance requires that the model is trained on a huge amount of training data. For computer aided diagnosis tasks, the relevant training data needs to be carefully annotated by medical experts. This process is laborious and expensive, which generally results in …

Interpretable Machine Learning For Self-Service High-Risk Decision Making, Charles Recaido

All Master's Theses

This research contributes to interpretable machine learning via visual knowledge discovery in General Line Coordinates (GLC). The concepts of hyperblocks as interpretable dataset units and GLC are combined to create a visual self-service machine learning model. Two variants of GLC known as Dynamic Scaffold Coordinates (DSC) are proposed. DSC1 and DSC2 can map in a lossless manner multiple dataset attributes to a single two-dimensional (X, Y) Cartesian plane using a dynamic scaffolding graph construction algorithm.

Hyperblock analysis is used to determine visually appealing dataset attribute orders and to reduce line occlusion. It is shown that hyperblocks can generalize decision tree …

Geomorphic History And Preservation Of Archaeologically Significant Areas In The Hanford Reach Of The Columbia River, Washington State, Benjamin Deans

All Master's Theses

Archaeological sites near rivers may be preserved through burial, altered by exposure, or destroyed through erosion. Preserved because of the unusual needs of the Manhattan Project, the Hanford Reach is the only remaining free-flowing reach of the Columbia River and ideal for research into the geomorphic settings of archaeological sites along this river. The 1894 (742,000 cfs [20,900 m³/s]) and 1948 (690,000 cfs [19,000 m³/s]) floods were the largest in the historical record through the reach, but their relationship with geomorphic change and site preservation are less understood. To understand how floods have preserved and destroyed …

Binding Interactions Between Mixed-Monlayer Functionalized Gold Nanoparticles (Aunps) And The Serum Protein Albumin, Jennifer Hanigan-Diebel

All Master's Theses

This study investigated the protein adsorption interactions of bovine serum albumin (BSA) with three different functionalized 5 nm gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) in order to determine the binding affinity and total amount of protein adsorbed to each AuNP surface chemistry. AuNPs were synthesized using two different capping agents to display three different surface chemistries: a neutral ω-functionalized thiol ligand (mercapto-ethoxy-ethoxy-ethanol, MEEE), a thiol ligand that is negatively charged at pH 7.4 (mercaptohexanoic acid, MHA), and a mixture of the two ligands (mixed-ligand AuNPs). The interactions of this library of AuNPs with bovine serum albumin (BSA) were investigated using UV-visible absorbance spectroscopy, …

Decadal-Scale Effects Of Large Wood Restoration On Channel Morphology And Groundwater Connectivity, Taneum Creek, Wa, Samuel Fixler

All Master's Theses

The importance of large wood (LW) in creating channel complexity is widely recognized; however, few LW projects have been in place long enough to track meaningful channel changes on a decadal timescale. Taneum Creek, located in central Washington, is one of the earliest LW restoration areas (2008) in the Yakima River Basin and the central Cascade Mountains. The flood in 2011, with an estimated discharge of 69 m³/s (2,400-2,800 cfs), provided further channel change by mobilizing LW and channel sediments. Three reaches with similar channel characteristics and LW additions were compared with a control reach without LW additions …

Drivers Of 20th Century Sea-Level Change In Southern New Zealand Determined From Proxy And Instrumental Records, Ed Garrett, W. Roland Gehrels, Bruce W. Hayward, Rewi Newnham, Maria J. Gehrels, Craig J. Morey, Sönke Dangendorf

CCPO Publications

In this paper we present new proxy-based sea-level reconstructions for southern New Zealand spanning the last millennium. These palaeo sea-level records usefully complement sparse Southern Hemisphere proxy and tide-gauge sea-level datasets and, in combination with instrumental observations, can test hypotheses about the drivers of 20th century global sea-level change, including land-based ice melt and regional sterodynamics. We develop sea-level transfer functions from regional datasets of salt-marsh foraminifera to establish a new proxy-based sea-level record at Mokomoko Inlet, at the southern tip of the South Island, and to improve the previously published sea-level reconstruction at Pounawea, located about 110 km to …

The Role Of Zooplankton Community Composition In Fecal Pellet Carbon Production In The York River Estuary, Chesapeake Bay, Kristen Nicole Sharpe

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

The biological pump is a critical component of carbon transformation in aquatic ecosystems, but the role that zooplankton play in carbon production and vertical export is rarely studied in estuaries. Zooplankton produce carbon-rich fecal pellets which sink to depth and can fuel benthic community metabolism. The body size and taxonomic structure of the zooplankton community varies on interannual, seasonal, and diel time scales, and can lead to varying carbon production and export rates. We quantified fecal pellet carbon (FPC) production by the whole mesozooplankton community (> 200 µm) in the York River, a sub-estuary of Chesapeake Bay. Biomass and taxonomic …

