A direct-execution parallel architecture for the Advanced Continuous Simulation Language (ACSL)

A direct-execution parallel architecture for the Advanced Continuous Simulation Language (ACSL) is presented which overcomes the traditional disadvantages of simulations executed on a digital computer. The incorporation of parallel processing allows the mapping of simulations into a digital computer to be done in the same inherently parallel manner as they are currently mapped onto an analog computer. The direct-execution format maximizes the efficiency of the executed code since the need for a high level language compiler is eliminated. Resolution is greatly increased over that which is available with an analog computer without the sacrifice in execution speed normally expected with digitial computer simulations. Although this report covers all aspects of the new architecture, key emphasis is placed on the processing element configuration and the microprogramming of the ACLS constructs. The execution times for all ACLS constructs are computed using a model of a processing element based on the AMD 29000 CPU and the AMD 29027 FPU. The increase in execution speed provided by parallel processing is exemplified by comparing the derived execution times of two ACSL programs with the execution times for the same programs executed on a similar sequential architecture

Increasing Time Management Skills to Improve Student Athletes’ GPA

Many college athletes find balancing time between academics and athletics difficult; thus, grades often decline during the competitive season. This study incorporated a one-day workshop that emphasized time management for twenty baseball student athletes. A pretest and posttest-design was used to study if the workshop altered student athlete GPA and lower overall stress levels. The results showed that there was not a significant difference between the student athletes’ grades due to the time management workshop. Additionally, there was no difference in overall stress levels. Future research might reexamine the use of frequent time-management workshops with more than one collegiate team and over a longer period of time

Nonlinear Dynamics of Particles Excited by an Electric Curtain

The use of the electric curtain (EC) has been proposed for manipulation and control of particles in various applications. The EC studied in this paper is called the 2-phase EC, which consists of a series of long parallel electrodes embedded in a thin dielectric surface. The EC is driven by an oscillating electric potential of a sinusoidal form where the phase difference of the electric potential between neighboring electrodes is 180 degrees. We investigate the one- and two-dimensional nonlinear dynamics of a particle in an EC field. The form of the dimensionless equations of motion is codimension two, where the dimensionless control parameters are the interaction amplitude ($A$) and damping coefficient ($\beta$). Our focus on the one-dimensional EC is primarily on a case of fixed $\beta$ and relatively small $A$, which is characteristic of typical experimental conditions. We study the nonlinear behaviors of the one-dimensional EC through the analysis of bifurcations of fixed points. We analyze these bifurcations by using Floquet theory to determine the stability of the limit cycles associated with the fixed points in the Poincar\'e sections. Some of the bifurcations lead to chaotic trajectories where we then determine the strength of chaos in phase space by calculating the largest Lyapunov exponent. In the study of the two-dimensional EC we independently look at bifurcation diagrams of variations in $A$ with fixed $\beta$ and variations in $\beta$ with fixed $A$. Under certain values of $\beta$ and $A$, we find that no stable trajectories above the surface exists; such chaotic trajectories are described by a chaotic attractor, for which the the largest Lyapunov exponent is found. We show the well-known stable oscillations between two electrodes come into existence for variations in $A$ and the transitions between several distinct regimes of stable motion for variations in $\beta$

Combating Militant Islamism with Psychological Operations: Influencing Adversary Behavior

This research serves as an evaluation of the United States’ Psychological Operations (PSYOP) strategy in combating militant Islamist groups. Department of Defense doctrinal publications are the authority in this thesis for defining PSYOP. The research considers past U.S. employment of PSYOP to demonstrate its plausible effectiveness in achieving national security objectives. Analysis supports the idea of PSYOP being an appropriate means to combat militant Islamism. A thorough look into the authoritative texts that militant Islamist groups use to support their ideology leads to the conclusion that the U.S.’s current employment of PSYOP is misdirected and subsequently ineffective. The researcher concludes that an alternative approach involving the use of PSYOP to discredit the militants’ stated ideological source, namely the Quran and Hadith, rather than attempting to simply discredit their interpretation of the texts, would be more effective in influencing adversarial thoughts and behavior to support U.S. national security objectives

