Affinity Weighted Embedding

Supervised (linear) embedding models like Wsabie and PSI have proven successful at ranking, recommendation and annotation tasks. However, despite being scalable to large datasets they do not take full advantage of the extra data due to their linear nature, and typically underfit. We propose a new class of models which aim to provide improved performance while retaining many of the benefits of the existing class of embedding models. Our new approach works by iteratively learning a linear embedding model where the next iteration's features and labels are reweighted as a function of the previous iteration. We describe several variants of the family, and give some initial results

The effect of response mode and affective state on multiattribute decision-making

Response mode research shows that participants under a judgment response mode demonstrate more compensatory processing than participants under a choice mode. Research on affect and choice reveals that positive-affect participants display more noncompensatory examination of information than negative-affect participants. In the present study, participants viewed a film clip to induce positive or negative affect and made judgments or choices for a series of candidates for a university professor\u27s position. Results indicate a powerful effect for response mode across all dependent variables whereby judgment participants took more time, looked at more information, and showed less search variability than choice participants. The influence of affect, however, was undetectable, and several hypotheses are advanced to account for this finding

The Devaluation of Career Technical Education (CTE) by the Graduates of Wonderwood High School

In Georgia, high school graduates are expected to be college and career ready, however due to recent educational legislative changes the focus has been placed on being college ready. These modifications have led to a low number of graduates completing a Career Technical Education (CTE) pathway as well as a low number of graduates passing their CTE End-of-Pathway assessments and earning industry credentials. To assist in determining the factors that have led to the devaluation of CTE by Georgia graduates, a critical qualitative inquiry study was conducted on a sample of 13 graduates from Wonderwood High School, in South Heights, Georgia. The study aimed to identify how the graduates of Wonderwood would both describe the perceived value of completing a CTE pathway as well as how they view CTE curriculum objectives and their relationship to their post-secondary plan(s). In-depth phone interviews were conducted, transcribed, coded and the data analyzed to determine overarching themes. The first theme developed involved the graduates’ awareness of CTE curriculum’s value and purpose, of which 100% of the graduates stated that CTE adds value to a student’s education and allows for career exploration. However, the results indicated that they did not have this opinion until after they had graduated and entered a post-secondary institution. The participants acknowledged skills attainment, Advanced Placement (AP) versus Dual Enrollment (DE), Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) school evaluation measures and misinformation from Non-CTE faculty and staff as the reasons they saw a lack of CTE value while attending Wonderwood. The second theme comprised of the cultural/societal influences impacting the graduates’ participation in CTE of which a lack of student voice, power dynamics, social reproduction and the idea of hidden curricula were indicated as leading to Non-CTE completers feelings towards how CTE impacts post-secondary readiness. To assist in alleviating the devaluation of CTE in Georgia, the secondary education process must entail active participation from all stakeholders to include teachers, parents, administrators, counselors, and students with the goal of determining the educational path required for a student to become successful in their post-secondary plan

Effect of degree of cue separation and stimulus encoding method on cue sample size and learning rate

Response mode research shows that participants under a judgment response mode demonstrate more compensatory processing than participants under a choice mode. Research on affect and choice reveals that positive-affect participants display more noncompensatory examination of information than negative-affect participants. In the present study, participants viewed a film clip to induce positive or negative affect and made judgments or choices for a series of candidates for a university professor\u27s position. Results indicate a powerful effect for response mode across all dependent variables whereby judgment participants took more time, looked at more information, and showed less search variability than choice participants. The influence of affect, however, was undetectable, and several hypotheses are advanced to account for this finding

Low Temperature Calorimetry Study of Freeze and Thaw Behavior in Cementitious Materials Exposed to NaCl Salt

A low-temperature longitudinal guarded comparative calorimeter was used to perform cyclic freeze-thaw testing on mortar samples saturated with NaCl solutions. Heat flow activity was monitored during the freeze-thaw experiment to detect ice formation and cracking. While the conventional water-NaCl phase diagram would suggest that no freezing or damage would occur in samples saturated with 15 % and 23.3 % NaCl solution by mass within the applied freeze-thaw temperature range, damage was observed. For these samples, an additional heat flow peak accompanied by acoustic activity was detected at a temperature greater than the expected freezing point. To better understand the source of this damage, a low temperature differential scanning calorimeter was used to investigate the influence of NaCl on freeze-thaw behavior of water, two pore solutions, hydrated cement powder, and calcium hydroxide powder. The results showed that the pore solution alters the freeze-thaw behavior slightly; however, it does not exhibit the additional phase change at higher concentrations. The samples made with hydrated cement powder showed the unexpected phase change in high concentrations of NaCl solution in a temperature range between 0 °C and 8 °C. While the exact nature of this phase change is currently not definitively known, it appears that it results in a premature damage development during freeze-thaw when high concentration salt solutions are used, even if freezing of the solution is not occurring

Saturation of Air Entrained Voids and Its Implication on the Transport of Ionic Species in Concrete

Air entrainment is commonly used to improve the durability of concrete materials exposed to freezing and thawing. While the influence of air voids on freeze/thaw damage and salt scaling is frequently studied, the influence of entrained air voids on ionic transport has been studied less frequently. Since ionic transport in concrete materials relies on pore fluid as the medium of conduction, only saturated or partially saturated air voids participate in the transport processes. This paper discusses the conditions under which air voids could become saturated. Specifically, the saturation condition of entrained air voids in laboratory tests and in service is discussed. This paper compares the results of steady and non-steady state migration tests on concrete specimens when air voids are saturated and when air voids are primarily empty. The implications of the observed difference are discussed to provide a better understanding of the direct application of laboratory test results to predict the service life of concrete materials in the field. The saturation of air voids is observed to also influence the electrical resistivity of concrete materials