Digital Commons Network^™

Duol: A Double Updating Approach For Online Learning, Peilin Zhao, Steven C. H. Hoi, Rong Jin

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

In most online learning algorithms, the weights assigned to the misclassified examples (or support vectors) remain unchanged during the entire learning process. This is clearly insufficient since when a new misclassified example is added to the pool of support vectors, we generally expect it to affect the weights for the existing support vectors. In this paper, we propose a new online learning method, termed Double Updating Online Learning, or DUOL for short. Instead of only assigning a fixed weight to the misclassified example received in current trial, the proposed online learning algorithm also tries to update the weight for one …

Learning Bregman Distance Functions And Its Application For Semi-Supervised Clustering, Lei Wu, Rong Jin, Steven C. H. Hoi, Jianke Zhu, Nenghai Yu

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Learning distance functions with side information plays a key role in many machine learning and data mining applications. Conventional approaches often assume a Mahalanobis distance function. These approaches are limited in two aspects: (i) they are computationally expensive (even infeasible) for high dimensional data because the size of the metric is in the square of dimensionality; (ii) they assume a fixed metric for the entire input space and therefore are unable to handle heterogeneous data. In this paper, we propose a novel scheme that learns nonlinear Bregman distance functions from side information using a nonparametric approach that is similar to …

Nonparametric Inference Using Randomization And Permutation Reference Distribution And Their Monte-Carlo Approximation, Minh D. Nguyen

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this paper is to explain the concepts and replicate some results in the article Permutation Methods: A Basis for Exact Inference by Michael D. Ernst (2004). In the paper, we discuss how to perform nonparametric inferences using randomization and permutation reference distributions. We clearly explain the differences and similarities between the two distributions and show how to use Monte-Carlo sampling to approximate them. In the process, we introduced and proved two theorems that are the basis for some of the inferences. Specifically, one of the theorems describes the exact p-value of a two-sample test as a left-continuous …

A Web-Based System For Course Instruction And Student Advising, Praveen Danda

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Academic advising plays an important role in student success in college, freshman students who join the universities with certain goals may face difficulties in course selection, whom to contact, and where to get course information. Considering this, each student in the university is assigned an advisor from his/her department who can address student's problems during their academic years in the college. The advisors spend considerable amount of time in analyzing student performance during the semester by viewing the student's grades and transcripts. The rise in student enrollment in engineering majors at West Virginia University is making it increasingly difficult for …

Stability Of Carbon Dioxide And Methane Hydrates In Water In Presence Of Small Driving Forces Using Md Simulations, Venkata S. Vedam

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Gas hydrates are a potential source of energy as a large fraction of natural gas worldwide is stored in the form of gas hydrates. Methane hydrates are widely distributed in sediments along the continental margins and contain more energy than all other fossil fuel reserves in the world. However, methane is also a potential greenhouse gas which could play a major role in global climate change. Accurately characterizing the stability of methane and CO 2 hydrates in water can help us understand their effects on earth's environment and also the feasibility of long term CO2 sequestration in the sediments under …

A Reconceptualized Analysis Of The West Virginia 4-H Global Education Program: Attitudes Of Agents, Specialists, And Volunteers, Ahmed M. Abdulai

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Global Education has been and continues to be an important aspect of American higher educational curriculum. Its importance is evidenced not only at the formal educational sector, but also within youth development programs like the West Virginia 4-H program.;The author contends that, the importance of global education is more relevant in the 21st century due to the increasing interdependence of the global world. The study looks at the perceived attitudes of 4-H Agents, Specialists, and Volunteers towards global education and how such an educational program affects the youth development of the 4-Her.;The present study, which is partly based on John …

The Perceptions Of Practicing West Virginia K-3 Reading Teachers Of Working With Reading First Coaches In Title I Distinguished Schools, Karen R. Davies

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This research was conducted to offer insight regarding how Reading First K--3 teachers working in West Virginia Title I Distinguished Schools perceive the role of the reading coach. The study examined the importance of reading coach activities in improving reading instruction as perceived by these K--3 teachers. It was further investigated whether differences existed between reading coach activities perceived by the teachers as important to improving reading instruction and knowledge by these teachers that the activities were performed by the coaches. An electronic survey was distributed to all Reading First K--3 teachers working in West Virginia Title I Distinguished Schools …

Immunity-Based Detection, Identification, And Evaluation Of Aircraft Sub-System Failures, Hever Y. Moncayo

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This thesis describes the design, development, and flight-simulation testing of an integrated Artificial Immune System (AIS) for detection, identification, and evaluation of a wide variety of sensor, actuator, propulsion, and structural failures/damages including the prediction of the achievable states and other limitations on performance and handling qualities. The AIS scheme achieves high detection rate and low number of false alarms for all the failure categories considered. Data collected using a motion-based flight simulator are used to define the self for an extended sub-region of the flight envelope. The NASA IFCS F-15 research aircraft model is used and represents a supersonic …

The Salt Shaker (Vol. 6, Issue 2), Valparaiso University

SALT Shaker

No abstract provided.

