Review of: \u3cem\u3eVignettes 2020: Anabaptist Women Writers\u3c/em\u3e—Sheila Petre and Gabriella Showalter

Vignettes, compiled and edited by Sheila Petre and Gabriella Showalter, is a fascinating text. It is a book that was written by, and is intended for, Anabaptist women writers. The book is a collection of articles that profile around 400 Anabaptist women writers from more than 15 countries. The book provides many resources for aspiring writers; it recommends books on writing, such as The Elements of Style, and contains a directory of all the women profiled in this book. [First paragraph.

Sparticle Spectra and LHC Signatures for Large Volume String Compactifications

We study the supersymmetric particle spectra and LHC collider observables for the large-volume string models with a fundamental scale of 10^{11} GeV that arise in moduli-fixed string compactifications with branes and fluxes. The presence of magnetic fluxes on the brane world volume, required for chirality, perturb the soft terms away from those previously computed in the dilute-flux limit. We use the difference in high-scale gauge couplings to estimate the magnitude of this perturbation and study the potential effects of the magnetic fluxes by generating many random spectra with the soft terms perturbed around the dilute flux limit. Even with a 40% variation in the high-scale soft terms the low-energy spectra take a clear and predictive form. The resulting spectra are broadly similar to those arising on the SPS1a slope, but more degenerate. In their minimal version the models predict the ratios of gaugino masses to be M_1 : M_2 : M_3=(1.5 - 2) : 2 : 6, different to both mSUGRA and mirage mediation. Among the scalars, the squarks tend to be lighter and the sleptons heavier than for comparable mSUGRA models. We generate 10 fb^{-1} of sample LHC data for the random spectra in order to study the range of collider phenomenology that can occur. We perform a detailed mass reconstruction on one example large-volume string model spectrum. 100 fb^{-1} of integrated luminosity is sufficient to discriminate the model from mSUGRA and aspects of the sparticle spectrum can be accurately reconstructed.Comment: 42 pages, 21 figures. Added references and discussion for section 3. Slight changes in the tex

Computational Culture and A.I.: Challenging human identity and curatorial practice

This paper records a half-day Symposium of invited talks on the first day of the EVA London 2020 Conference. It continues a series from the previous four EVA London Symposiums held since 2016 (Bowen & Giannini 2016; Bowen, Giannini & Polmeer 2017; Bowen, Giannini, et al. 2018; 2019)

ACCURACY ASSESSMENT OF A UAV-BASED LANDSLIDE MONITORING SYSTEM

Landslides are hazardous events with often disastrous consequences. Monitoring landslides with observations of high spatio-temporal resolution can help mitigate such hazards. Mini unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) complemented by structure-from-motion (SfM) photogrammetry and modern per-pixel image matching algorithms can deliver a time-series of landslide elevation models in an automated and inexpensive way. This research investigates the potential of a mini UAV, equipped with a Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 compact camera, to provide surface deformations at acceptable levels of accuracy for landslide assessment. The study adopts a self-calibrating bundle adjustment-SfM pipeline using ground control points (GCPs). It evaluates misalignment biases and unresolved systematic errors that are transferred through the SfM process into the derived elevation models. To cross-validate the research outputs, results are compared to benchmark observations obtained by standard surveying techniques. The data is collected with 6 cm ground sample distance (GSD) and is shown to achieve planimetric and vertical accuracy of a few centimetres at independent check points (ICPs). The co-registration error of the generated elevation models is also examined in areas of stable terrain. Through this error assessment, the study estimates that the vertical sensitivity to real terrain change of the tested landslide is equal to 9 cm

Supporting 'design for reuse' with modular design

Engineering design reuse refers to the utilization of any knowledge gained from the design activity to support future design. As such, engineering design reuse approaches are concerned with the support, exploration, and enhancement of design knowledge prior, during, and after a design activity. Modular design is a product structuring principle whereby products are developed with distinct modules for rapid product development, efficient upgrades, and possible reuse (of the physical modules). The benefits of modular design center on a greater capacity for structuring component parts to better manage the relation between market requirements and the designed product. This study explores the capabilities of modular design principles to provide improved support for the engineering design reuse concept. The correlations between modular design and 'reuse' are highlighted, with the aim of identifying its potential to aid the little-supported process of design for reuse. In fulfilment of this objective the authors not only identify the requirements of design for reuse, but also propose how modular design principles can be extended to support design for reuse

