Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Estimation In Generalized Estimating Equation Measurement Error Models Using Instrumental Variables/ Estimating The Cardinality Of Latent Defective Edges In Hypergraphs, Damin Zhu

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

This dissertation consists of two studies. The first develops theory for a new method for estimating regression parameters using generalized estimating equations (GEE) with panel data prone to covariate measurement error. The focus is on logistic regression, though the method is applicable to other models. The method requires availability ofinstrumental variables (IV) to identify model parameters. Simulations are performed to assess the performance of the proposed estimator. The method, abbreviated GEEIV, is able to accurately estimate logistic regression parameters masked by measurement error in a variety of population configurations.

In the second study, an algorithm is proposed to estimate the …

Metagenomic Insights Into Landfill Intermediate Cover Soil Microbiomes And Their Potential Role In Mitigating Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Peyton Lienhart

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Landfills are the third largest source of anthropogenic methane emissions in the United States and have also been found to produce nitrous oxide, an even more potent greenhouse gas than methane. Intermediate cover soils (ICS) play a major role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions from landfills because they harbor methanotrophic bacteria that degrade methane. However, the extent of methanotrophs in landfill cover soils and the roles of microbial communities in these complex ecosystems is only beginning to be understood. Additionally, the role of ICS in producing nitrous oxide is poorly understood. While methane consumption is a desirable trait, genes involved …

Timeseries Analysis To Characterize Complex Phenomena In Environmental And Human Health Applications, Jeremy Ernest Matt

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Studying and evaluating time series signals that emerge when monitoring complex phenomena requires fusing, visualizing, and often reducing the dimensionality of large amounts of data to reveal the patterns and relationships that appear at different scales. In this work, we develop methods for monitoring, visualizing, and identifying the complex relationships that appear in time series data collected from two very different domains – health care conversations and river networks – to facilitate large-scale understanding of these systems. Fostering connection between clinicians and patients and their families in the context of serious illness is a fundamental component of good clinical communication …

An Analysis Of A Linear Algebra Based Group Key Exchange Protocol, Annie Zhang

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Group key exchange protocols are used to establish session keys, which can then be used as encryption keys to set up secure channels of communication, between more than two parties simultaneously. Many different group key exchange protocols exist and require security proofs in order to determine the strength of the protocol and answer the following questions: does the protocol provide authentication, and if so, to what degree? Does the protocol provide key secrecy? In this thesis we examine a particular group key exchange protocol that we call the \textit{vector space projection protocol} as first described in “A Group Key Establishment …

How To Analyze Parental Conversation Online: A Computational Stack For Studying Vaccine Hesitancy., Carter Willets Ward

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Despite national and international organizations such as the CDC and WHO recognizing the value of vaccines and their importance in addressing public health concerns, there has been a decline in coverage for even the most established vaccines over the past three years. The global COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to this decline via decreases in medical resource accessibility and an increase in vaccine hesitancy. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, WHO had recognized vaccine hesitancy as one of the top ten threats to public health. In the present work, we introduce a background account of (1) vaccine hesitancy and (2) anti-vax activism, …

Groundwater Governance And Agricultural Sustainability: Examining Farmer Interactions With California’S Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, Zachary Matthew Goldstein

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Climate change has exacerbated groundwater depletion globally, and policymakers have struggled to effectively manage groundwater resources. California enacted the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) in 2014 to restore groundwater to sustainable levels.

The first paper of this thesis examines the drivers associated with uptake of groundwater conservation practices in agriculture. While a rich body of research has explored farmers’ conservation practice adoption, understanding of groundwater conservation practices is more limited. This study explores how information sources influence the actual and intended adoption of groundwater management practices in California. Using survey data from farmers (n = 553) in three largely agricultural …

Deep Reinforcement Machine Learning As A Driver Of Agent Decision-Making In Agent-Based Models Of Coupled Natural And Human Complex Systems, Kevin Allen Andrew

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Agent-based models are becoming increasingly useful in studying the behavior of real-world complex multi-agent systems; however, one of the outstanding challenges in the modeling of coupled natural and human systems is the dearth of techniques for creating agents that are able to learn from their past failures and successes, as well as compounded environmental and social uncertainties. This research has been focused on the integration of traditional agent-based modeling with machine learning methodologies for modeling agent decision-making and its recursive impacts on economic, environmental, and societal outcomes, feeding into the dynamic co-evolution of the coupled natural and human system state …

Investigating The Mechanical Properties Of Different Types Of Phospholipids, A Molecular Dynamics Study, Atena Farhangian

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Around 54.4 million ) of the US population is suffering from arthritis. It is one of the main contributors to activity limitations and is imposing a great cost on society. The main reason behind the lack of a cure for arthritis is the incomplete understanding of the lubrication of the joint. A critical question is the role of phospholipids, especially their mechanical role in relation to cartilage and other molecules present in synovial fluid.

