Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Nonperiodic Type I Be/X-Ray Binary Outbursts, Rebecca G. Martin, Alessia Franchini

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Research

Type I Be/X-ray binary outbursts are driven by mass transfer from a Be star decretion disk to a neutron star companion during each orbital period. Treiber et al. recently observed nonperiodic type I outbursts in RX J0529.8-6556 that has unknown binary orbital properties. We show that nonperiodic type I outbursts may be temporarily driven in a low eccentricity binary with a disk that is inclined sufficiently to be mildly unstable to Kozai-Lidov oscillations. The inclined disk becomes eccentric and material is transferred to the neutron star at up to three locations in each orbit: when the neutron star passes the …

Evaluation Of Robust Deep Learning Pipelines Targeting Low Swap Edge Deployment, David Carter Cornett

Masters Theses

The deep learning technique of convolutional neural networks (CNNs) has greatly advanced the state-of-the-art for computer vision tasks such as image classification and object detection. These solutions rely on large systems leveraging wattage-hungry GPUs to provide the computational power to achieve such performance. However, the size, weight and power (SWaP) requirements of these conventional GPU-based deep learning systems are not suitable when a solution requires deployment to so called "Edge" environments such as autonomous vehicles, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and smart security cameras.

The objective of this work is to benchmark FPGA-based alternatives to conventional GPU systems that have the …

Directional Spectral Solar Energy For Building Performance: From Simulation To Cyber-Physical Prototype, Joseph Del Rocco

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

The original research and development in this dissertation contributes to the field of building performance by actively harnessing a wider spectrum of directional solar radiation for use in buildings. Solar radiation (energy) is often grouped by wavelength measurement into the spectra ultraviolet (UV), visible (light), and short and long-wave infrared (heat) on the electromagnetic spectrum. While some of this energy is directly absorbed or deflected by our atmosphere, most of it passes through, scatters about, and collides with our planet. Modern building performance simulations, tools, and control systems often oversimplify this energy into scalar values for light and heat, when …

Hyperspectral Infrared Imaging Of Surface Phonon-Polaritons In Srtio3, D. J. Lahneman, M. M. Qazilbash

Arts & Sciences Articles

Polaritons have a demonstrated impact on nanophotonic applications in the midinfrared through visible spectral range. Surface phonon-polaritons (SPhPs) offer a way to bring the potential of polaritons to the longer infrared wavelengths. Strontium titanate (STO) is a perovskite polar dielectric with diverse technologically advantageous properties and it can support SPhPs in a uniquely broad spectral range of the far infrared. Despite these advantages, STO has mostly been overlooked as a nanophotonic material. In this work we investigate SPhP propagation in STO in the far-infrared through midinfrared spectral range using broadband, near-field nanospectroscopy. We developed a tabletop, laser sustained plasma light …

Material Handling With Embodied Loco-Manipulation, Jean Chagas Vaz

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Material handling is an intrinsic component of disaster response. Typically, first responders, such as firefighters and/or paramedics, must carry, push, pull, and handle objects, facilitating the transportation of goods. For many years, researchers from around the globe have sought to enable full-sized humanoid robots to perform such essential material handling tasks. This work aims to tackle current limitations of humanoids in the realm of interaction with common objects such as carts, wheelbarrows, etc. Throughout this research, many methods will be applied to ensure a stable Zero Moment Point (ZMP) trajectory to allow a robust gait while loco-manipulating a cart. The …

A Human-Embodied Drone For Dexterous Aerial Manipulation, Dongbin Kim

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Current drones perform a wide variety of tasks in surveillance, photography, agriculture, package delivery, etc. However, these tasks are performed passively without the use of human interaction. Aerial manipulation shifts this paradigm and implements drones with robotic arms that allow interaction with the environment rather than simply sensing it. For example, in construction, aerial manipulation in conjunction with human interaction could allow operators to perform several tasks, such as hosing decks, drill into surfaces, and sealing cracks via a drone. This integration with drones will henceforth be known as dexterous aerial manipulation.

