Holographic flow visualization

Holographic visualization techniques are presented of the vortex wake of a lifting wing. The motions of tracer particles in vortical flows are described along with the development of a liquid-drop tracer generator. An analysis is presented of the motion of particles of arbitrary density and size in solid body and potential vortex flows

Exploring a University System Through Organizational Communication Routines Involving Risk

Given the nature of differing risks that can damage higher education institutions, perception from leaders’ perspectives is crucial in viewing organizational behavior regarding potential damage to the system. This case study investigated how a university staff perceives, communicates, and organizes about risk. Thirty interviews (27 one-on-one, 2 via email, and 1 over the phone) with campus leaders sought to identify how those in a higher education institution collectively communicates elements of risk within and beyond its environment while potentially forming relationships in attempts to mitigate it. An applied thematic analysis revealed that informants perceived risk as a system issue to overcome that extended beyond one’s departmental duties. Risk was also predominantly communicated as resulting from political, social, and cultural voices rather than from naturalistic events. Finally, risk was organized through collaborative partnerships between internal and external stakeholders seen largely through the role of boundary spanners at the university. Findings implicate that risk in a 21st century higher education institution is perceived as an opportunity more than a danger, and such responses organize the concept through a general systems approach in which each leader is keenly aware of a larger organizational purpose, their role in fulfilling purpose, and the ability to remain open to a changing environment in higher education. Keywords: Risk, Organizational Communication, General Systems Theor

Characterizing Search Behavior in Productivity Software

Complex software applications expose hundreds of commands to users through intricate menu hierarchies. One of the most popular productivity software suites, Microsoft Office, has recently developed functionality that allows users to issue free-form text queries to a search system to quickly find commands they want to execute, retrieve help documentation or access web results in a unified interface. In this paper, we analyze millions of search sessions originating from within Microsoft Office applications, collected over one month of activity, in an effort to characterize search behavior in productivity software. Our research brings together previous efforts in analyzing command usage in large-scale applications and efforts in understanding search behavior in environments other than the web. Our findings show that users engage primarily in command search, and that re-accessing commands through search is a frequent behavior. Our work represents the first large-scale analysis of search over command spaces and is an important first step in understanding how search systems integrated with productivity software can be successfully developed

Using a common accessibility profile to improve accessibility

People have difficulties using computers. Some have more difficulties than others. There is a need for guidance in how to evaluate and improve the accessibility of systems for users. Since different users have considerably different accessibility needs, accessibility is a very complex issue.ISO 9241-171 defines accessibility as the "usability of a product, service, environment or facility by people with the widest range of capabilities." While this definition can help manufacturers make their products more accessible to more people, it does not ensure that a given product is accessible to a particular individual.A reference model is presented to act as a theoretical foundation. This Universal Access Reference Model (UARM) focuses on the accessibility of the interaction between users and systems, and provides a mechanism to share knowledge and abilities between users and systems. The UARM also suggests the role assistive technologies (ATs) can play in this interaction. The Common Accessibility Profile (CAP), which is based on the UARM, can be used to describe accessibility.The CAP is a framework for identifying the accessibility issues of individual users with particular systems configurations. It profiles the capabilities of systems and users to communicate. The CAP can also profile environmental interference to this communication and the use of ATs to transform communication abilities. The CAP model can be extended as further general or domain specific requirements are standardized.The CAP provides a model that can be used to structure various specifications in a manner that, in the future, will allow computational combination and comparison of profiles.Recognizing its potential impact, the CAP is now being standardized by the User Interface subcommittee the International Organization for Standardization and the International Electrotechnical Commission

Additive Negative Effects of Anthropogenic Sedimentation and Warming on the Survival of Coral Recruits

Corals worldwide are facing population declines due to global climate change and local anthropogenic impacts. Global climate change effects are hard to tackle but recent studies show that some coral species can better handle climate change stress when provided with additional energy resources. The local stressor that most undermines energy acquisition is sedimentation because it impedes coral heterotrophic feeding and their ability to photosynthesize. To investigate if reducing local sedimentation will enable corals to better endure ocean warming, we quantitatively assessed the combined effects of increased temperature and sedimentation (concentration and turbidity) on the survival of coral recruits of the species, Porites astreoides. We used sediment from a reef and a boat basin to mimic natural sediment (coarse) and anthropogenic (fine) sediment (common in dredging), respectively. Natural sediment did not negatively impact coral survival, but anthropogenic sediment did. We found that the capacity of coral recruits to survive under warmer temperatures is less compromised when anthropogenic sedimentation is maintained at the lowest level (30 mg.cm−2). Our study suggests that a reduction of US-EPA allowable turbidity from 29 Nephelometric Turbidity Units (NTU) above background to less than 7 NTU near coral reefs would facilitate coral recruit survival under current and higher temperatures

