cometadata/datacite-rtg-text-other-reclassification-records huggingface dataset:
Wildland-Urban Interface Fire Exposure Assessment Using Remote-Sensing Framework
Creators: Afaghi, Mohammad
Publisher: name: University of Alberta Library
Year: 2024

Wildfires occurring in proximity to urban areas pose a potential risk to the safety and wellbeing of the population, while also carrying the potential for substantial economic damage through the destruction of infrastructure and private property. Canada, given its unique geographical and climatic conditions, is among the countries facing significant wildfire challenges. Alberta, in particular, has recorded the highest number of wildfires compared to other Canadian provinces, making it increasingly susceptible to fires in Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) regions. These are regions where natural vegetation intersects or mixes with structures, and where the population is growing. Due to the vastness of human settlements and infrastructure needed to be monitored, the precision of fire risk assessment plays a crucial role in effective fire management. It is therefore necessary to advance a framework to determine fire behaviour in WUI. In this study I focus on fire exposure within the WUI, and a building in the City of Edmonton serves as a case study. Studies suggest that the characteristics of a small portion of the WUI, known as the Home Ignition Zone (HIZ), are a significant factor in determining the level of exposure in wildfire ignition. The primary goal of this study is to develop an automated method that aligns with national guidelines for characterizing vegetation land cover as various fuel types. This method employs convolutional neural networks and incorporates topographical factors, including the identification of ignition zones near buildings and accounting for slope effects. These parameters are valuable for pinpointing potentially high-risk individual HIZ or clusters of HIZ in a neighborhood. Summertime RGB satellite imagery is utilized to detect and categorize tree canopies and grass-covered areas, while wintertime satellite imagery is employed to address the challenge of distinguishing between conifer and deciduous trees, two fuel types with differing fire behaviours. The methods described in this study can be combined with in situ data collection and extended for use in different regions to inform hazard mitigation plans.
Supplementary Material from Late Triassic †Cryptovaranoides microlanius is a squamate, not an archosauromorph
Creators: name: Whiteside, David Ian
name: Chambi-Trowell, Sofía A. V.
name: Benton, Michael J
Publisher: name: The Royal Society
Year: 2024
Subjects: classificationCode: 310401
subject: Animal systematics and taxonomy
classificationCode: 310411
subject: Plant and fungus systematics and taxonomy

description: Supplementary document-R1.pdf
Modelling and Estimation of L´evy driven Ornstein Uhlenbeck processes
Creators: Sharma, Neha
Publisher: name: University of Alberta Library
Year: 2024

This dissertation is concerned with the parameter estimation problem for

Ornstein-Uhlenbeck processes and Vasicek models and the product formula

for multiple Itˆo integrals of L´evy processes.

In the first part of the thesis, we study the parameter estimation for Ornstein-

Uhlenbeck processes driven by the double exponential compound Poisson

process. In chapter 2 a method of moments using ergodic theory is proposed

to construct ergodic estimators for the double exponential Ornstein-

Uhlenbeck process, where the process is observed at discrete time instants

with time step size h. We further also show the existence and uniqueness of

the function equations to determine the estimators for fixed time step size

h. Also, we show the strong consistency and the asymptotic normality of

the estimators. Furthermore, we propose a simulation method of the double

exponential Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process and perform some numerical simulations

to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed estimators.

In the next chapter, we consider the parameter estimation problem for Vasicek

model driven by the compound Poisson process with double exponential

jumps as discussed in Chapter 3. Here we discuss the construction of least

square estimators for drift parameters based on continuous time observations.

In Chapter 4 of the dissertation, we show the derivation of the product

formula for finitely many multiple stochastic integrals of L´evy process, expressed

in terms of the associated Poisson random measure. A short proof

is found that uses properties of exponential vectors and polarization techniques.
Efficacy of Utilizing Large Language Models to Detect Public Threat Posted Online
Creators: name: Kwon, Taeksoo
name: Kim, Connor
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2024
Subjects: subject: Computation and Language (cs.CL)
subject: Artificial Intelligence (cs.AI)
subject: Information Retrieval (cs.IR)
subject: FOS: Computer and information sciences

description: This paper examines the efficacy of utilizing large language models (LLMs) to detect public threats posted online. Amid rising concerns over the spread of threatening rhetoric and advance notices of violence, automated content analysis techniques may aid in early identification and moderation. Custom data collection tools were developed to amass post titles from a popular Korean online community, comprising 500 non-threat examples and 20 threats. Various LLMs (GPT-3.5, GPT-4, PaLM) were prompted to classify individual posts as either "threat" or "safe." Statistical analysis found all models demonstrated strong accuracy, passing chi-square goodness of fit tests for both threat and non-threat identification. GPT-4 performed best overall with 97.9% non-threat and 100% threat accuracy. Affordability analysis also showed PaLM API pricing as highly cost-efficient. The findings indicate LLMs can effectively augment human content moderation at scale to help mitigate emerging online risks. However, biases, transparency, and ethical oversight remain vital considerations before real-world implementation.
description: 10 pages, 4 figures (1 image figure saved in PNG)
Megachile insolens Mitchell, new comb.
Creators: name: Raw, Anthony
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2002
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Megachilidae
Megachile
Megachile insolens

