Browsing by Subject "Plan Bs (project-based master's degrees)"

Now showing 1 - 20 of 460
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    (1+1) Evolutionary Algorithm on Random Planted Vertex Cover Problems
    (2024-03) Kearney, Jack
    Evolutionary Algorithms are powerful optimization tools that use the power of randomness and inspiration from biology to achieve results. A common combinatorial optimization problem is the recovery of a minimum vertex cover on some graph ๐บ = (๐‘‰, ๐ธ). In this work, an evolutionary algorithm will be employed on specific instances of the minimum vertex cover problem containing a random planted solution. This situation is common in data networks and translates to a core set of nodes and larger fringe set that are connected to the core. This study introduces a parameterized analysis of a standard (1+1) Evolutionary Algorithm applied to the random planted distribution of vertex cover problems. When the planted cover is at most logarithmic, restarting the (1+1) EA every ๐‘‚(๐‘› log ๐‘›) steps will, within polynomial time, yield a cover at least as small as the planted cover for sufficiently dense random graphs (๐‘ > 0.71). For superlogarithmic planted covers, the (1+1) EA is proven to find a solution within fixed-parameter tractable time in expectation. To complement these theoretical investigations, a series of computational experiments were conducted, highlighting the intricate interplay between planted cover size, graph density, and runtime. A critical range of edge probability was also investigated.
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    Abusive Supervision and Burnout: The Moderating Role of Subordinatesโ€™ Neuroticism and Time Spent with the Supervisors
    (2020-05) Yu, Jie
    Drawing on Conservation of Resources theory (COR. Hobfoll, 1989), the purpose of this study was to further our understanding of the relationship between abusive supervision and burnout by testing the moderating effects of subordinates' neuroticism and time spent with the supervisor. Data collected from two samples showed that there was a positive and significant relationship between abusive supervision and burnout. When considering only the primary moderator, subordinates' neuroticism, on the relationship abusive supervision and burnout, the perception of abusive supervision on burnout was not influenced by any level of subordinates' neuroticism. When considering the primary moderator (subordinates' neuroticism) and secondary moderator (time spent with the supervisor) on the relationship between abusive supervision and burnout, results from Sample 2 only found a significant three-way interaction between abusive supervision, subordinates' neuroticism, and time spent with supervision that was operationalized as time spent interacting with the supervisor in hours per week. Specifically, the positive relationship between abusive supervision and burnout was strongest when subordinates were high neuroticism and they interacted with their supervisor for more than 9.45 hours a week. Practical implications, limitations and future directions are discussed.
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    The Amazing Composobot: Music Information Retreval and Algorithmic Composition
    (2018-05) Walker, Marcus
    Music has powerful and inscrutable effects on the human mind, and we are far from fully understanding how that magic works. But music is not random: there are patterns in the sounds and rhythms of a piece that can be analyzed, things that can be learned! In this work I will review relevant research on the subject of Music Information Retrieval and then introduce Composobot, an original program that incorporates and extends the lessons of that research. Together we will examine how Composobot prepares musical pieces for processing, analyzes them to extract systems of patterns and dependencies, and then composes novel musical pieces based on what it has learned. Finally, we will discuss how much of the magic that is in the music we love can be captured by learning patterns the way Composobot does, and how those methods might be tweaked to capture an even greater share of it.
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    An Analysis of Body-Specific Mechanisms Explaining the Associations Between Self-Compassion, Body Checking, and Body Image Avoidance
    (2024-06) Backderf, Chloรซ
    Behavioral manifestations of body image dissatisfaction, such as body checking and body image avoidance, are linked with the pathology of eating disorders (Walker et al., 2018). Due to this relationship, research establishing risk and protective factors for these body image disturbances is important for the development of interventions. One of these potential protective factors is self-compassion (Braun et al., 2016), which is comprised of three compassionate facets (mindfulness, self-kindness, common humanity) and three uncompassionate facets (overidentification, self-judgment, isolation). The mechanisms by which self-compassion are linked to body checking and body image avoidance are understudied, particularly with respect to the individual facets of self-compassion, which could provide information on what aspects of self-compassion relate most with these body image disturbances. The present cross-sectional study examined the relationship between the three uncompassionate facets of self-compassion and body checking/avoidance through mediation models. We anticipated that each uncompassionate facet would be associated with body checking and body image avoidance, and that these relationships would be mediated through a body-specific variable (e.g., body shame, body comparisons, body rumination) that appeared to conceptually align with that particular uncompassionate component. Specifically, we hypothesized that a) the relationship between self-judgement and body checking/avoidance would be mediated by body shame, b) the relationship between isolation and body checking/avoidance would be mediated by body comparisons, and c) the relationship between over-identification and body checking/avoidance would be mediated by body rumination. A total of 195 female college students completed a set of surveys and were included in the analyses. Pearsonโ€™s correlations and simple mediation analyses were used to examine the various models we hypothesized. Results showed that the uncompassionate facets correlated with their paired body-specific cognition, and both the uncompassionate facets and body-specific cognitions correlated with body checking and avoidance. The body-specific cognitions significantly mediated the relationship between their paired uncompassionate facet and body checking/avoidance. Parallel mediation analyses showed that no body-specific cognition explained the relationship between any uncompassionate facet and body checking/avoidance significantly more than the other body-specific cognitions. This indicates that body-specific cognitions, in general, appear to co-occur and collectively mediate the relationship between lack of self-compassion and body checking/avoidance, as opposed to specific body cognitions. The results of this study may be helpful in understanding the processes involved in the development of body image disturbances and could be useful in informing specific targets in self-compassion interventions.
