777 research outputs found

    A mixed-method study examining the intersection of race and sexual violence among LGBTQ prisoners

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    The current mixed-method study examined the intersection of race and sexual violence among LGBTQ prisoners while incarcerated. The study used secondary data from a survey of LGBTQ prisoners collected by an organization in 2014 (N=1093). Historically, the criminal justice system has criminalized and discriminated against LGBTQ persons, and reports show a prevalence of abuse occurs during incarceration. Quantitatively, the study aimed to determine a relationship between race and sexual violence; qualitatively, it aimed to understand how prisoners in this study experienced sexual violence. Findings suggested: Black, Latinx/Hispanic, and Mixed race prisoners had significantly lower likelihood of unwanted touching from another prisoner; and Black, Latinx/Hispanic, Mixed, and Other race prisoners had significantly lower likelihood of sexual assault from another prisoner. Themes found within the qualitative data were the presence of differences in race, affect, and complexity when prisoners experienced sexual violence from another prisoner, in contrast to a staff person

    Lattice thermal conductivity of disordered binary alloys : a formulation

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    We present here a formulation for the calculation of the configuration averaged lattice thermal conductivity in random alloys. Our formulation is based on the augmented-space theorem, introduced by one of us, combined with a generalized diagrammatic technique. The diagrammatic approach simplifies the problem of including effects of disorder corrections to a great extent. The approach allows us to obtain an expression for the effective heat current in case of disordered alloys, which in turn is used in a Kubo-Greenwood type formula for the thermal conductivity. We show that disorder scattering renormalizes the phonon propagators as well as the heat currents. The corrections to the current terms have been shown to be related to the self-energy of the propagators. We also study the effect of vertex corrections in a simplified ladder diagram approximation. A mode dependent diffusivity DÎłD_{\gamma} and then a total thermal diffusivity averaged over different modes are defined. Schemes for implementing the said formalism are discussed. A few initial numerical results on the frequency and temperature dependence of lattice thermal conductivity are presented for NiPd alloy and are also compared with experiment. We also display numerical results on the frequency dependence of thermal diffusivity averaged over modes.Comment: 16 pages, 17 figure

    Lattice thermal conductivity of disordered NiPd and NiPt alloys

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    Numerical calculations of lattice thermal conductivity are reported for the binary alloys NiPd and NiPt. The present work is a continuation of an earlier paper by us [PRB, 72, 214207 (2005)]which had developed a theoretical framework for the calculation of configuration-averaged lattice thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity in disordered alloys. The formulation was based on the augmented space theorem combined with a scattering diagram technique. In this paper we shall show dependence of the lattice thermal conductivity on a series of variables like phonon frequency, temperature and alloy composition. The temperature dependence of Îș(T)\kappa(T) and its realtion to the measured thermal conductivity is discussed. The concentration dependence of Îș\kappa appears to justify the notion of a minimum thermal conductivity as discussed by Kittel, Slack and others. We also study the frequency and composition dependence of the thermal diffusivity averaged over modes. A numerical estimate of this quantity gives an idea about the location of mobility edge and the fraction of states in the frequency spectrum which is delocalized.Comment: 23 pages, 18 figure

    Structural Properties and Relative Stability of (Meta)Stable Ordered, Partially-ordered and Disordered Al-Li Alloy Phases

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    We resolve issues that have plagued reliable prediction of relative phase stability for solid-solutions and compounds. Due to its commercially important phase diagram, we showcase Al-Li system because historically density-functional theory (DFT) results show large scatter and limited success in predicting the structural properties and stability of solid-solutions relative to ordered compounds. Using recent advances in an optimal basis-set representation of the topology of electronic charge density (and, hence, atomic size), we present DFT results that agree reasonably well with all known experimental data for the structural properties and formation energies of ordered, off-stoichiometric partially-ordered and disordered alloys, opening the way for reliable study in complex alloys.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures, 2 Table

    A comparison of tuning methods for predictive functional control

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    Predictive functional control (PFC) is a fast and effective controller that is widely used in preference to PID for single-input single-output processes. Nevertheless, the core advantages of simplicity and low cost come alongside weaknesses in tuning efficacy. This paper summarises and consolidates the work of the past decade, which has focused on proposing more effective tuning approaches while retaining the core attributes of simplicity and low cost. The paper finishes with conclusions on the more effective approaches and links to context