description: insolens Mitchell, new comb.
Megachile insolens Mitchell 1930: 275. Female. Type locality: British Guiana. Type repository: USNM 43094. Examined.
description: Published as part of Raw, Anthony, 2002, New combinations and synonymies of leafcutter and mason bees of the Americas (Megachile, Hymenoptera, Megachilidae), pp. 1-43 in Zootaxa 71 (1) on page 5, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.71.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/155887
Quadrupole dynamics of carbon isotopes and 10Be
Creators: name: Li, H.
name: Fang, D.
name: Ong, H. J.
name: Shirokov, A. M.
name: Vary, J. P.
name: Yin, P.
name: Zhao, X.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2024
Subjects: subject: Nuclear Theory (nucl-th)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: Electric quadrupole (E2) moments and transitions provide measures of nuclear deformation and related collective structure. However, matrix elements of the E2 operator are sensitive to the nuclear wave function at large distances and are poorly convergent within the ab initio no-core shell model approach. We demonstrate for the first time that the ratio of neutron to proton quadrupole transition matrix elements, Mn/Mp, is well-converged in the ab initio no-core shell model and provides a new and robust tool for comparing with experimental results. We find that our parameter-free results for Mn/Mp for the carbon isotopes and 10Be compare well with experiment, where available, and offer new insight into the quadrupole dynamics of nuclear response.
Multimodal Urban Areas of Interest Generation via Remote Sensing Imagery and Geographical Prior
Creators: name: Shi, Chuanji
name: Zhang, Yingying
name: Wang, Jiaotuan
name: Guo, Xin
name: Zhu, Qiqi
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2024
Subjects: subject: Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (cs.CV)
subject: Artificial Intelligence (cs.AI)
subject: FOS: Computer and information sciences
subject: I.4.9
subject: 68T99

description: Urban area-of-interest (AOI) refers to an integrated urban functional zone with defined polygonal boundaries. The rapid development of urban commerce has led to increasing demands for highly accurate and timely AOI data. However, existing research primarily focuses on coarse-grained functional zones for urban planning or regional economic analysis, and often neglects the expiration of AOI in the real world. They fail to fulfill the precision demands of Mobile Internet Online-to-Offline (O2O) businesses. These businesses require accuracy down to a specific community, school, or hospital. In this paper, we propose a comprehensive end-to-end multimodal deep learning framework designed for simultaneously detecting accurate AOI boundaries and validating the reliability of AOI by leveraging remote sensing imagery coupled with geographical prior, titled AOITR. Unlike conventional AOI generation methods, such as the Road-cut method that segments road networks at various levels, our approach diverges from semantic segmentation algorithms that depend on pixel-level classification. Instead, our AOITR begins by selecting a point-of-interest (POI) of specific category, and uses it to retrieve corresponding remote sensing imagery and geographical prior such as entrance POIs and road nodes. This information helps to build a multimodal detection model based on transformer encoder-decoder architecture to regress the AOI polygon. Additionally, we utilize the dynamic features from human mobility, nearby POIs, and logistics addresses for AOI reliability evaluation via a cascaded network module. The experimental results reveal that our algorithm achieves a significant improvement on Intersection over Union (IoU) metric, surpassing previous methods by a large margin.
description: 9 pages, 9 figures
Megachile laevinasis Vachal, new comb.
Creators: name: Raw, Anthony
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2002
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Megachilidae
Megachile
Megachile laevinasis

description: laevinasis Vachal, new comb.
Megachile laevinasis Vachal 1904: 13. Female. Type locality: Tucuman [Argentina]. Type repository: MNHN. Examined.
description: Published as part of Raw, Anthony, 2002, New combinations and synonymies of leafcutter and mason bees of the Americas (Megachile, Hymenoptera, Megachilidae), pp. 1-43 in Zootaxa 71 (1) on page 5, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.71.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/155887
A Quantitative Account of Nêhiyawêwin Order: Using mixed-effects modelling to uncover syntactic, semantic, and morphological motivations in Nêhiyawêwin
Creators: Harrigan, Atticus
Publisher: name: University of Alberta Library
Year: 2024

