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Unveiling Key Features: A Comparative Study of Machine Learning Models for Alzheimer\u27s Detection
Get PDFThis thesis rigorously evaluates the application of an array of natural language processing (NLP) techniques and machine learning models to identify linguistic signatures indicative of dementia, as sourced from the DementiaBank Pitt corpus. Utilizing a binary classification paradigm, this study meticulously integrates sophisticated embedding methods—including Doc2Vec, Word2Vec, GloVe, and BERT—with traditional machine learning algorithms such as Random Forest, Multinomial Naïve Bayes, ADA boost, KNN classifier, and Logistic Regression, alongside deep learning architectures like LSTM, Bi-LSTM, and CNN-LSTM. The efficacy of these methodologies is evaluated based on their capacity to differentiate between transcribed speech impacted by dementia and that from control subjects. To enhance interpretability, this research also employs feature importance analysis through LIME, SHAP, permutation importance, and integrated gradients, shedding light on the variables most instrumental in driving model predictions. The results of this comprehensive analysis not only illuminate the robust potential of these combined NLP and machine learning approaches in the context of medical screening but also contribute additional valuable insights to the field of NLP and dementia screening specifically
Enhancing Bioluminescence
No full textIn this project, we aim to develop a strain of Escherichia coli expressing high levels of luminescence via the use of a NanoLuc. derivative, cyan-based LumiFluor (CeNLuc). CeNLuc is a self-illuminating bioluminescent-fluorescent protein that generates biologic light via bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET). We have obtained the plasmids, and are preparing to transform E. coli. cultures
Identifying Secondary Metabolites in Corals of the Order Corallimorpharia for Novel Medicinal Use
No full textMedicinal and bioactive compounds have been found in various species of corals and are currently being used for, but not limited to, anti-inflammatory, cytotoxic/chemotherapy, antimicrobial, antivirus, and antifouling. Currently, acquiring compounds and derivatives is limited by naturally occurring resources. This project is investigating corals from the order Corallimorpharia that are known rapid reproducers and potentially invasive. They demonstrate many of the same attributes as corals that have been studied suggesting that they have similar compounds. The specific coral of interest is Rhodactis howesii. Samples have been obtained, DNA has been isolated, and their genomes are in the process of being sequenced to confirm valid species identity, if species synonyms exist, or if samples are completely different species. Secondary metabolites will then be analyzed for any biopharmaceutical purposes. In summary, obtaining enough biomass for preclinical, clinical trials, and commercialization would no longer be a foreseeable problem
Wok the Line: Searching for the Hydrogen 21 cm Emission
No full textPrior to this research, the students and faculty of the Weber State Physics and Astronomy Department, and any other interested parties, did not have access to instruments that would allow us to perform observations of astronomical objects that emit in the radio portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. To address this problem, we set out to build a small and affordable radio telescope in an effort to encourage future undergraduate research in both observational instrumentation and radio astronomy research. This device is composed of a kitchen wok with a diameter of 61 centimeters that acts as a reflector and a dipole antenna. Additionally, the radio telescope is equipped with electronics specifically designed to observe the 21-centimeter line of neutral hydrogen. This spectral line enables astronomers to create detailed maps of galaxies, aiding in the understanding of their structure, dynamics, and evolution over cosmic time
Spaceport America Cup Rocket
Get PDFThe Spaceport America Cup Rocketry Competition is an international event with 20 countries and 152 teams competing. The goal is to build a rocket that delivers an 8.8 lb. payload as close to a 10,000 ft. apogee as possible using a commercial off the shelf motor, and to achieve the precise apogee with an innovative design that pushes rocket engineering while maintaining safe practices. The rockets are being launched in New Mexico, June 2024. After the rockets launch, a panel of judges comprised of industry professionals evaluate each team based on rocket performance and design
Determining the Exit State of Centrifugal Pumps and Compressors
