Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

High Clearance Collision-Free Paths, Barun Thapa

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Path Planning is one of the widely investigated research areas in computational geometry and robotics. Given a set of polygonal obstacles inside a rectangular box, and start & goal points, the path planning problem is to construct a collision-free path connecting the start point to the goal point. We review existing well known algorithms for solving the path planning problem. We propose new approaches for constructing a collision-free path with high clearance from obstacles. The main idea of the proposed algorithm is the appropriate generation free-region nodes which can be processed to construct high clearance paths. Neighbors of free-region nodes …

A Machine Learning Approach To Evaluate The Effect Of Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter-2 Inhibitors On Chronic Kidney Disease In Diabetes Patients, Solomon Eshun

Theses and Dissertations

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a significant complication that contributes to diabetes-related mortality in the United States, and there is growing evidence that sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) can slow its progression. However, observational studies may suffer from confounding by indication, where patient characteristics and disease severity influence the decision to prescribe SGLT2i. This study utilized electronic health records of individuals with diabetes (from TriNetX) to investigate the effectiveness of SGLT2i on CKD progression. The database provided detailed information on patients’ CKD status, demographics, diagnosis, procedures, and medications, along with corresponding dates of diagnosis and prescription. The study comprised of …

Results And Simulation Of Active Self-Assembly, Robert M. Alaniz

Theses and Dissertations

Self-assembly is the process by which simple elements in a system organize themselves into more complex structures based on a set of rules that govern their interactions. With many ways to create self-assembling systems, new models of abstraction have also arisen to handle specific mechanisms and procedures. We explore several open problems in the seeded model of Active Self-Assembly, Chemical Reaction Networks, and Surface Chemical Reaction Networks, proving new results while developing a robust simulation environment, AutoTile, to help build and test these results.

An Investigation Into Optimal Descent Trajectories For Multipurpose Long Range Space Vehicles Under Advanced Conditions, John M. Levis

Theses and Dissertations

In this work, we investigate the problem of fuel-optimal control of space vehicle descent trajectories. The main tool we use to establish optimality is Pontryagin’s Maximum Principle. We present a variety of scenarios with increasing complexities, including drag, wind, and moving landing platforms in the context of differing atmospheric and gravitational conditions. Throughout the paper, we use a balance of analytical and numerical techniques. Finally, observations and conclusions drawn from the investigation form the basis for suggestions into additional areas of analysis.

An Analysis Of Antichimeral Ramanujan Type Congruences For Quotients Of The Rogers-Ramanujan Functions, Ryan A. Mowers

Theses and Dissertations

This paper proves the existence of antichimeral Ramanujan type congruences for certain modular forms These modular forms can be represented in terms of Klein forms and the Dedekind eta function. The main focus of this thesis is to introduce the necessary theory to characterize these specific Ramanujan type congruences and prove their antichimerality.

Self-Supervised Representation Learning For Motion Time Series: A Case Study In Activity Recognition, Luis Carlos Garza Perez

Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis we will learn about what contrastive learning and time series are and understand the differences between supervised and self-supervised frameworks in machine learning. In addition, we will describe how the newest and most efficient self-supervised learning framework for visual representations to this date works, called SimCLR, which was originally developed to obtain useful vector representations from static images. We will also explain what TS2Vec is, and how a combination of both approaches can be applied to the concept of a time series, and still be able to extract a vector representation of the subject described by the …

Metasurfaces For Holography, Scott Howell

Physics Capstone Projects

Holography uses the interference of light waves to store information about an object, which can then be seen from different angles to create a partial 3D view. A simple experiment can be done using a laser diode, photographic plate, and a set of dice to create a holographic image. The holographic film is thin and can only hold a single image. Reflection holography can create a 3D diffraction pattern and allows more information to be packed into a single medium. Computer generated holograms can be designed to create holograms without a real object to be used in augmented reality. High …

Engineering Lab Building Telescope Manual, Aidan L. Tueller

Physics Capstone Projects

In partnership with Dr. Jan Sojka, head of the Physics Department, a plan was created to make the telescope on top of the Engineering Lab building operational again for either staff, students, classes, or labs to use. The telescope was purchased through funds by Utah NASA Space Grant Consortium. This paper will contain basic information about how to operate the telescope and use its equipment. There is an online manual from Meade that is much longer but goes into much more detail about individual pieces and specific parts of the telescope.