This dissertation investigates the underpinnings of the phenomenon of Order in Nêhiyawêwin (Plains Cree) using quantitative methods and the Ahenakew-Wolfart Corpus (Arppe, Schmirler, Harrigan, & Wolvengrey, 2020). Instantiated as person-marking allomorphy on the verb, Order is central to verb morphology in Algonquian languages. According to Bloomfield (1946, 97), Algonquian languages have mutually exclusive paradigms within each verb class that serve a number of purposes including marking various moods. Orders do not cleanly map one-to-one onto other grammatical functions, but the system can be thought of as a set of morphological templates. Unlike Semitic languages, where morphological templates are attributes of a verb (i.e., each word has one template), Order is a set of templates wherein each verb can alternate. This dissertation approaches Order in Nêhiyawêwin as an alternation between multiple forms that are motivated by morphosemantic features. Importantly, this dissertation explicitly defines Order as those forms traditionally referred to as Independent and Conjunct; that is, it does not consider the Imperative to be an instantiation of Order. This allows for an analysis of three main types of alternation at varying levels of granularity, which is done through quantitative methodologies. The primary method used for analysis is that of logistic regression, as in Bresnan, Cueni, Nikitina, and Baayen (2007), Arppe (2008), and Divjak (2010). Specifically, mixed-effects logistics regression is used, allowing for modelling that takes into account the effects of sampling via random effects alongside fixed-effects. The results of this analysis indicate that contrary to expectations and the results of previous research in other languages such as Arppe (2008); Abdulrahim (2013); and Divjak and Arppe (2013), morphosyntactic and semantic features explained a relatively small amount of variance in each alternation. Instead, it appears that higher level linguistic information, such as discourse planning and reference are more important factors. These results comport with those of Cook (2014). In addition to the study of alternation, this dissertation also presents a set of exemplars that drawn from a corpus and are predicted to be the most likely (or prototypical) forms of each outcome in each alternation (cf. Divjak and Arppe (2013) who used a similar methodology). These example sentences are given in hopes that language learners and educators may use them to identify characteristics of prototypical forms of Order.
On the benefits of sparsity in value function approximators for Reinforcement Learning
Creators: Davelouis Gallardo, Fatima D
Publisher: name: University of Alberta Library
Year: 2024

In machine learning, sparse neural networks provide higher computational efficiency and in some cases, can perform just as well as fully-connected networks. In the online and incremental reinforcement learning (RL) problem, Prediction Adapted Networks (Martin and Modayil, 2021) is an algorithm that can adapt the sparse connectivity of a shallow value network with random hidden-layer weights. Martin and Modayil evaluated Prediction Adapted Networks (PANs) in the RL prediction setting and showed promising results, suggesting that one can use multiple online predictions of input signals to discover high-performing NN sparse topologies with no a priori inductive biases. However, there remain some open questions that one can ask about this algorithm. For instance, do the statistical benefits of PANs carry over to reinforcement learning control in multiple environments? Do PANs provide performance gains when we learn the sparse value network’s weights end-to-end in both the prediction and control settings? How does predictive sparsity compare against sparse network structures learned end-to-end? The contributions of this work are two fold. First, we investigate the above questions and provide answers. Second, we devise a methodology that encodes sparse value network structures as binary masks and systematically evaluate their performance. In one RL control environment, we find that predictive sparsity performs on par with both a fully-connected architecture and a sparse network induced by L1 regularization. However, in another domain PANs does not generate a sparse structure that can outperform even random sparsity. Surprisingly, in the same RL prediction environment that was used in the PANs original work, we found that learning the hidden-layer weights does not lead to better performance, suggesting there may be unidentified properties of environments for which PANs is best suited.
Numerical Study of Emulsions Dynamics Using a Phase Field Method
Creators: Chen, Zhe
Publisher: name: University of Alberta Library
Year: 2024

In this PhD thesis, we elucidate emulsion dynamics with/without surfactant by developing and applying a diffuse interface lattice Boltzmann method capable of accurately modeling a liquid-liquid system with additive surfactants. The methodology developed couples Allen-

Cahn and Cahn-Hilliard transport equations and shows great stability and accuracy in capturing surfactant motion. We systemically verify and validate the capability of the proposed method through several studies. A study of the microfluidic surfactant-free emulsion dynamics under the influence of heterogeneous surface wettability demonstrates that the method well captures the drop dynamics with complex geometry and moving contact lines. Quantitative and qualitative comparison with experimental data is provided. The method is then improved to include the non-ionic surfactants, based on a modified Ginzburg-Landau free energy functional, and subsequently, the analysis of the dynamics of surfactant-laden drops in simple shear flow is provided. The non-uniform surfactant distribution is found to contribute to effects that either promote (tip-stretching) or hinder (Marangoni stresses, surface dilution) the surfactant re-distribution at the interface, consequently affecting the final drop morphology. Our method provides insights into the complex interplay between the hydrodynamics and surfactant transport. Finally, the simulations of surfactant-laden drop behavior through a pore space are performed. The detailed moving and breakup process is

visualized, compared, and analyzed for both pure and surfactant-laden drops. The effect of surfactant concentration, the confinement of the domain, the viscosity ratio of the dispersed phase to the continuous phase, and the combined effect of confinement and viscosity ratio to the drop deformation and breakup are also considered.
Linear and Nonlinear Causal Analysis with Sparse Modeling
Creators: Madhusoodanan, Nived
Publisher: name: University of Alberta Library
Year: 2024

Data has become an integral part of analysis and decision-making across various disciplines including health, economy, biology, process systems engineering, and sports. Despite the abundance of big data, the identification of the fundamental source of disruption in process systems engineering continues to pose a formidable challenge. Recognizing the significance of the rapidly evolving industrial landscape, in this thesis, we focus on various ways of using Causal Inference to determine the relationship among process variables to identify the root source of process abnormalities.