Richmond Public Schools: Post-Court Mandated School Desegregation (1986-2006), Joshua Cole

Theses and Dissertations

In 1970, cross-town busing was court mandated to enforce school desegregation in Richmond, Virginia. Unitary status was declared in Richmond when cross-town busing ended in 1986. Richmond Public Schools (RPS) no longer operated as a dual school system for blacks and whites after 1986. Class and racial segregation continued to exist in the City of Richmond. RPS remained predominately black and poor. Socio-economic conditions of the city continued to impact the school district. Controversies, mismanagement and low academic achievement stigmatized RPS until state and federal performance measures forced the district to improve. By 2006, RPS was still segregated; however, as …

A Study On Gas Penetration And Fingering Behavior In Injection Molding Of Polymer And Powder Metal Feedstock, Edna I. Orozco

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The effect of processing variables on the level of gas penetration in parts fabricated by gas-assisted injection molding from two different materials was compared. The materials used were polypropylene and stainless steel powder metal/thermoplastic feedstock. Software simulation and physical experiments were conducted. Taguchi analysis was used to reduce the number of experiment trials and to find the optimum processing conditions. Four different variables were changed using nine different combinations. The processing variables are the pressure, the delay time before gas is injected, the temperature of the material injected, and the amount of the material injected. The results showed that the …

Ethnobotanical Study In Casma, Peru: The Important Knowledge Of Ethnobotanicals From Local People, Rebecca L. Reyes

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

I began to investigate how local people use medicinal plants in Peru in the summer of 2007. It soon became apparent that many of the citizens of the small coastal town of Casma have an extensive knowledge of how to identify, prepare, and use these plants. During the summer of 2008, I did extensive research on the subject; however, focused more on the local knowledge of medicinal plants. To put my work in context, I researched ethnobotany more generally and became more aware of the worldwide implications, local background traditions and life, and local knowledge that impact the use and …

The Attic And The Wheelchair V.C. Andrews's Accident And The Dollanganger Series, Angela H. Rice

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Author V.C. Andrews became known in 1979 with her first novel Flowers in the Attic and continued the series with Petals on the Wind, If There be Thorns, and Seeds of Yesterday. Problematic themes such as sudden accidents, romantic rape, incest, and mother daughter rivalry emerge continuously in each novel. In her interview with Douglas E. Winter, Andrews explains that since her debilitating fall down the stairs at the age of fifteen she lived with and depended on her mother. Unable to fulfill the goals of her childhood, Andrews read fairy tales, and romance novels and wrote her fantasies in …

Utilizing Concept Mapping As A Teaching And Learning Tool To Prepare For The Science Taks Test, Rosa Linda Zuniga

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Concept mapping was used with Donna High School students to determine its effect on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) test. Concept mapping was used with models such as the Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol model (SIOP), the 5- E model, and the Learning Groups model. This measure was taken because the models used have not helped students improve their TAKS scores significantly. The findings of this research reveals that using the process of concept mapping together with the SIOP model helps students clearly see related concepts and motivates them to think more deeply. Students quickly realize what concepts …

A Realization And Application Of Appropriate French Baroque Ornamentation For The First Four Preludes Of “L'Art De Toucher Le Clavecin” By Francois Couperin, Andres Javier Lopez

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

In his work, L’Art de Toucher le Clavecin (1716-1717), Francois Couperin (1668-1733) details specific instructions for the correct playing of his ornamentation. In addition to the text, Couperin composes a series of didactic preludes in ascending order of difficulty to illustrate his ornamentation in the context of his work. I will focus on the proper interpretation of Couperin’s ornamentation and include a realization of four Couperin preludes. They contain the majority of issues presented by his ornamentation. I shall seek to properly realize Couperin’s ornamentation and use of unequal rhythms using the first four preludes of L’Art de Toucher le …

Dental Treatment Under General Anesthesia In Healthy And Medically Compromised/Developmentally Disabled Children: A Comparative Study, Juan Pablo Loyola-Rodriguez, Veronica Zavala-Alonso, Cinthya L. Gonzalez-Alvarez, Lilia A. Juarez-Lopez, Nuria Patiño-Marin, Cesar D. Gonzalez

