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A general continuum model for simulating the flow of ions in the salt baths that surround and fill excitable neurons is developed and presented. The ion densities and electric potential are computed using the drift-diffusion equations. In addition, a detailed model is given for handling the electrical dynamics on interior

A general continuum model for simulating the flow of ions in the salt baths that surround and fill excitable neurons is developed and presented. The ion densities and electric potential are computed using the drift-diffusion equations. In addition, a detailed model is given for handling the electrical dynamics on interior membrane boundaries, including a model for ion channels in the membranes that facilitate the transfer of ions in and out of cells. The model is applied to the triad synapse found in the outer plexiform layer of the retina in most species. Experimental evidence suggests the existence of a negative feedback pathway between horizontal cells and cone photoreceptors that modulates the flow of calcium ions into the synaptic terminals of cones. However, the underlying mechanism for this feedback is controversial and there are currently three competing hypotheses: the ephaptic hypothesis, the pH hypothesis and the GABA hypothesis. The goal of this work is to test some features of the ephaptic hypothesis using detailed simulations that employ rigorous numerical methods. The model is first applied in a simple rectangular geometry to demonstrate the effects of feedback for different extracellular gap widths. The model is then applied to a more complex and realistic geometry to demonstrate the existence of strictly electrical feedback, as predicted by the ephaptic hypothesis. Lastly, the effects of electrical feedback in regards to the behavior of the bipolar cell membrane potential is explored. Figures for the ion densities and electric potential are presented to verify key features of the model. The computed steady state IV curves for several cases are presented, which can be compared to experimental data. The results provide convincing evidence in favor of the ephaptic hypothesis since the existence of feedback that is strictly electrical in nature is shown, without any dependence on pH effects or chemical transmitters.
ContributorsJones, Jeremiah (Author) / Gardner, Carl (Committee member) / Baer, Steven (Committee member) / Crook, Sharon (Committee member) / Kostelich, Eric (Committee member) / Ringhofer, Christian (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013
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Description
This thesis considers the application of basis pursuit to several problems in system identification. After reviewing some key results in the theory of basis pursuit and compressed sensing, numerical experiments are presented that explore the application of basis pursuit to the black-box identification of linear time-invariant (LTI) systems with both

This thesis considers the application of basis pursuit to several problems in system identification. After reviewing some key results in the theory of basis pursuit and compressed sensing, numerical experiments are presented that explore the application of basis pursuit to the black-box identification of linear time-invariant (LTI) systems with both finite (FIR) and infinite (IIR) impulse responses, temporal systems modeled by ordinary differential equations (ODE), and spatio-temporal systems modeled by partial differential equations (PDE). For LTI systems, the experimental results illustrate existing theory for identification of LTI FIR systems. It is seen that basis pursuit does not identify sparse LTI IIR systems, but it does identify alternate systems with nearly identical magnitude response characteristics when there are small numbers of non-zero coefficients. For ODE systems, the experimental results are consistent with earlier research for differential equations that are polynomials in the system variables, illustrating feasibility of the approach for small numbers of non-zero terms. For PDE systems, it is demonstrated that basis pursuit can be applied to system identification, along with a comparison in performance with another existing method. In all cases the impact of measurement noise on identification performance is considered, and it is empirically observed that high signal-to-noise ratio is required for successful application of basis pursuit to system identification problems.
ContributorsThompson, Robert C. (Author) / Platte, Rodrigo (Thesis advisor) / Gelb, Anne (Committee member) / Cochran, Douglas (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2012
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Description
In vertebrate outer retina, changes in the membrane potential of horizontal cells affect the calcium influx and glutamate release of cone photoreceptors via a negative feedback. This feedback has a number of important physiological consequences. One is called background-induced flicker enhancement (BIFE) in which the onset of dim background enhances