The first contribution of the thesis considers the causal inference among nonlinear systems. The research investigates the applicability of the Gaussian Process in the Causality analysis among non-linear systems. Employing Gaussian processes facilitates the identification of causal relationships, thereby enabling a better understanding of complex non-linear systems. Since the traditional Gaussian Process-based causal inference tends to provide spurious causations, the study focuses on deriving sparse solutions to enhance the interpretability of the causal links identified. Sensitivity

analysis is conducted to assess the robustness of the findings, providing insights into the reliability of the identified causal relationships within the intricate system dynamics.

Given that conventional causal approaches rely solely on data, the integrity of the results is heavily contingent upon the quality of the data. Owing to the susceptibility of real-world industrial data to inaccuracies stemming from inadequate sensor maintenance, the effectiveness of complete data-based approaches is notably compromised. Hence, the second contribution of the thesis explores the possibility of amalgamating expert human knowledge with process data to reduce the over-dependence on data and produce more reliable and accurate modeling. In this case, it is achieved by using a constraint optimization technique where human knowledge is provided as constraints in the optimization. To verify the existence of the derived causal relationships

and eliminate the possibility of chance findings, a novel surrogate generation algorithm specifically designed for oscillating data sets is also proposed.

The third part of the thesis applies the previously developed methodology, integrating physics-based information with process data, to diagnose the challenge of flooding in separation columns using real industrial process data. Moreover, an advanced predictive model for forecasting instances of flooding is formulated and its results are analyzed. A user-friendly Graphic User Interface (GUI) toolbox is also

developed to automate the process of combining process data and domain knowledge.

The efficacy of all the contributions is verified through the numerical case study or industrial case study.
Reinforcement Learning for Optimization and Control of Ultracold Quantum Gas Production
Creators: Milson, Nicholas
Publisher: name: University of Alberta Library
Year: 2024

Machine-learning techniques are emerging as a valuable tool in experimental physics, and among them, reinforcement learning offers the  potential to control high-dimensional, multistage  processes in the presence of fluctuating environments.

In this experimental work, we apply reinforcement learning to the preparation of an ultracold quantum gas to realize a consistent and large number of atoms at microkelvin temperatures. This reinforcement learning agent determines an optimal set of thirty control parameters in a dynamically changing environment that is characterized by thirty sensed parameters. By comparing this method to that of training supervised--learning regression models, as well as to human-driven control schemes, we find that both  machine learning approaches accurately predict the number of cooled atoms and both  result in occasional superhuman control schemes. However,  only the reinforcement learning method achieves consistent outcomes, even in the presence of a dynamic environment.

This thesis provides a comprehensive overview of the theoretical groundwork necessary for understanding the experimental sequence and machine learning techniques employed. Technical details of the cooling apparatus and machine learning agents are presented,  along with the results of allowing the trained machine learning agents to autonomously control the cooling sequence.
Observing Quantum Coherent Oscillations in a Three-Level Atoms via Electromagnetically Induced Transparency by Two-Dimensional Spectroscopy
Creators: name: Jin, Jing-Yi-Ran
name: Zhang, Hao-Yue
name: Yao, Yi-Xuan
name: Chen, Rong-Hang
name: Ai, Qing
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2024
Subjects: subject: Quantum Physics (quant-ph)
subject: Atomic Physics (physics.atom-ph)
subject: Optics (physics.optics)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: Two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy (2DES) has high spectral resolution and is a useful tool for studying atom dynamics. In this paper, we show a smallest unit of electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) for 2DES, that is, a three-level system. It is found that the original main peak is split into four small ones due to the introduction of the EIT. It suggests that the homogeneous broadening of 2DES can be effectively reduced by the EIT. Moreover, in sharp contrast to a constant height, the height of the peaks will manifest a damped oscillation with respect to the population time. It seems that the quantum-beat phenomenon appears. These findings may help us obtain more information about the dynamics of excited states.
description: 8 pages, 10 figures
title: Lithium Chlorine-Induced Food Aversions in the Toad (Bufo americanus)
Creators: name: Vaughan, Paul R.
Publisher: name: Old Dominion University
publisherIdentifier: https://ror.org/04zjtrb98
publisherIdentifierScheme: ROR
Year: 1981

description: This research established that a strong and persistent food aversion can be produced in the toad (Bufo americanus), using lithium chloride­ prey pairings. No previous study has reported taste-illness aversions in amphibians. The first of three experiments established this aversion learning and also suggested that prior "safe" exposures to a prey had little effect on subsequent aversive conditioning to that food (mealworm). No effect on general eating behavior as measured by response to another prey object (cricket) was observed in the initial study. The second experiment tested the effectiveness of five different dosages of a hypertonic LiCl solution (.5 M LiCl) in establishing a mealworm aversion. A 2.5 mEq (.5 M LiCl@ .5% BW) LiCl dose was found to condition the avoidance without any decrement in general eating behavior, while a 7.5 m q LiCl dosage was nearly always fatal. Once the mealworm avoidance was established the aversion was maintained without diminution over six weeks of extinction. The final study examined the ability of the toad to develop a long cue-consequence (CS-US) taste aversion. No difference between groups occurred when the CS-US delay was varied from 0 to 90 minutes. Additionally, six weeks of extinction found a persistent aversion with no differences between the five delay groups studied.
Boysidia salwiniana
Creators: name: Gojšina, Vukašin
name: Hunyadi, András
name: Sutcharit, Chirasak
name: Tongkerd, Piyoros
name: Auffenberg, Kurt
name: Grego, Jozef
name: Vermeulen, Jaap J.
name: Reischütz, Alexander
name: Páll-Gergely, Barna
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Mollusca
Gastropoda
Stylommatophora
Hypselostomatidae
Boysidia
Boysidia salwiniana

