Monodisperse Latex Reactor (MLR): A materials processing space shuttle mid-deck payload

The monodisperse latex reactor experiment has flown five times on the space shuttle, with three more flights currently planned. The objectives of this project is to manufacture, in the microgravity environment of space, large particle-size monodisperse polystyrene latexes in particle sizes larger and more uniform than can be manufactured on Earth. Historically it has been extremely difficult, if not impossible to manufacture in quantity very high quality monodisperse latexes on Earth in particle sizes much above several micrometers in diameter due to buoyancy and sedimentation problems during the polymerization reaction. However the MLR project has succeeded in manufacturing in microgravity monodisperse latex particles as large as 30 micrometers in diameter with a standard deviation of 1.4 percent. It is expected that 100 micrometer particles will have been produced by the completion of the the three remaining flights. These tiny, highly uniform latex microspheres have become the first material to be commercially marketed that was manufactured in space

Introduction to Islamic Art & Architecture

This course surveys the foundations of Islamic art and architecture in the Middle East and then traces these artistic forms across the Mediterranean and into Central Asia. We will work our way from the seventh through the sixteenth centuries, studying everything from mosques to palaces, from holy texts to vividly depicted tales of love, friendship, and behavior, from shimmering mosaics to stuccoed vaults. Class discussion will be focused on the making, meanings, and social resonances of Islamic art. Together, we will work to define and redefine the term “Islamic Art,” as we consider the following topics: the religious, political, and economic contexts of works of art, the impact of aniconism and iconoclasm on artistic production, the differences between regional and dynastic styles, and the forms of domestic and secular art. In addition, we will focus on the presentation and collection of Islamic art in Western museums, and the influence of Islam on the intellectual and cultural life of the West

Art of Jerusalem: Power and Piety in the Holy Land

This course explores the art and architecture of Jerusalem from the reign of Herod through the Crusades, a period in which the city came under successive Jewish, Roman, Byzantine, Islamic, and Latin domination. Particular attention will be given to the repeated transformation of the landscape of Jerusalem through the destruction, construction, and modification of important religious and cultural monuments. We will gauge the role of Jerusalem as an object of desire for the dispossessed and for pilgrims of three faiths. In addition, we will explore how the accretion of myth and memory shaped the city’s symbolic identity, and how this imaginary ideal, as expressed in art and architecture, emphasized or denied the physical and political realities of medieval Jerusalem

Process for preparation of large-particle-size monodisperse latexes

Monodisperse latexes having a particle size in the range of 2 to 40 microns are prepared by seeded emulsion polymerization in microgravity. A reaction mixture containing smaller monodisperse latex seed particles, predetermined amounts of monomer, emulsifier, initiator, inhibitor and water is placed in a microgravity environment, and polymerization is initiated by heating. The reaction is allowed to continue until the seed particles grow to a predetermined size, and the resulting enlarged particles are then recovered. A plurality of particle-growing steps can be used to reach larger sizes within the stated range, with enlarge particles from the previous steps being used as seed particles for the succeeding steps. Microgravity enables preparation of particles in the stated size range by avoiding gravity related problems of creaming and settling, and flocculation induced by mechanical shear that have precluded their preparation in a normal gravity environment

Large-size monodisperse latexes as a commercial space product

Proposed spacelab production of large-size (2-40 micron diameter) monodispersed latexes is discussed. Explanations are given for the present lack of monodisperse particles in this size range. The four main topics discussed are: (1) the potential uses of these large particle size latexes, (2) why it is necessary for the particles to have a very narrow size distribution, (3) why large amounts of these monodisperse latexes are needed, and (4) why it is necessary to go to microgravity to prepare these latexes