High-resolution X-ray spectroscopy of tau Scorpii (B0.2V) with XMM-Newton

We report the analysis of the first high-resolution X-ray spectrum of the B0.2V star τ Scorpii obtained with the Reflection Grating Spectrometers (rg

Abaloparatide: an anabolic treatment to reduce fracture risk in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis

Objective Fractures due to osteoporosis represent a serious burden on patients and healthcare systems. The objective of this review is to provide an overview of the anabolic agent abaloparatide (ABL) for the treatment of postmenopausal women with osteoporosis at high risk for fracture. Methods A literature review was conducted using PubMed to identify articles focused on ABL published prior to February 10, 2020, using the search term “abaloparatide”. Results ABL, a synthetic analog of human parathyroid hormone-related protein, increased bone mineral density (BMD), improved bone microarchitecture, and increased bone strength in preclinical and clinical studies. The pivotal phase 3 trial ACTIVE and its extension (ACTIVExtend) demonstrated the efficacy of initial treatment with ABL for 18 months followed by sequential treatment with alendronate (ALN) for an additional 24 months to reduce the risk of vertebral, nonvertebral, clinical, and major osteoporotic fractures and to increase BMD in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis. Discontinuations from ACTIVE were slightly more common in ABL-treated patients due to dizziness, palpitations, nausea, and headache. Post hoc analyses of ACTIVE and ACTIVExtend support the efficacy and safety of ABL in relevant subpopulations including postmenopausal women with various baseline risk factors, women ≥80 years, women with type 2 diabetes mellitus, and women with renal impairment. Conclusions ABL is an effective and well-tolerated treatment for women with postmenopausal osteoporosis at high risk for fracture. Its therapeutic effects are sustained with subsequent ALN therapy

The thermo-oxidative degradation of poly(4-methylstyrene) and its relationship to flammability

Polystyrene and poly(4-methylstyrene) have very similar chemical structures with the only differences being the para methyl group of poly(4-methylstyrene). This methyl group is susceptible to oxidation at elevated temperatures. Here we demonstrate that it is possible to introduce oxidative cross-links to poly(4-methylstyrene), via the para methyl group, by thermal oxidative treatment at 230 °C, 250 °C and 270 °C in the absence of catalyst, leading to a material with markedly modified thermal degradation chemistry. Thermal gravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry were used to characterise and compare untreated and post-oxidised materials and established that as the temperature of pre-treatment was increased, the subsequent thermal stability of the material increased. FTIR, NMR and microanalysis indicated that after the thermal oxidative pre-treatment ether cross-links are present alongside new oxygen containing functional groups such as aldehydes, carboxylic acids and hydroxyl groups. Finally, data obtained from pyrolysis combustion flow calorimetry confirmed that as the number of oxidative cross-links increase, a reduction in the polymer's flammability as assessed by heat release data is observed

Theory of ac electrokinetic behavior of spheroidal cell suspensions with an intrinsic dispersion

The dielectric dispersion, dielectrophoretic (DEP) and electrorotational (ER) spectra of spheroidal biological cell suspensions with an intrinsic dispersion in the constituent dielectric constants are investigated. By means of the spectral representation method, we express analytically the characteristic frequencies and dispersion strengths both for the effective dielectric constant and the Clausius-Mossotti factor (CMF). We identify four and six characteristic frequencies for the effective dielectric spectra and CMF respectively, all of them being dependent on the depolarization factor (or the cell shape). The analytical results allow us to examine the effects of the cell shape, the dispersion strength and the intrinsic frequency on the dielectric dispersion, DEP and ER spectra. Furthermore, we include the local-field effects due to the mutual interactions between cells in a dense suspension, and study the dependence of co-field or anti-field dispersion peaks on the volume fractions.Comment: accepted by Phys. Rev.

Properties of layer-by-layer vector stochastic models of force fluctuations in granular materials

We attempt to describe the stress distributions of granular packings using lattice-based layer-by-layer stochastic models that satisfy the constraints of force and torque balance and non-tensile forces at each site. The inherent asymmetry in the layer-by-layer approach appears to lead to an asymmetric force distribution, in disagreement with both experiments and general symmetry considerations. The vertical force component probability distribution is robust and in agreement with predictions of the scalar q model while the distribution of horizontal force components is qualitatively different and depends on the details of implementation.Comment: 18 pages, 12 figures (with subfigures), 1 table. Uses revtex, epsfig,subfigure, and cite. Submitted to PRE. Plots have been bitmapped. High-resolution version is available. Email [email protected] or download from http://rainbow.uchicago.edu/~mbnguyen/research/vm.htm