    Memorization and Generalization in Neural Code Intelligence Models

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    Deep Neural Networks (DNN) are increasingly commonly used in software engineering and code intelligence tasks. These are powerful tools that are capable of learning highly generalizable patterns from large datasets through millions of parameters. At the same time, training DNNs means walking a knife's edges, because their large capacity also renders them prone to memorizing data points. While traditionally thought of as an aspect of over-training, recent work suggests that the memorization risk manifests especially strongly when the training datasets are noisy and memorization is the only recourse. Unfortunately, most code intelligence tasks rely on rather noise-prone and repetitive data sources, such as GitHub, which, due to their sheer size, cannot be manually inspected and evaluated. We evaluate the memorization and generalization tendencies in neural code intelligence models through a case study across several benchmarks and model families by leveraging established approaches from other fields that use DNNs, such as introducing targeted noise into the training dataset. In addition to reinforcing prior general findings about the extent of memorization in DNNs, our results shed light on the impact of noisy dataset in training.Comment: manuscript in preparatio

    Lead-free Magnetic Double Perovskites for Photovoltaic and Photocatalysis Applications

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    The magnetic spin degrees of freedom in magnetic materials serve as additional capability to tune materials properties, thereby invoking magneto-optical response. Herein, we report the magneto-optoelectronic properties of a family of lead-free magnetic double perovskites Cs_{2}AgTX_{6} (T = Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu; X=Cl, Br, I). This turns out to provide an extremely fertile series, giving rise to potential candidate materials for photovoltaic(PV) applications. In conjunction with high absorption coefficient and high simulated power conversion efficiency for PV applications, few compounds in this series exhibit novel magnetic character useful for spintronic applications. The interaction between magnetism and light can have far-reaching results on the photovoltaic properties as a consequence of the shift in the defect energy levels due to Zeeman effect. This subsequently affects the recombination rate of minority carriers, and hence the photoconversion efficiency. Moreover, the distinct ferromagnetic and anti-ferromagnetic ordering driven by hybridization and super-exchange mechanism can play a significant role to break the time-reversal and/or inversion symmetry. Such a coalescence of magnetism and efficient optoelectronic response has the potential to trigger magnetic/spin anomalous photovoltaic (non-linear Optical) effect in this Cs2_{2}AgTX6_{6} family. These insights can thus channelize the advancement of lead-free double perovskites in magnetic/spin anomalous photovoltaic field as well.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures, 1 tabl

    Improving the feedforward component for recent variants of Predictive Functional Control

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    A recent study demonstrated that the use of feedforward information with conventional Predictive Functional Control (PFC) leads to unexpected inconsistencies, with subsequent negative impacts on tuning and behaviour. A proposal was made to define the coincident point differently and shown to reduce the lag in the closed-loop PFC responses and applied to some systems with benign dynamics. Other recent work has looked at parameterisations of the future input to deal with challenging open-loop dynamics and significantly extended the range of problems for which PFC can be effective. This paper combines the two concepts, and thus proposes an algorithm that has both more effective and simple tuning than original PFC as well as being applicable to a range of challenging dynamics

    Magnitude of Alloresponses to MHC Class I/II Expressing Human Cardiac Myocytes is Limited by their Intrinsic Ability to Process and Present Antigenic Peptides

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    In this investigation we have explored the relationship between the weak allogenicity of cardiac myocytes and their capacity to present allo-antigens by examining the ability of a human cardiac myocyte cell line (W-1) to process and present nominal antigens. W-1 cells (HLA-A*0201 and HLA-DR ÎČ1*0301) pulsed with the influenza A matrix 1 (58-66) peptide (M1) were able to serve as targets for the HLA-A*0201 restricted CTL line PG, specific for M1-peptide. However, PG-CTLs were unable to lyse W-1 target cells infected with a recombinant vaccinia virus expressing the M1 protein (M1-VAC). Pretreatment of these M1-VAC targets with IFN-Îł partially restored their ability to process and present the M1 peptide. However, parallel studies demonstrated that IFN-Îł pretreated W-1's could not process tetanus toxin (TT) or present the TT(830-843) peptide to HLA-DR3 restricted TT-primed T cells. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR measurements revealed significantly lower constitutive levels of expression for MHC class I, TAP-1/2, and LMP-2/7 genes in W-1s that could be elevated by pretreatment with IFN-Îł to values equal to or greater than those expressed in EBV-PBLs. However, mRNA levels for the genes encoding MHC class II, Ii, CIITA, and DMA/B were markedly lower in both untreated and IFN-Îł pretreated W-1s relative to EBV-PBLs. Furthermore, pulse-chase analysis of the corresponding genes revealed significantly lower protein levels and longer half-life expression in W-1s relative to EBV-PBLs. These results suggest that weak allogenicity of cardiac myocytes may be governed by their limited expression of MHC genes and gene products critical for antigen processing and presentation
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