In vertebrate outer retina, changes in the membrane potential of horizontal cells affect the calcium influx and glutamate release of cone photoreceptors via a negative feedback. This feedback has a number of important physiological consequences. One is called background-induced flicker enhancement (BIFE) in which the onset of dim background enhances the center flicker response of horizontal cells. The underlying mechanism for the feedback is still unclear but competing hypotheses have been proposed. One is the GABA hypothesis, which states that the feedback is mediated by gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), an inhibitory neurotransmitter released from horizontal cells. Another is the ephaptic hypothesis, which contends that the feedback is non-GABAergic and is achieved through the modulation of electrical potential in the intersynaptic cleft between cones and horizontal cells. In this study, a continuum spine model of the cone-horizontal cell synaptic circuitry is formulated. This model, a partial differential equation system, incorporates both the GABA and ephaptic feedback mechanisms. Simulation results, in comparison with experiments, indicate that the ephaptic mechanism is necessary in order for the model to capture the major spatial and temporal dynamics of the BIFE effect. In addition, simulations indicate that the GABA mechanism may play some minor modulation role.
ContributorsChang, Shaojie (Author) / Baer, Steven M. (Thesis advisor) / Gardner, Carl L (Thesis advisor) / Crook, Sharon M (Committee member) / Kuang, Yang (Committee member) / Ringhofer, Christian (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2012
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Description
This dissertation involves three problems that are all related by the use of the singular value decomposition (SVD) or generalized singular value decomposition (GSVD). The specific problems are (i) derivation of a generalized singular value expansion (GSVE), (ii) analysis of the properties of the chi-squared method for regularization parameter selection

This dissertation involves three problems that are all related by the use of the singular value decomposition (SVD) or generalized singular value decomposition (GSVD). The specific problems are (i) derivation of a generalized singular value expansion (GSVE), (ii) analysis of the properties of the chi-squared method for regularization parameter selection in the case of nonnormal data and (iii) formulation of a partial canonical correlation concept for continuous time stochastic processes. The finite dimensional SVD has an infinite dimensional generalization to compact operators. However, the form of the finite dimensional GSVD developed in, e.g., Van Loan does not extend directly to infinite dimensions as a result of a key step in the proof that is specific to the matrix case. Thus, the first problem of interest is to find an infinite dimensional version of the GSVD. One such GSVE for compact operators on separable Hilbert spaces is developed. The second problem concerns regularization parameter estimation. The chi-squared method for nonnormal data is considered. A form of the optimized regularization criterion that pertains to measured data or signals with nonnormal noise is derived. Large sample theory for phi-mixing processes is used to derive a central limit theorem for the chi-squared criterion that holds under certain conditions. Departures from normality are seen to manifest in the need for a possibly different scale factor in normalization rather than what would be used under the assumption of normality. The consequences of our large sample work are illustrated by empirical experiments. For the third problem, a new approach is examined for studying the relationships between a collection of functional random variables. The idea is based on the work of Sunder that provides mappings to connect the elements of algebraic and orthogonal direct sums of subspaces in a Hilbert space. When combined with a key isometry associated with a particular Hilbert space indexed stochastic process, this leads to a useful formulation for situations that involve the study of several second order processes. In particular, using our approach with two processes provides an independent derivation of the functional canonical correlation analysis (CCA) results of Eubank and Hsing. For more than two processes, a rigorous derivation of the functional partial canonical correlation analysis (PCCA) concept that applies to both finite and infinite dimensional settings is obtained.
ContributorsHuang, Qing (Author) / Eubank, Randall (Thesis advisor) / Renaut, Rosemary (Thesis advisor) / Cochran, Douglas (Committee member) / Gelb, Anne (Committee member) / Young, Dennis (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2012
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Description
Imaging technologies such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) collect Fourier data and then process the data to form images. Because images are piecewise smooth, the Fourier partial sum (i.e. direct inversion of the Fourier data) yields a poor approximation, with spurious oscillations forming at the

