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ORCHESTRATING MULTI-OBJECTIVE NEURAL NETWORK DEPLOYMENT IN HETEROGENEOUS EDGE SYSTEMS
No full textWith the widespread adoption of Deep Neural Networks (DNNs) in modern embedded applications, there has been a substantial increase in computationally intensive and power-hungry workloads, necessitating more sophisticated approaches to efficiently deploy these models on resource-constrained devices. The inherent limitations of edge computing platforms-including restricted memory capacity, limited processing capabilities, and stringent power constraints-pose substantial challenges for the deployment of complex DNN workloads. While recent advances in model compression and hardware acceleration have partially addressed these challenges, there remains a critical need for comprehensive solutions that systematically optimize both the pre-deployment design and runtime management of DNNs on heterogeneous edge systems. This dissertation aims to address these challenges by presenting a comprehensive approach that systematically optimizes DNN deployment at the edge, focusing on both offline model design and online resource management. Specifically, this dissertation focuses on four key areas: (i) dimensionality reduction through latent imagination for efficient AI-powered computer vision, where our methodology achieves over 45% improvement in prediction accuracy; (ii) a composite reinforcement learning controller for joint DNN pruning and quantization, which achieves 39% average energy reduction with only 1.7% average accuracy loss; (iii) efficient multi-DNN management via DNN partitioning for heterogeneous embedded systems, with our approach resulting in x4.6 average throughput improvement for multi-DNN workloads; and (iv) multi-objective optimization methodologies for balancing competing performance metrics in multi-DNN deployment scenarios through three complementary frameworks that address throughput-fairness balancing via reinforcement learning, throughput-power efficiency co-optimization through heterogeneity-aware techniques, and priority-aware resource allocation, collectively yielding significant improvements in system performance and responsiveness. In summary, this dissertation provides a comprehensive set of methodologies that enable the efficient deployment of complex DNN workloads on edge devices, systematically addressing the challenges of pre-deployment optimization and runtime management. The demonstrated results highlight the effectiveness of our proposed solutions and their potential for practical applications across various edge computing environments
PATHOLOGIZING BLACK MOTHERHOOD: WELFARE POLICY AS A VESTIGE OF SLAVERY, JIM CROW AND JANE CROW
No full textThis dissertation challenges dominant narratives that attribute black inequality to cultural pathology, particularly the structure of Black families. Black women, due their prominent role in family life, have long served as scapegoats through which the United States escapes deflects responsibility for the conditions it created through slavery, Jim Crow, and economic exclusion. Public policy and discourse often frame Black female-headed households-especially those receiving welfare and or subsidized housing-as moral failures responsible for poverty, crime, and social decay. Since the arrival of African captives in America, controlling images have been constructed to portray Black women as biologically and culturally inferior. between the antebellum period and the Jim Crow era. This imagery made various claims about black women’s personhood and conduct. Among these claims were the notion that, black woman were expected to reproduce and expand the enslaved population and care for white families, that black women create status and domesticity for white women, that black women experience no pain-and can thus be worked beyond exhaustion, that they are licentious, promiscuous, evil, treacherous, irresponsible mothers, sexually available, and unfeminine. These stereotypes- including the Mammy, the Jezebel, the matriarch, and the welfare mother- evolved from antebellum and Jim Crow ideologies and continue to shape perceptions of Black women today. Their convergence in terms like “hood rat” reflects enduring views of Black women as hypersexual, unfeminine, irresponsible, and undeserving of support or protection
BEYOND SLAVESHIPS AND THE MOTHERSHIP: BLACK PERFORMANCE AESTHETICS THAT HAVE LED TO AFROFUTURISM AND BEYOND.