The first products made in space: Monodisperse latex particles

The preparation of large particle size 3 to 30 micrometer monodisperse latexes in space confirmed that original rationale unequivocally. The flight polymerizations formed negligible amounts of coagulum as compared to increasing amounts for the ground-based polymerizations. The number of offsize large particles in the flight latexes was smaller than in the ground-based latexes. The particle size distribution broadened and more larger offsize particles were formed when the polymerizations of the partially converted STS-4 latexes were completed on Earth. Polymerization in space also showed other unanticipated advantages. The flight latexes had narrower particle size distributions than the ground-based latexes. The particles of the flight latexes were more perfect spheres than those of the ground-based latexes. The superior uniformity of the flight latexes was confirmed by the National Bureau of Standards acceptance of the 10 micrometer STS-6 latex and the 30 micrometer STS-11 latexes as Standard Reference Materials, the first products made in space for sale on Earth. The polymerization rates in space were the same as those on Earth within experimental error. Further development of the ground-based polymerization recipes gave monodisperse particles as large as 100 micrometer with tolerable levels of coagulum, but their uniformity was significantly poorer than the flight latexes. Careful control of the polymerization parameters gave uniform nonspherical particles: symmetrical and asymmetrical doublets, ellipsoids, egg-shaped, ice cream cone-shaped, and popcorn-shaped particles

Effects of geometric anisotropy on local field distribution: Ewald-Kornfeld formulation

We have applied the Ewald-Kornfeld formulation to a tetragonal lattice of point dipoles, in an attempt to examine the effects of geometric anisotropy on the local field distribution. The various problems encountered in the computation of the conditionally convergent summation of the near field are addressed and the methods of overcoming them are discussed. The results show that the geometric anisotropy has a significant impact on the local field distribution. The change in the local field can lead to a generalized Clausius-Mossotti equation for the anisotropic case.Comment: Accepted for publications, Journal of Physics: Condensed Matte

Unsupervised Bias Detection in College Student Newspapers

This paper presents a pipeline with minimal human influence for scraping and detecting bias on college newspaper archives. This paper introduces a framework for scraping complex archive sites that automated tools fail to grab data from, and subsequently generates a dataset of 14 student papers with 23,154 entries. This data can also then be queried by keyword to calculate bias by comparing the sentiment of a large language model summary to the original article. The advantages of this approach are that it is less comparative than reconstruction bias and requires less labelled data than generating keyword sentiment. Results are calculated on politically charged words as well as control words to show how conclusions can be drawn. The complete method facilitates the extraction of nuanced insights with minimal assumptions and categorizations, paving the way for a more objective understanding of bias within student newspaper sources.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures, 3 tables, submitted to AAAI202

The Italian novel and Fascism

This thesis examines the depiction of Fascism together with manifestations of dissent and anti-Fascism in the twentieth century Italian novel. The first chapter considers literary prefigurations of Fascism from 1890 onwards, including the treatment of the Superuomo by D'Annunzio, Papini, Marinetti and Soffici, and also the vulgarization of the Superuomo myth in Sarfatti's 'Dux'; one of Mussolini's official biographies. Also mentioned are several accounts of the First World War which reveals social dissatisfactions that proved fertile soil for Fascist exploitation. The second chapter concentrates on a number of Fascist and pro-Fascist novels, that is novels written in homage to the regime and the bestsellers whose conservative values, and preoccupations with the nuclear family, coincide with the Fascist regime's domestic policies. The third chapter examines the covert expressions of disenchantment and dissent formulated against the regime; from the antipathy of Palazzeschi and Gadda to Moravia's dissection of middle-class vacuousness, and to the concern for the conditions of the peasants, the emergence of Neorealism and the importance of the influence of the American novel for disenchanted novelists. The fourth chapter compares and contrasts the works of Si lone and Ferrero, two novelists writing in exile, who denounced the injustices and hypocrisies of the regime's domestic policies in order to undermine its international prestige. The fifth chapter analyses the retrospective portrayal of Fascism from 1943-1960, and the ideology of regeneration that developed as a reaction against the cynicism and inhumanity of the regime. The fictional treatment of the Resistance movement and various war journals are also discussed, together with the hostility of reactionary writers towards post-war Italy. A short conclusion outlines some peripheral but relevant considerations, and suggests the difficulties of attempting an accurate assessment of the degree of influence exerted on the novel by Fascism