Get PDFMeanline performance models have a rich history in the design of radial flow pumps and compressors. These models are typically based on point data, such as static pressures and temperature measurements at walls, along with occasional traverses to capture additional flow field details. These point measurements, while valuable, do not fully characterize the internal flow behavior within the machine. The Two-Zone model, developed by Japikse and others, is a meanline model based on these measurements to predict machine performance. It posits that the flow at the impeller exit consists of two distinct zones: a primary zone assumed to be isentropic and a secondary zone where losses occur. Accurate prediction of power relies on correctly inferring the fraction of mass flow in the secondary zone and the deviation angle in both primary and secondary zones from available data. However, ensuring the uniqueness of the inferred parameters within the Two-Zone model structure remains challenging. To address this, we extract specific impeller exit flow field details from Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations. By analyzing flow fields obtained through CFD, we calculate the model parameters for ten radial flow machines. These derived two-zone parameters are then employed to predict power output for each machine. The Two-Zone predictions closely align with experimental data, exhibiting an average error of only 3.5%
Nitrification Rate Depends on Nitrogen Fertilizer Source in Root-Zones for Bioregenerative Life-Support
Get PDFNitrification helps recycle nitrogen (N) in closed root-zones with multiple N inputs. We studied nitrification rates in peat moss soilless media adjusted to pH 6.5 to 7 and watered with nutrient solutions containing 9 mM N from ammonium nitrate, ammonium, nitrate, urea, or microbial biomass (lysed cells of the N-fixing bacteria Azotobacter vinelandii). We leached the media with nutrient solution every week for 150 days and measured the pH, electrical conductivity, and nitrate concentration. We measured ammonium in the peat moss at the end of the study using a potassium chloride extraction and quantified total N by combustion. Nitrification had a lag time of two to three weeks followed by rapid conversion in the succeeding weeks. The mass balance recovery of N as nitrate was highest in the nitrate treatment (89% ± 9%) and lowest in the urea treatment (73% ± 13%). Nitrification is beneficial in soilless media and can help recycle N in bioregenerative life-support systems
Correcting Surface Brightness Fluctuation Distances for Stellar Populations
Get PDFWe are using Surface Brightness Fluctuations (SBF) to measure distances to giant elliptical galaxies using the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). These distance measurements will be used to better define the Hubble Constant, and hopefully help resolve the Hubble tension crisis in cosmology. Part of SBF requires a knowledge of the colors of the galaxies to be studied in order to account for variations in age and composition of the stars contained within. To this end, we are using PanSTARRS and DECam data to determine the optical g-z color (464 nm-900 nm) values for galaxies out to 300 million light years
The Influence of Religious Affiliation on the Political Views of LGBT Americans
Get PDFWith a nationally representative, repeated cross-sectional sample of over 250,000 Americans from 2016-2019, we investigate the role that religious and LGBT identities play in influencing Americans’ political attitudes, centering the narratives of religious LGBT Americans. We find that nearly half of LGBT Americans affiliate religiously. Logistic regressions show that identifying as religious is related to more conservative views on LGBT rights and abortion while identifying as LGBT is related to more liberal views on both of these issues. We failed to observe interaction effects, suggesting that religious affiliation influences LGBT individuals’ political views in a manner similar to the way it influences cisgender, heterosexual individuals’ views. Comparisons of the variation accounted for by religious or LGBT identities show that religious affiliation more frequently accounted for more variation in political views
Advertising the West: The History of La Fiesta de Los Vaqueros
Get PDFIn February 1925, Tucson celebrated the first La Fiesta de Los Vaqueros with a three-day rodeo that ended with a huge parade through the city center. Created by Philadelphia-born and new resident of Tucson Frederick Leighton Kramer and other Tucson city boosters, the event became an annual fiesta with the hopes of not only promoting Tucson and a fundraiser for the University of Arizona’s newly established polo team, but also a way to share Kramer’s newfound enthusiasm for Tucson’s beauty and history. However, the history the fiesta presented centered around the Anglo-American pioneers of southern Arizona. This approach ignored the history of people who settled the area prior to its European colonization. Even so, the city boosters did not entirely exclude the history of local people in the festivities, but the limited involvement of Native Americans and ethnic Mexicans functioned more as a tool of cultural commodification than genuine inclusion. “Advertising the West: The History of La Fiesta de Los Vaqueros” details the history of the first La Fiesta de Los Vaqueros and how it was founded on commodifying and exoticizing local Indigenous groups—Tohono O’odham and present-day Pasqua Yaqui—and ethnic Mexicans. By capitalizing on the cultures of these local groups, Tucson city boosters enticed Eastern white Americans to visit the western city during the early twentieth century. This paper explores tourism in the West, racial stereotypes, rumors as forms of advertisements and fear, and how a white-washed history blanketed the history of Tucson’s local Indigenous and Mexicans communities