No full textThe goal of this dissertation is to understand the various motifs of Black performance aesthetics which have led to the onset of a phenomenon known as Afrofuturism. The method utilized in this research is Afrofuturism itself with the multitude of definitions applicable to the term. My findings when applied to media, and Black oral tradition, are cradled in Sankofa theory; the idea of to “go back and get” the lessons of the past and bring them to the present.Coupled with Sankofa theory, Afrofuturism serves as a window to a variety of futures of Black performance aesthetics while also shedding light on the aesthetics which came before in the past. Finally, the research centers future possibilities for this research and the other areas of scholarship to which Afrofuturism and Sankofa can be applied
FABRICATION AND ANALYSIS OF BIOBASED COMPOSITES WITH MICROCRYSTALLINE CELLULOSE DEVELOPED BY ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING
No full textStereolithography (SLA) is one of the most widely used additive manufacturing technologies, due to its widespread use in industrial and research applications. It can print with higher resolution and provides a better surface finish. Its high precision also allows it to print complex structures. Therefore, the use of SLA is increasing rapidly. Acrylate resins are predominantly used in SLA technology; however, the petroleum-based content of these resins makes them vulnerable to environmental degradation. To address this issue, a biobased resin has been developed that has received significant attention due to its biocompatibility, non-toxicity, and tailorable properties. Biobased resin is a type of resin derived from renewable biological resources. It can be derived from plants, algae, or other organic materials. Some common biobased resins are cellulose-based resin, polylactic acid (PLA), polyethylene glycol diacrylate (PEGDA), and acrylated epoxidized soybean oil (AESO). In this study, we characterized the mechanical, morphological, crystallographic, and swelling performance of the biobased resin developed from PEGDA and AESO. To further enhance the material properties, microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) was incorporated as filler material. Microcrystalline cellulose is a biocompatible material derived from natural sources, such as wood, pulp, or cotton, and is abundant on Earth. The results showed that adding MCC into the neat resin improved the tensile strength by 38.86%, from 3.5 MPa to 4.86 MPa, while Young’s modulus increased by 10.33%, from 16.25 MPa to 17.93 MPa. Morphological analysis proved that the addition of MCCs provides better surface finishing. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) study indicated that the inclusion of MCC results in a decrease in the crystal size and peak intensity, while the peak width increases. The contact angle analysis offers insights into surface wettability, while the swelling behavior indicates the material\u27s water absorption capacity. Results showed that the mass increased from 6.41% to 13.71% with the addition of MCCs over a 30-day period. These findings demonstrated the potential of this biobased resin for applications in biomedical engineering and tissue engineering
Pluvial Flood Damage Exposure in a Midwestern Metropolitan Watershed: Further Evidence of the Prevalence of Commercial Flood Risk
Get PDFPrevious research on flood damage risk is updated using expected annual damage estimates from a recent U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) feasibility study in the Papillion Creek Watershed, Omaha, Nebraska. Across the 500-year floodplain study area encompassing all of the stream reaches in the Watershed, only 25% of 3,587 buildings were risk free. Commercial buildings represent 44% of inventory yet generate 92% of risk, which is double the previously estimated commercial risk based on simplistic modelling. Risk varies by building type, with office and recreation/entertainment buildings generating the highest amount (17% each) followed by industrial (12%), retail and warehouses (both at 11%), and apartments (6%). Mean annual risk values for buildings range from 90,152 (recreation/entertainment). Only 11% of buildings in the study area were constructed over the 2005 to 2019 period (after the use of accurate floodplain maps and active floodplain planning), but they generate half of total flood risk. Omaha Area floodplain managers should focus more on commercial building flood risk to reduce the need for costly flood mitigation efforts funded by taxpayers. This research should be replicated elsewhere using either similar USACE feasibility study data, the National Structure Inventory dataset in conjunction with HAZUS-MH flood risk modelling, and/or private sector data from the First Street Foundation
The Golden Age of Water (1964-2025)
Get PDFSix decades ago, the golden age of water began in the United States when President Lyndon Baines Johnson signed the Water Resources Research Act (WRRA) of 1964. This led to the founding of the National Institutes for Water Resources (NIWR) and Universities Council on Water Resources (UCOWR). Sixty years ago, these two water organizations formed to represent the 54 water research institutes at land grant universities (NIWR) authorized by the WRRA and the over 60 water research institutions of higher learning in North America (UCOWR). This paper traces the 60-year evolution of these associations that conduct water research locally, regionally, and nationally in United States, from the Great Society of the 1960s, the Clean Water Act years of the 1970s and 80s, and the watershed movement of the 1990s into the 21st century
Small Business Marketing and Advertising in Rural Communities: A Case Study of Southern Illinois Restaurants
Get PDFA large majority of United States businesses are small businesses. Many of these small businesses operate in the country’s rural communities, where local owners face unique challenges to keep their businesses running. The unique challenges faced include differences in population size, access to wealth amongst rural community residents, and lack of internet accessibility for rural residents that affects interaction with digital advertising efforts, among others. Given these unique challenges, it is important to understand the successful practices that small businesses utilize.
