Theses and Dissertations

Fall 2021

Pentyliuk, Natasha

on biological sampling, and for every report of Prussian carp received in a HUC-8 area (hydrological unit code 8; the second finest Albertan watershed unit), the probability that area was invaded (as indicated by biological sampling) increased by more than 10 times (Chapter 3). We also found a

spread priorities when it comes to addressing the invasion. Accurate distribution information is essential for targeting such efforts but is challenging to obtain given the logistics of continually sampling all locations within Prussian carp’s potential range. Could resource users be used in a citizen

science program to generate species distribution data? Here we investigate whether reports of Prussian carp by recreational anglers in Alberta, Canada could have application as a cost-effective alternative to or complimentary tool for traditional population distribution sampling and early warning systems

Fall 2010

Pivovarov, Peter

facets) should be sampled in order for such a polytope to capture significant volume. Various criteria for what exactly it means to capture significant volume are discussed. We also study similar problems for random polytopes generated by points on the Euclidean sphere. The second paper is

about volume distribution in convex bodies. The first main result is about convex bodies that are (i) symmetric with respect to each of the coordinate hyperplanes and (ii) in isotropic position. We prove that most linear functionals acting on such bodies exhibit super-Gaussian tail-decay

This thesis is based on three papers on selected topics in Asymptotic Geometric Analysis. The first paper is about the volume of high-dimensional random polytopes; in particular, on polytopes generated by Gaussian random vectors. We consider the question of how many random vertices (or

Spring 2013

Rueda-Velasquez, Rosa I

represents the maximum amount of large clusters in asphaltenes that could not be converted to lighter compounds under the evaluated cracking conditions. These analytical data for Cold Lake asphaltenes were transformed into probability density functions that described the molecular weight distributions of the

building blocks. These distributions were input for a Monte Carlo approach that allowed stochastic construction of asphaltenes and simulation of their cracking reactions to examine differences in the distributions of products associated to the molecular topology. The construction algorithm evidenced that a

significant amount of asphaltenes would consist of 3-5 building blocks. The results did not show significant differences between linear and dendritic molecular architectures, but suggested that dendritic molecules would experience slower reaction rates as they required more breakages to reach a given yield of

Spring 2021

You, Jihao

study. In the first study, the model could only be used to identify daily oviposition events on the subsequent day and the prediction outputs were binary labels. An ANN model was used to predict and output the probability of daily oviposition events occurring using a specific time point in one day. The

oviposition events on the current day, and the output was a probability that could be informative to indicate how likely oviposition of an individual breeder occurred in the day. In situations where total egg production was known for a group, the ANN model could predict the probability of daily oviposition

system and make predictions based on the information. The first study investigated predicting daily oviposition events of individual broiler breeders by a random forest (RF) classification model. The raw dataset from the PF system was processed for 34 features in relation to the feeding activity and body

Spring 2010

Alshehri, Naeem S.

technical analysis considering all available data. Current methods of estimating resource uncertainty use spreadsheets or Monte Carlo simulation software with specified probability distributions for each variable. 3-D models may be constructed, but they rarely consider uncertainty in all variables. This

. The CFD approach produced more realistic uncertainty in distributions of the HIIP than those obtained from the BS or SBS approaches. 0-D modeling was used for estimating uncertainty in HIIP with different source of thickness. 2-D is based on geological mapping and can be presented in 2-D maps and

A reliable estimate of the amount of oil or gas in a reservoir is required for development decisions. Uncertainty in reserve estimates affects resource/reserve classification, investment decisions, and development decisions. There is a need to make the best decisions with an appropriate level of

Fall 2013

Rajakaruna, Harshana

spread? In this thesis I focus on how seasonal fluctuation of habitat temperature impacts persistence, range expansion and distribution of invasive marine species by developing simple biologically meaningful metrics and producing results consistent with advanced mathematical methods. First, I show how

into account. The major conclusion in this thesis is that annual temperature cycles and their amplitude-gradients across ecoregions may drive species invasion dynamics and diversity distribution. A large potential of the conveyor belt together with the escalated human-mediated propagule flow may

the ambient temperature impacts the net reproductive rate of invasive marine calanoid copepod Pseudodiaptomous marinus, thereby, the invasibility of habitats to P. marinus. I extend this approach to include periodic fluctuations of habitat temperature by defining a new weighted net reproductive rate

Spring 2014

Susanna, Spektor

for a random variable with hypergeometric distribution, improving previously known estimates. The fourth paper devoted to the quantitative version of a Silverstein's Theorem on the 4-th moment condition for convergence in probability of the norm of a random matrix. More precisely, we show that for a

This thesis is mostly based on six papers on selected topics in Asymptotic Geometric Analysis, Wavelet Analysis and Applied Fourier Analysis. The first two papers are devoted to Ball's integral inequality. We prove this inequality via spline functions. We also provide a method for computing all

under the assumption that the sum of the Rademacher random variables is zero. We also discuss other approaches to the problem. In particular, one may use simple random walks on graph, concentration and the chaining argument. As a special case of Khinchine's type inequality, we provide a tail estimate

Spring 2024

Valdivia Paucar, Myzael J.

parameter of a material as a random variable with a specific probability distribution. The outcomes of such analyses are evaluated through design acceptance criteria (DAC) that incorporate uncertainty in terms of design reliability – also known as Reliability-Based Design Acceptance Criteria (RBDAC

on a modified open pit slope, inspired by the geotechnical, geological, and hydrological characteristics of an implemented pit slope located in British Columbia, Canada. The outcomes of this research yield significant insights for forthcoming probabilistic open pit slope stability analyses. The

to higher coefficients of variation and thus an elevated probability of failure. These results can be the defining factor between designs deemed acceptable or not, as per the RBDAC criteria. Based on these outcomes, it is suggested that practitioners consider, depending on the necessity of the design

Spring 2024

Mirhadi, Seyed Nima

short-term temperature fluctuations play a significant role in landslide occurrences at the C018 site, and their effect can be quantified from a probabilistic approach. A clear weather signature has been identified for landslides occurring in the winter months. Moreover, statistical analyses on

landslides occurring in spring and summer showed that if there is more than 20 mm of rainfall in 14 days, there is a 6% probability of a landslide, with a 0.1% probability of a landslide if there is less than 20 mm of rainfall in the preceding 14 days. This probabilistic approach provides a means to identify

. The results show that a linear relationship can be approximated between the annual precipitation and the annual volume of landslides. This relationship is then used to estimate the annual volume of landslides by considering the projected annual precipitation based on the climate change models for the

Spring 2021

Mancell, Steven, A.

Mineral exploration and mining are capital intensive and carry significant environmental and societal considerations. The feasibility of prospective mining operations hinges on a series of engineering decisions. The mineral resource estimation of the quality and quantity of resources greatly

generates a single model output and does not carry a measure of uncertainty. Stochastic approaches to boundary modeling capture short scale variability of the geology; however, imparting geological knowledge on the model is difficult. This thesis develops a new implicit methodology for boundary modeling

that provides globally unbiased models with uncertainty. The indicator approach maps a field of probabilities and applies a threshold that results in an extracted boundary. Uncertainty assessment by varying the indicator thresholds provides eroded and dilated boundaries and a zone of uncertainty