Fast Cross-Polytope Locality-Sensitive Hashing

We provide a variant of cross-polytope locality sensitive hashing with respect to angular distance which is provably optimal in asymptotic sensitivity and enjoys $\mathcal{O}(d \ln d )$ hash computation time. Building on a recent result (by Andoni, Indyk, Laarhoven, Razenshteyn, Schmidt, 2015), we show that optimal asymptotic sensitivity for cross-polytope LSH is retained even when the dense Gaussian matrix is replaced by a fast Johnson-Lindenstrauss transform followed by discrete pseudo-rotation, reducing the hash computation time from $\mathcal{O}(d^2)$ to $\mathcal{O}(d \ln d )$. Moreover, our scheme achieves the optimal rate of convergence for sensitivity. By incorporating a low-randomness Johnson-Lindenstrauss transform, our scheme can be modified to require only $\mathcal{O}(\ln^9(d))$ random bitsComment: 14 pages, 6 figure

Warm Dark Matter Galaxy Formation

Numerous hypothetical particles have been predicted which might possibly make up the dark matter content of the Universe. One class of these particle candidates includes warm dark matter (WDM) particles, which have large early-time thermal velocities that serve to erase small-scale perturbations. This creates a cutoff in the linear power spectrum - the scale of which depends on the mass of the WDM particle - and results in a suppression in the numbers of low mass halos. Since the number of satellite galaxies around Milky Way-mass host galaxies is sensitive to this cutoff, we can use the number of satellites actually observed around our own galaxy as a test of different WDM models (such as sterile neutrinos). First, we explore the simplest case of a thermal relic WDM particle (and alter- natively a sterile neutrino produced via non-resonant oscillations). We use the galform semi-analytic model of galaxy formation to compare predicted satel- lite luminosity functions to Milky Way data and determine a lower bound on the WDM particle mass. This depends strongly on the Milky Way halo mass, and to some extent, on the baryonic physics assumed. For our fiducial model we find that for a thermal relic particle mass of 3.3 keV (the 2σ lower limit from an anal- ysis of the Lyman-α forest by Viel et al.) the Milky Way halo mass is required to be > 1.4 × 1012 M⊙. For this same fiducial model, we also find that all WDM particle masses are ruled out (at 95% confidence) if the Milky Way halo mass is smaller than 1.0 × 1012 M⊙, while if the mass of the Galactic halo is less than 1.8 ×1012 M⊙, only WDM relic particle masses larger than 2 keV are allowed. Next, we consider models in which some of the WDM particles are resonantly produced sterile neutrinos, which behave “colder” than the non-resonantly pro- duced population also being generated. This model of sterile neutrino darkmatter is well-motivated theoretically, and is also in less conflict with current Lyman-α bounds. This scenario then becomes a two-parameter problem involving both the particle mass and the resonant fraction. We repeat the satellite abundance test applied to this new problem to rule out parts of the parameter space for different Milky Way halo masses. Focusing on a 7 keV sterile neutrino particle which may have been hinted at by recent observations, we find that if the Milky Way halo mass is 2 × 1012 M⊙ then most cases are allowed, but if the mass is 1 × 1012 M⊙ then this particle is likely ruled out

A Child’s Constitutional Right to Family Integrity and Counsel in Dependency Proceedings

Since the child welfare system’s inception, abuse and neglect laws have conflated poverty-related neglect with active parental violence and willful neglect. The ensuing state surveillance has disproportionately harmed poor children and children of color. Pursuant to the state’s expansive parens patriae authority, countless families are investigated, and thousands of children are separated from their caretakers each year—only to be returned within days or weeks after a finding that the reasons for removal were unsubstantiated. Other children risk drifting in foster care limbo until they experience the termination of parental rights—an adjudication so severe that some courts call it the “civil death penalty.” Mounting empirical evidence on the racial disparities and trauma caused by the child welfare system has resulted in increasing calls for its abolition. Despite the prominence of family values in American discourse, the Constitution does not speak to the family, and the Supreme Court has shied away from addressing children’s rights in the family context—leaving children without a meaningful mechanism to assert their rights in dependency proceedings. Notwithstanding the Court’s silence, this Comment argues that Supreme Court jurisprudence implies children have a constitutional right to family relationships free from unwarranted state interference—in other words, a right to family integrity. Recognizing a child’s right to family integrity has significant implications for the child welfare system. In the 1960s, the Supreme Court confronted how the juvenile justice system’s procedural informality harmed children’s liberty interests. As a result, the Court recognized a child’s right to counsel in delinquency proceedings. However, the Court has yet to afford children such protection in dependency proceedings despite similar harms inflicted by the child welfare system’s procedural informality. This Comment argues that to adequately safeguard a child’s right to family integrity, children must be guaranteed the due process right to counsel in dependency proceedings

Robert Moses State Park: Field 2 Bathhouse Design Recommendations

Completed in collaboration with Stantec, this project analyzes the proposed architectural and structural renovations for the Robert Moses State Park Field 5 Bathhouse and provides alternative designs to improve the performance, cost and construction that may be applied to the upcoming renovation of a similar structure, Field 2 Bathhouse. Architectural alternatives were proposed for the building envelope, public shower areas, and exterior aesthetic based on energy analysis and accessibility codes. Structural designs were recommended for the roof, slab, grade beams, and pile caps according to structural analysis and code requirements

The effects of visual representations on teacher training of phonological awareness principles

Teachers are now being held to high accountability standards in reading instruction, yet studies show that teachers lack adequate knowledge in reading and phonological awareness principles (Moats, 1994, 2009; Spencer, Schuele, Guillot, & Lee, 2008). The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of visual representations of letter/sound production (i.e., Phonic Faces, Norris, 2001) on improving teacher knowledge of phonological awareness principles, and to determine if there is a concomitant improvement in phonological awareness and reading acquisition for children in those classrooms. Seventeen kindergarten teachers from a Mississippi school were pretested on phonological awareness principles, then divided into three groups: Phonic Faces Training (PFT), with visual strategies; Traditional Training (TT), with no visual strategies; and a No Training (NT) control group. The PFT and TT groups participated in one half-day training in phonological awareness principles. All groups were posttested immediately after training, and again 3 months later at the end of the school year. Gains in phonological awareness knowledge from pretest to posttest and delayed posttest were analyzed. School records of data from the January and April administrations of subtests from the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (Good & Kaminski, 2002) were compared for relative student gains. The results of this study revealed that all three groups made gains from pretest to posttest, and there were no significant differences between groups who were trained and the NT control group. In student performance, there was a significant difference in gain in Nonsense Word Fluency favoring the PFT group over the TT group and NT. The NT group did not differ from either of the inservice groups on gains in Nonsense Word Fluency. The NT teachers’ students gained the most in Letter Naming Fluency

Four runway configuration types and their relation to arrival delays

Aside from a safe flight, airline passengers expect to arrive to their destination on time. With an abundance of flights in the United States arriving late each day, it has yet to be determined if the airport\u27s layout plays a role. This research looks at four common runway configuration types at hub and non-hub airports to determine if runway configurations affect arrival delays. A two-way ANOVA is conducted comparing the means of the on-time arrival percentage between airports exhibiting each of the four runway configurations as well as hub and non-hub airport status. The results determine if any or none of the runway configurations and hub types have the greatest influence on arrival delays