The main type of load a joint like a knee endures is compressive forces. The present work is an effort to better understand the molecular-level interactions …

Drivers Of Soil Organic Carbon In Rich Northern Hardwood Forests, Sophia Rebecca Marinace

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Forests are increasingly being managed for their carbon sequestration potential. As such, an understanding of the factors controlling carbon dynamics across and within sites is becoming increasingly important for guiding carbon management strategies. Given that much of a forest’s carbon is stored in soils, identifying the factors that control how much carbon is stored in soils is critical. This study used detailed vegetation and soil measurements across a rich northern hardwood forest in Corinth, Vermont to identify factors that drive soil carbon storage in a northern hardwood forest, a common type in New England, and investigated how multiple non-native species …

Data Science And Mathematical Modeling For Humanitarian Response, Ollin Demian Langle Chimal

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

This dissertation focuses on the exploration of societal responses to crises, with a par-ticular interest in existing socio-economic disparities, using tools of data science and mathematical modeling. The scope of the research is comprised predominantly around the COVID-19 pandemic, incorporating an in-depth analysis across six middle-income countries; Brazil, Colombia, Indonesia, Mexico, Philippines, and South Africa. With GPS data of approximately three million users, we found significant differences in the adherence to stay-at-home guidelines, revealing a great contrast between individuals in high-wealth and low-wealth areas, showing the disparities of who were more able to stay at home without risking their livelihood. …

Effects Of Morphology On Genetic Assimilation Of Learned Behavior, Natalie L. Tolley

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

The Baldwin effect is an evolutionary theory regarding the assimilation of ontogenetic changes into a population's genome via selection pressure to entrench beneficial phenotypes discovered through learning. In evolutionary computation, the incorporation of learning into non-embodied agents allows them to navigate otherwise rough fitness landscapes by allowing for local exploration at particular points in that landscape. Prior work investigating the specific mechanisms by which learned behavior is genetically assimilated is almost entirely limited to non-situated, non-embodied simulations such as bitstring manipulation. However, recent research has demonstrated that genetic assimilation can be observed in embodied agents. Learning more about the ways …

Analyzing The Impact Of Cultural Factors On Happiness Levels In Arabic Language Tweets, Parisa Suchdev

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Culture is a fundamental force shaping our view of the world. Filtered through the stories we share on social media, our collective behavior both reflects and amplifies cultural impacts. The present study seeks to describe the effect of cultural factors, such as religion, on happiness scores in Arabic language tweets from January 2010 to June 2023. Our methodology involves using present tools called Hedonometer (https://hedonometer.org/) to study happy and sad events and StoryWrangler (https://storywrangling.org/) to study the usage of keywords related to those events. Our findings reveal a notable pattern of Twitter happiness declining following the start of the Arab …

Advancing Deep Learning Techniques For Turbidity Forecasting In Rivers And Reservoirs, Shaurya Swami

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Surface water turbidity, a crucial parameter affecting water quality, is a significant concern for public health and water treatment processes. With turbidity levels ranging from a few to several hundred nephelometric turbidity units (NTUs) due to events like heavy rainfall, flooding, and agricultural runoff, the need for effective turbidity prediction methods is paramount. Current forecasting methods depend on historical data and meteorological forecasts, with the predictive accuracy being limited by the complexity of the hydrological system. Operators of drinking water reservoirs, particularly in large unfiltered water supply systems like the Catskill and Delaware river systems serving New York City, face …

Computational Models Of Extracellular Matrix Remodeling In Pulmonary Fibrosis, Dylan Tyler Casey

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a devastating, progressive and ultimately fatal interstitial lung disease of unknown etiology. Like most forms of fibrosis, it is thought to reflect an error in the homeostatic wound healing process, leading to excess scar tissue that impairs lung function. With few effective treatments, uncovering the pathogenesis of IPF may provide crucial information for improving outcomes. However, its elusive origin makes research with traditional methods in biology, such as cell and animal models, challenging. Here, we employ computational models to simulate the development of IPF and investigate mechanisms by which the disease begins and progresses.