Imaging technologies such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) collect Fourier data and then process the data to form images. Because images are piecewise smooth, the Fourier partial sum (i.e. direct inversion of the Fourier data) yields a poor approximation, with spurious oscillations forming at the interior edges of the image and reduced accuracy overall. This is the well known Gibbs phenomenon and many attempts have been made to rectify its effects. Previous algorithms exploited the sparsity of edges in the underlying image as a constraint with which to optimize for a solution with reduced spurious oscillations. While the sparsity enforcing algorithms are fairly effective, they are sensitive to several issues, including undersampling and noise. Because of the piecewise nature of the underlying image, we theorize that projecting the solution onto the wavelet basis would increase the overall accuracy. Thus in this investigation we develop an algorithm that continues to exploit the sparsity of edges in the underlying image while also seeking to represent the solution using the wavelet rather than Fourier basis. Our method successfully decreases the effect of the Gibbs phenomenon and provides a good approximation for the underlying image. The primary advantages of our method is its robustness to undersampling and perturbations in the optimization parameters.
ContributorsFan, Jingjing (Co-author) / Mead, Ryan (Co-author) / Gelb, Anne (Thesis director) / Platte, Rodrigo (Committee member) / Archibald, Richard (Committee member) / School of Music (Contributor) / School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2015-12
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Description
Using object-oriented programming in MATLAB, a collection of functions, named Fourfun, has been created to allow quick and accurate approximations of periodic functions with Fourier expansions. To increase efficiency and reduce the number of computations of the Fourier transform, Fourfun automatically determines the number of nodes necessary for representations that

Using object-oriented programming in MATLAB, a collection of functions, named Fourfun, has been created to allow quick and accurate approximations of periodic functions with Fourier expansions. To increase efficiency and reduce the number of computations of the Fourier transform, Fourfun automatically determines the number of nodes necessary for representations that are accurate to close to machine precision. Common MATLAB functions have been overloaded to keep the syntax of the Fourfun class as consistent as possible with the general MATLAB syntax. We show that the system can be used to efficiently solve several differential equations. Comparisons with Chebfun, a similar system based on Chebyshev polynomial approximations, are provided.
ContributorsMcleod, Kristyn Noelle (Author) / Platte, Rodrigo (Thesis director) / Gelb, Anne (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor)
Created2014-05
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Description
The retina is the lining in the back of the eye responsible for vision. When light photons hits the retina, the photoreceptors within the retina respond by sending impulses to the optic nerve, which connects to the brain. If there is injury to the eye or heredity retinal problems, this

The retina is the lining in the back of the eye responsible for vision. When light photons hits the retina, the photoreceptors within the retina respond by sending impulses to the optic nerve, which connects to the brain. If there is injury to the eye or heredity retinal problems, this part can become detached. Detachment leads to loss of nutrients, such as oxygen and glucose, to the cells in the eye and causes cell death. Sometimes the retina is able to be surgically reattached. If the photoreceptor cells have not died and the reattachment is successful, then these cells are able to regenerate their outer segments (OS) which are essential for their functionality and vitality. In this work we will explore how the regrowth of the photoreceptor cells in a healthy eye after retinal detachment can lead to a deeper understanding of how eye cells take up nutrients and regenerate. This work uses a mathematical model for a healthy eye in conjunction with data for photoreceptors' regrowth and decay. The parameters for the healthy eye model are estimated from the data and the ranges of these parameter values are centered +/- 10\% away from these values are used for sensitivity analysis. Using parameter estimation and sensitivity analysis we can better understand how certain processes represented by these parameters change within the model as a result of retinal detachment. Having a deeper understanding for any sort of photoreceptor death and growth can be used by the greater scientific community to help with these currently irreversible conditions that lead to blindness, such as retinal detachment. The analysis in this work shows that maximizing the carrying capacity of the trophic pool and the rate of RDCVF, as well as minimizing nutrient withdrawal of the rods and the cones from the trophic pool results in both the most regrowth and least cell death in retinal detachment.
ContributorsGoldman, Miriam Ayla (Author) / Camacho, Erikia (Thesis director) / Wirkus, Stephen (Committee member) / School of Mathematical and Natural Sciences (Contributor, Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-05
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Description
This dissertation develops a second order accurate approximation to the magnetic resonance (MR) signal model used in the PARSE (Parameter Assessment by Retrieval from Single Encoding) method to recover information about the reciprocal of the spin-spin relaxation time function (R2*) and frequency offset function (w) in addition to the typical