Toward A Comprehensive Water Quality Model For The Chesapeake Bay Using Unstructured Grids, Xun Cai

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Chesapeake Bay is one of the most productive ecosystems on the US east coast which supports various living resources and habitat, and therefore has significant impacts on human beings and ecosystem health. Developing the capability of accurately simulating the water quality condition in the Chesapeake Bay, such as seasonal hypoxia, phytoplankton production, and nutrient dynamics, helps to better understand the interactions of hydrodynamical and biochemical processes, and more importantly, to predict conditions under changing climate and human intervention. Currently, most Chesapeake Bay models use structured grids that lack the flexibility for local refinements to fit complex geometry over both large …

Abstractive Text Summarization For Tweets, Siyu Chen

Master's Projects

In the high-tech age, we can access a vast number of articles, information, news, and opinion online. The wealth of information allows us to learn about the topics we are interested in more easily and cheaply, but it also requires us to spend an enormous amount of time reading online. Text summarization can help us save a lot of reading time so that we can know more information in a shorter period. The primary goal of text summarization is to shorten the text while including as much vital information as possible in the original text so fewer people use this …

City Of Milpitas Trash Capture Device Program: An Evaluation Of System Performance And Compliance With The Municipal Regional Permit, Joseph Aguilera

Master's Projects

Water pollution negatively impacts the environment and human population. The problem persists despite various mitigation efforts, strategies, and the implementation of regulatory requirements. It is estimated that Californians dispose of approximately 40 million tons of consumer items and waste materials annually (California Department of Resource Recycling and Recovery, 2019). As the population increases, it is expected that negative impacts of trash on the environment will be exacerbated. To address this, municipalities in California apply various methods to reduce trash before it enters ocean waters.

The primary vehicle for urban trash pollutants to reach ocean waters is through storm water conveyance …

Canvas Autoquiz, Archit Jain

Master's Projects

Online learning management platforms such as Canvas are thriving and quickly replacing traditional classrooms, especially during these pandemic-struck times. As more and more quizzes are administered online, we need tools that make the quiz creation process easier and faster. Canvas Autoquiz is a command-line tool that allows instructors to automatically create and upload quizzes of varying difficulty levels. It also allows instructors to export quizzes from one LMS platform to another. This project explores the need, design, and implementation of the tool, and prospective future work.

Hard Real-Time Linux On A Raspberry Pi For 3d Printing, Alvin Nguyen

Master's Projects

The project presents how a Raspberry Pi with hard real-time enabled Linux can control stepper motors to operate the kinematics of a 3D (three-dimensional) printer. The consistent performance of the Raspberry Pi with the PREEMPT-RT (real-time) patch can satisfy real hard-time requirements for 3D printing kinematics, without introducing dedicated microcontrollers. The Klipper 3D printer firmware enables one of the Raspberry Pi processors to act as the Klipper MCU, the primary controller for the hardware components. This project introduces a software implementation of the control logic for controlling the stepper motors, which utilizes the PCA9685 pwm driver and TB6612 motor drivers …

Gesture Recognition Using Neural Networks, Ashwini Kurady

Master's Projects

The advances in technology have brought in a lot of changes in the way humans go about their lives. This has enhanced the significance of Artificial Neural Networks and Computer Vision- based interactions with the world. Gesture Recognition is one of the major focus areas in Computer Vision. This involves Human Computer Interfaces (HCI) that would capture and understand human actions. In this project, we will explore how Neural Network concepts can be applied in this challenging field of Computer Vision. By leveraging the latest research for Gesture Recognition, we researched on how to capture the movement across different frames …

Predicting Externally Visible Traits From A Dna Sample For Law Enforcement Applications, Niraj Pandkar

Master's Projects

A large majority of crimes such as homicides, sexual assaults and missing person cases are not solved within a reasonable timeframe and become cold cases. The ability to predict visual appearance and ancestry from a DNA sample will provide an unprecedented advancement in such criminal investigations. DNA based prediction of craniofacial features, phenotypes and ancestry can be used to reduce the pool of candidates onto which to perform further investigations. To achieve the above goal, it is first essential to substantiate, model and measure the intrinsic relationship between the genomic markers and phenotypic features. The first step is to standardize …

Hidden Markov Models With Momentum, Andrew Miller

Master's Projects

Momentum is a popular technique for improving convergence rates during gradient descent. In this research, we experiment with adding momentum to the Baum-Welch expectation-maximization algorithm for training Hidden Markov Models. We compare discrete Hidden Markov Models trained with and without momentum on English text and malware opcode data. The effectiveness of momentum is determined by measuring the changes in model score and classification accuracy due to momentum. Experiments indicate that adding momentum to Baum-Welch can reduce the number of iterations required for initial convergence during HMM training, particularly in cases where the model is slow to converge. However, momentum does …