Our recent work integrated the worker’s experience into …

Exploring The Latent Space Of Image Captioning Networks, Mikian J. Musser

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

State-of-the-art image captioning models can successfully produce a diverse set of accurate captions. Previous research has focused on improving caption diversity while maintaining a high level of fidelity. We shift the focus from accuracy and diversity to controllability. We use a modified version of the traditional encoder-decoder network that allows the model to produce a meaningful and structured latent space. We then explore the latent space using several latent cartographic methods: lerp, slerp, analogy completion, attribute vector rotation, and interpolation graphs. Additionally, we discuss different categories of latent space and provide modifications for each of the cartographic methods. Finally, we …

Hybridity, Ecocriticism, And Feminist Perspectives In She-Ra And The Princesses Of Power, Sarah Warso

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Children’s cartoons are growing increasingly nuanced in the twenty-first century. She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018) is an animated television series targeted towards young girls that includes themes of ecocriticism and feminism. The show does this by introducing cyborg, or hybrid, characters. My research explores how cyborg identities in children’s media and their feminist, ecocritical meanings in She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. The cyborg, as a feminist mythic hero, breaks down binaries and recodes communication between opposing forces. The She-Ra is filled with characters that inhabit multiple identities. The main character, Adora, identifies as both a former Evil …

Machine Learning Analysis Of Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (Snp) Data To Predict Bone Mineral Density In African American Women, Erick Githua Wakayu

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Osteoporosis is a debilitating disease in which an individual’s bones weaken, making bones fragile and more susceptible to fracture. While commonly found amongst postmenopausal Caucasian and Asian women based on previous studies, those of African descent (African American/Black) have largely been ignored when it comes to osteoporotic studies, especially when it comes to Genome Wide Association Studies (GWAS). From GWA studies, we gain access to single nucleotide poly-morphisms (SNPs) that may contribute to certain illnesses, such as osteoporosis. With low Bone Mineral Density (BMD) being one of the primary markers of potential osteoporosis, it is prudent that proper research is …

What Do General And Organic Chemistry Students Consider When Making Decisions About Acids And Bases? A Phenomenographic Study, Sarah Wood

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Chemistry students often struggle in organic chemistry courses. In fact, these courses are viewed by some as “weed-out” classes. There are many fundamental concepts covered in general chemistry that contribute to students’ ability to succeed in organic chemistry. One of those fundamental topics, and the focus of this study, is the topic of acids and bases. Acid–base topics are featured in both general and organic chemistry courses, and the interests of this study lie not only within the realm of organic chemistry but also general chemistry.

The purpose of this study was to determine both undergraduate general and organic chemistry …

On The P-Inner Functions Of ℓPA, James G. Dragas

Mathematics & Statistics Theses & Dissertations

Define ℓ^p_A as the space of all functions holomorphic over the unit disk whose Taylor coefficients are p-summable. Despite their classical origins and simple definition, these spaces are not as well understood as one might expect. This is particularly true when compared with the Hardy spaces, which provide a useful road map for the types of questions we might consider reasonable. In this work we examine the zero sets of ℓ^p_A, p ∈ (1;∞), as well as a notion of inner function that is consistent with the approach taken on numerous other function spaces. …

Spatiotemporal Variations Of Precipitation And Climate-Resilient Structure Design In Virginia, Xiaomin Yang

Civil & Environmental Engineering Theses & Dissertations

How to consider effects of climate change on the design and management of hydrology related infrastructure is crucial but remains a challenge for sustaining resilient society. To address this challenge, existing hydrologic design procedures may need to be revised and/or redeveloped to take into account the precipitation non-stationarity resulting from climate change. Using the state of Virginia as a testbed and advanced statistical techniques such as nonparametric test, spatial autocorrelation, linear regression, distribution fitting, and spatial interpolation, this dissertation developed an innovative framework to detect the historical spatiotemporal variations of various precipitation characteristics, namely maximum precipitation intensity, precipitation amount, simple …

Space Charge Effects In Low Energy Magnetized Electron Beams, W. M. Sajini Anushika Kumari Wijethunga

Physics Theses & Dissertations

Magnetized electron cooling of the ion beam is one of the major approaches towards obtaining the required high luminosity in the proposed Electron-Ion Collider (EIC). To increase the cooling efficiency, a bunched electron beam with a high bunch charge and high repetition rate is required. However, these features can combine to enhance the collective interactions, such as the space charge effect. A magnetized electron beam was successfully generated at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (JLab) using a compact, 300 kV DC high voltage photo-gun with an inverted insulator geometry and bi-alkali antimonide photocathode. The beam magnetization was characterized using …

