Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Extracting Social Network Model Parameters From Social Science Literature, Isaac Batts

Theses and Dissertations--Computer Science

When looking at computer modeling of social situations, much of the social science literature does not include ready-to-use statistics or parameters to be included in a social model. I explore studies related to speaking about racism (and other forms of bias), and interventions designed to diminish the occurrence of biased behavior, and use those readings to synthesize plausible parameters for a social computer model.

Improved Binary Differential Evolution With Dimensionality Reduction Mechanism And Binary Stochastic Search For Feature Selection, Behrouz Ahadzadeh, Moloud Abdar, Fatemeh Safara, Leyla Aghaei, Seyedali Mirjalili, Abbas Khosravi, Salvador García, Fakhri Karray, U. Rajendra Acharya

Machine Learning Faculty Publications

Computer systems store massive amounts of data with numerous features, leading to the need to extract the most important features for better classification in a wide variety of applications. Poor performance of various machine learning algorithms may be caused by unimportant features that increase the time and memory required to build a classifier. Feature selection (FS) is one of the efficient approaches to reducing the unimportant features. This paper, therefore, presents a new FS, named BDE-BSS-DR, that utilizes Binary Differential Evolution (BDE), Binary Stochastic Search (BSS) algorithm, and Dimensionality Reduction (DR) mechanism. The BSS algorithm increases the search capability of …

Post Developmental Mathematics: Experiences In College Algebra For Stem Students, Maria Cruciani

Undergraduate Research

Students majoring in a STEM discipline whose sequence of collegiate mathematics begins at the developmental level follow a unique progression towards degree completion. With an elongated sequence of mathematics courses, these students have already had exposure to collegiate mathematics when enrolling in a college algebra course. A structured multiple case study provided a context for understanding students’ perceptions about how their developmental mathematics experiences may have influenced their experiences in college algebra. Qualitative data was gathered through interviews with three students who are majoring in a STEM field of study. The selected students had similar quantitative literacy expectations for their …

Iowa Waste Reduction Center Newsletter, January 2024, University Of Northern Iowa. Iowa Waste Reduction Center.

Iowa Waste Reduction Center Newsletter

In this issue:

--- MSEI Season is Underway for Western Iowa
--- January 31, 2024 Reporting Deadlines: Grain Facility PM10 PTE
--- January 31, 2024 Reporting Deadlines: 6X Certification and Compliance Report
--- First Cidery Certified Gold by the IGBC
--- IWRC's Jennifer Trent Named President of USCC
--- UNI's Economics of Sustainability Class Teams Up with STAR4D for Impact
--- Industry News

Scene Understanding And Spatial Analysis Using Scene Graph Enhanced By Hall's Proxemics Zones In Smart Homes, Debaleen Das Spandan

MSU Graduate Theses

Voice-controlled smart assistants have received widespread popularity. It plays a pivotal role in smart homes by providing a natural and convenient interface for interacting with smart devices. However, these assistants are unable to serve persons with physical disabilities and speech impairments. Therefore, non-verbal communication methods, such as eye tracking, gesture recognition, and context awareness can complement and overcome some of these limitations to enhance user experience in smart homes. To address this issue, I am investigating non-verbal communication methods to make smart home technology more accessible and intuitive. In this research, I focus on proxemics, i.e., the study of distance …

Photoluminescence Of Beryllium-Related Defects In Gallium Nitride, Mykhailo Vorobiov, Mykhailo Vorobiov

Theses and Dissertations

This study explores the potential of beryllium (Be) as an alternative dopant to magnesium (Mg) for achieving higher hole concentrations in gallium nitride (GaN). Despite Mg prominence as an acceptor in optoelectronic and high-power devices, its deep acceptor level at 0.22 eV above the valence band limits its effectiveness. By examining Be, this research aims to pave the way to overcoming these limitations and extend the findings to aluminum nitride and aluminum gallium nitride (AlGaN) alloy. Key contributions of this work include. i)Identification of three Be-related luminescence bands in GaN through photoluminescence spectroscopy, improving the understanding needed for further material …

Full Issue

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

No abstract provided.

Reconciling Calculus Students’ Understanding Of Average Across Multiple Contexts, Franklin Yu

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

The idea of average is utilized in a variety of scenarios, yet the literature has indicated that students have multiple disconnected understandings for the concept of average. In this study, I provide an account of two students who reconciled their meanings for average by considering an average as a replacement with a constant value. This report discusses an intervention that teachers can leverage to help their students make their meanings for average coherent and conceptually based.

