Digital Commons Network^™

Efficient Smooth Non-Convex Stochastic Compositional Optimization Via Stochastic Recursive Gradient Descent, Wenqing Hu, Chris Junchi Li, Xiangru Lian, Ji Liu, Huizhuo Yuan

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Research & Creative Works

Stochastic compositional optimization arises in many important machine learning applications. The objective function is the composition of two expectations of stochastic functions, and is more challenging to optimize than vanilla stochastic optimization problems. In this paper, we investigate the stochastic compositional optimization in the general smooth non-convex setting. We employ a recently developed idea of Stochastic Recursive Gradient Descent to design a novel algorithm named SARAH-Compositional, and prove a sharp Incremental First-order Oracle (IFO) complexity upper bound for stochastic compositional optimization: 𝒪((n + m)^1/2ε^-2) in the finite-sum case and 𝒪(ε^-3) in the online case. …

Building Literacy Skills In Preschoolers Through Play, Tami Jahnke

Graduate Teacher Education

Abstract

Research in the field of Early Childhood Education supports that young children learn best through play. Many schools in America have taken away play in classrooms and replaced it with academic-based, sedentary learning. The removal of play has resulted in young children displaying more challenging behaviors such as aggression, running, and impulsivity. One challenge facing early childhood educators today is finding ways to incorporate play-based learning in an increasingly academic-based system. This paper synthesized current research on the effects of play-based learning on the development of preschoolers and incorporating play-based teaching methods into literacy instruction for preschoolers. The studies …

Practice-Based Coaching And Early Childhood Professional Standards In A Diverse Field, Julie Betthauser

Graduate Teacher Education

Abstract

The field of early childhood education has long relied on professional development strategies to support teachers with varying degrees of education who enter the field from a variety of disciplines. Research indicated educators needed intensive and individualized professional development efforts that were integrated into daily practice (Rodgers, Kennedy, VanUitert, & Myers, 2019). Practice-based coaching has been used as a professional development strategy in early childhood classrooms to develop educators’ knowledge and skills in best practices for young children. Thirty-two empirical studies conducted since 2011 on the process, effectiveness, and assessment of practice-based coaching were reviewed to identify coaching components, …

City Of New Smyrna Beach Solar Feasibility Assessment, Florida Solar Energy Center, Charles Withers, Jr.

FSEC Energy Research Center®

At the request of the City of New Smyrna Beach, the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) assessed rooftop solar and building energy efficiency improvement potential for 17 city-owned facilities. The intent has been to assist City leaders in identifying opportunities to reduce the City's overall electricity consumption and increase its use of renewable energy.

The FSEC team conducted Level 1 energy audit activities and site assessments including:

On-site assessment

• Solar feasibility measurements and characterization including orientation, roof shading (adjacent structures, encroaching trees, etc.), available roof area, system output, annualized savings
• HVAC characterization
• Lighting survey
• Occupancy density, schedule, thermostat settings

Post …

Review: Educational Psychology, 2nd Ed. (University Of Manitoba), Cassie Bergstrom

Open Textbooks & Reviews

Review of the textbook Educational Psychology - Second Edition originally published on Open Textbook Library (https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/educational-psychology).

Commencement Program 2019 December, Gcsu Special Collections

Commencement Programs

No abstract provided.

Trump Asks A Feminist Extraterrestrial For A Favor, Marleen S. Barr

Publications and Research

This is a feminist science fiction satire about impeachment.

Review: Sustaining The Commons (Arizona State University), Chelsie Romulo

Open Textbooks & Reviews

Review of the textbook Sustaining the Commons originally published on Open Textbook Library (https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/sustaining-the-commons).

2019 Fall - Commencement Program, Office Of The Registrar, East Tennessee State University

ETSU Commencement Ceremonies and Programs

No abstract provided.

