B&E

In this reflection paper I will cover the production of B&E in its entirety. From the origin of the script to planning the distribution. I will also reflect on my experiences at UNO and remark on how they I learned from mistakes that I made on other films and corrected them during my process for B&E. I will also point out what I believe to be the largest mistakes that I committed during the production of this film and how I plan to correct them in the future

Kinematics and control algorithm development and simulation for a redundant two-arm robotic manipulator system

An efficient approach to cartesian motion and force control of a 7 degree of freedom (DOF) manipulator is presented. It is based on extending the active stiffness controller to the 7 DOF case in general and use of an efficient version of the gradient projection technique for solving the inverse kinematics problem. Cooperative control is achieved through appropriate configuration of individual manipulator controllers. In addition, other aspects of trajectory generation using standard techniques are integrated into the controller. The method is then applied to a specific manipulator of interest (Robotics Research T-710). Simulation of the kinematics, dynamics, and control are provided in the context of several scenarios: one pertaining to a noncontact pick and place operation; one relating to contour following where contact is made between the manipulator and environment; and one pertaining to cooperative control

A historical reconstruction and land use history of six tidal wetlands in Oregon

This Master's Degree project is intended to document historical ecological conditions and land use histories during the past 150 years for selected Oregon watersheds and tidal wetland sites. The sites are the subject of current research into the ability of tidal wetlands to provide rearing habitat and prey for juvenile salmonids. Six reference marshes were selected for an ongoing study by Bottom, Jones, Simenstad, and others into the use of tidal wetlands by juvenile salmonids (Gray et al. 2002, Comwell et al. 2001). Their project compares upper and lower estuary wetlands on three Oregon coastal river systems: the Alsea, the Siuslaw, and the Yaquina. These sites were chosen because they represent relatively undisturbed remaining tidal wetlands and are similar in vegetation and landscape position. In addition, the sites met the comparative and logistical needs for the study.For master (tiff) digital images of maps contained in this document contact [email protected]. TIFF files stored on permanent server in Hennessey, Jennifer T. 2005 Folder

ATP Reception and Chemosensory Adaptation in \u3c/i\u3eTetrahymena thermophila\u3c/i\u3e

Micromolar concentrations of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and its non-hydrolyzable analog β- γ -methylene ATP are both effective depolarizing chemorepellents in Tetrahymena thermophila. Chemorepellent behavior consists of repeated bouts of backward swimming (avoidance reactions) that can easily be quantified to provide a convenient bioassay for purinergic reception studies. Chemosensory adaptation occurs following prolonged exposure (10 min) to the repellents, and cells regain normal swimming behavior. Adaptation is specific since cells that are behaviorally adapted to either ATP or β- γ -methylene ATP still retain full responsiveness to the chemorepellents GTP and lysozyme. However, cross adaptation occurs between ATP and β- γ -methylene ATP, suggesting that they involve the same receptor. Behavioral sensitivity to both ATP and β- γ -methylene ATP is increased by the addition of Na+, but addition of either Ca2+ or Mg2+ dramatically decreases the response to ATP. These ionic effects are correlated with in vivo ATP hydrolysis, suggesting that divalent ions decrease purinergic sensitivity by activating a Ca2+- or Mg2+-dependent ecto-ATPase to hydrolyze the ATP signal. In vivo [32P]ATP binding studies and Scatchard analysis suggest that the behavioral adaptation is due to a decrease in the number of surface binding sites, as represented by decreased Bmax values. All these changes are reversible (de-adaptation) after 12 min in a repellent-free buffer. Electrophysiological analysis showed that both β- γ -methylene ATP (10 micromol l-1) and ATP (500 micromol l-1) elicited sustained, reversible depolarizations while GTP (10 micromol l-1) produced a transient depolarization, suggesting that the chemosensory response pathways for ATP and GTP reception may differ. There may be separate ATP and GTP receptors since ATP and GTP responses do not cross-adapt and ‘cold’ (unlabeled) GTP is not a good inhibitor of [32P]ATP binding. These results suggests that T. thermophila possess high-affinity surface receptors for ATP that are down-regulated during chemosensory adaptation. These ATP receptors may act as chemorepellent receptors to enable T. thermophila to recognize recently lysed cells and avoid a possibly deleterious situation. This is the simplest eukaryotic organism to show an electrophysiological response to external ATP