School of Dentistry Faculty Research and Publications

Aim: To compare the type, number of procedures and working time of dental treatment provided under dental general anesthesia (DGA) in healthy and medically compromised/developmentally disabled children (MCDD children). Design: This cross-sectional prospective study involved 80 children divided into two groups of 40 children each. Group 1 consisted of healthy and Group 2 consisted of MCDD children. Results: Healthy children needed more working time than MCDD children, the means being 161±7.9 and 84±5.7 minutes, respectively (P= 0.0001). Operative dentistry and endodontic treatments showed a significant statistical difference (P= 0.0001). The means of procedures were 17±5.0 for healthy children and 11±4.8 …

Neo-Orthodoxy In Academic Freedom, J. Peter Byrne

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

This review essay analyzes two recent books that advance neo-orthodox theories of academic freedom: Matthew Finkin and Robert Post, For the Common Good: Principles of American Academic Freedom, and Stanley Fish, Save the World on Your Own Time. Both books develop principles articulated in the American Association of University Professors 1915 Declaration, which emphasize the role of faculty in advancing knowledge and the need to insulate professional evaluation of academic work from lay, political interference. This review essay defends the return to protection of the scholarly search for truth as the touchstone of academic freedom, offers critiques of the authors’ …

Missouri S&T Magazine Winter 2009, Missouri S&T Marketing And Communications Department, Miner Alumni Association

Missouri S&T Magazine

No abstract provided.

Designing Motorcycles Via The Web: Improved Aesthetics And Consumer Preference, Michael Gene Hilgers, Hong Sheng, Richard H. Hall

Business and Information Technology Faculty Research & Creative Works

The Purpose of This Research Was to Examine How Manipulation of the Aesthetic Appeal of a Motorcycle's Image on a Web Page Might Elucidate Trends in Consumer Preference. to This End, Website Visitors Were Encouraged to Reconfigure a Blueprint of Motorcycle to Make It More Appealing. These Alterations to its Confirmation Were Analyzed to Identify Patterns of Preference that Were Then Compared to the Marketplace in General. It Was Observed that Aesthetic Preferences Recognized by the Design Method Were Similar to Trends within the Motorcycle Building/buying Public.

Screw Connections Subject To Tension Pull-Out And Shear Forces, American Iron And Steel Institute

American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) Specifications, Standards, Manuals and Research Reports (1946 - present)

No abstract provided.

The Relationship Between Procrastination And Intrapersonal Intelligence In College Students, Christa Grant

Theses and Dissertations

Procrastination is ubiquitous, encompasses many domains of life, i.e., school, work, and home, and for many people has negative results. Therefore, researchers, educators, psychologists, and counselors need to discover ways to alleviate the problem. When Gardner's multiple intelligences are used in pedagogical implementation in elementary and high schools, researchers have found positive results. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between procrastination and intrapersonal intelligence as well as the other dimensions of multiple intelligence among students in higher education in order to illuminate possible solutions to the problem of procrastination. Because intrapersonal intelligence is associated with the …

Privacy Preserving Portable Health Record (P³Hr), Pavan Roy Marupally, Vamsi Paruchuri, Sriram Chellappan

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

Personal health records (PHRs) offer significant potential to stimulate transformational changes in health care delivery and self-care by patients. There is a gap between today's personal health records (PHRs) and what patients say they want and need from this electronic tool for managing their health information. Current barriers to PHR adoption among patients include cost, concerns that information is not protected or private, inconvenience, design shortcomings, and the inability to share information across organizations. We propose a novel architecture to bridge the gap based on Privacy Preserving Portable Health Record(P³HR), a device that incorporates a smart card into …

Modeling Of Jet Engine Abnormal Conditions And Detection Using The Artificial Immune System Paradigm, Jaclyn Marie Porter

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Previous research at WVU has yielded promising results in the detection of aircraft sub-systems malfunctions using the artificial immune system (AIS) paradigm. However, one aircraft component that requires improvement is the aircraft propulsion system. In this research effort, MAPSS, a non-real time low-bypass turbofan engine model distributed by NASA, has been linearized and interfaced with the WVU F-15 model and the WVU 6 degrees-of-freedom flight simulator to provide a more complex engine model and create more options for engine failure modeling and engine failure detection. A variety of engine actuator and sensor failures were modeled and implemented into the simulation …

The Principal's Role In Creating A School Culture That Fosters Achievement Of Students With High Incidence Disabilities: A Study Of One School, Shelby B. Haines