The effects of some typical and atypical neuroleptics on gene regulation : implications for the treatment of schizophrenia

The mechanisms by which antipsychotics (neuroleptics) produce their therapeutic effects in schizophrenia are largely unknown. Although neuroleptic efficacy is attributed to central dopamine D2 and/or serotonin 5-HT2 receptor antagonism, clinical improvements in schizophrenia are not seen until two or three weeks after daily neuroleptic administration. The mechanisms underlying the neuroleptic response must therefore occur downstream from initial receptor blockade and be a consequence of chronic neurotransmitter receptor blockade. The goal of the present study was to use neuroleptics with varied dopamine vs. serotonergic receptor blocking profiles to elucidate some of these intracellular post receptor mechanisms. Since the final steps of both dopamine and serotonin synthesis require the enzyme aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase (AADC), the effects of neuroleptics on AADC gene (mRNA) expression were examined in PC12 cells and compared to their effects on the synthetic enzyme tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and ' c-fos' (an early immediate gene [IEG]) mRNA. The neuroleptics examined did not significantly regulate AADC mRNA in PC12 cells, and only haloperidol upregulated TH and 'c-fos' mRNA. Later studies in rats showed that acute neuroleptic administration increased ' c-fos' mRNA, whereas the immunoreactivity of a related IEG (delta FosB) was increased upon chronic treatment. These studies and a subsequent dose response study demonstrated that upregulation of both 'c-fos' mRNA and delta FosB immunoreactivity was most prominent in dopaminergic projection areas including the striatum and nucleus accumbens. Because it has been suggested that neuroleptic treatment might prevent neurodegeneration in schizophrenia, the effects of neuroleptics on the mRNA expression of neuroprotective target genes of delta FosB were examined both ' in vivo' and 'in vitro'. These genes included brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), the neuroprotective enzyme superoxide dismutase (SOD), and the low affinity nerve growth factor receptor (p75). While dopamine D2 blockade unfavorably regulated BDNF and p75 mRNA, 5-HT 2 blockade either had no effect on or favorably regulated BDNF, SOD, and p75 mRNA. Thus, although little about the contribution of serotonergic blockade in the neuroleptic response was determined, dopaminergic blockade regulated IEG's and several of their target genes. Future studies will be needed to understand the role of 5-HT2 receptor blockade in the neuroleptic response

Application of a ruby laser to high-speed photography

Multiple pulsing of a ruby laser has been achieved and incorporated into a high-speed camera. The pulsing is accomplished by means of cavity Q spoiling techniques utilizing a Kerr cell. a rotating mirror camera is used with the laser acting as a stroboscopic light source to record the events. Framing rates of over a million frames per second with exposure times of less than 30 nsec are easily obtainable. This in conjunction with the highly intense monochromatic, cohere and collimated nature of the laser light makes the high-speed laser camera desirable in many areas of research

Accurate Measures of Vaccination and Concerns of Vaccine Holdouts from Web Search Logs

To design effective vaccine policies, policymakers need detailed data about who has been vaccinated, who is holding out, and why. However, existing data in the US are insufficient: reported vaccination rates are often delayed or missing, and surveys of vaccine hesitancy are limited by high-level questions and self-report biases. Here, we show how large-scale search engine logs and machine learning can be leveraged to fill these gaps and provide novel insights about vaccine intentions and behaviors. First, we develop a vaccine intent classifier that can accurately detect when a user is seeking the COVID-19 vaccine on search. Our classifier demonstrates strong agreement with CDC vaccination rates, with correlations above 0.86, and estimates vaccine intent rates to the level of ZIP codes in real time, allowing us to pinpoint more granular trends in vaccine seeking across regions, demographics, and time. To investigate vaccine hesitancy, we use our classifier to identify two groups, vaccine early adopters and vaccine holdouts. We find that holdouts, compared to early adopters matched on covariates, are 69% more likely to click on untrusted news sites. Furthermore, we organize 25,000 vaccine-related URLs into a hierarchical ontology of vaccine concerns, and we find that holdouts are far more concerned about vaccine requirements, vaccine development and approval, and vaccine myths, and even within holdouts, concerns vary significantly across demographic groups. Finally, we explore the temporal dynamics of vaccine concerns and vaccine seeking, and find that key indicators emerge when individuals convert from holding out to preparing to accept the vaccine