Estimating The Economic Impact Of Vacation Home Rentals In Florida, Robertico R. Croes, Manuel A. Rivera, Kelly J. Semrad, Jorge Ridderstaat, Valeriya Shapoval, Mehmet Altin

Dick Pope Sr. Institute Publications

This report takes an in-depth look at the economic impact of the Florida vacation rental home industry and its ripple effects across the state. It includes an estimate of the magnitude of the industry's impact on Florida's economy as well as profiles of the main stakeholders who generate this impact.

The report focuses on the economic impact of the vacation rental home industry in 25 Florida counties selected by the client, Florida Realtors® (Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, Bay, Gulf, Franklin, Nassau, Duval, Pinellas, Hillsborough, Manatee, Sarasota, Charlotte, Lee, Collier, Monroe, Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Orange, Osceola, Brevard, Volusia, and …

Georgic Rhetoric, Virtue And The Commercialization Of Agriculture In Pennsylvania From 1785 To 1870, Naomi Ulmer

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

This research examines how farmers in Pennsylvania between 1785 and 1870 were persuaded by georgic agrarianism to take social, economic and even moral risks to abandon a semi-subsistence mode of production in favor of commercial production. The georgic rhetoric is derived from Virgil’s poem “The Georgics.” It discusses agriculture and man’s labor in nature. Virgil discusses the relationship between man, nature and his ability, or inability, to control nature to ensure his own survival. Beginning in the late 18^th century, supporters of improved agriculture, mostly wealthy and upper-class gentlemen, tried to persuade common yeomen farmers to produce for the …

Direct Observation Of Atomic Exchange During Surface Self-Diffusion, Matthew Aaron Koppa

Physics & Astronomy ETDs

The diffusion of adatoms across the (100) plane of iridium has been previously inferred to occur by an exchange mechanism based on site mapping. This study provides the first direct observation that surface self-diffusion can occur by exchange. Iridium enriched to ≥93% ¹⁹¹Ir was deposited onto an atomically clean and smooth Ir(100) plane as observed in an atom probe field ion microscope. Following thermally activated surface self-diffusion the adatom was field desorbed and mass analyzed. Observation of the ¹⁹³Ir isotope in one-half of the cases demonstrates conclusively that atomic exchange can occur during surface self-diffusion.

Effects Of A One-To-One Computer Environment On Student Academic Achievement, Amy M. Price

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

A gap exists in current research due to a lack of studies that explore the effect of schoolwide one-to-one computer implementations on academic achievement. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect a one-to-one computing environment had on student academic achievement means of middle school students in rural Nevada. This quantitative, non-experimental study used a causal-comparative design and analysis of academic achievement archival data from the 2015–2016, the year before implementation; 2016–2017, the first year of one-to-one implementation; and 2017–2018, the second year of implementation. Two research questions guided this study: RQ1. Is there a significant difference in …

Explicit Self-Care For Principals And Their Teachers: A Qualitative Transcendental Phenomenological Study On Administrator Stress Levels, Nadia Oskolkoff

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

Principals and their teachers experience stress levels to such a degree that student achievement can be negatively impacted. The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological qualitative study was threefold: to explore and better understand principals’ first-hand and lived experiences of on-the-job stress and their practices of self-care to negate that stress, understand if principals find it important to model the practice of self-care to their teachers to reduce stress levels, and understand principals’ awareness of their emotional intelligence and how they use that to support not only themselves but their staff. Three research questions were developed, and semistructured interviews were conducted …

Giving Voice To African Immigrant Families: Perceptions Of African Immigrant Families About Their Children’S Experiences In U.S. Schools, J Hilary Gbotoe Jr.