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this study was to examine the role of the principal in shaping a school culture that fostered academic achievement of students with high incidence disabilities. Research was conducted by means of a qualitative case study approach with data courses of informant interviews, parent focus group, observations of the daily workings of the school, and artifact reviews. Data unveiled five prominent areas of school culture: rituals, collaboration, an individualized instructional focus, community, and social emotional support. Each of these findings are defined and discussed based on data collected throughout the study. Data also support four additional findings in …

Internationalization Of Higher Education And Study Abroad Programs At U.S. Research Universities: A Social Systems Study, Chunmei Yao

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Internationalization of higher education institutions has become comprehensive and complex phenomenon in the United States since the 1990s. This trend has significantly motivated American colleges and universities involving all members within their communities to internationalize their institutions and increase their global competitiveness.;The purpose of this study was to assess institutional efforts on internationalization of higher education institutions through the lens of study abroad programs coordinated by the centralized Offices of International Programs (OIPs) at U.S. research universities. It assessed whether relationships existed between institutional input to study abroad programs through human resources and financial resources, the process of administration and …

Comparative Analysis Of Representative Marimba Works By Nebojsa Jo Van Zivkovic, Jefferson Lavelle Grant Iii

Dissertations

Nebojsa Jovan Zivkovic has been an active performer and composer since the late 1970s. He is the closest modern percussionists have to the tradition of the virtuosocomposer from the Romantic period. He holds degrees in composition, music theory, and percussion performance. His music merits study based on the fact that he is an accomplished marimbist who composes at the instrument. This lends to his music a uniquely idiomatic quality. The two works presented in this treatise span almost twenty years of the composer's thirty-year career. The unifying element in both works is that they feature a marimba soloist as the …

A Performance Project With An Historical And Analytical Perspective On The Concerto For Alto Saxophone And Orchestra, Op. 31 By Peter Jona Korn, Brian Sanford Ransom

Dissertations

Peter Jona Korn (1922-1998) is not a name immediately recognized in American music circles, yet during the 1940s and '50s he led a successful career as an American composer. His Saxophone Concerto - composed in 1956 for the virtuoso Sigurd Rascher, and revised by Korn in 1982 - is an important contribution to the saxophone repertoire.

Many composers, including Glazounov, Ibert, and Larsson, wrote concertos for Sigurd Rascher. These works, once considered highly virtuosic, are now studied and performed by college level saxophonists. The original version of Korn's Concerto, among the most technically demanding works, has remained in obscurity for …

In Quest Of Walter Smith: The Past, Present, And Future Impact Of Visual Art In Adult Education, Meredith Amanda Cole

Dissertations

Walter Smith is a relatively unknown historical figure in the art world, but he is essential to defining adult education's past, present, and future in the area of visual art. His artistic endeavors in America sparked facets of the way art education is practiced today. However, along the way we have lost the tenets of social change which he sought but never accomplished. In chapter one, I introduce the purpose of the research. In chapter two, I explain the position Walter Smith entered when coming to America. I also detail Smith's Herculean social reform efforts for adult education and why …

Principal Efficacy: An Investigation Of School Principals' Sense Of Efficacy And Indicators Of School Effectiveness, Charles Wayne Lovell

Dissertations

At the individual school level, the responsibility for demonstrating school effectiveness lies on the shoulders of the building administrator. In fact, "it is widely accepted that good principals are the cornerstones of good schools and that, without a principal's leadership efforts to raise student achievement, schools cannot succeed" (Tschannen-Moran & Gareis, 2004, p. 573). However, federal, state, and local mandates have increased the pressure on school administrators to demonstrate effectiveness. As a result, the work of school administrators has changed. Furthermore, Fullan (2003) identifies a trend that demonstrates a dramatic decrease in the principal's perceptions of effectiveness, authority, trust, and …

Mathematics Achievement Of Regular Education Students By Placement In Inclusion And Non-Inclusion Classrooms And Their Principals' Perceptions Of Inclusion, Loretta Rodgers Hartfield

Dissertations

This study examined mathematics achievement of fourth and fifth grade students in Mississippi and principals' perceptions of inclusion.

A sample of 462 students from eight separate elementary schools was selected for this study. Fifteen principals completed the Principal and Inclusion Survey regarding inclusion education. Eight of the 15 principals were interviewed with 10 open-ended questions regarding their perceptions of inclusion.

Data were analyzed using an independent two-tailed t test and Pearson product moment correlation. The independent two-tailed / test was used to determine differences in mathematics achievement for fourth and fifth grade students in inclusion classrooms compared to non-inclusion classrooms …