The research included case studies and in-depth interviews with five restaurant businesses and a Chamber of Commerce member in Southern Illinois counties to understand the business practices of successfully running small businesses. The interviews showed the origins behind restaurant businesses, their unique menu items, how they targeted local customers, how they positioned their brand, their advertising campaigns and promotion tactics, and the strategies they implemented to keep their businesses operational and successful.
This study reviewed the literature on small business restaurant successes and rural advertising practices, provided insight on how other small business restaurants across the United States and other countries have moved to be successful in their markets, and how companies have advertised to rural communities for success. The overall aim of the study was to contribute to the academic literature on small business success, to establish a blueprint of best practices for starting a restaurant in Southern Illinois, and to understand how small businesses move to be ii successful in rural communities
Combined vs. Singular Chronic Predictable Stress: Behavioral and Neurobiological Outcomes
No full textStress is pervasive across species, and while acute stressors allow for the healthy adaptability of an organism, chronic stressors lead to worsened overall health and long-term prognosis. The current study examined the effects of combined chronic predictable early life stress models of maternal separation (MS) and limited bedding/nesting (LBN) during adolescence. Subjects were subjected to one of four early environmental manipulations (MS alone, LBN alone, MS & LBN combined, and standard rearing). Groups were further analyzed with respect to gender and each experimental group used 4-5 different liters from virgin dams to avoid non-specific effects due to liter. Pups were weighed at 3 post-natal time points (PND9, PND21, PND44) and their average weights per group were compared. The pups were tested upon reaching adolescence (PND35) on the elevated plus maze (EPM) and open field task (OF) for anxiety-like behavior (PND36), as well as in the Morris water maze (MWM) for spatial learning and memory (PND37-43). It was expected that the combined stressed subjects would display the most significant increase in anxiety-like behavior that would occur in addition to increased learning and memory deficits in the MWM. In the MWM, it was expected that the combined stress subjects would have longer latencies to the platform for both the training trials, as well as in the reversal trials. For the probe trial, these subjects were expected to have longer overall paths to the annulus, indicating worse memory for the initial platform location. Following the completion of behavioral testing, subjects were euthanized and adrenal and brain weights were taken. Similar what has been conventionally found following chronic stress, adrenal weights for the combined stress subjects were expected to be higher on average than the other three groups. It was anticipated that brain weights would not vary significantly. Following histological preparation, the hippocampus was analyzed for overall cell loss and microglial activity. It was anticipated that there would be no significant changes in the overall hippocampal volumes, but there would be increases in microglial cell in the hippocampal subareas (CA1/2, CA3, and dentate gyrus) in subjects exposed to combined early life stress models. Generally, the subjects in the combined experimental manipulation were expected to demonstrate significant behavioral impairments and histopathological changes. The findings of the current study did not support the hypotheses made prior. Notably, the group that received the MS manipulation alone demonstrated learning impairments in the MWM, and their behavioral deficits corresponded to an increased amount of microglial cell counts in the CA3 and DG areas
STUDY OF STRENGTH, DURABILITY AND MICROSTRUCTURAL PROPERTIES OF FLY ASH AND GGBS BASED GEOPOLYMER STABILIZED HIGH PLASTIC CLAY
No full textSoil Stabilization is a well-established technique in civil engineering which aims to improve the physical and mechanical properties of soil such as its strength, durability and load-bearing capacity, which are critical for the stability of infrastructure like roads, foundations, embankments, and pavements. Traditionally, cement and lime were extensively used materials for stabilization, which are often associated with significant environmental impacts and economic drawbacks. Geopolymers have emerged as an eco-friendly stabilizer that can be a feasible substitute for cement and lime in stabilization of weak soil. Lot of research has been done in soil stabilization using fly ash and Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag (GGBS) based geopolymer, where fly ash and GGBS, rich in silica and alumina are activated using alkali activator solution usually Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH) and Sodium Silicate (Na2SiO3) solution. The preparation of alkali activator solution is usually