Data Science For Hospital Antibiotic Stewardship, Saikou Jawla

Theses and Dissertations

Antibiotics are widely used to treat bacterial infections, but their misuse leads to antibiotic resistance. Antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest threats to global health, food security, and development today. Antibiotic resistance leads to higher medical costs, prolonged hospital stays, and increased mortality. Antimicrobial stewardship is an approach to measure and improve the appropriate use of antibiotics in healthcare settings. Data science has the potential to support these programs by providing insights into antibiotic prescribing patterns, identifying areas for improvement, and predicting patient outcomes. We explored the role of data science in hospital antibiotic stewardship programs, including statistical methods …

Congruences For Quotients Of Rogers-Ramanujan Functions, Maria Del Rosario Valencia Arevalo

Theses and Dissertations

In 1919 the mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan conjectured congruences for the partition function p(n) modulo powers of the primes 5,7,11. In this work, we study Ramanujan type congruences modulo powers of primes p = 7,11,13,17,19,23 satisfied by the Fourier coefficients of quotients the Rogers-Ramanujan Functions G(τ) and H(τ) and the Dedekind eta function η(5τ). In addition to deriving new congruences, we develop the foundational theory of modular forms to motivate and prove the results. The work includes proofs of congruences facilitated by Python/SageMath code.

Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cell Mitochondrial Dysfunction In Acute Alcohol-Associated Hepatitis, Annette Bellar, Nicole Welch, Jaividhya Dasarathy, Amy Attaway, Ryan Musich, Avinash Kumar, Jinendiran Sekar, Saurabh Mishra, Yana I. Sandlers, Et. Al

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Background: Patients with acute alcohol-associated hepatitis (AH) have immune dysfunction. Mitochondrial function is critical for immune cell responses and regulates senescence. Clinical translational studies using complementary bioinformatics-experimental validation of mitochondrial responses were performed in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from patients with AH, healthy controls (HC), and heavy drinkers without evidence of liver disease (HD).
Methods: Feature extraction for differentially expressed genes (DEG) in mitochondrial components and telomere regulatory pathways from single-cell RNAseq (scRNAseq) and integrated 'pseudobulk' transcriptomics from PBMC from AH and HC (n = 4 each) were performed. After optimising isolation and processing protocols for functional studies in …

Automorphisms Of A Generalized Quadrangle Of Order 6, Ryan Pesak

Undergraduate Honors Theses

In this thesis, we study the symmetries of the putative generalized quadrangle of order 6. Although it is unknown whether such a quadrangle Q can exist, we show that if it does, that Q cannot be transitive on either points or lines. We first cover the background necessary for studying this problem. Namely, the theory of groups and group actions, the theory of generalized quadrangles, and automorphisms of GQs. We then prove that a generalized quadrangle Q of order 6 cannot have a point- or line-transitive automorphism group, and we also prove that if a group G acts faithfully on …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Nanocomposite Sensing Films For Breath Sensors, Tara Mercer

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Lung cancer is one of the most common and fatal cancers today, infecting 1 in 16 people, and killing well over a million patients per year. Currently, lung cancer is detected usually in stages three and four by quite costly and invasive methods, which shows only a survival rate of 10%. Breath sensors provide a low-cost and non-invasive technique for early screening of lung cancer. The breath sensors use assemblies of gold nanoparticles to identify lung cancer, specifically by identifying and quantifying specific volatile organic compound (VOC) concentrations found in the breath of lung cancer patients. This thesis describes a …

An Overview Of Serial Depletions Of Global Marine Fisheries 1950 To 2019, Alison Follmer

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Overfishing is a global issue that poses a significant risk to the entire ocean ecosystem in diminishing biodiversity and ecosystem function. This thesis examined the pattern and pace of fisheries depletions due to commercial fishing during the past 70 years. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Division of Fisheries and Aquaculture maintains a database of global hauls of marine taxa (reported in metric tonnes) from 1950 – 2019. These data were queried to determine the total number and sequence of fisheries depletions documented by the historic record. Analysis of this database showed progressive, linearly-increasing exploitation of …

Differences In Intracellular Protein Levels In Monocytes And Cd4+ Lymphocytes Between Bipolar Depressed Patients And Healthy Controls: A Pilot Study With Tyramine-Based Signal-Amplified Flow Cytometry, Keming Gao, Marzieh Ayati, Nicholas M. Kaye, Mehmet Koyutürk, Joseph R. Calabrese, Stephen J. Ganocy, Hillard M. Lazarus, Eric Christian, David Kaplan

Computer Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Highlights

• To measure 18 intracellular proteins in blood cells of bipolar depressed patients and healthy controls;

• TFour proteins in monocytes and 2 proteins in CD4+ T Cells were significantly lower in patients than in healthy controls;

• The studied proteins are involved in prolactin, leptin, BDNF, and interleukin-3 signal pathways;

• Studying intracellular proteins with enhanced flow cytometry may find biomarkers differentiating bipolar disorder from healthy controls.

