1,746 research outputs found
'A Towering Virtue of Necessity': Interdisciplinarity and the Rise of Computer Music at Vietnam-Era Stanford
Stanford, more than most American universities, transformed in the early Cold War
into a research powerhouse tied to national security priorities. The budgetary and legitimacy
crises that beset the military- industrial- academic research complex in the
1960s thus struck Stanford so deeply that many feared the university itself might not
survive. We argue that these crises facilitated the rise of a new kind of interdisciplinarity
at Stanford, as evidenced in particular by the founding of the universityâs computer
music center. Focusing on the âmultivocal technologyâ of computer music,
we investigate the relationships between Stanfordâs broader institutional environment
and the interactions among musicians, engineers, administrators, activists,
and funders in order to explain the emergence of one of the most creative and profi table
loci for Stanfordâs contributions to industry and the arts
On the Semi-Relative Condition for Closed (TOPOLOGICAL) Strings
We provide a simple lagrangian interpretation of the meaning of the
semi-relative condition in closed string theory. Namely, we show how the
semi-relative condition is equivalent to the requirement that physical
operators be cohomology classes of the BRS operators acting on the space of
local fields {\it covariant} under world-sheet reparametrizations. States
trivial in the absolute BRS cohomology but not in the semi-relative one are
explicitly seen to correspond to BRS variations of operators which are not
globally defined world-sheet tensors. We derive the covariant expressions for
the observables of topological gravity. We use them to prove a formula that
equates the expectation value of the gravitational descendant of ghost number 4
to the integral over the moduli space of the Weil-Peterson K\"ahler form.Comment: 10 pages, harvmac, CERN-TH-7084/93, GEF-TH-21/199
ADAMTS9-regulated pericellular matrix dynamics governs focal adhesion-dependent smooth muscle differentiation
Focal adhesions anchor cells to extracellular matrix (ECM) and direct assembly of a pre-stressed actin cytoskeleton. They act as a cellular sensor and regulator, linking ECM to the nucleus. Here, we identify proteolytic turnover of the anti-adhesive proteoglycan versican as a requirement for maintenance of smooth muscle cell (SMC) focal adhesions. Using conditional deletion in mice, we show that ADAMTS9, a secreted metalloprotease, is required for myometrial activation during late gestation and for parturition. Through knockdown of ADAMTS9 in uterine SMC, and manipulation of pericellular versican via knockdown or proteolysis, we demonstrate that regulated pericellular matrix dynamics is essential for focal adhesion maintenance. By influencing focal adhesion formation, pericellular versican acts upstream of cytoskeletal assembly and SMC differentiation. Thus, pericellular versican proteolysis by ADAMTS9 balances pro- and anti-adhesive forces to maintain an SMC phenotype, providing a concrete example of the dynamic reciprocity of cells and their ECM
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Techniques for evaluation of E-beam evaporative processes
High dynamic range video imaging of the molten pool surface has provided insight regarding process responses at the melt pool liquid-vapor interface. A water-cooled video camera provides continuous high resolution imaging of the pool surface from a low angle position within 20 cm of the liquid-vapor interface. From the vantage point, the e-beam footprint is clearly defined and melt pool free surface shape can be observed. Effects of changes in a beam footprint, power distribution, and sweep frequency on pool surface shape and stability of vaporization are immediately shown. Other events observed and recorded include: formation of the pool and dissipation of ``rafts`` on the pool surface during startup, behavior of feed material as it enters the pool, effects of feed configuration changes on mixing of feed entering the pool volume and behaviors of co-evaporated materials of different vapor pressures at the feed/pool boundary. When used in conjunction with laser vapor monitoring, correlation between pool surface phenomena and vaporizer performance has been identified. This video capability was used in verifying the titanium evaporation model results presented at this conference by confirming the calculated melt pool surface deformations caused by vapor pressure of the departing evaporant at the liquid-vapor interface
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Low-level radioactive waste management at Argonne National Laboratory-East
This paper is an overview of the low-level radioactive waste management practices and treatment systems at Argonne National Laboratory - East (ANL-E). It addresses the systems, processes, types of waste treated, and the status and performance of the systems. ANL-E is a Department of Energy laboratory that is engaged in a variety of research projects, some of which generate radioactive waste, in addition a significant amount of radioactive waste remains from previous projects and decontamination and decommissioning of facilities where this work was performed
Classical Vs Quantum Probability in Sequential Measurements
We demonstrate in this paper that the probabilities for sequential
measurements have features very different from those of single-time
measurements. First, they cannot be modelled by a classical stochastic process.