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    Analysis of the Potential Hoag-type Galaxy WISEA J234255.19-354810.2
    (2022-07) Swanson, Alaina M
    Ring galaxies are among the most perplexing phenomena we observe in space. Their formation has remained a topic of debate, especially since 1950 when Arthur Hoag discovered Hoagโ€™s Object. Hoag-like objects are exceedingly rare and the ring galaxy WISEA J234255.19-354810.2 has the potential to be the 16th Hoag-type galaxy discovered. I performed two types of data analysis to obtain information about the galactic light profiles. From this analysis, I discovered a very faint bar structure within the core of the ring galaxy, which indicates that WISEA J234255.19-354810.2 is not a Hoag-type galaxy.
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    Antidepressant Effects of TRH Analogue EEP in Female and Male Rats Assessed with the Forced Swim Test and BDNF Assay
    (2023-05) Schulz, Emily N
    The endogenous peptide pGLU-GLU-PRO-NH2 (EEP) has antidepressant effects in male rats demonstrated by decreased immobility in the forced swim test (FST). EEP is a chemical analog of thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH), which has short-term antidepressant effects by intrathecal administration in humans. In people with depression, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is decreased in the hippocampus and frontal cortex which leads to decreased volume in both. When people are successfully treated for depression, irrespective of the treatment type, BDNF and volume increase in the hippocampus and frontal cortex, which can indicate recovery. Sex differences are present in the occurrence and symptoms of depression; however, female animals are not always represented in depression research. Female sex hormones are thought to be a reason for sex differences related to depression, and BDNF is known to fluctuate over the estrous cycle of female rats. This study sought to determine if the antidepressant effects of EEP are related to BDNF levels in rats. This study found no significant effects with the forced swim test (FST) and immobility but had a large effect size. A minor sex difference was present in the FST (p = 0.03). Rats that received EEP were not found to have significantly increased levels of BDNF in the hippocampus and frontal cortex, but the results had a large effect size with the frontal cortex. No sex difference was found with BDNF concentrations. Results related to the estrous cycle were insignificant and considered exploratory. The results suggest that continued testing of EEP is needed to gain a greater understanding.
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    Appetite Awareness Training as a Weight Gain Prevention Intervention for Young Adult Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial
    (2017-08) Guidinger, Claire
    Young adulthood, in particular, is a time of increased risk of weight gain. Indeed,weight gain of 3-5 pounds among college freshmen has been well documented. Given the high rates of obesity, prevention efforts have become a national priority. This Plan B Project evaluated the efficacy of a brief Appetite Awareness Training Intervention in preventing weight gain in young adult women. Appetite Awareness Training (Craighead,2006) aims to increase an individual's ability to eat intuitively based on bodily hunger and satiety cues, rather than external or emotional cues, thereby potentially preventing weight gain. This study was a randomized control trial that used a 3x2 mixed factorial design with participants (n = 89) assigned to one of three groups: Appetite Awareness Training (AAT, n = 31), Nutrition Education (NE, n = 29), or a no-treatment control(NTC, n = 29). Primary (weight, BMI, body fat %, and waist circumference)and secondary(self-regulatory eating processes) outcome variables were assessed at baseline and post-intervention. The findings of this study revealed no statistically significant differences between groups on primary outcome variables, but AAT participants experienced a substantially greater increase in weight management self-efficacy at post-treatment compared to the NE and NTC groups.
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    Applied Time Series and Duluth Temperature Prediction
    (2017-06) Wan, Xiangpeng
    Autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) has been one of the popular linear models in time series forecasting during the past three decades.The Triple Expo- nential Model also can be used to fit the time series data. This project takes Duluth temperature predictions as a case study, finding the best statistical model to predict the temperature. I collected 30 years of Duluth monthly maximum temperature data, from 1986 to 2016, and I fi t 29 years of them into di erent models including Triple Exponential Smoothing model, ARIMA model, and SARIMA model. Then I predicted the last year's temperature in those models, and I compared them to the true value of last year's temperature, which gave me the SSE value for each model so that I could find the best model.
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