This dissertation develops a second order accurate approximation to the magnetic resonance (MR) signal model used in the PARSE (Parameter Assessment by Retrieval from Single Encoding) method to recover information about the reciprocal of the spin-spin relaxation time function (R2*) and frequency offset function (w) in addition to the typical steady-state transverse magnetization (M) from single-shot magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. Sparse regularization on an approximation to the edge map is used to solve the associated inverse problem. Several studies are carried out for both one- and two-dimensional test problems, including comparisons to the first order approximation method, as well as the first order approximation method with joint sparsity across multiple time windows enforced. The second order accurate model provides increased accuracy while reducing the amount of data required to reconstruct an image when compared to piecewise constant in time models. A key component of the proposed technique is the use of fast transforms for the forward evaluation. It is determined that the second order model is capable of providing accurate single-shot MRI reconstructions, but requires an adequate coverage of k-space to do so. Alternative data sampling schemes are investigated in an attempt to improve reconstruction with single-shot data, as current trajectories do not provide ideal k-space coverage for the proposed method.
ContributorsJesse, Aaron Mitchel (Author) / Platte, Rodrigo (Thesis advisor) / Gelb, Anne (Committee member) / Kostelich, Eric (Committee member) / Mittelmann, Hans (Committee member) / Moustaoui, Mohamed (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2019
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Description
Modern measurement schemes for linear dynamical systems are typically designed so that different sensors can be scheduled to be used at each time step. To determine which sensors to use, various metrics have been suggested. One possible such metric is the observability of the system. Observability is a binary condition

Modern measurement schemes for linear dynamical systems are typically designed so that different sensors can be scheduled to be used at each time step. To determine which sensors to use, various metrics have been suggested. One possible such metric is the observability of the system. Observability is a binary condition determining whether a finite number of measurements suffice to recover the initial state. However to employ observability for sensor scheduling, the binary definition needs to be expanded so that one can measure how observable a system is with a particular measurement scheme, i.e. one needs a metric of observability. Most methods utilizing an observability metric are about sensor selection and not for sensor scheduling. In this dissertation we present a new approach to utilize the observability for sensor scheduling by employing the condition number of the observability matrix as the metric and using column subset selection to create an algorithm to choose which sensors to use at each time step. To this end we use a rank revealing QR factorization algorithm to select sensors. Several numerical experiments are used to demonstrate the performance of the proposed scheme.
ContributorsIlkturk, Utku (Author) / Gelb, Anne (Thesis advisor) / Platte, Rodrigo (Thesis advisor) / Cochran, Douglas (Committee member) / Renaut, Rosemary (Committee member) / Armbruster, Dieter (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2015
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Description
Factory production is stochastic in nature with time varying input and output processes that are non-stationary stochastic processes. Hence, the principle quantities of interest are random variables. Typical modeling of such behavior involves numerical simulation and statistical analysis. A deterministic closure model leading to a second

Factory production is stochastic in nature with time varying input and output processes that are non-stationary stochastic processes. Hence, the principle quantities of interest are random variables. Typical modeling of such behavior involves numerical simulation and statistical analysis. A deterministic closure model leading to a second order model for the product density and product speed has previously been proposed. The resulting partial differential equations (PDE) are compared to discrete event simulations (DES) that simulate factory production as a time dependent M/M/1 queuing system. Three fundamental scenarios for the time dependent influx are studied: An instant step up/down of the mean arrival rate; an exponential step up/down of the mean arrival rate; and periodic variation of the mean arrival rate. It is shown that the second order model, in general, yields significant improvement over current first order models. Specifically, the agreement between the DES and the PDE for the step up and for periodic forcing that is not too rapid is very good. Adding diffusion to the PDE further improves the agreement. The analysis also points to fundamental open issues regarding the deterministic modeling of low signal-to-noise ratio for some stochastic processes and the possibility of resonance in deterministic models that is not present in the original stochastic process.
ContributorsWienke, Matthew (Author) / Armbruster, Dieter (Thesis advisor) / Jones, Donald (Committee member) / Platte, Rodrigo (Committee member) / Gardner, Carl (Committee member) / Ringhofer, Christian (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2015