Abstract

Background

Molecular biomarkers for bipolar disorder (BD) that distinguish it from other manifestations of depressive symptoms remain unknown. The aim of this study was to determine if a very sensitive tyramine-based signal-amplification technology for …

Soil Health And Remediation For Urban Gardens In Utah, Melissa Chilinski

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Urban environments are at an increased risk of soil contamination and poor soil health due to anthropogenic causes. As healthy farmland is developed, new urban farmers and gardeners are often left growing food on unwanted land with unknown histories of previous use. Varied research and methods for obtaining healthy soils can cause new growers to make decisions that negatively impact soil health and fertility, or on the other hand, conflicting information can cause individuals to become unnecessarily fearful of common soil contaminants and their effect on human health. Common soil contaminants, like trace metals (often referred to as heavy metals) …

Sprout: Using A Garden Metaphor To Visualize And Support Customizable And Collaborative Health Tracking, Pape Sow Traoré

Dartmouth College Master’s Theses

Self-tracking tools have become increasingly popular, especially with the advent of wearable technology and smartphone applications. However, traditional tracking tools often display data in a quantitative format that can be overwhelming and cause users to abandon their tracking efforts. Additionally, these tools typically provide a generic user experience and are designed from a single-user perspective, lacking external support. To overcome these limitations, we develop Sprout, a mobile data-tracking application that offers a more qualitative, customizable, and collaborative experience for health monitoring and management. Sprout uses a garden metaphor to visually represent health information and allows users to tailor their …

Intrinsic Tame Filling Functions And Other Refinements Of Diameter Functions, Andrew Quaisley

Department of Mathematics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Tame filling functions are quasi-isometry invariants that are refinements of the diameter function of a group. Although tame filling functions were defined in part to provide a proper refinement of the diameter function, we show that every finite presentation of a group has an intrinsic tame filling function that is equivalent to its intrinsic diameter function. We then introduce some alternative filling functions—based on concepts similar to those used to define intrinsic tame filling functions—that are potential proper refinements of the intrinsic diameter function.

Adviser: Susan Hermiller and Mark Brittenham

Prefix-Rewriting: The Falsification By Fellow Traveler Property And Practical Computation, Ash Declerk

Department of Mathematics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The word problem is one of the fundamental areas of research in infinite group theory, and rewriting systems (including finite convergent rewriting systems, automatic structures, and autostackable structures) are key approaches to working on the word problem. In this dissertation, we discuss two approaches to creating bounded regular convergent prefix-rewriting systems.

Groups with the falsification by fellow traveler property are known to have solvable word problem, but they are not known to be automatic or to have finite convergent rewriting systems. We show that groups with this geometric property are geodesically autostackable. As a key part of proving this, we …

The Persuasive Design Of Ai-Synthesized Voices, Hannah H. Chang, Anirban. Mukherjee

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

We investigate the impact of AI-based, machine-synthesized narrating voices on consumer cognitions and behavior in media-rich environment. Across four studies (plus pretests), we show that the design of AI voices systematically and predictably affects consumer cognition and behavior. Specifically, the designs of AI voices have differential effects in early versus later stages of consumer purchase journey. In situations where the consumers’ attention is already directed to the message, we find that marcomm with more AI voices generates a smaller proportion of favorable thoughts, which leads to a lower purchase likelihood. These results support our conceptualization that hearing more AI voices …

Consumer Reaction To The Use Of Artificial Intelligence Chatbot On Distribution Of General Insurance In Singapore, Lai Hing Tan

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

As technology rapidly permeates all aspects of our lives, it is not unusual to question and even challenge the rationale on why certain industries are slower to adapt to the new digital age. Insurance is a business that is under scrutiny given its traditional ways of selling and legacy challenges. Why is technology investment in insurance companies lagging others? One emerging technological disruption is artificial intelligence (AI). It is the science of designing and building intelligent systems that can complete tasks traditionally performed by humans. AI is expected to fundamentally transform today’s marketplace, for businesses and consumers alike. However, because …

Connecting The Dots For Contextual Information Retrieval, Pei-Chi Lo

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

There are many information retrieval tasks that depend on knowledge graphs to return contextually relevant result of the query. We call them Knowledgeenriched Contextual Information Retrieval (KCIR) tasks and these tasks come in many different forms including query-based document retrieval, query answering and others. These KCIR tasks often require the input query to contextualized by additional facts from a knowledge graph, and using the context representation to perform document or knowledge graph retrieval and prediction. In this dissertation, we present a meta-framework that identifies Contextual Representation Learning (CRL) and Contextual Information Retrieval (CIR) to be the two key components in …

Document Graph Representation Learning, Ce Zhang

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

Much of the data on the Web can be represented in a graph structure, ranging from social and biological to academic and Web page graphs, etc. Graph analysis recently attracts escalating research attention due to its importance and wide applicability. Diverse problems could be formulated as graph tasks, such as text classification and information retrieval. As the primary information is the inherent structure of the graph itself, one promising direction known as the graph representation learning problem is to learn the representation of each node, which could in turn fuel tasks such as node classification, node clustering, and link prediction. …

Learning Dynamic Multimodal Networks, Meng Kiat Gary Ang

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

Capturing and modeling relationship networks consisting of entity nodes and attributes associated with these nodes is an important research topic in network or graph learning. In this dissertation, we focus on modeling an important class of networks present in many real-world domains. These networks involve i) attributes from multiple modalities, also known as multimodal attributes; ii) multimodal attributes that are not static but time-series information, i.e., dynamic multimodal attributes, and iii) relationships that evolve across time, i.e., dynamic networks. We refer to such networks as dynamic multimodal networks in this dissertation.