done a day prior due to the exothermic nature of the NaOH. Several researchers have reported that geopolymerization reactions are ideal at elevated temperatures. The current research focuses on the efficiency of dry mixing approach in stabilization of locally available clayey soil using fly ash and GGBS based geopolymer. In dry mixing approach alkali activator powder is mixed with the geopolymer precursor uniformly and water is added to it for the preparation of Geopolymer samples. The primary focus of this study is to make use of the heat generated due to the exothermic nature of NaOH for enhancement of strength and durability properties of clayey soil. The current study focuses on use of two geopolymer precursor: GGBS a glassy, granular material which is a by-product of the iron and steel industry produced by rapidly cooling molten blast furnace slag using water or air and fly ash, a fine powdery material which is a by-product of burning pulverized coal in thermal power plants. Both fly ash and GGBS is used as 5%, 10%, 15% and 20% of dry mass of soil to understand the collective effect of both precursor in the improvement of strength and durability properties of clayey soil. Referring to conclusion and recommendations of various past literatures molarity of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) was set to 10M. The ratio of NaOH to Na2SiO3 was kept 1:1.5 and the liquid to solid ratio was kept 0.55 for better workability. The study includes a comprehensive series of tests like particle size distribution test, specific gravity test, Atterberg limit test, and miniature Proctor test. Carbondale soil was classified as a clayey soil with high plasticity with Liquid limit (LL) of 60 and Plasticity Index (PI) of 34. The Maximum Dry Density (MDD) and Optimum Moisture Content (OMC) of Carbondale soil was found to be 27% and 1.44 g/cm3 respectively. Specific gravity test was conducted to determine the specific gravity of Carbondale soil, fly ash and GGBS as 2.65, 2.665 and 3.181, respectively. Unconfined Compression Strength (UCS) test was conducted on untreated and geopolymer stabilized soil samples after curing the samples under high moisture curing conditions by wrapping up in a plastic film, kept inside a Ziploc bag and stored in a moisture tank. Samples were cured for 7 days and 28 days at an ambient temperature. The stress strain response for geopolymer stabilized samples exhibited brittle behavior as compared to ductile response of untreated Carbondale soil with higher peak stress and better initial stiffness. With the increase in the content of geopolymer precursor, the stress strain response becomes more brittle and stiffer. The behavior of geopolymer-stabilized samples becomes more brittle and stiffer as the curing period increases. The UCS value for Carbondale soil was found to be 227.40 kN/m2 and 333.76 kN/m2. For 7 days curing period, UCS value increased to 388.48 kN/m2, 549.49 kN/m2, 756.23 kN/m2, 834.78 kN/m2 for 5%, 10%, 15% and 20% FA-GGBS based geopolymer stabilized soil. This is an increase of 70.83%, 141.64%, 232.55% and 267.09% for corresponding FA-GGBS based geopolymer stabilized soil. For 28 days curing period, UCS value increased to 423.83 kN/m2, 578.07 kN/m2, 798.20 kN/m2 and 967.89 kN/m2 which exhibit an increase of 26.99%, 73.20%, 139.15% and 190.00% for corresponding FA-GGBS based geopolymer stabilized soil. The findings indicate that the stabilizer content and curing time have a major impact on the strength of geopolymer stabilized soil. Two types of Durability test, Wetting - Drying test and Freezing - Thawing test were conducted on untreated and geopolymer stabilized soil samples cured for 7 days under high moisture curing conditions. Samples stabilized with 10%, 15% and 20% FA-GGBS based geopolymer exhibited superior resistance against wetting drying action by surviving all 12 cycles with minimal cracks, bulking and physical deterioration. However, no combination survived all the cycles of the freezing thawing test. Samples were discontinued due to extreme deterioration at the top portion, loss of cohesion between the particles, development of excessive cracks, significant physical disintegration and bulking of the samples. Comparatively, 10% and 15% FA-GGBS based geopolymer stabilized soil performed better against freezing thawing action. Microstructural analysis was performed through Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (EDX) test to study the micro-structure fabric of untreated soil, GGBS, fly ash and geopolymer stabilized soil. SEM images confirm the formation of dense and compact microstructures, resulting from the development of Calcium Aluminosilicate Hydrate (C-A-S-H) and Sodium Aluminosilicate Hydrate (N-A-S-H) gels. With the increase in the content of FA-GGBS, microstructural image gets more densified and compact with fewer voids and fewer untreated particles. A greater Si/Al ratio than the Ca/Si ratio and a larger concentration of Na are revealed by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), which promotes the creation of the N-A-S-H geopolymer network over the C-A-S-H bond formation