Class Proportion Estimation with Application to Multiclass Anomaly Rejection

This work addresses two classification problems that fall under the heading of domain adaptation, wherein the distributions of training and testing examples differ. The first problem studied is that of class proportion estimation, which is the problem of estimating the class proportions in an unlabeled testing data set given labeled examples of each class. Compared to previous work on this problem, our approach has the novel feature that it does not require labeled training data from one of the classes. This property allows us to address the second domain adaptation problem, namely, multiclass anomaly rejection. Here, the goal is to design a classifier that has the option of assigning a "reject" label, indicating that the instance did not arise from a class present in the training data. We establish consistent learning strategies for both of these domain adaptation problems, which to our knowledge are the first of their kind. We also implement the class proportion estimation technique and demonstrate its performance on several benchmark data sets.Comment: Accepted to AISTATS 2014. 15 pages. 2 figure

Chasing Polys: Interdisciplinary Affinity and its Connection to Physics Identity

This research is based on two motivations that merge by means of the frameworks of interdisciplinary affinity and physics identity. First, a goal of education is to develop interdisciplinary abilities in students\u27 thinking and work. But an often ignored factor is students interests and beliefs about being interdisciplinary. Thus, this work develops and uses a framework called interdisciplinary affinity. It encompasses students interests in making connections across disciplines and their beliefs about their abilities to make those connections. The second motivation of this research is to better understand how to engage more students with physics. Physics identity describes how a student sees themselves in relation to physics. By understanding how physics identity is developed, researchers and educators can identify factors that increase interest and engagement in physics classrooms. Therefore, physics identity was used in conjunction with interdisciplinary affinity. Using a mixed methods approach, this research used quantitative data to identify the relationships interdisciplinary affinity has with physics identity and the physics classroom. These connections were explored in more detail using a case study of three students in a high school physics class. Results showed significant and positive relationships between interdisciplinary affinity and physics identity, including the individual interest and recognition components of identity. It also identified characteristics of physics classrooms that had a significant, positive relationship with interdisciplinary affinity. The qualitative case study highlighted the importance of student interest to the relationship between interdisciplinary affinity and physics identity. It also identified interest and mastery orientation as key to understanding the link between interdisciplinary affinity and the physics classroom. These results are a positive sign that by understanding interdisciplinary affinity and physics identity together, researchers and educators can make progress towards development of interdisciplinary affinity and better engagement in the physics classroom. There are several interesting paths for future research that incorporate other important frameworks in education research. These offer even more opportunities for improving education research and practice

Analysis of the Neutral Wind Profiles from the HEX II Experiment

The HEX II sounding rocket experiment was carried out on February 14, 2007, during active geomagnetic conditions. Three rockets released trimethyl aluminum (TMA) chemical tracer trails to measure the neutral winds. Three neutral wind profiles obtained from the upleg trails are presented. The profiles are characterized by a strong wind peak around 113 km altitude in the northwestward direction. Below the peak, the winds exhibit strong shear and a smaller wind peak at around 103 km in the southeastward direction. The wind magnitudes are too strong to be attributed to tidal forcing. Above 120 km the winds are consistently to the northwest as a result of ion drag from the plasma convection pattern. The HEX II experiment results are compared to other high latitude neutral wind measurements. The wind peaks are comparable in magnitude to other wind measurements during similar geomagnetic conditions. A comparison of the neutral winds indicates a correlation of wind magnitudes with geomagnetic activity. A calculation of Hall and Pedersen drag coefficients indicates that the strong wind peak can be explained by modified geostrophy. Two possible explanations for the lower wind peaks are presented, primarily the possibility that meteoric dust affects the neutral winds

Cinderella's Lessons on Footbinding: How Tiny Feet Found their Way into the Chinese Cinderella Story

The story of Cinderella has had many variants, some dating back to ancient Tibetan trade routes and dynastic China. When the tale is analysed in comparison to other variants it is found that in the Chinese version Yeh-Shen (Cinderella) is prized for the small size of her feet. The result of Yeh-Shen having small feet in the story is that she is led her into wealth, power and marriage, the same pursuable goals that led to the custom of footbinding. In southern China the custom of footbinding became a historically defining feature of the society. A women's beauty and her delicacy were judged by the size of her feet, and small feet were the aim of the binding. Small feet played such an important role in the society that it can be found as early as the ninth century C.E., in the traditional oral story, Yeh-Shen

Master of Science

thesisNew detrital zircon geochronologic data from the Straight Cliffs Formation of southern Utah provide insight into the controls on stratigraphic architecture of the Western Interior basin during Turonian-Campanian time. Straight Cliffs Formation deposition was influenced by the development of topography in the Sevier fold-thrust belt, but to date, little emphasis has been placed on the tectonic development of the Mogollon highlands of central Arizona. Detrital zircon ages (N=40, n=3650) derived from linked fluvial and shallow marine depositional systems throughout the Kaiparowits Plateau indicate the majority of fluvial sediment was derived from the Mogollon highlands (67%), with subordinate contributions delivered from the Sevier thrust belt (17%) and Cordilleran volcanic sources (16%). The proportion of Sevier detritus increases upsection from 17% in basal fluvial samples to 27% in uppermost strata. Fluvial strata record sediment transport subparallel to the Sevier thrust belt, implying the presence of a northeast-flowing axial fluvial system fed by transverse distributive fluvial systems (DFSs) draining the Mogollon highlands and Sevier thrust belt. Shallow marine samples contain Mogollon (44%), volcanic arc (14%), and an increase (relative to contemporaneous fluvial strata) of Sevier thrust belt-derived sediment (42%), which was delivered via longshore currents into southern Utah

Off-Beats and Cross Streets: A Collection of Writing about Music, Relationships, and New York City

Through a series of concert reviews, album reviews, and personal essays, this thesis tracks a musical memoir about the transition from a childhood growing up in a sheltered Connecticut suburb to young adulthood working in New York City, discovering relationships and music scenes that shape the narrator\u27s sense of identity as well the larger culture he finds himself in. The essays touch upon the development of personality in aspects that reveal the roots of the narrator\u27s political views, his interest in sports, existential beliefs about free will and theoretical physics, the human condition in the 21st century, and his search for love and companionship. Behind these themes plays a soundtrack of music which the narrator uses to guide himself by, connecting his story to songs through deep analysis of the theory behind them. New York City presents itself as a world of opportunity as the narrator settles into adulthood. The ability to experience the live music scene and encounter a cast of individuals whose personalities announce themselves above the din of the crowd. The city also poses its own challenges with the daily grind, the messiness inherent in so many people existing in such proximity