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

This qualitative ethnography case study examined perceptions of African immigrant families as it related to their children’s experiences in U.S. public schools. The primary research question that guided this study was, “What are African immigrant families’ perceptions of their children’s experiences in U.S. public schools?” This phenomenon was explored to uncover meanings African immigrant parents from Liberia attached to their children’s experiences in U.S. schools. The focus was on hearing stories the children told their parents about their experiences in U.S. public schools. Nonprobability sampling method was used to recruit participants. Eight families from Liberia, West Africa, were randomly selected …

A Pedagogic Analysis Of Linear Algebra Courses, Andrew Taylor

Mathematics & Statistics ETDs

This project is concerned with investigating the question, "Do our applied linear algebra courses (at the University of New Mexico) adequately prepare STEM students for future work in their respective fields?" In order to explore this, surveys were issued to three groups (sections) of students (among two different instructors) at the conclusion of their applied linear algebra course, as well as STEM professors/instructors from a variety of STEM fields. Students were surveyed regarding their perceived mastery of given topics/ideas from the course and professors/instructors were surveyed about the level of mastery they felt was necessary (referred to as ``desired mastery") …

Experiences Of Mainstream Students: A Qualitative Study, Raelyn Fuechtmann

Undergraduate University Honors Capstones

The experiences a student has in school influences the development of identity, self-worth, and perspective of the world into adulthood. There are numerous barriers to retaining clear access to information with ease in conventional educational settings such as public education; especially for those with hearing loss. Mainstream settings, where deaf and hard-of-hearing (D/HH) students are often the only one with hearing loss in the school, coupled with the journey of discovering their identity, can take a toll on D/HH students. This qualitative study observes and analyzes the formative experiences of D/HH students navigating their personal mainstream educational settings. Five interviews …

Authors Of Independence: Comparing Thomas Paine And Camilo Henríquez As Revolutionary Writers, Sean Gray

History & Classics Student Scholarship

An nineteenth-century Chilean writer, Fr. Camilo Henriquez was a fascinating figure—a Catholic priest whose religious beliefs more closely aligned with Deism, a prolific proponent of Chilean independence, and, for a short while, the president of the Chilean Senate. Because of his role in creating La Aurora, the first Chilean newspaper, Henríquez is often considered the “father of Chilean journalism” and the “mentor of the revolution." But to understand his role in the Chilean independence movement, we must juxtapose him with Thomas Paine, the pamphleteer extraordinaire of the American Revolution. The Enlightenment’s ideals of liberty and equality influenced both men, and, …

2019 Fall Commencement, Harding University

Commencement Programs

Program for the Harding University Commencement on December 14.

Commencement Speaker: Andy Goodman

Homeland Insecurity, Amy Chen

Bachelor of Fine Arts Senior Papers

Homeland Insecurity is a project born out of a life’s worth of marginalization, internalized racism, and forced assimilation. It presents common experiences and emotions that are located between cultures, questioning what it means to inhabit a homeland that exists as a hybrid mental space. As I progress through life, my parents’ culture—my heritage—becomes more and more distant, yet like many non-white children of immigrants, I will continue to carry it in my face as a physical reminder of a life I do not know. Influenced by acculturation theory, my work explores this culture that never quite belonged to me to …

Illinois State University, One Hundred And Sixtieth Annual Commencement, December 14, 2019, Illinois State University

Commencement Programs

Illinois State University
One Hundred and Sixtieth Annual Commencement
December 14, 2019

University Of Montana Commencement Program, Fall 2019, University Of Montana--Missoula. Office Of The Registrar

University of Montana Commencement Programs, 1898-2020

Commencement program from the University of Montana.

Ph-Sensitive Oxygen Release Microspheres To Enhance Cell Survival In Ischemic Condition, Zhongting Liu

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Ischemic diseases such as myocardial infarction, stroke and limb ischemia are severe cardiovascular diseases with high rate of death and millions of people suffered from these diseases. Under ischemic environment, cells die due to deficient supply of nutrient and oxygen. To regenerate ischemic tissues, stem cell therapy is a promising approach because stem cells can differentiate into cells necessary for the regeneration. However, stem cell therapy has limitations. For example, few cells can survive under harsh ischemic environment. To enhance stem cells survival, implantation of oxygen release microspheres to sustained supply cells with oxygen represents an effective strategy. Previously, our …

Integrated Design Approach For Coronary Stents Using Flexinol Shape Memory Alloy, Matthew Lucci