Joint Linear And Nonlinear Computation With Data Encryption For Efficient Privacy-Preserving Deep Learning, Qiao Zhang

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Deep Learning (DL) has shown unrivalled performance in many applications such as image classification, speech recognition, anomalous detection, and business analytics. While end users and enterprises own enormous data, DL talents and computing power are mostly gathered in technology giants having cloud servers. Thus, data owners, i.e., the clients, are motivated to outsource their data, along with computationally-intensive tasks, to the server in order to leverage the server’s abundant computation resources and DL talents for developing cost-effective DL solutions. However, trust is required between the server and the client to finish the computation tasks (e.g., conducting inference for the newly-input …

Polynomial Embeddings Of Unilateral Weighted Shifts In 2-Variable Weighted Shifts, Raul E. Curto, Sang H. Lee, Jasang Yoon

School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Given a bounded sequence omega of positive numbers, and its associated unilateral weighted shift W-omega, acting on the Hilbert space l(2) (Z+), we consider natural representations of W-omega as a 2-variable weighted shift, acting on the Hilbert space l(2)(Z(+)(2)). Alternatively, we seek to examine the various ways in which the sequence omega can give rise to a 2-variable weight diagram, corresponding to a 2-variable weighted shift. Our best (and more general) embedding arises from looking at two polynomials p and q nonnegative on a closed interval I subset of R+ and the double-indexed moment sequence {integral p(r)(k) q(r)(l) d sigma(r)}(k,l …

On Combinatorics Of Voronoi Polytopes For Perturbations Of The Dual Root Lattices, Alexey Garber

School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

The Voronoi conjecture on parallelohedra claims that for every convex polytope P that tiles Euclidean d-dimensional space with translations there exists a d-dimensional lattice such that P and the Voronoi polytope of this lattice are affinely equivalent. The Voronoi conjecture is still open for the general case but it is known that some combinatorial restrictions for the face structure of P ensure that the Voronoi conjecture holds for P. In this article, we prove that if P is the Voronoi polytope of one of the dual root lattices Dd*, E6*, E7* or E8*=E8 or their small perturbations, then every parallelohedron …

Forage Production From Perennial Vs. Annual Crop R~ On In Sandy Soils In Egypt, Z. Abdelhalim, O. Niemeläinen, I. A. Hanna, A. M. Rammah

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Forage production was studied on newly reclaimed sandy soil in Egypt trom perennial lucerne (Medicago sativa L.) and two annual crop rotations. The cropping systems were: A) lucerne, B) berseem clover (Trifolium alexandrinum L.) in the winter followed by pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum R. Br. Emend. Stantz.) in the summer and C) triticale (XX Triticosecale Wittm.) (forage cut + grain harvest) in the winter followed by maize (Zea mays L.) (grain + stover) in the summer. Mean annual dry matter yields (t ha^-1 ) were 20.65, 26.59 and 27.48 from A, B and C, respectively. However, …

Carry-Over Effect In Forage Rotations On Newly Reclaimed Sandy Soil In Egypt, Z. Abdelhalim, O. Niemeläinen, I. A. Hanna, A. M. Rammah

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

This study was carried out to investigate the carry-over effect of a preceding crop on the productivity of the following crop in various rotations in newly reclaimed lands in Egypt. The productivity of peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.), soyabean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.), maize (Zea mays L.) and pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.) in summer season were much higher following berseem (Trifolium alexandrinum L.) or lentil (Lens culinaris Medic) than after wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) or barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) in both years of the study. Soyabean was the best summer …

Direct Drilling Of Soybean In A Pensacola Bahiagrass Pasture In The Northwest Region Of Rio Grande Do Sul, Brazil, R. B. Medeiros, J. Riboldi, J. C. De Saibro, J. E. G. Zambra