Blood analogue for thrombogenicity assessment

The chief problem at present with artificial heart valves is their thrombogenicity, which requires the recipients to undergo dangerous anticoagulant therapy, which is not always successful. The present accepted method of testing valve thrombogenicity is implantation in experimental animals. This technique is unsatisfactory because of its high cost, the lack of control, the length of the experiments and because differences between the blood of various species render the results of dubious value. A more fundamental approach to the problem based on fluid mechanics'fails because of the complexity of the situation and because of the opposed effects of a given fluid mechanical phenomenon. The in vitro use of blood is not possible due to the need for a single pass system to avoid recirculating clots, necessitating some thirty gallons of blood for a run of only one hour. An analogue method using a fluid which does not have the disadvantages of the alternatives described above, therefore, seems worth exploring. Rennetized milk is a possible fluid for such a purpose and experiments were performed to ascertain whether it behaves in a manner analogous to blood in respect of its essential clotting properties. The first indications from the Lee-White inverted test tube test were very promising with milk behaving in a manner apparently identical to blood. Further experiments using the Stagnation Point Flow Chamber showed that there was a striking similarity in the microscopic appearance of the deposits forming at and around the stagnation point when a jet of milk/blood impinges normally onto a glass slide. A subsequent experiment, in which the fluids are pumped through a mesh, revealed that the sequence of clot growth as measured by the pressure variation upstream of the mesh is the same for both fluids. Finally, full scale tests of the clotting propensity of various heart valves were performed using an artificial heart system, which showed that the location and appearance of the clots forming on the valves with rennetized milk were similar to those found in humans and that the results were reproducible. It is, therefore, apparent that rennetized milk shows great potential as an analogue for the flow related clotting of blood and can be used for testing artificial heart valves provided care is taken in the choice of materials for construction

Urine metabolomic analysis to detect metabolites associated with the development of contrast induced nephropathy.

ObjectiveContrast induced nephropathy (CIN) is a result of injury to the proximal tubules. The incidence of CIN is around 11% for imaging done in the acute care setting. We aim to analyze the metabolic patterns in the urine, before and after dosing with intravenous contrast for computed tomography (CT) imaging of the chest, to determine if metabolomic changes exist in patients who develop CIN.MethodsA convenience sample of high risk patients undergoing a chest CT with intravenous contrast were eligible for enrollment. Urine samples were collected prior to imaging and 4 to 6 hours post imaging. Samples underwent gas chromatography/mass spectrometry profiling. Peak metabolite values were measured and data was log transformed. Significance analysis of microarrays and partial least squares was used to determine the most significant metabolites prior to CT imaging and within subject. Analysis of variance was used to rank metabolites associated with temporal change and CIN. CIN was defined as an increase in serum creatinine level of ≥ 0.5 mg/dL or ≥ 25% above baseline within 48 hours after contrast administration.ResultsWe sampled paired urine samples from 63 subjects. The incidence of CIN was 6/63 (9.5%). Patients without CIN had elevated urinary citric acid and taurine concentrations in the pre-CT urine. Xylulose increased in the post CT sample in patients who developed CIN.ConclusionDifferences in metabolomics patterns in patients who do and do not develop CIN exist. Metabolites may be potential early identifiers of CIN and identify patients at high-risk for developing this condition prior to imaging

How Volcanic Explosions Interface with Infrastructure: A Brief Analysis of Volcano Infrasound\u27s Influence on Fuego Observatory Near Fuego Volcano, Guatemala

In 2022, roughly 9 kilometers from the summit of the volcano at Fuego Observatory in Guatemala, our team deployed two arrays of low frequency microphones (infrasound sensors) to capture the effects of Fuego Volcano’s semi-active period explosions on the observatory building. We hypothesized a discernible differential pressure signal and frequency spectra content between sensors placed inside and outside of the observatory. The peak force exerted on a building by volcano infrasound, depending upon the strength of the explosion and distance from it, may be enough to damage windows or even entire buildings if they are poorly built/kept. This presentation aims to contextualize volcanic explosion emitted infrasound as a potential geophysical hazard capable of harming infrastructure