description: Boysidia salwiniana (Theobald, 1870)
Pupa salwiniana Theobald, 1870: 400.
Pupa salwiniana — Hanley and Theobald 1874: pl. 100, fig. 9; Sowerby 1876: pl. 16, fig. 150; Nevill 1878: 23.
Pupa salwineana [sic] — Godwin-Austen 1888: 244.
Boysidia (Paraboysidia) salwiniana — Pilsbry 1917: 206–208, pl. 33, fig. 11.
Paraboysidia salwiniana — van Benthem Jutting 1950: 40.
Bensonella salwiniana — Tongkerd et al. 2024: 167–171, figs 4, 5, 6 A, 13 F.
Material examined.
Myanmar • 1 shell; Burma NHMUK 1912.4. 16.66.
Type locality.
“ Shan States ”, Myanmar.
Remarks.
Tongkerd et al. (2024) provided the first description of the genitalia and radula of this species. They have also pointed out that the type specimens could not be located.
description: Published as part of Gojšina, Vukašin, Hunyadi, András, Sutcharit, Chirasak, Tongkerd, Piyoros, Auffenberg, Kurt, Grego, Jozef, Vermeulen, Jaap J., Reischütz, Alexander & Páll-Gergely, Barna, 2025, A new start? Revision of the genera Anauchen, Bensonella, Gyliotrachela and Hypselostoma (Gastropoda, Eupulmonata, Hypselostomatidae) of Southeast Asia with description of 46 new species, pp. 1-338 in ZooKeys 1235 on pages 1-338, DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1235.145281
Disentangling quantum neural networks for unified estimation of quantum entropies and distance measures
Creators: name: Shin, Myeongjin
name: Lee, Seungwoo
name: Lee, Junseo
name: Lee, Mingyu
name: Ji, Donghwa
name: Yeo, Hyeonjun
name: Jeong, Kabgyun
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2024
Subjects: subject: Quantum Physics (quant-ph)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: The estimation of quantum entropies and distance measures, such as von Neumann entropy, Rényi entropy, Tsallis entropy, trace distance, and fidelity-induced distances such as the Bures distance, has been a key area of research in quantum information science. In our study, we introduce the disentangling quantum neural network (DEQNN), designed to efficiently estimate various physical quantities in quantum information. Estimation algorithms for these quantities are generally tied to the size of the Hilbert space of the quantum state to be estimated. Our proposed DEQNN offers a unified dimensionality reduction methodology that can significantly reduce the size of the Hilbert space while preserving the values of diverse physical quantities. We provide an in-depth discussion of the physical scenarios and limitations in which our algorithm is applicable, as well as the learnability of the proposed quantum neural network.
description: 18 pages, 6 figures, Close to the published version, The first three authors (MS, SL, JL) contributed equally to this work
Full-scale Tests on Stability of Cantilevered Steel Girders
Creators: Essa, Maha
Publisher: name: University of Alberta Library
Year: 2024

Cantilever–suspended-span construction, commonly referred to as Gerber girder systems, is a popular roof-framing system for large single-storey buildings in North America. This system consists of a series of simply-supported girders in the principal framing direction that extend beyond the column as cantilevers, with the portion of the girder between the supports referred to as the back span. Due to the continuity of the cantilever segment over the column support, this system offers several advantages such as ease of erection, reduced moments and lower deflections in comparison to simply-supported beams. Despite these advantages, it has become clear following several collapses in Canada and the United States that the stability response of these systems is complex and in need of further investigation. Moreover, designers use disparate methods for these systems due to the lack of special design guidelines in the U.S. and Canadian steel design standards, despite the wide use of Gerber systems in practice.

To improve the understanding of the stability response of these systems, a full-scale physical testing program was developed consisting of 14 A992 W410×85 single-overhanging girders, with back span and cantilever lengths of 9.14 m and 1.83 m, respectively. The test specimen matrix was developed based on numerical simulations conducted by Esmaeili et al. (2021), which was used to evaluate the influence of various parameters on the LTB capacity of steel cantilevered girders. The design of the test setup was based largely on preliminary FEA simulations of the test specimens which provided the anticipated loads and displacements in the tests. The experimental results for capacity and displacements of each test girder were analyzed, considering the effect of influential parameters such as loading and bracing conditions, residual stresses, and initial geometric imperfections. Finally, the moment resistances obtained from the experiments for each test girder were compared against resistances predicted by the CISC (Lasby 2019) design procedure.
Logical analysis and contradiction detection in high-level requirements during the review process using sat-solver
Creators: name: Yatkın, Simge
name: Ovatman, Tolga
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2024
Subjects: subject: Software Engineering (cs.SE)
subject: FOS: Computer and information sciences