IPF …

Data-Driven Reachability Of Non-Linear Systems Via Optimization Of Chen-Fliess Series, Ivan Perez Avellaneda

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

A reachable set is the set of all possible states produced by applying a set of inputs, initial states, and parameters. The fundamental problem of reachability is checking if a set of states is reached provided a set of inputs, initial states, and parameters, typically, in a finite time. In the engineering field, reachability analysis is used to test the guarantees of the operation’s safety of a system. In the present work, the reachability analysis of nonlinear control affine systems is studied by means of the Chen-Fliess series. Different perspectives for addressing the reachability problem, such as interval arithmetic, mixed-monotonicity, …

Bayesian Experimental Design For Control And Surveillance In Epidemiology, Bren Case

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Effective public health interventions must balance an array of interconnected challenges, and decisions must be made based on scientific evidence from existing information. Building evidence requires extrapolating from limited data using models. But when data are insufficient, it is important to recognize the limitations of model predictions and diagnose how they can be improved. This dissertation shows how principles from Bayesian experimental design can be applied to surveillance and control efforts to allow researchers to get more out of their data and direct limited resources to best effect. We argue a Bayesian perspective on data gathering, where design decisions are …

We Are Still Playing: A Meta-Analysis Of Game-Based Learning In Mathematics Education, Thomas Conmy

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this meta-analysis was to investigate the effectiveness of the use of games as part of mathematics instruction on academic achievement in grades Kindergarten to 12 in the United States. There were 17 studies selected for investigation published from 2010 to 2023 that focused on game-based learning and mathematics. This meta-analysis fills the gap in the knowledge by examining classes that are using game based learning across three platforms of instruction: nondigital games, digital on computers, and mobile devices. The findings from this meta-analysis suggest that the usage of game-based learning in a classroom has a positive effect …

Navigating Opportunities To Improve Youth Outcomes In A Least Developed Country: An Action Research Study, Naomi Docilait

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The ambitious United Nations-adopted Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) require the concentrated effort of governments, the business sector, and other key stakeholders, including women and youth, for its success. Effective leadership will be essential for different sectors to integrate these development goals into strategic plans and operational activities in the service of realizing this agenda by 2030. Unfortunately for Least Developed Countries (LDCs), the COVID-19 pandemic caused the worst economic outcomes in 30 years. For this group of countries, the pandemic has negatively influenced efforts to eradicate poverty and improve social outcomes. This setback makes achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by …

Teaching Without Walls: A Portraiture Study Of Nature-Based Educators In Duluth, Minnesota, Christina Wild

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This dissertation explores the lived experience of nature-based educators in Duluth, Minnesota. Portraiture served as the methodological framework for learning about how teachers in Duluth got into teaching and why they remain on the job. Teacher turnover and attrition is a national problem exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet, teachers who perceive better working conditions are less likely to leave the profession. In addition, nature-based education has positive influences on students. Past research in nature-based education has looked at students rather than teachers. This study’s findings offer key lessons in the stories of educators who stay in teaching and experience …

Dvgq Joint Data, Steven L. Martin

Research Data--KGS

A compilation of digitally vectorized joint data from the U.S. Geological Survey geologic quadrangle maps. Joint data was collected by USGS and KGS geologists using a compass during geologic mapping of the 7.5-minute quadrangle. Field notes of mappers are not available, therefore the orientation of joints was determined by a script written by KGS personnel during the digitization process.

Clusters, Curves, And Centroids: Stellar Flare Morphology In The Ultraviolet, Vera Berger

Pomona Senior Theses

With a novel sample of 495 high-cadence light curves for stellar flares in the near-ultraviolet, I explore similarity measures, clustering algorithms, averaging methods, and curve fitting techniques for time series. This work seeks to provide insight into whether stellar flares are similar across stars, if we can identify physically meaningful patterns in their light curves, and how to construct a comprehensive model for flares. I construct the first empirical template for flare light curves in the ultraviolet, and compute ``average elements" of flares displaying complex features such as quasi-periodic oscillations and multipeak structures. Developing accurate models for flares in the …

Examining The Connectivity Of Antarctic Krill On The West Antarctic Peninsula: Implications For Pygoscelis Penguin Biogeography And Population Dynamics, Katherine L. Gallagher, Michael S. Dinniman, Heather J. Lynch

CCPO Publications

Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) are considered a keystone species for higher trophic level predators along the West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) during the austral summer. The connectivity of these populations may play a critical role in predator biogeography, especially for central-place foragers such as the Pygoscelis penguins that breed along the WAP during the austral summer. Here, we used a physical ocean model to examine adult krill connectivity in this region using simulated krill with realistic diel vertical migration behaviors across four austral summers. Specifically, we examined krill connectivity around the Adélie gap, a 400 km long region along …

Comments On "Reconsidering The Relationship Between Gulf Stream Transport And Dynamic Sea Level At U.S. East Coast" By Chi Et Al., Tal Ezer

