The Domain-Generality and Durability of Efficient Learning

People differ in how quickly they learn information and how long they remember it, and a common finding in the literature is that a quicker rate of learning coincides with better retention for the learned material. Zerr and colleagues (2017) termed the relation between learning rate and retention as learning efficiency, with more efficient learning representing both a faster acquisition rate and better memory performance after a delay. Zerr et al. also demonstrated in separate experiments that how efficiently someone learns is stable across a range of days and years. The current thesis includes two experiments addressing additional questions regarding efficient learning. Experiment 1 (N = 119) examined whether efficient learning is generalizable across stimuli, including Lithuanian-English (verbal-verbal) and Chinese-English (visuospatial-verbal) paired associates. Experiment 2 (N = 190) assessed whether faster learners demonstrate better retention at a longer delay of 1 week, and also preliminarily examined whether faster and slower learners demonstrate differential rates of forgetting. These experiments demonstrated that learning efficiency is generalizable across stimuli and that faster learners maintain a retentive advantage at longer delays of 1 week

Equivalence relation groupoids associated with certain linearly ordered dimension groups

AbstractWe consider linearly ordered, Archimedean dimension groups (G,G+,u) for which the group G/〈u〉 is torsion-free. It will be shown that if, in addition, G/〈u〉 is generated by a single element (i.e., G/〈u〉≅Z), then (G,G+,u) is isomorphic to (Z+τZ,(Z+τZ)∩R+,1) for some irrational number τ∈(0,1). This amounts to an extension of related results where dimension groups for which G/〈u〉 is torsion were considered. We will prove, in the case of the Fibonacci dimension group, that these results can be used to directly construct an equivalence relation groupoid whose C∗-algebra is the Fibonacci C∗-algebra

Partial dynamical systems and AF C*-algebras

By utilizing the connections between C*-algebras, groupoids, and inverse semigroups, we obtain a characterization theorem, in terms of dynamical systems, of approximately finite-dimensional (AF) C*-algebras. The dynamical systems considered in this characterization consist of partially defined homeomorphisms, and our theorem is applied to obtain a result about crossed product C*-algebras. The ideas developed here are then used to compute the K-theory for AF algebras, and these K-theoretic calculations are applied to some specific examples of AF algebras. Finally, we show that for a given dimension group, a groupoid can be obtained directly from the dimension group\u27s structure whose associated C*-algebra has K0 group isomorphic to the original dimension group

Finding a deeper understanding of the intersection among trauma, social-emotional learning, and dropping out: a phenomenological study

Doctor of EducationDepartment of Educational LeadershipAlex Red CornRobert HachiyaThe purpose of this phenomenological interview study was to examine the lived experiences of five childhood trauma survivors who dropped out of high school in central Kansas within the past three years but eventually decided to pursue their diploma in an adult learning center. With the state of Kansas implementing the Kansans CAN (2015) initiative, which emphasizes social-emotional learning and high school graduation, this qualitative study explores the intersection of trauma, social-emotional learning, and dropping out. Using purposeful sampling and in-depth interviews, the participants shared their lived experiences at home, in school, and the community as it relates to their ultimate decision to discontinue their schooling. The results of this study deepen our understanding of how trauma and social-emotional learning played significant roles in the participants’ decisions to leave school. However, specifically they revealed how deep relationships and emotional connections factored into their decisions to pursue a high school diploma. This study elevates conversations about the need to articulate the strengths and differences found in the implementation of social-emotional curricula and trauma-informed teaching in schools. Additionally, the participants’ stories support the need for more profound levels of emotional connectedness with traumatized students in schools and raise questions about how much teachers are prepared for or feel comfortable with – building those kinds of relationships with their students

Towards the automation of sand dune detection in the bathymetry

International audienceIntroduction The advances in echo sounder (MultiBeam EchoSounder) and positioning (GPS) technologies of the past two decades enabled us to survey larger areas, faster and more accurately. The collected data show how diverse underwater sand dunes are in terms of shape, spatial organization, dimensions, dynamics, etc. To deal with this large amount of bathymetric data, manual processing appears outdated. By consequent, tools allowing to quantitatively describe their morphology and dynamics have been developed [1,2,3]. It mainly enables to objectively characterize the sand dunes and banks. Unlike the existing tools, we aim at describing each dune independently with a set of morphometric parameters. With this goal of dune characterization, the first step consists in detecting the dunes in the bathymetry. As a preliminary approach, we propose a detection technique inspired from geomorphometry

Exploring an Impossibility Theorem for Gerrymandering

The United States electoral system is facing an unprecedented amount of pressure as distrust amount the voting population rises. An area of interest for us in this work is the redistricting mechanism. Rules inspired by ideas in mathematics are being used to combat partisan gerrymandering. In this work, we explore the relationship between three rules regarding Equal population districts, Compactness, and efficiency gap. Combining these rules leads to an idea of an impossibility theorem for partisan gerrymandering, which states that drawing maps that can satisfy all three rules and allow for a minority party to win becomes impossible.https://commons.und.edu/as-showcase/1009/thumbnail.jp

Evolutionary cell biology: Functional insight from “Endless forms most beautiful”

In animal and fungal model organisms, the complexities of cell biology have been analyzed in exquisite detail and much is known about how these organisms function at the cellular level. However, the model organisms cell biologists generally use include only a tiny fraction of the true diversity of eukaryotic cellular forms. The divergent cellular processes observed in these more distant lineages are still largely unknown in the general scientific community. Despite the relative obscurity of these organisms, comparative studies of them across eukaryotic diversity have had profound implications for our understanding of fundamental cell biology in all species and have revealed the evolution and origins of previously observed cellular processes. In this Perspective, we will discuss the complexity of cell biology found across the eukaryotic tree, and three specific examples of where studies of divergent cell biology have altered our understanding of key functional aspects of mitochondria, plastids, and membrane trafficking