description: DO-178C stands out as a guiding standard for aviation system development processes. This standard not only mandates ensuring the consistency of requirements in the software verification process but also recognizes it as a mandatory element. The main objective of this study is to introduce a method for analyzing and identifying inconsistencies between high-level requirements using information obtained from a data dictionary. This method aims to transform high-level requirements into logical expressions and then thoroughly examine them using a SAT Solver to detect inconsistencies. While methods focused on identifying inconsistencies among requirements often appear in the literature, this study presents a novel approach to detect contradictions between non-natural language, systematically structured, and language-independent requirements. The goal of this approach is to significantly reduce the review time of high-level requirements in the software verification process. Evaluations indicate that the use of this method results in substantial time savings in the inconsistency detection process.
description: 10 pages, 6 pages, 4 table, 12th International Conference on Software Engineering & Trends (SE 2024)
INGLIZ VA O'ZBEK TILLARIDA MAQOLLARDA GRADUONIMIK MUNOSABATLARNING LINGVOPARAGMATIK XUSUSIYATLARI
Creators: name: Atabayeva, Muyassar
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024

description: Mazkur tezisda ingliz va o‘zbek tillaridagi maqollarda graduonimik munosabatlarning lingvopragmatik xususiyatlari tahlil qilinadi. Maqollarning struktural va semantik tahlillari orqali ikki tilda mazkur munosabatlarning ifoda vositalari, funksional vazifalari va ma’no qatlamlari o‘rganiladi. Tadqiqotda mezon sifatida lingvistik pragmatika va gradatsiya nazariyalari qo‘llanilib, o‘zbek va ingliz maqollari orasidagi o‘xshashlik va farqlarga e’tibor qaratiladi. Natijada, har ikki tilning madaniy kontekstdagi milliy xususiyatlarini aks ettiruvchi lingvistik vositalar va ularning kommunikativ ahamiyati aniqlanadi. Ushbu tezis tarjimonlar, lingvistlar hamda o‘qituvchilar uchun foydali bo‘lib, turli tillararo taqqosiy tahlillarda qo‘llanilishi mumkin.
Effect of weather during development on cranial morphometrics of American marten (Martes americana)
Creators: Pigeon, Josh
Publisher: name: University of Alberta Library
Year: 2024

Globally, climate change is affecting species in a myriad of ways. Rapid morphological change has been proposed to be a consequence of climate change, but evidence is minimal. Furthermore, any such rapid morphological change is expected to be a phenotypic response rather than evolutionary. Adaptive, neutral, and non-adaptive phenotypic plasticity in the form of reaction norms and developmental noise such as fluctuating asymmetry can provide insights into a population’s ability to adapt to increased variability and extremes in weather, which are more common due to climate change. Using geometric morphometrics, I explored patterns of covariation between morphological variation in a population of American marten (Martes americana) near Nordegg, Alberta, and variation in weather metrics during periods when young are growing during prenatal (February–April) and postnatal (May–July) development. Analysis of variation in cranial morphology revealed significant covariation between the symmetric component of morphological variation and weather metrics during early postnatal development. I did not find significant covariation between the asymmetric component of morphological variation (fluctuating asymmetry) and weather during development. My findings are congruent with other studies, and point to both direct and indirect effects of “climate-induced” weather variation, including the potential of a feeding ecology mechanism as an explanation for the covariation.
Model Predictive Congestion Control in RDMA-Enabled High-Speed Datacenter Network
Creators: Zheng, Yiming
Publisher: name: University of Alberta Library
Year: 2024

With the growing demand for online applications such as high-resolution video streaming and cloud gaming, there is an urgent need for high-throughput and low-latency technologies. The Remote Direct Memory Access (RDMA) over Converged Ethernet Version 2 (RoCEv2) network protocol is increasingly preferred in Data Center Networks (DCNs) as it reduces overhead from processor utilization, an issue with the traditional TCP/IP protocol. Along with these technological advancements, effective congestion control (CC) algorithms are vital. Without proper CC, DCNs could experience performance degradation, affecting the Quality-of-Service (QoS). Traditional CCs are not optimized for DCNs as they were developed for Wide Area Networks (WANs). Even though some CCs, such as TIMELY, were designed specifically for DCNs, they struggle with inevitable packet queuing that causes extra latency. High Precision Congestion Control (HPCC) uses in-flight byte estimation for proactive control and performs better than its peers. However, HPCC, like all other CCs, does not employ a mathematical dynamic equation to evaluate network conditions for optimal control actions. This research dives deep into the fundamental dynamics of DCNs and develops a state-space model to explain network behaviors. Leveraging this model, we present the Model Predictive Congestion Control (MPCC). This new method incorporates constrained mathematical optimization and model predictive control (MPC) design principles. As a window-based CC, MPCC adjusts its window size dynamically based on observed network conditions. In experiments ranging from bursty incast to real-world traffic patterns, we show that MPCC significantly reduces switch queue length and flow completion time while maintaining fairness and throughput.
A Qutrit in Ultracold Rubidium-87
Creators: Lindon, Joseph M.
Publisher: name: University of Alberta Library
Year: 2024

Most quantum computers are based on elements with many addressable states, yet restrict themselves to a two-level subset, a qubit. In principle, more states could be used in each element to form a d-dimensional qudit, increasing the Hilbert space dimension and thus the computational power of the device. A qutrit is a three-level qudit, and is a natural first step to working with more dimensions.