Mechanical Engineering Theses

This research seeks to develop and verify a model for control of the shape memory alloy (SMA) Flexinol and apply such findings to practical application of the material as a platform for bare metal stenting technologies. Utilizing experimental data and material properties, a mathematical model of the thermoelectric contraction behavior of Flexinol wire samples was developed. This model accounted for variable resistance due to the shape memory effect of the Flexinol wire as it experiences a crystalline phase change. It also accounted for the change in the cross-sectional area of the wire as the wire experienced thermal expansion and contraction. …

Expanding The Palette: Synthesizing Microencapsulated Organic Phase Change Materials In Metallic Matrices For Transient Thermal Applications, Melissa Kate Mccann

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

As the demand for smaller and faster electronics increases, it becomes increasingly challenging to effectively manage the generated heat without hindering device performance in applications whose thermal profiles are dominated by pulsed thermal loads. Heat propagation in a system can be characterized by steady or transient state heat transfer. In steady state, the temperature at any particular point remains constant after thermal equilibrium is reached. In a transient state, the temperature within a system varies over time. The changing parameters and time dependency associated with a transient regime make heat transfer calculations far more complex than in a steady state. …

Maxgap Bandit: Adaptive Algorithms For Approximate Ranking, Sumeet Katariya, Ardhendu S. Tripathy, Robert Nowak

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper studies the problem of adaptively sampling from K distributions (arms) in order to identify the largest gap between any two adjacent means. We call this the MaxGap-bandit problem. This problem arises naturally in approximate ranking, noisy sorting, outlier detection, and top-arm identification in bandits. The key novelty of the MaxGap bandit problem is that it aims to adaptively determine the natural partitioning of the distributions into a subset with larger means and a subset with smaller means, where the split is determined by the largest gap rather than a pre-specified rank or threshold. Estimating an arm's gap requires …

Learning Nearest Neighbor Graphs From Noisy Distance Samples, Blake Mason, Ardhendu S. Tripathy, Robert Nowak

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

We consider the problem of learning the nearest neighbor graph of a dataset of n items. The metric is unknown, but we can query an oracle to obtain a noisy estimate of the distance between any pair of items. This framework applies to problem domains where one wants to learn people's preferences from responses commonly modeled as noisy distance judgments. In this paper, we propose an active algorithm to find the graph with high probability and analyze its query complexity. In contrast to existing work that forces Euclidean structure, our method is valid for general metrics, assuming only symmetry and …

Molecular Dynamics Studies Of Thin-Film Evaporation: The Effect Of Graphene-Coated Silicon On Water Evaporation Behavior, Rui Zhou

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Conventional single-phase air or liquid cooling methods are insufficient to dissipate the high heat flux of next-generation electronic systems. Thin-film evaporation is one of the most promising solutions, because it takes advantage of the large amount of latent heat in the phase change process. It is important to understand the relationship between interfacial thermal resistance, surface wettability, and thin-film evaporation behavior. In this study, non-equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations are used to study mass and heat transfer in thin-film evaporation of water on a silicon substrate, and equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations are used to study the surface wettability by measuring contact …

Enhanced Heat Transfer Performance By Shape Optimization Of A Non-Axisymmetric Droplet Evaporating On A Heated Micropillar, Haotian Wu

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Abstract

Enhanced Heat Transfer Performance by Shape Optimization of a Non-axisymmetric Droplet Evaporating on a Heated Micropillar

By

Haotian Wu

Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science

Washington University in St. Louis, 2019

Research Advisor: Professor Damena Agonafer

The stacked multilayer 3D IC structure used in next generation high-powered electronics poses great challenges in dissipating their large heat flux, which causes extreme difficulties for traditional cooling technologies. In response, more advanced two-phase liquid cooling technologies, such as droplet evaporation, which utilizes the latent heat of vaporization to remove excessive heat, have been widely investigated. Compared to traditional single-phase cooling techniques, …

The Biomedical Application Of Chimeric Antigen Receptor T Cell Therapy, Jessica Devenport

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.