Screening and metamodeling of computer experiments with functional outputs. Application to thermal-hydraulic computations

To perform uncertainty, sensitivity or optimization analysis on scalar variables calculated by a cpu time expensive computer code, a widely accepted methodology consists in first identifying the most influential uncertain inputs (by screening techniques), and then in replacing the cpu time expensive model by a cpu inexpensive mathematical function, called a metamodel. This paper extends this methodology to the functional output case, for instance when the model output variables are curves. The screening approach is based on the analysis of variance and principal component analysis of output curves. The functional metamodeling consists in a curve classification step, a dimension reduction step, then a classical metamodeling step. An industrial nuclear reactor application (dealing with uncertainties in the pressurized thermal shock analysis) illustrates all these steps

A multidisciplinary review essay of Francisco Cantú’s book "The Line Becomes a River: Dispatches from the Border", Vintage, London, 2019

What makes this review essay on Francisco Cantúʼs bestselling book on the US-Mexican border regimes uniquely thought-provoking – and, in equal measure, challenging – is the diversity of the disciplines involved and their relationship to the subject matter. Our working groupʼs aim has been to analyze notions of ›subjectivation‹, that is, the process of becoming a subject in relation to practices of vigilance. Thus, our working group explored what different disciplines can gain from reflecting on and analyzing the same text and which aspects of it they consider particularly relevant to ongoing debates on vigilance and subjectivation. What kind of subtexts are brought to light by these divergent readings and what aspects do some disciplines stress that others would not have noticed in such detail

A dynamic ferrofluid barrier for a biological sample

In order to improve the effectiveness of processing a 3D tissue sample (16), a method is provided that uses a dynamic seal (18), e.g. a seal formed of ferrofluids or other magnetorheological fluids, as a physical barrier for preventing leakage of a tissue processing fluid (24), e.g. a staining medium, around the 3D tissue sample (16) received in a tube (10), thereby forcing the tissue processing fluid (24) to flow through the 3D tissue sample (16). The dynamic seal (18) is a liquid made of micro- and/or nanoscale particles suspended in a carrier fluid that is characterized by its increase in viscosity when subjected to a sufficiently strong external field such as a magnetic field generated by a permanent magnet (20)

A simple and efficient biopsy scanner with improved z-axis resolution

An optical imaging apparatus with an improved axial resolution comprises at least one optical detection assembly (24) and at least one translation unit (26, 26a, 26b). The at least one translation unit (26, 26a, 26b) is configured to move the sample container and the at least one optical detection assembly (24) relative to each other in a first scanning direction (38) to obtain a plurality of first images of the sample. The apparatus further comprises a rotation unit (28), wherein t he rotation unit (28) is configured to either: i) rotate the at least one optical detection assembly around an axis of rotation by an angle of about 90 degrees such that a second scanning direction (48) is orthogonal to the first scanning direction (38) or ii) rotate the sample container around an axis of rotation by an angle of about 90 degrees such that the second scanning direction is parallel to the first scanning direction (38) . In both cases, the axis of rotation is perpendicular to a plane defined by the optical axis of the optical detection assembly (24) and the first scanning direction. Images acquired along the first and second scanning direction (38, 48) are combined to create a three-dimensional reconstruction of the sample