Universal quantum computers require arbitrary single-qudit unitary gates with high fidelity of control. Commonly, there are some couplings between levels that are more difficult to control in a quantum system than others, for example, if they are forbidden transitions by dipole selection rules, if they have a resonance frequency far off from the other transitions, or if the coupling is degenerate with another coupling and thus cannot be controlled in isolation.

In this work, we demonstrate full unitary control on an ensemble qutrit of ultracold Rubidium-87. We also demonstrate a method for performing rotations between levels which are not otherwise convenient to couple because of degeneracies. We perform the quantum Fourier transform on the qutrit with and without the synthesized coupling and find similar final state fidelities with each method. The dominant error mechanism causes loss of purity in the qutrit, and our analysis suggests this may be caused by inhomogeneity in the dipole trap.

Our work is directly applicable to more conventional quantum platforms, including superconducting qubits, trapped-ion qubits, and neutral single-atom qubits.
Refining current design methods for vertical borehole heat exchangers considering complex ground conditions
Creators: Guo, Yunting
Publisher: name: University of Alberta Library
Year: 2024

Ground source heat pump systems (GSHP), exploiting shallow geothermal energy, have been receiving increasing interest for space heating and cooling due to their high energy efficiency and low greenhouse gas emissions. A core component of the GSHP system is the ground heat exchanger (GHE) that is in contact with the ground. Accurate heat transfer analysis of the GHE is vital for optimizing the design and operation of GSHP systems. Among the different types of GHEs, the vertical borehole heat exchanger (BHE) is widely used, and various simulation and design tools have been developed for BHEs in the past two decades.

However, current BHE design methods have limitations as they rely on certain assumptions and fail to account for real ground conditions such as groundwater flow, multilayered ground conditions, and ground surface conditions. It has been proved that these conditions have a significant impact on the long-term thermal performance of vertical BHEs, and ignoring them can lead to inefficient GSHP systems. To address these issues, this thesis aims to refine the current design method by considering these ground conditions in the heat transfer analysis for BHEs.

The refined BHE design method takes into account non-uniform heat transfer rates in multilayered ground conditions. The variation in heat transfer rates is influenced by inhomogeneous ground thermal properties and the presence of groundwater flow. When groundwater flow is absent, conventional solutions assuming uniform heat transfer rates may overpredict ground temperatures in certain layers by up to 50.82%. The effect of inhomogeneous ground thermal properties further strengthens the variation in heat transfer rates and temperatures along the borehole. Additionally, when groundwater flow is present, the heat transfer rate in the aquifer can be approximately 21.69% higher than the average rate. The influence of the aquifer was examined, showing that heat transfer in the aquifer strengthens with an increase in flow velocity. The study also examines the influence of ground surface conditions, particularly in the case of short boreholes over a long period of time. The difference in boundary conditions may lead to an underestimation of up to 26.3% for a 15-meter BHE after about 35.8 years. The refined design method considers the synergistic effect of the circulating fluid and the ground surface condition in analytical solutions, extending the impact of the ground surface boundary to greater depths. For example, at the bottom of a 70-meter borehole, the underestimation caused by using a constant ground surface temperature remains significant at 6.85%.

In summary, the refined BHE design method offers improved computational time and accuracy, making it a promising tool for designing vertical BHEs. It enhances the understanding and capabilities of current design methods, leading to more effective and efficient applications of shallow geothermal energy in GSHP systems.
Megachile limata Vachal, new comb.
Creators: name: Raw, Anthony
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2002
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Megachilidae
Megachile
Megachile limata

description: limata Vachal, new comb.
Megachile limata Vachal 1908: 226. Female. Type locality: Cayenne [Guyane Française]. Type repository: MNHN. Examined.
description: Published as part of Raw, Anthony, 2002, New combinations and synonymies of leafcutter and mason bees of the Americas (Megachile, Hymenoptera, Megachilidae), pp. 1-43 in Zootaxa 71 (1) on page 5, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.71.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/155887
Miniaturized Microwave, Millimeter-wave, and sub-Terahertz Tunable Guided Wave Structures for Wireless Communication Beamforming Applications
Creators: Der, Eric T.
Publisher: name: University of Alberta Library
Year: 2024

In order to meet the growing demands for faster and more reliable wireless communication networks, as well as to connect the billions of new devices that will require on demand access to the internet, the telecommunication industry seeks to expand the current wireless communication infrastructure into millimeter-wave and terahertz band where spectrum is abundant and relatively under-utilized. Transceiver antenna arrays at these frequencies require beamformer networks in order to be able to transmit over long distances with reasonable signal-to-noise ratios, while still being able to maintain coverage in all directions.