Seven Properties Of Highly Effective Problems, Thomas Ales, Kevin Peterson, Constantine Roussos

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

In an effort to provide more critical thinking opportunities in their courses, instructors are embracing the power of problem- and project-based learning (PBL). In this paper we address the importance of problem quality when utilizing PBL. We list seven important properties that a high-quality problem should have. We conclude with an example of a problem that possesses all seven properties.

Two Decades Of Supporting Excellence In Stem Through Programs That Work: A History Of High-Quality Stem Programming In The Commonwealth Of Virginia, Bill Haver, Deborah Neely-Fisher

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

The Virginia Mathematics and Science Coalition annually recognizes effective science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programs. The leaders of these Programs That Work receive recognition and others gain ideas to incorporate into their STEM programs. Programs That Work was initiated in March 2000 as a part of a statewide conference designed to better understand effective strategies to increase the success of women, minorities and members of other groups who had been underrepresented in STEM. Programs That Work has since expanded to include effective STEM programming for all students and teachers at all levels by recognizing school systems, colleges and universities …

Edge Colored And Edge Ordered Graphs, Per Gustin Wagenius

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

In this work, the current state of the field of edge-colored graphs is surveyed. Anew concept of unshrinkable edge colorings is introduced which is useful for rainbow subgraph problems and interesting in its own right. This concept is analyzed in some depth. Building upon the linear edge ordering described in a recent work from Gerbner, Methuku, Nagy, Pálvölgyi, Tardos, and Vizer, edge-ordering graphs with the cyclic group is introduced and some results are given on this and a related counting problem.

Shedding Light On Software Engineering-Specific Metaphors And Idioms, Mia Mohammad Imran, Preetha Chatterjee, Kostadin Damevski

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

Use of figurative language, such as metaphors and idioms, is common in our daily-life communications, and it can also be found in Software Engineering (SE) channels, such as comments on GitHub. Automatically interpreting figurative language is a challenging task, even with modern Large Language Models (LLMs), as it often involves subtle nuances. This is particularly true in the SE domain, where figurative language is frequently used to convey technical concepts, often bearing developer affect (e.g., 'spaghetti code). Surprisingly, there is a lack of studies on how figurative language in SE communications impacts the performance of automatic tools that focus on …

Trusted Digital Twin Network For Intelligent Vehicles, Asad Malik, Ayan Roy, Sanjay Madria

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

Vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) infrastructure facilitates wireless communication among vehicles within close proximity. This allows sharing of contextual information such as speed, location, direction, traffic, route closures, human behavior mental conditions to improve traffic flow, reduce collisions, and enhance safety on the road. However, the assumption of honest peers along with the over-reliability on the information shared in the network can pose a serious threat to human safety. A digital twin is a concept that enables a system to develop a virtual environment that mimics the real-life scenario for any situation. The availability of powerful computing equipment inside vehicles can be leveraged …

Managing Inventory With A Database, David Bartlett

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Large commercial companies often use warehouses to store and organize their product inventory. However, manually keeping track of inventory through physical means can be a tedious process and is at risk for a variety of potential issues. It is very easy for records to be inaccurate or duplicated, especially if large reorganizations are undertaken, as this can cause issues such as duplicate product ID numbers. Therefore, it was decided that an inventory management system utilizing a SQL database should be created. The system needed to have capabilities including allowing the entry of product information, the ability to search database records …

A Comparative Study Of Cationic Copper(I) Reagents Supported By Bipodal Tetramethylguanidinyl-Containing Ligands As Nitrene-Transfer Catalysts, Suraj Kumar Sahoo, Brent Harfmann, Himanshu Bhatia, Harish Singh, Srikanth Balijapelly, Amitava Choudhury, Pericles Stavropoulos