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

The response of methods of soil preparation (M₁=conventional tillage, and with notillage using the following herbicides M₂=50% Paraquat plus 50% Orizalin; M₃=50% Paraquat plus 50% Diquat and M₄=Paracol (20% Paraquat plus 20 Diuron)) and row spacing (E₁=17 cm, E₂=24 cm, E₃=51 cm and E₄=68 cm) on soybean grain yield direct drilled in an eight-year-old grazed sward of Bahiagrass cv. Pensacola (Paspalum notatum var. saurae Parodi) were studied in southern of Brazil. The results showed that direct drilling of soybean on Pensacola accompanied by …

Forage Quality Evaluation Of Chopped Elephantgrass Hay Through Intake And Digestibility Trial, E. M. De Aguiar, G. F. Da C. Lima, L. G. Da Paz

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

The research was carried out to evaluate forage quality of chopped elephantgrass (Pennisetum purpureum Schum.) hay and to define a proper stage for cutting and haymaking of this grass. Chemical composition, voluntary intake, and apparent digestibility of the hays were studied at five different growth stages (30, 48, 63, 76, and 91 days). Twenty-five common wethers were utilized in a completely randomized experimental design. Dry matter (DM) voluntary intake was not different (P> 0.05) from 30 to 63 days of regrowth and from 63 to 91 days and comprised 3.9; 3.5; 3.2; 2.1; and 2.4% of animal liveweight, respectively …

Speleogenesis In A Lens Of Metamorphosed Limestone And Ankerite: Ochtiná Aragonite Cave, Slovakia, Pavel Bella, Pavel Bosák, Petr Pruner, Helena Hercman, Katarína Pukanská, Karol Bartoš, Ľudovít Gaál, Dagmar Haviarová, Peter Tomčík, Šimon Kdýr

International Journal of Speleology

The Ochtiná Aragonite Cave (Western Carpathians) represents an unique natural phenomenon. It originated under particular lithological and hydrogeological conditions of the Ochtiná Karst in which several isolated lenses of Paleozoic crystalline limestone (marbles), partly metasomatically altered to ankerite, are enclosed by phyllites. Meteoric water seepage through non-carbonate rocks dissolved limestone and caused the oxidation of ankerite to Fe oxyhydroxides. Carbon dioxide produced during ankerite oxidation enhanced limestone dissolution. The maze cave consists of parallel fault-controlled linear passages and chambers interconnected by transverse horizontal passages. Phreatic and epiphreatic solution morphologies resulted from slowly moving or standing water. These include flat ceilings …

Web Service Quality-Dased Profiling And Selection, Ahmed Magdi Hamza

Archived Theses and Dissertations

Guaranteeing quality of service has been recently labeled as one of multiple major research challenges in the service oriented architecture. In effect, Web service selection from a set of matched services offering the same functional requirements, and ultimately claiming certain quality of service guarantees about themselves is not enough. A need emerges for the existence of a trusted third party that monitors Web service quality indicators, yet in a way that does not interfere with the normal operation of the Web service itself. The third party will eventually provide consumers with guarantees about Web service quality. In this research we …

Consolidation Of Mobile Sands With Ameliorants And Phytomelioration, Sharibay Toremuratov, Bakhtiyar Ismailov

Karakalpak Scientific Journal

The results of even a few experiments show the possibility of obtaining a tangible effect when jointly carrying out chemical reclamation and phytomelioration. Reliable habitation of plants is a guarantee of further long-term stopping of the movement of sand and improvement of the ecological situation.

Thus, the sand-fixing crust obtained by this method simultaneously performs several functions: it stops the movement of sand, reduces dust removal, creates favorable conditions for the growth and development of vegetation, contributes to the emergence of soil structures, the accumulation of humus, etc.

