Creativity in the Constraints of Oulipo

In my proposal, I am specifically looking at how different types of constraint applied to poetry can oftentimes activate unexpected creativity in the field of writing. Applying different methods of limitations to one’s writing may lead to quicker and more effective results. One way to promote this creativity within writing is by applying specific constraints through the field of Oulipo, a movement combining algorithmic methods and literature. I will be researching and then writing my own Oulipo to see if it is an effective mode for writing, specifically for amateur poets. I will then consider Oulipo in the context of free verse poetry. By creating my own portfolio of poems that directly compare Oulipo poetry to free verse poetry, I will uncover the effectiveness of relying on constraint in writing, rather than just inspiration. I hope this creative endeavor adds to the field of Oulipo and reveals an amateur poet’s experience of writing under poetic constraint, and shows, through comparison, the different outcome of poetry with constraint versus poetry without constraint

New Means of Canine Leishmaniasis Transmission in North America: The Possibility of Transmission to Humans Still Unknown

At present it is not possible to determine in advance the outcome of Leishmania infantum infection. Canine Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL), caused by Le. infantum, is a natural disease process which offers a insight into the interaction of the host and resultant disease outcome. Canine VL results in the same altered pathophysiology and immunodysregulation seen in humans. VL in US dogs is likely to be transmitted primarily via nontraditional, nonvector means. VL mediated by Le. infantum is endemic in U.S. Foxhound dogs, with vertical transmission likely to be the novel primary means of transmission. This population of dogs offers an opportunity to identify host factors of natural disease. Prevention of human clinical visceral leishmaniasis can occur only by better understanding the disease ecology of the primary reservoir host: the dog

Robust entanglement generation by reservoir engineering

Following a recent proposal [C. Muschik et. al., Phys. Rev. A 83, 052312 (2011)], engineered dissipative processes have been used for the generation of stable entanglement between two macroscopic atomic ensembles at room temperature [H. Krauter et. al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 107, 080503 (2011)]. This experiment included the preparation of entangled states which are continuously available during a time interval of one hour. Here, we present additional material, further-reaching data and an extension of the theory developed in [C. Muschik et. al., Phys. Rev. A 83, 052312 (2011)]. In particular, we show how the combination of the entangling dissipative mechanism with measurements can give rise to a substantial improvement of the generated entanglement in the presence of noise.Comment: Submitted to Journal of Physics B, special issue on "Quantum Memory

Entanglement generated by dissipation and steady state entanglement of two macroscopic objects

Entanglement is a striking feature of quantum mechanics and an essential ingredient in most applications in quantum information. Typically, coupling of a system to an environment inhibits entanglement, particularly in macroscopic systems. Here we report on an experiment, where dissipation continuously generates entanglement between two macroscopic objects. This is achieved by engineering the dissipation using laser- and magnetic fields, and leads to robust event-ready entanglement maintained for 0.04s at room temperature. Our system consists of two ensembles containing about 10^{12} atoms and separated by 0.5m coupled to the environment composed of the vacuum modes of the electromagnetic field. By combining the dissipative mechanism with a continuous measurement, steady state entanglement is continuously generated and observed for up to an hour.Comment: This is an update of the preprint from June 2010. It includes new results on the creation of steady state entanglement, which has been maintained up to one hou

Device effects on survey response quality. A comparison of smartphone, tablet and PC responses on a cross sectional probability sample

The increasing use of web surveys and different devices for survey completion calls for the examination of device effects on survey response quality. Whereas most existing studies are based on web panels, subgroups (e.g., students), or short questionnaires designed for device experiments, which compels participants to respond through specific devices, this study is based on two large, nationally representative cross-sectional samples (ISSP 2018 and ISSP 2019) in which the completion device was chosen by the respondent. Seven indicators of response quality are applied, which allows comparison among survey participants answering the questionnaire on a smartphone, tablet, or PC. The results are in line with previous findings: Respondents’ selfevaluated engagement in survey completion does not differ across devices, and only small, nonsystematic differences between devices on satisficing indicators, such as the tendency to agree regardless of question content (acquiescence), non-substantive answers, selection of mid-point response options and primacy effects, and straightlining are identified. Controlling the associations between response device and response quality indicators for self-selection biases did not change the overall result

IL-2 limits IL-12 enhanced lymphocyte proliferation during \u3ci\u3eLeishmania amazonensis\u3c/i\u3e infection

C3H mice infected with Leishmania amazonensis develop persistent, localized lesions with high parasite loads. During infection, memory/effector CD44hiCD4+ T cells proliferate and produce IL-2, but do not polarize to a known effector phenotype. Previous studies have demonstrated IL-12 is insufficient to skew these antigen-responsive T cells to a functional Th1 response. To determine the mechanism of this IL-12 unresponsiveness, we used an in vitro assay of repeated antigen activation. Memory/effector CD44hiCD4+ T cells did not increase proliferation in response to either IL-2 or IL-12, although these cytokines upregulated CD25 expression. Neutralization of IL-2 enhanced CD4+ T cell proliferation in response to IL-12. This cross-regulation of IL-12 responsiveness by IL-2 was confirmed in vivo by treatment with anti-IL-2 antibodies and IL-12 during antigen challenge of previously infected mice. These results suggest that during chronic infection with L. amazonensis, IL-2 plays a dominant, immunosuppressive role independent of identifiable conventional Treg cells

IL-2 limits IL-12 enhanced lymphocyte proliferation during \u3ci\u3eLeishmania amazonensis\u3c/i\u3e infection

C3H mice infected with Leishmania amazonensis develop persistent, localized lesions with high parasite loads. During infection, memory/effector CD44hiCD4+ T cells proliferate and produce IL-2, but do not polarize to a known effector phenotype. Previous studies have demonstrated IL-12 is insufficient to skew these antigen-responsive T cells to a functional Th1 response. To determine the mechanism of this IL-12 unresponsiveness, we used an in vitro assay of repeated antigen activation. Memory/effector CD44hiCD4+ T cells did not increase proliferation in response to either IL-2 or IL-12, although these cytokines upregulated CD25 expression. Neutralization of IL-2 enhanced CD4+ T cell proliferation in response to IL-12. This cross-regulation of IL-12 responsiveness by IL-2 was confirmed in vivo by treatment with anti-IL-2 antibodies and IL-12 during antigen challenge of previously infected mice. These results suggest that during chronic infection with L. amazonensis, IL-2 plays a dominant, immunosuppressive role independent of identifiable conventional Treg cells