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

The Bipodal Compounds [(TMG2biphenN-R)CuI-NCMe](PF6) (R = Me, Ar (4-CF3Ph-)) And [(TMG2biphenN-Me)CuI-I] Have Been Synthesized With Ligands That Feature A Diarylmethyl- And Triaryl-Amine Framework And Superbasic Tetramethylguanidinyl Residues (TMG). The Cationic Cu(I) Sites Mediate Catalytic Nitrene-Transfer Reactions Between The Imidoiodinane PhI = NTs (Ts = Tosyl) And A Panel Of Styrenes In MeCN, To Afford Aziridines, Demonstrating Comparable Reactivity Profiles. The Copper Reagents Have Been Further Explored To Execute C-H Amination Reactions With A Variety Of Aliphatic And Aromatic Hydrocarbons And Two Distinct Nitrene Sources PhI = NTs And PhI = NTces (Tces = 2,2,2-Trichloroethylsulfamate) In Benzene/HFIP (10:2 V/v). Good Yields …

Dna Origami-Assisted Regioselective Organization Of Anisotropic Gold Nanotriangle Clusters, Wenyan Liu, Prashant Gupta, Yuwei Zhang, Krishna Thapa, Srikanth Singamaneni, Risheng Wang

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

The manipulation of anisotropic nanoparticles, such as gold nanorods and nano prisms, has attracted great attention in nanotechnology due to their sensitive geometry-dependent properties. However. traditional synthesis and assembly methods for these particles face challenges in size uniformity and higher-order structuring. To address these limitations, this study presents a strategy using DNA origami triangles, not just as templates, but as encapsulating agents for gold nanotriangles (AuNTs). This method enables the construction of diverse nanoparticle clusters with precisely controlled distance and orientation. The formed clusters exhibit unique optical characteristics, demonstrated by UV-visible spectroscopy and supported by finite-difference time domain (FDTD) simulations. …

Mobility Management In Tsch-Based Industrial Wireless Networks, Marco Pettorali, Francesca Righetti, Carlo Vallati, Sajal K. Das, Giuseppe Anastasi

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

Wireless Sensor and Actuator Networks (WSANs) are an effective technology for improving the efficiency and productivity in many industrial domains and are also the building blocks for the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). To support this trend, the IEEE has defined the 802.5.4 Time-Slotted Channel Hopping (TSCH) protocol. Unfortunately, TSCH does not provide any mechanism to manage node mobility, while many current industrial applications involve Mobile Nodes (MNs), e.g., mobile robots or wearable devices carried by workers. In this article, we present a framework to efficiently manage mobility in TSCH networks, by proposing an enhanced version of the Synchronized Single-hop …

Undeniable Authentication Of Digital Twin-Managed Smart Microfactory, Anusha Vangala, Ashok Kumar Das, Sajal K. Das

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

Smart Microfactories Use Additive Manufacturing to Create Products with Mixed Materials and Variable Sizes. Digital Twin Technology Enhances Control of the Additive Manufacturing Equipment in These Factories, Increasing Productivity and Minimizing Errors. the Digital Twins Communicate with the Machines to Furnish Sensitive Data and Instructions, Which Must Be Protected from Tampering. Authentication Rescues the Digital and Physical Twins from Menacing Attacks Such as Privileged Insider, Impersonation, Ephemeral Secret Leakage (ESL) and Man-In-The-Middle (MiTM) Attacks. to This End, We Propose Lightweight Authentication among the Digital and Physical Twins with the Undeniability of Issued Commands and Deniable Key Agreement. It Achieves Perfect …

Disseminating Over-The-Air Updates Via Intelligent Labeling In Multi-Tier Networks, Atefeh Asayesh, Asad Waqar Malik, Sajal K. Das

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

Connected Vehicles Rely on Sophisticated Software Systems for Diverse Features, Including Navigation, Entertainment, Communication, and Safety Functions. as Technology Continues to Advance, the Reliance on Software in Connected Vehicles Becomes Increasingly Integral to their overall Performance and the Delivery of Innovative Features. Therefore, in the Domain of Software-Enabled Automobiles, the Implementation of over-The-Air (OTA) Software Updates is Deemed Essential for the Dissemination of Software and Fixes in Connected Vehicles. the Conventional Method of Addressing This Matter Entailed Manufacturers Undertaking the Task of Recalling Outdated Vehicles; However, the Central Issue Lies in the Considerable Challenge of Effectively Notifying Owners through Recall …

Adaptive Resilient Control For A Class Of Nonlinear Distributed Parameter Systems With Actuator Faults, Hasan Ferdowsi, Jia Cai, Sarangapani Jagannathan