Many devices at these frequencies use waveguide components and interconnects due to their high-power handling and low-loss propagation characteristics. However, these devices are often difficult to integrate with planar circuit platforms. Furthermore, it is known that the size and complexity of phased array feed networks scales with the number of antenna elements. In a world with growing demand for more compact devices, it is therefore prudent to investigate miniaturization techniques of waveguide interconnects and devices. This thesis presents the theoretical background, simulation, engineering trade-off studies, practical implementation, and experimental results of novel waveguide components critical to 5G and 6G beamforming frontends such as Butler matrices, phase shifters, and single pole double throw switches, all implemented using miniaturized waveguide interconnects such as ridged half-mode substrate integrated waveguides (RHMSIW) and evanescent-mode waveguides.

Implementations of RHMSIW Butler matrices presented in this thesis at 3.5 GHz and 28 GHz 5G bands achieved some of the smallest form factors at the time of publication, achieving up to 73% miniaturization over their half-mode topology counterpart while still maintaining lower insertion loss over commercially available tunable phase shifters.

The silicon evanescent-mode waveguide switches presented in this thesis also achieve over 70% reduction in device volume over commercially available waveguide switches in the W-Band. Furthermore, the switches have three orders of magnitude higher measured speeds over state-of-the-art electromechanical switches in the band while still being able to theoretically handle 5 W of RF power. Using the equipment available at the time of publication, the switch technology was experimentally demonstrated to successfully handle 1.6 W of power. De-embedding the transitions, the switch technology achieves insertion losses as low as 0.5 dB.
New abundant 4CzIPN-derivatized Photosensitizers and Catalysts for Photosynthetic Organic Reactions and Solar Fuels
Creators: Martinez Perez, Octavio
Publisher: name: University of Alberta Library
Year: 2024

The development of artificial photosynthetic systems is a promising strategy to meet future energy demands of our society and to reverse the impact of anthropogenic CO2 in the environment. Energy conversion devices such as photoelectrochemical cells are one key component in the transition to a society with an integrated renewable energy system. This research describes a robust, high-yield route for the synthesis, characterization, and catalytic activity of photocatalysts for artificial photosynthesis, as well as a solid-state synthesis method to prepare stable and efficient photocatalyst-semiconductor electrodes.To facilitate the integration of the photocatalytic systems to the electrical grid, the molecular assembly of these Ru-photosensitizers to photocatalytic water oxidation (OER) or carbon dioxide reduction reaction (CRR) catalysts with further immobilization onto semiconductor surfaces is a highly desirable achievement. Here, Ru-polypyridyl photosensitizers are immobilized on semiconductor surfaces (ITO and TiO2 ) via diazonium reduction, forming a C—O bond between the C5 on the 1,10-Phenanthroline ligand and the O on the surface. The photosensitizer-semiconductor photoelectrodes are active and stable toward the photoelectrochemical oxidation of hydroquinone (H2 Q) and triethylamine (Et3 N) under neutral and basic conditions.The organic photosensitizer 1,2,3,5-tetrakis(carbazol-9-yl)-4,6-dicyanobenzene (4CzIPN) and its derivatives are well-known photocatalysts for visible-light-driven photoredox- and energy transfer-catalysis. Here, is described the derivatization of the dicyanobenzene moiety in 4CzIPN with an NHC group: 3CzIPN-NHC. 3 NHC ligands are well-known as strongly activating ligands in catalysis. 3CzIPN-NHC retains the bulk photophysical properties of the parent 4CzIPN photosensitizer. This synthesis opens a window for future tuning of the photosensitizer and incorporation into heterogeneous and homogenous photocatalysis.The synthesis and photocatalytic activity of the Mn (I) [Mn(CO)3 (bpy)] catalyst coupled to an organic photosensitizer unit derived from 4CzIPN, the 3-CzIPN-imidazole is presented. The complex 3CzIPN-Imidazole-Mn is highly selective for the photoreduction of CO 2 to CO in CO2a–saturated acetonitrile (MeCN) solution under AM 1.5 G light. Achieving 60 TON (CO), the facile, robust, and low-cost preparation, in addition to strong absorption in the visible light range, promotes this photocatalyst as a potent candidate for further family expansion.
Weak rainbow saturation numbers of graphs
Creators: name: Li, Xihe
name: Ma, Jie
name: Xie, Tianying
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2024
Subjects: subject: Combinatorics (math.CO)
subject: FOS: Mathematics

description: For a fixed graph $H$, we say that an edge-colored graph $G$ is \emph{weakly $H$-rainbow saturated} if there exists an ordering $e_1, e_2, \ldots, e_m$ of $E\left(\overline{G}\right)$ such that, for any list $c_1, c_2, \ldots, c_m$ of pairwise distinct colors from $\mathbb{N}$, the non-edges $e_i$ in color $c_i$ can be added to $G$, one at a time, so that every added edge creates a new rainbow copy of $H$. The \emph{weak rainbow saturation number} of $H$, denoted by $rwsat(n,H)$, is the minimum number of edges in a weakly $H$-rainbow saturated graph on $n$ vertices. In this paper, we show that for any non-empty graph $H$, the limit $\lim_{n\to \infty} \frac{rwsat(n, H)}{n}$ exists. This answers a question of Behague, Johnston, Letzter, Morrison and Ogden [{\it SIAM J. Discrete Math.} (2023)]. We also provide lower and upper bounds on this limit, and in particular, we show that this limit is nonzero if and only if $H$ contains no pendant edges.
description: 13 pages, 1 figure