An example of a static multimodal network is one …

Invariants Of 3-Braid And 4-Braid Links, Mark Essa Sukaiti

Theses

In this study, we established a connection between the Chebyshev polynomial of the first kind and the Jones polynomial of generalized weaving knots of type W(3,n,m).
Through our analysis, we demonstrated that the coefficients of the Jones polynomial of weaving knots are essentially the Whitney numbers of Lucas lattices which allowed us to find an explicit formula for the Alexander polynomial of weaving knots of typeW(3,n).
In addition to confirming Fox’s trapezoidal conjecture, we also discussed the zeroes of the Alexander Polynomial of weaving knots of type W(3,n) as they relate to Hoste’s conjecture. In addition, …

Empowering Female College Students In Pursuing Careers In Science, Technology, Engineering And Mathematics (Stem), Jordan Armstrong

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

As the STEM field continues to grow, it is evident that there is a need to close the gender gap between males and females. This senior capstone examines the evolution of the acronym STEM and how programs have attempted to narrow the gender gap, but it is not easy to completely close the gap. Through a literature review and surveys with educators at the high school and university levels, this research project looks at the factors that have empowered female students to pursue careers in STEM. The findings provide insight into what has led female college students to pursue careers …

Hispanic Human Capital And Financial Aid Application In The West Census Region, Benjamin Lundy-Paine

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

As of 2021, very few Hispanic residents in the United States held a college degree in comparison to non-Hispanic residents. Research has shown that, particularly for Hispanic students, financial aid increases college persistence. Hispanic Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) submission rates rank among the lowest, preventing many Hispanic students from receiving financial assistance. This issue is most prevalent West Census Region (WCR), where there is the highest concentration of Hispanic residents. To understand what barriers may be preventing Hispanic submission in the WCR this Capstone used logistic regression models to analyze student-level data from the National Center for …

The Loneliest Galaxies In The Universe: A Gama And Galaxy Zoo Study On Void Galaxy Morphology., Lori E. Porter

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Honors Theses

The large-scale structure (LSS) of the Universe is comprised of galaxy filaments, tendrils, and voids. The majority of the Universe’s volume is taken up by these voids, which exist as underdense, but not empty, regions. The galaxies found inside voids are void galaxies and expected to be some of the most isolated objects in the Universe. However, their standard morphology remains poorly studied. This study, using the Galaxy and Mass Assembly (GAMA) data and Galaxy Zoo survey, aims to remedy this. For completeness purposes, we use void galaxies identified by Alpaslan et al. (2014) with stellar masses (M*) of 10 …

Repytah: An Open-Source Python Package For Building Aligned Hierarchies For Sequential Data, Chenhui Jia, Lizette Carpenter, Thu Tran, Amanda Y. Liu, Sasha Yeutseyva, Mariun Tapal, Yingke Wang, Zoie Kexin Zhou, Jordan Moody, Denise Nava, Eleanor Donaher, Lillian Yusha Jiang, Ben Bruncati, Katherine M. Kinnaird

Computer Science: Faculty Publications

We introduce repytah, a Python package that constructs the aligned hierarchies representation that contains all possible structure-based hierarchical decompositions for a finite length piece of sequential data aligned on a common time axis. In particular, this representation–introduced by Kinnaird (2016) with music-based data (like musical recordings or scores) as the primary motivation–is intended for sequential data where repetitions have particular meaning (such as a verse, chorus, motif, or theme). Although the original motivation for the aligned hierarchies representation was finding structure for music-based data streams, there is nothing inherent in the construction of these representations that limits repytah to only …

Reverse Mathematics Of Ramsey's Theorem, Nikolay Maslov

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Reverse mathematics aims to determine which set theoretic axioms are necessary to prove the theorems outside of the set theory. Since the 1970’s, there has been an interest in applying reverse mathematics to study combinatorial principles like Ramsey’s theorem to analyze its strength and relation to other theorems. Ramsey’s theorem for pairs states that for any infinite complete graph with a finite coloring on edges, there is an infinite subset of nodes all of whose edges share one color. In this thesis, we introduce the fundamental terminology and techniques for reverse mathematics, and demonstrate their use in proving Kőnig's lemma …