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper presents a new model-based fault resilient control scheme for a class of nonlinear distributed parameter systems (DPS) represented by parabolic partial differential equations (PDE) in the presence of actuator faults. A Luenberger-like observer on the basis of nonlinear PDE representation of DPS is developed with boundary measurements. A detection residual is generated by taking the difference between the measured output of the DPS and the estimated one given by the observer. Once a fault is detected, an unknown actuator fault parameter vector together with a known basis function is utilized to adaptively estimate the fault dynamics. A novel …

Meta-Icvi: Ensemble Validity Metrics For Concise Labeling Of Correct, Under- Or Over-Partitioning In Streaming Clustering, Niklas M. Melton, Sasha A. Petrenko, Donald C. Wunsch

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Understanding the performance and validity of clustering algorithms is both challenging and crucial, particularly when clustering must be done online. Until recently, most validation methods have relied on batch calculation and have required considerable human expertise in their interpretation. Improving real-time performance and interpretability of cluster validation, therefore, continues to be an important theme in unsupervised learning. Building upon previous work on incremental cluster validity indices (iCVIs), this paper introduces the Meta- iCVI as a tool for explainable and concise labeling of partition quality in online clustering. Leveraging a time-series classifier and data-fusion techniques, the Meta- iCVI combines the outputs …

Optimal Trajectory Tracking For Uncertain Linear Discrete-Time Systems Using Time-Varying Q-Learning, Maxwell Geiger, Vignesh Narayanan, Sarangapani Jagannathan

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This Article Introduces a Novel Optimal Trajectory Tracking Control Scheme Designed for Uncertain Linear Discrete-Time (DT) Systems. in Contrast to Traditional Tracking Control Methods, Our Approach Removes the Requirement for the Reference Trajectory to Align with the Generator Dynamics of an Autonomous Dynamical System. Moreover, It Does Not Demand the Complete Desired Trajectory to Be Known in Advance, Whether through the Generator Model or Any Other Means. Instead, Our Approach Can Dynamically Incorporate Segments (Finite Horizons) of Reference Trajectories and Autonomously Learn an Optimal Control Policy to Track Them in Real Time. to Achieve This, We Address the Tracking Problem …

Communication-Efficient Federated Learning For Leo Constellations Integrated With Haps Using Hybrid Noma-Ofdm, Mohamed Elmahallawy, Tony T. Luo, Khaled Ramadan

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

Space AI has become increasingly important and sometimes even necessary for government, businesses, and society. An active research topic under this mission is integrating federated learning (FL) with satellite communications (SatCom) so that numerous low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites can collaboratively train a machine learning model. However, the special communication environment of SatCom leads to a very slow FL training process up to days and weeks. This paper proposes NomaFedHAP, a novel FL-SatCom approach tailored to LEO satellites, that (1) utilizes high-altitude platforms (HAPs) as distributed parameter servers (PSs) to enhance satellite visibility, and (2) introduces non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) …

Towards Fine-Gained Services: Nfv-Assisted Tracking And Positioning Using Micro-Services For Multi-Robot Cooperation, Bo Yi, Lin Qiu, Jianhui Lv, Yingpu Nian, Xingwei Wang, Sajal K. Das

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

Robotics as a Service (RaaS) emerges as a new paradigm to motivate diversified potential of the "remote-controlled economy" for flexible and efficient service provision with the help of cloud computing. The multi-robot cooperation (MRC) technology has been widely used in various intelligent logistics scenarios, such as warehouses, factories, airports and subway stations, benefiting from the advantages of high operational efficiency and low labor cost. While promising, the corresponding challenge is that the service functions deployed on logistics robots (LRs) are more prone to failures such as resource exhaustion and error configuration in the multi-robot system (MRS). In this way, it …

Resource Aware Clustering For Tackling The Heterogeneity Of Participants In Federated Learning, Rahul Mishra, Hari Prabhat Gupta, Garvit Banga, Sajal K. Das

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

Federated Learning Is A Training Framework That Enables Multiple Participants To Collaboratively Train A Shared Model While Preserving Data Privacy. The Heterogeneity Of Devices And Networking Resources Of The Participants Delay The Training And Aggregation. The Paper Introduces A Novel Approach To Federated Learning By Incorporating Resource-Aware Clustering. This Method Addresses The Challenges Posed By The Diverse Devices And Networking Resources Among Participants. Unlike Static Clustering Approaches, This Paper Proposes A Dynamic Method To Determine The Optimal Number Of Clusters Using Dunn Indices. It Enables Adaptability To The Varying Heterogeneity Levels Among Participants, Ensuring A Responsive And Customized Approach To …

