Cinema algorítmico e memória coletiva

The Pixeldust project is a contributory, interactive video/audio/text engine that can be output to many different forms of exhibition. It is conceived of as a form of algorithmic filmmaking, that blends the aesthetics and visual power of cinema with the flexibility and mutability of computer programming.  Written in the Processing language, the Pixeldust engine accepts photographic portraits, disassembles them into component pixels and particles that lie like dust in the bottom of the projected screen, then dramatically sweeps them up and crystallizes them into a complete portrait accompanied by the spoken word attributed to the portrayed person. Pixeldust is a platform that encourages individuals and communities to share their own examples of inspirational people.O projeto Pixeldust é um mecanismo interativo de vídeo/áudio/texto que pode ser distribuído em diversas formas de exibição. É concebido como uma forma de cinema algorítmico, que combina a estética e o poder visual do cinema com a flexibilidade e a mutabilidade da programação de computadores. Escrito na linguagem de processamento, o mecanismo Pixeldust aceita retratos fotográficos, desmonta-os em pixels e partículas componentes que ficam como poeira na parte inferior da tela projetada, depois os varre dramaticamente e os cristaliza em um retrato completo acompanhado pela palavra falada atribuída para a pessoa retratada. Pixeldust é uma plataforma que incentiva indivíduos e comunidades a compartilhar seus próprios exemplos de pessoas inspiradas

The study of the impact of the M.S. in Agronomy Distance Education Program on student careers

The purpose of this research study was to examine whether the Master of Science in Agronomy Distance Education Program at Iowa State University has had an impact on students\u27 career mobility and economic status. Lifelong learning opportunities for agricultural professionals, like a majority of other field professional are growing exponentially. During the 2004 fall semester, 53 participants in the Master of Science in Agronomy Distance Education Program were given the Distance Education Impact Assessment Survey (DEIAS). Additional knowledge and training for adult students is essential for career advancement, and this research project intends to demonstrate how a Master of Science in Agronomy Degree offered only through a distance education at Iowa State University has impacted students\u27 career mobility and economic status

Using Artificial Populations to Study Psychological Phenomena in Neural Models

The recent proliferation of research into transformer based natural language processing has led to a number of studies which attempt to detect the presence of human-like cognitive behavior in the models. We contend that, as is true of human psychology, the investigation of cognitive behavior in language models must be conducted in an appropriate population of an appropriate size for the results to be meaningful. We leverage work in uncertainty estimation in a novel approach to efficiently construct experimental populations. The resultant tool, PopulationLM, has been made open source. We provide theoretical grounding in the uncertainty estimation literature and motivation from current cognitive work regarding language models. We discuss the methodological lessons from other scientific communities and attempt to demonstrate their application to two artificial population studies. Through population based experimentation we find that language models exhibit behavior consistent with typicality effects among categories highly represented in training. However, we find that language models don't tend to exhibit structural priming effects. Generally, our results show that single models tend to over estimate the presence of cognitive behaviors in neural models

Asteroid Redirect Crewed Mission Space Suit and EVA System Maturation

The Asteroid Redirect Crewed Mission (ARCM) requires a Launch/Entry/Abort (LEA) suit capability and short duration Extra Vehicular Activity (EVA) capability from the Orion spacecraft. For this mission, the pressure garment selected for both functions is the Modified Advanced Crew Escape Suit (MACES) with EVA enhancements and the life support option that was selected is the Exploration Portable Life Support System (PLSS) currently under development for Advanced Exploration Systems (AES). The proposed architecture meets the ARCM constraints, but much more work is required to determine the details of the suit upgrades, the integration with the PLSS, and the tools and equipment necessary to accomplish the mission. This work has continued over the last year to better define the operations and hardware maturation of these systems. EVA simulations were completed in the Neutral Buoyancy Lab (NBL) and interfacing options were prototyped and analyzed with testing planned for late 2014. This paper discusses the work done over the last year on the MACES enhancements, the use of tools while using the suit, and the integration of the PLSS with the MACES

Intrinsic and Atomic Layer Etching Enhanced Area-Selective Atomic Layer Deposition of Molybdenum Disulfide Thin Films

For continual scaling in microelectronics, new processes for precise high volume fabrication are required. Area-selective atomic layer deposition (ASALD) can provide an avenue for self-aligned material patterning and offers an approach to correct edge placement errors commonly found in top-down patterning processes. Two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides also offer great potential in scaled microelectronic devices due to their high mobilities and few-atom thickness. In this work, we report ASALD of MoS2 thin films by deposition with MoF6 and H2S precursor reactants. The inherent selectivity of the MoS2 atomic layer deposition (ALD) process is demonstrated by growth on common dielectric materials in contrast to thermal oxide/ nitride substrates. The selective deposition produced few layer MoS2 films on patterned growth regions as measured by Raman spectroscopy and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry. We additionally demonstrate that the selectivity can be enhanced by implementing atomic layer etching (ALE) steps at regular intervals during MoS2 growth. This area-selective ALD process provides an approach for integrating 2D films into next-generation devices by leveraging the inherent differences in surface chemistries and providing insight into the effectiveness of a supercycle ALD and ALE process