CCPO Publications

Numerous recent studies found significant correlations between weakening of the Gulf Stream (GS) and rising coastal sea level (CSL) along the U.S. East Coast. Based on monthly altimeter data and Florida Current transport, Chi et al. (2023; here, CH23) argued that geostrophic adjustment of the GS is unlikely to drive variations in CSL in the Mid-Atlantic Bight (MAB). It is argued here that this conclusion cannot be universally applicable to all cases, since the monthly data disregard correlations previously found for short time scales based on hourly and daily data; the impact of GS variability on time scales of decades …

The Lie Algebra Sl2(C) And Krawtchouk Polynomials, Nkosi Alexander

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Lie algebra L = sl2(C) consists of the 2 × 2 complex matrices that have trace zero, together with the Lie bracket [y, z] = yz − zy. In this thesis we study a relationship between L and Krawtchouk polynomials. We consider a type of element in L said to be normalized semisimple. Let a, a^∗ be normalized semisimple elements that generate L. We show that a, a^∗ satisfy a pair of relations, called the Askey-Wilson relations. For a positive integer N, we consider an (N + 1)-dimensional irreducible L-module V consisting of the homogeneous polynomials in two variables …

Towards Sweetness Classification Of Orange Cultivars Using Short‑Wave Nir Spectroscopy, Ayesha Zeb, Waqar Shahid Qureshi, Abdul Ghafoor, Amanullah Malik, Muhammad Imran, Alina Mirza, Mohsin Islam Tiwana, Eisa Alanazi

Articles

The global orange industry constantly faces new technical challenges to meet consumer demands for quality fruits. Instead of traditional subjective fruit quality assessment methods, the interest in the horticulture industry has increased in objective, quantitative, and non-destructive assessment methods. Oranges have a thick peel which makes their non-destructive quality assessment challenging. This paper evaluates the potential of short-wave NIR spectroscopy and direct sweetness classification approach for Pakistani cultivars of orange, i.e., Red-Blood, Mosambi, and Succari. The correlation between quality indices, i.e., Brix, titratable acidity (TA), Brix: TA and BrimA (Brix minus acids), sensory assessment of the fruit, and short-wave NIR …

Is Disclosure And Certification Of The Use Of Generative Ai Really Necessary?, Maura R. Grossman, Paul W. Grimm, Daniel G. Brown

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

The Mystery Of The Missing Megafauna, Maggie Colangelo, Bernard Means

Virtual Curation Lab's Comic Publications

The creative team behind Founding Monsters and Founding Monsters Tales have created a new comic that takes a more scientific and less historic approach to the giant mammals that once roamed North America. The Mystery of the Missing Megafauna explores how changing climate impacted biodiversity and megafauna populations in North America at the end of the last Ice Age. Particular attention is placed on the extinction of mastodons, mammoths, giant ground sloths and other megafauna whose fossils are found at Saltville in southwestern Virginia. This comic draws a connection to contemporary climate change and the major extinctions happening today. The …

Sustainability Hub Newsletter - January 2023, Jacqueline Jergensen, Neyda Gilman, Jennifer Embree

Library Sustainability Resources

The January 2023 Issue of the Sustainability Hub Newsletter shares sustainable New Year's Resolutions, additions to our documentary collection, a new environmental justice mapping tool, information on the Sustainability Hub Interest Group, and a student petition for EV Chargers on campus! Also read our announcements and upcoming events!

One-Pot Enol Silane Formation-Allylation Of Ketones Promoted By Trimethylsilyl Trifluoromethanesulfonate, Elizabeth D. Heafner, Xuechun Lin, Alexa Connors, Hanyu Zhong, R. J. Coyle, Yiqi Liu, C. Wade Downey

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Ketones and related substrate classes undergo enol silane formation in the presence of trimethylsilyl trifluoromethanesulfonate (TMSOTf) and triethylamine, reaction conditions that also promote the in situ ionization of allyl propionates. When these two processes are performed in one pot, allylation of the ketone is observed in high yields. Aldehydes, esters, and thioesters also serve as enol silane precursors under these conditions. When unsymmetrical allyl cations are employed, regioselectivity depends upon the electronic and steric properties of the substituents.

Silica Particles Convert Thiol-Containing Molecules To Disulfides, Yangjie Li, Kurt W. Kolasinski, Richard N. Zare

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Synthetic amorphous silica is a common food additive and a popular cosmetic ingredient. Mesoporous silica particles are also widely studied for their potential use in drug delivery and imaging applications because of their unique properties, such as tunable pore sizes, large surfaces areas, and assumed biocompatibility. Such a nanomaterial, when consisting of pure silicon dioxide, is generally considered to be chemically inert, but in this study, we showed that oxidation yields for different compounds were facilitated by simply incubating aqueous solutions with pure silica particles. Three thiol-containing molecules, L-cysteine, glutathione, and D-penicillamine, were studied separately, and it was found that …