DevOps is Bigger than IT: Driving Digital Transformation in Libraries

The DevOps movement represents a paradigm shift in software development, but there are misconceptions about what it really means. It’s much more nuanced than simply adding a DevOps engineer to your team or asking systems administrators and developers to play well together. At its core, DevOps is about culture change. In this talk, we will define the CALMS framework of DevOps and the people, technical, and organizational factors that challenge its adoption. We will share specific examples of how DevOps is changing the way we work on digital library projects at Ohio State University Libraries and how its universal principles can drive large-scale digital transformation in libraries. Presented at Coalition for Networked Information (CNI) Spring 2020 Membership MeetingSlidesSpeaker notesNo embarg

Generalizing smoothness constraints from discrete samples

We study how certain smoothness constraints, for example, piecewise continuity, can be generalized from a discrete set of analog-valued data, by modifying the error backpropagation, learning algorithm. Numerical simulations demonstrate that by imposing two heuristic objectives — (1) reducing the number of hidden units, and (2) minimizing the magnitudes of the weights in the network — during the learning process, one obtains a network with a response function that smoothly interpolates between the training data

Evaluation Of Space Shuttle Tile Subnominal Bonds

This study researched the history of Space Shuttle Reusable Surface Insulation which was designed and developed for use on the United States Orbiter fleet to protect from the high heating experienced during reentry through Earth\u27s atmosphere. Specifically the tile system which is attached to the structure by the means of an RTV adhesive has experienced situations where the bonds are identified as subnominal. The history of these subnominal conditions is presented along with a recent identification of a subnominal bond between the Strain Isolation Pad and the tile substrate itself. Tests were run to identify the cause of these subnominal conditions and also to show how these conditions were proved to be acceptable for flight. The study also goes into cases that could be used to identify subnominal conditions on tile as a non-destructive test prior to flight. Several options of non-destructive testing were identified and recommendations are given for future research into this topic. A recent topic is also discussed in the instance where gap fillers were identified during the STS-114 mission that did not properly adhere to the substrate. The gap fillers were found protruding past the Outer Mold Line of the vehicle which required an unprecedented spacewalk to remove them to allow for a safe reentry through the atmosphere

The Effects of School Selectivity on Student Loan Default Rates

The student debt crisis is one of the most prominent financial problems facing the United States today. As of 2018, the student loan market is now the largest source of non-mortgage household debt in the United States. Using data from 4-year public universities in the United States from 2013 to 2018, I examine the relationship between school selectivity and student loan default rates. I employ an OLS model with measures of selectivity defined as ACT scores of incoming freshmen and admission percentages of universities. Where higher ACT scores and lower admission percentages signify an increase in school selectivity, I find a negative relationship with ACT scores and default rates. These results are robust across model specifications and imply that higher ACT scores lead to a decrease in the chance of loan default. I suggest education policy changes, such as a personal finance seminar for incoming freshmen at low-selectivity schools, could lead to decreases in default rates

\u27A Dream of Completion\u27: The Journey of American Working-Class Poetry

This survey follows the development of working-class poetry from Whitman to contemporary poets. It begins by considering how the need for working-class poetry emerged. Whitman’s “Song of Myself” sought to democratize poetry both my challenging previous poetic formal conventions and broadening the scope of included subjects. Williams also challenged formal expectations, but both were limited by their historical and socioeconomic position. To combat this, I include the twentieth-century poets Ignatow and Levine who began in the working class so they could speak truths that had not been published before. Ignatow includes the phrase “dream of completion” which encapsulates various feelings of the working class. This dream could include moments of temporary leisure, but also feeling completed by societal acceptance or understanding. Finally, I include the contemporary poets Laux, Addonizio, and Espada. They complicate the “dream of completion” narrative with issues surrounding gender and race, and do not seek to find resolution

The Agile Organization: What We Can Learn from Software Development

Agile planning and operations is one focus area of the strategic directions (2018) of University Libraries at Ohio State. To illuminate what it means to be an agile organization, the presenter outlines key milestones in the history of agile software development, its core values and common practices, and how it differs from the waterfall approach to software development. Seven characteristics of IT agility are identified with recommendations about how these characteristics can be extended to the organization at large to increase organizational agility.slides and speaker notesNo embarg

Proverbial Lore in Nebraska

The following study attempts to list and to classify the proverbs and proverbial phrases in current oral use in Nebraska. My chief source for the collection was the talk of persons with whom I have been in contact for the last six months. The amount of proverbial lore on the lips of representatives of many walks of life is astonishing; one can have no conception of its extent until he consciously listens for it and keeps a record of what he hears. Further, friends in Lincoln and in other parts of the state gathered and sent to me many lists of the current proverbial expressions that they knew. The members of classes in American Literature at the University of Nebraska, classes made up of students coming from many different communities, contributed a considerable number. I also consulted collections of proverbial lore and the sayings that I immediately recognized as current were incorporated into my lists. I have lived most of my life in Nebraska so that I felt confident that any expression with which I was very familiar is in circulation in the state. In instances where there was the least doubt, however, I had the sayings identified by other Nebraskans. My collection in no sense represents an exhaustive study of the subject. The very nature of proverbial lore makes a complete and finished list an impossibility. Proverbial lore, like all other lore, is a growing, living thing, changing from day to day. The figurative language popular today may become proverbial tomorrow, or it may pass into oblivion. The organization of material that I have used is arbitrary; it was fixed upon for convenience in arranging a large number of proverbs and proverbial phrases. It is based on two types of groupings. The first type brings together a collection of proverbs concerning a certain subject, such as the section on Women, Love, and Marriage. In the other type, the sayings listed together are all derived from a common source, though they apply to many phases of life; e.g., the aphoristic sayings from animal life are significant chiefly as interpretations of human nature. In some cases, notably the section on weather, both types of classification are utilized. I wish to express my indebtedness to Dr. Louise Pound, Professor of English at the University of Nebraska. for suggesting this study and for encouragement and practical aid while it was in preparation. I owe sincere appreciation also to the many persons who helped me in my compilation of lists of proverbial expressions in Nebraska

Proposals for Energy Conservation Measures for a Specific Small Business

A case study into energy conservation measures for a specific building has been made. Primary emphasis is directed towards conserving energy necessary for heating the building. Once the building outlay and the scope of energy usage trends are established, different conservation actions are considered. Extensive measurements and observations on the building were made to gather data on areas, materials, thicknesses, and means of heating the building. The goal of such action was to compare the magnitude of heat loss from different sections of the building. With this information it can be understood where to insulate, and the significance of air leaks so that appropriate action can be taken. To improve the way that present energy sources are utilized, suggestions are made to enhance the furnace efficiency, revamp the heating system to eliminate the more expensive electric heat, and supplement heating requirements by burning the waste oil that is available. The possibility of using solar and wind energy is introduced for future consideration. At present, heating costs are about $4300 per year. As an indication of the significance of the research, the resulting savings the first year would be$4200m and annually thereafter, $2900, achievable with an estimated investment of$9200. This projection suggests a simple payback of 2.7 years