Personalized Federated Graph Learning On Non-Iid Electronic Health Records, Tao Tang, Zhuoyang Han, Zhen Cai, Shuo Yu, Xiaokang Zhou, Taiwo Oseni, Sajal K. Das

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

Understanding The Latent Disease Patterns Embedded In Electronic Health Records (EHRs) Is Crucial For Making Precise And Proactive Healthcare Decisions. Federated Graph Learning-Based Methods Are Commonly Employed To Extract Complex Disease Patterns From The Distributed EHRs Without Sharing The Client-Side Raw Data. However, The Intrinsic Characteristics Of The Distributed EHRs Are Typically Non-Independent And Identically Distributed (Non-IID), Significantly Bringing Challenges Related To Data Imbalance And Leading To A Notable Decrease In The Effectiveness Of Making Healthcare Decisions Derived From The Global Model. To Address These Challenges, We Introduce A Novel Personalized Federated Learning Framework Named PEARL, Which Is Designed For …

Lease: Leveraging Energy-Awareness In Serverless Edge For Latency-Sensitive Iot Services, Aastik Verma, Anurag Satpathy, Sajal K. Das, Sourav Kanti Addya

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

Resource Scheduling Catering to Real-Time IoT Services in a Serverless-Enabled Edge Network is Particularly Challenging Owing to the Workload Variability, Strict Constraints on Tolerable Latency, and Unpredictability in the Energy Sources Powering the Edge Devices. This Paper Proposes a Framework LEASE that Dynamically Schedules Resources in Serverless Functions Catering to Different Microservices and Adhering to their Deadline Constraint. to Assist the Scheduler in Making Effective Scheduling Decisions, We Introduce a Priority-Based Approach that Offloads Functions from over-Provisioned Edge Nodes to Under-Provisioned Peer Nodes, Considering the Expended Energy in the Process Without Compromising the Completion Time of Microservices. for Real-World Implementations, …

Early Detection Of Driving Maneuvers For Proactive Congestion Prevention, Debasree Das, Shameek Bhattacharjee, Sandip Chakraborty, Bivas Mitra, Sajal K. Das

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

Road Traffic Congestion Affects Not Only the Commute Delay but Also a city's overall Social, Economic, and Environmental Growth. Existing Approaches for Road Congestion Mitigation Primarily Adopt a Reactive Approach by Detecting Congestion after It Occurs and Recommending Alternate Routes to the Vehicles, Which Fails to Prevent Congestion Cascading. in Contrast, We Propose a Pervasive Platform Called ProCon that Proactively Infers the Driving Micro-Behaviors that Can Contribute to Congestion Formation and Assist the Drivers in Avoiding Such Maneuvers in Real-Time during the Navigation. Thorough Evaluations over Multiple Real-Life and Simulated Datasets Indicate that ProCon Can Reduce Congestion for More Than …

Uncovering The Causes Of Emotions In Software Developer Communication Using Zero-Shot Llms, Mia Mohammad Imran, Preetha Chatterjee, Kostadin Damevski

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

Understanding and identifying the causes behind developers' emotions (e.g., Frustration caused by 'delays in merging pull requests') can be crucial towards finding solutions to problems and fostering collaboration in open-source communities. Effectively identifying such information in the high volume of communications across the different project channels, such as chats, emails, and issue comments, requires automated recognition of emotions and their causes. To enable this automation, large-scale software engineering-specific datasets that can be used to train accurate machine learning models are required. However, such datasets are expensive to create with the variety and informal nature of software projects' communication channels. In …

On The K-Weak Coverage Of Random Mobile Sensors, Sajal K. Das, Rafal Kapelko

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper studies the fundamental problem of energy consumption in the movement of mobile random sensors ensuring k-weak coverage on the domain. In particular, we analyze two notions of k-weak coverage on the unit square, namely (1) (k, x)-weak coverage in which every straight-line path across the width of the unit square passes through the sensing range of at least k sensors; and (2) (k, x, y)-weak coverage in which every straight-line path across the width and the length of the unit square passes through the sensing range of at least k sensors. The number of reliable and p-reliable sensors …