Second, they are contextual, namely they depend strongly on the specific
measurement scheme through which they are determined. We construct
Positive-Operator-Valued measures (POVM) that provide such probabilities. For
observables with continuous spectrum, the constructed POVMs depend strongly on
the resolution of the measurement device, a conclusion that persists even if we
consider a quantum mechanical measurement device or the presence of an
environment. We then examine the same issues in alternative interpretations of
quantum theory. We first show that multi-time probabilities cannot be naturally
defined in terms of a frequency operator. We next prove that local hidden
variable theories cannot reproduce the predictions of quantum theory for
sequential measurements, even when the degrees of freedom of the measuring
apparatus are taken into account. Bohmian mechanics, however, does not fall in
this category. We finally examine an alternative proposal that sequential
measurements can be modelled by a process that does not satisfy the Kolmogorov
axioms of probability. This removes contextuality without introducing
non-locality, but implies that the empirical probabilities cannot be always
defined (the event frequencies do not converge). We argue that the predictions
of this hypothesis are not ruled out by existing experimental results
(examining in particular the "which way" experiments); they are, however,
distinguishable in principle.Comment: 56 pages, latex; revised and restructured. Version to appear in
Found. Phy
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Measurement of process-induced strains in composite materials using embedded fiber optic sensors
This paper presents the results of experiments to measure the internal strains and temperatures that are generated in graphite/epoxy composite specimens during processing using embedded fiber optic strain sensors and thermocouples. Measurements of strain and temperature, combined with a computational model, offer the potential for non-destructive, real-time determination of residual stress in composites, and may be useful for process monitoring and control. Extrinsic Fabry-Perot interferometer, Bragg grating strain sensors, and thermocouples were embedded in graphite/epoxy composite laminates prior to cure. The specimens were cured in a press, and the internal strains and temperatures developed during processing were monitored and recorded. The results are compared with expected values, and limitations of the experimental technique are discussed
Dynamic Image-Based Modelling of Kidney Branching Morphogenesis
Kidney branching morphogenesis has been studied extensively, but the
mechanism that defines the branch points is still elusive. Here we obtained a
2D movie of kidney branching morphogenesis in culture to test different models
of branching morphogenesis with physiological growth dynamics. We carried out
image segmentation and calculated the displacement fields between the frames.
The models were subsequently solved on the 2D domain, that was extracted from
the movie. We find that Turing patterns are sensitive to the initial conditions
when solved on the epithelial shapes. A previously proposed diffusion-dependent
geometry effect allowed us to reproduce the growth fields reasonably well, both
for an inhibitor of branching that was produced in the epithelium, and for an
inducer of branching that was produced in the mesenchyme. The latter could be
represented by Glial-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), which is expressed in
the mesenchyme and induces outgrowth of ureteric branches. Considering that the
Turing model represents the interaction between the GDNF and its receptor RET
very well and that the model reproduces the relevant expression patterns in
developing wildtype and mutant kidneys, it is well possible that a combination
of the Turing mechanism and the geometry effect control branching
morphogenesis
Einstein, incompleteness, and the epistemic view of quantum states
Does the quantum state represent reality or our knowledge of reality? In
making this distinction precise, we are led to a novel classification of hidden
variable models of quantum theory. Indeed, representatives of each class can be
found among existing constructions for two-dimensional Hilbert spaces. Our
approach also provides a fruitful new perspective on arguments for the
nonlocality and incompleteness of quantum theory. Specifically, we show that
for models wherein the quantum state has the status of something real, the
failure of locality can be established through an argument considerably more
straightforward than Bell's theorem. The historical significance of this result
becomes evident when one recognizes that the same reasoning is present in
Einstein's preferred argument for incompleteness, which dates back to 1935.
This fact suggests that Einstein was seeking not just any completion of quantum
theory, but one wherein quantum states are solely representative of our
knowledge. Our hypothesis is supported by an analysis of Einstein's attempts to
clarify his views on quantum theory and the circumstance of his otherwise
puzzling abandonment of an even simpler argument for incompleteness from 1927.Comment: 18 pages, 8 figures, 1 recipe for cupcakes; comments welcom
PT-symmetric Solutions of Schrodinger Equation with position-dependent mass via Point Canonical Transformation
PT-symmetric solutions of Schrodinger equation are obtained for the Scarf and
generalized harmonic oscillator potentials with the position-dependent mass. A
general point canonical transformation is applied by using a free parameter.
Three different forms of mass distributions are used. A set of the energy
eigenvalues of the bound states and corresponding wave functions for target
potentials are obtained as a function of the free parameter.Comment: 13 page
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