Asteroid Redirect Crewed Mission Space Suit and EVA System Architecture Trade Study

The Asteroid Redirect Crewed Mission (ARCM) requires a Launch/Entry/Abort (LEA) suit capability and short duration Extra Vehicular Activity (EVA) capability from the Orion spacecraft. For this mission, the pressure garment selected for both functions is the Modified Advanced Crew Escape Suit (MACES) with EVA enhancements and the life support option that was selected is the Exploration Portable Life Support System (PLSS) currently under development for Advanced Exploration Systems (AES). The proposed architecture meets the ARCM constraints, but much more work is required to determine the details of the suit upgrades, the integration with the PLSS, and the tools and equipment necessary to accomplish the mission. This work has continued over the last year to better define the operations and hardware maturation of these systems. EVA simulations were completed in the Neutral Buoyancy Lab (NBL) and interfacing options were prototyped and analyzed with testing planned for late 2014. This paper discusses the work done over the last year on the MACES enhancements, the use of tools while using the suit, and the integration of the PLSS with the MACES

Systematic review and meta-analysis of socio-cognitive and socio-affective processes association with adolescent substance use

Background: Social impairments are important features of a substance use disorder diagnosis; and recent models suggest early impairments in socio-cognitive and -affective processes may predict future use. However, no systematic reviews are available on this topic. Methods: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analyses exploring the association between social- cognitive and -affective processes (empathy, callous-unemotional (CU) traits, theory of mind, and social cognition) and substance use frequency (alcohol, cannabis, general drug use). We examined moderating effects of study design, gender, age, and weather conduct problems were controlled for. We also review brain studies related to social cognition and substance use disorder (SUD) risk. Results: Systematic review suggested a negative association for positively valenced constructs with substance use but mixed results on the negatively valenced construct CU traits. Meta-analyses revealed moderate positive association between CU traits with alcohol and general drug use but no significance with cannabis use. Moderate effect sizes were found for CU traits in youth predicting severity of substance use by late adolescence and significantly accounted for variance independently of conduct problems. Significant moderators included gender proportions, sample type, and age. Neuroimaging meta-analysis indicated 10 coordinates that were different in youth at a high risk/with SUD compared to controls. Three of these coordinates associate with theory of mind and social cognition. Conclusion: Socio-cognitive and -affective constructs demonstrate an association with current and future substance use, and neural differences are present when performing social cognitive tasks in regions with strongest associations with theory of mind and social cognition.Drew E Winters, PhD. was supported by a training grant from National Institutes of Mental Health, T32MH01544

Life in Hampton Roads Report: The 12th Annual Life in Hampton Roads Survey

[From the Executive Summary] The Social Science Research Center (SSRC) at Old Dominion University is pleased to present the results from the 12th annual Life in Hampton Roads (LIHR) survey. The purpose of the survey was to gain insight into residents’ perceptions of the quality of life in Hampton Roads. It is important to note that the methodology for this year’s survey differs from previous Life in Hampton Roads surveys. The first ten years of the survey were conducted using a random sample of Hampton Roads residents via telephone. Last year state and university COVID-19 restrictions did not allow for staffing of the SSRC call center during the survey period. Therefore, on-line survey panels were used to solicit respondents to complete a web-based survey. This year, a mixed methods approach of telephone calls and web surveys were used to administer the survey. Given the continued and evolving pandemic conditions in Hampton Roads and the rest of the world, many of this year’s questions focused on residents’ experiences with and responses to continuing COVID-19 conditions

The corticosteroid compounds prednisolone and vamorolone do not alter the nociception phenotype and exacerbate liver injury in sickle cell mice.

Clinicians often hesitate prescribing corticosteroids to treat corticosteroid-responsive conditions in sickle cell disease (SCD) patients because their use can be associated with complications (increased hospital readmission, rebound pain, strokes, avascular necrosis, acute chest syndrome). Consequently, SCD patients may receive suboptimal treatment for corticosteroid-responsive conditions. We conducted a preclinical trial of dissociative (vamorolone) and conventional (prednisolone) corticosteroid compounds to evaluate their effects on nociception phenotype, inflammation, and organ dysfunction in SCD mice. Prednisolone and vamorolone had no significant effects on nociception phenotype or anemia in homozygous mice. Conversely, prednisolone and vamorolone significantly decreased white blood cell counts and hepatic inflammation. Interestingly, the effects of vamorolone were milder than those of prednisolone, as vamorolone yielded less attenuation of hepatic inflammation compared to prednisolone. Compared to controls and heterozygotes, homozygotes had significant liver necrosis, which was significantly exacerbated by prednisolone and vamorolone despite decreased hepatic inflammation. These hepatic histopathologic changes were associated with increases in transaminases and alkaline phosphatase. Together, these results suggest that, even in the setting of decreasing hepatic inflammation, prednisolone and vamorolone were associated with significant hepatic toxicity in SCD mice. These findings raise the possibility that hepatic function deterioration could occur with the use of corticosteroids (conventional and dissociative) in SCD