Can Slacktivism Work? Perceived Power Differences Moderate the Relationship Between Social Media Activism and Collective Action Intentions Through Positive Affect

We argue that the often-used critique of social media activism as merely a ‘feel-good’ mechanism can be countered by conceptualizing social media activism as a necessary type of collective action (i.e., consensus mobilization), incorporating theory on the benefits of positive feelings for activism, and by examining how power may affect these relationships. Women from two different samples (MTurk and university) were randomly assigned to recall a high- versus low-power experience, view real-world events of sexism, and then complete questionnaires assessing endorsement of social media activism, positive affect, and collective action intentions. A dual moderated mediation analyses at the second stage of mediation showed equivalency across two samples, at which point the single moderated mediation model was tested on the combined sample. The model was significant, such that among those in the high-power condition, endorsing social media activism was associated with greater positive affect, which in turn predicted greater collective action intentions. Among those in the low-power condition, however, this indirect effect was not significant. This study provides counter-evidence to the ‘slacktivism’ critique, contributes to theories of collective action, power and their integration, and identifies a possible intervention to enhance the effectiveness of social media activism

Patterns of genomic loss of heterozygosity predict homologous recombination repair defects in epithelial ovarian cancer

Background: Defects in BRCA1, BRCA2, and other members of the homologous recombination pathway have potential therapeutic relevance when used to support agents that introduce or exploit double-stranded DNA breaks. This study examines the association between homologous recombination defects and genomic patterns of loss of heterozygosity (LOH). Methods: Ovarian tumours from two independent data sets were characterised for defects in BRCA1,BRCA2, and RAD51C, and LOH profiles were generated. Publically available data were downloaded for a third independent data set. The same analyses were performed on 57 cancer cell lines. Results: Loss of heterozygosity regions of intermediate size were observed more frequently in tumours with defective BRCA1 or BRCA2 (P=10−11). The homologous recombination deficiency (HRD) score was defined as the number of these regions observed in a tumour sample. The association between HRD score and BRCA deficiency was validated in two independent ovarian cancer data sets (P=10−5 and 10−29), and identified breast and pancreatic cell lines with BRCA defects. Conclusion: The HRD score appears capable of detecting homologous recombination defects regardless of aetiology or mechanism. This score could facilitate the use of PARP inhibitors and platinum in breast, ovarian, and other cancers

Political Contestability and Public Contract Rigidity: An Analysis of Procurement Contracts

Are public contracts less adaptable than private contracts? Using a comprehensive set of contracts for a standard product, we compare procurement contracts in which the procurer is either a public administration or a private corporation. We find that public-to-private contracts feature more rigidity clauses than private-to-private contracts and that the use of rigidity clauses in public contracts rises when political risks are more salient. We argue that a significant part of the increased rigidity of public contracts is a contractual adaptation to limit political hazards from political opponents and interested third parties

High intensity variable stepping training in persons with motor incomplete spinal cord injury: a case series

Background and Purpose: Previous data suggest that large amounts of high intensity stepping training in variable contexts (tasks and environments) may improve locomotor function, aerobic capacity and treadmill gait kinematics in individuals post-stroke. Whether similar training strategies are tolerated and efficacious for patients with other acute-onset neurological diagnoses, such as motor incomplete spinal cord injury (iSCI) is unknown, particularly with potentially greater, bilateral impairments. This case series evaluated the feasibility and preliminary short and long-term efficacy of high intensity variable stepping practice in ambulatory participants >1 year post-iSCI. Case Series Description: Four participants with iSCI (neurological levels C5-T3) completed up to 40 1-hr sessions over 3–4 months. Stepping training in variable contexts was performed at up to 85% maximum predicted heart rate, with feasibility measures of patient tolerance, total steps/session, and intensity of training. Clinical measures of locomotor function, balance, peak metabolic capacity and gait kinematics during graded treadmill assessments were performed at baseline and post-training, with >1 year follow-up. Outcomes: Participants completed 24–40 sessions over 8–15 weeks, averaging 2222±653 steps/session, with primary adverse events of fatigue and muscle soreness. Modest improvements in locomotor capacity where observed at post-training, with variable changes in lower extremity kinematics during treadmill walking. Discussion: High intensity, variable stepping training was feasible and tolerated by participants with iSCI although only modest gains in gait function or quality were observed. The utility of this intervention in patients with more profound impairments may be limited