Molecular Attributes Transfer From Non-Parallel Data, Shuangjia Zheng, Ying Song, Pan Zhang, Le Song, Chengtao Li, Yuedong Yang

Machine Learning Faculty Publications

Optimizing chemical molecules for desired properties lies at the core of drug development. Despite initial successes made by deep generative models and reinforcement learning methods, these methods were mostly limited by the requirement of predefined attribute functions or parallel data with manually pre-compiled pairs of original and optimized molecules. In this paper, for the first time, we formulate molecular optimization as a style transfer problem and present a novel generative model that could automatically learn internal differences between two groups of non-parallel data through adversarial training strategies. Our model further enables both preservation of molecular contents and optimization of molecular …

Numerical Study Of Laminar Flow In A Suddenly Expanding Channel, Murodil Madaliev

Scientific-technical journal

The article presents the results of a numerical study of the flow structure in a flat channel in the zone of its sudden expansion in the form of a ledge. The calculations are based on the numerical solution of a system of non-stationary equations using Navier-Stokes. The results of the longitudinal velocity profiles in various sections of the channel after the ledge are obtained. For the difference approximation of the initial equations, the control volume method was used, and the relationship between velocities and pressure was found using the SIMPLE procedure. For the numerical solution of this problem, the McCormack …

Nonsingular Quantum Gravitational Dynamics Of An Lemaitre-Tolman-Bondi Dust Shell Model: The Role Of Quantization Prescriptions, Kristina Giesel, Bao-Fei Li, Parampreet Singh

Faculty Publications

We study some consequences of the loop quantization of the outermost dust shell in the LemaitreTolman-Bondi spacetime with a homogeneous dust density using different quantization strategies motivated by loop quantum gravity. Prior work has dealt with loop quantizing this model by employing holonomies and the triads, following the procedure in standard loop quantum cosmology. In this work we compare this quantization with the one in which holonomies and gauge-covariant fluxes are used. While both of the quantization schemes resolve the central singularity, they lead to different mass gaps at which a trapped surface forms. This trapped surface which is matched …

Introduction To Malware Analysis, Harrison Dekker

Library Impact Statements

No abstract provided.

The Hubble Pancet Program: Transit And Eclipse Spectroscopy Of The Hot-Jupiter Wasp-74b, Guangwei Fu, Drake Deming, Erin May, Kevin Stevenson, David K. Sing, Joshua D. Lothringer, Hannah R. Wakeford, Nikolay Nikolov, Thomas Mikal-Evans, Vincent Bourrier, Leonardo A. Dos Santos, Munazza K. Alam, Gregory W. Henry, Antonio García Muñoz, Mercedes López-Morales

Information Systems and Engineering Management Research Publications

Planets are like children with each one being unique and special. A better understanding of their collective properties requires a deeper understanding of each planet. Here we add the transit and eclipse spectra of hot-Jupiter WASP-74b into the ever growing data set of exoplanet atmosphere spectral library. With six transits and three eclipses using the Hubble Space Telescope and Spitzer Space Telescope (Spitzer), we present the most complete and precise atmospheric spectra of WASP-74b. We found no evidence for TiO/VO nor super-Rayleigh scattering reported in previous studies. The transit shows a muted water feature with strong Rayleigh scattering extending into …

Statistical Analysis Based On Adaptive Progressive Hybrid Censored Data From Lomax Distribution, Amal Helu, Hani Samawi

Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Environmental Health Sciences Faculty Publications

In this article, we consider statistical inferences about the unknown parameters of the Lomax distribution basedon the Adaptive Type-II Progressive Hybrid censoring scheme, this scheme can save both the total test time and the cost induced by the failure of the units and increases the efficiency of statistical analysis. The estimation of the parameters is derived using the maximum likelihood (MLE) and the Bayesian procedures. The Bayesian estimators are obtained based on the symmetric and asymmetric loss functions. There are no explicit forms for the Bayesian estimators, therefore, we propose Lindley’s approximation method to compute the Bayesian estimators. A comparison …

Trustworthy Medical Segmentation With Uncertainty Estimation, Giuseppina Carannante, Dimah Dera, Nidhal C. Bouaynaya, Rasool Ghulam, Hassan M. Fathallah-Shaykh

Computer Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Deep Learning (DL) holds great promise in reshaping the healthcare systems given its precision, efficiency, and objectivity. However, the brittleness of DL models to noisy and out-of-distribution inputs is ailing their deployment in the clinic. Most systems produce point estimates without further information about model uncertainty or confidence. This paper introduces a new Bayesian deep learning framework for uncertainty quantification in segmentation neural networks, specifically encoder-decoder architectures. The proposed framework uses the first-order Taylor series approximation to propagate and learn the first two moments (mean and covariance) of the distribution of the model parameters given the training data by maximizing …