Study of techniques for the reduction of creep in plated wire memories Final report, 28 Jun. 1967 - 28 Aug. 1968

Magnetization reversal in thin films of plated wire memory element

A Qualitative Analysis of Client Perceptions of the Effects of Helpful Therapist Self-Disclosure in Long-Term Therapy

Thirteen adult psychotherapy clients currently in long-term therapy were interviewed twice, with semistructured protocols, about their experiences with helpful instances of therapist self-disclosure. Data were analyzed with a qualitative methodology. Results indicated that helpful therapist self-disclosures (a) occurred when these clients were discussing important personal issues, (b) were perceived as being intended by therapists to normalize or reassure the clients, and (c) consisted of a disclosure of personal nonimmediate information about the therapists. The therapist self-disclosures resulted in positive consequences for these clients that included insight or a new perspective from which to make changes, an improved or more equalized therapeutic relationship, normalization, and reassurance. Implications for psychotherapy are discussed

Ordered structures and jet noise

A series of measurements of near field pressures and turbulent velocity fluctuations were made in a jet having a Reynolds number of about 50,000 in order to investigate more quantitatively the character and behavior of the large scale structures, and to ascertain their importance to the jet noise problem. It was found that the process of interaction between vortices can be inhibited by artificially exciting the shear layers with periodic disturbances of certain frequency. The turbulent fluctuation amplitudes measured at four diameters downstream decreased considerably. Finally, it was observed that the passage frequency of the structures decreased with x in a similar manner as the frequency corresponding to the maximum intensity radiation emanating from the same value of x

Cell migration on material-driven fibronectin microenvironments

Cell migration is a fundamental process involved in a wide range of biological phenomena. However, how the underlying mechanisms that control migration are orchestrated is not fully understood. In this work, we explore the migratory characteristics of human fibroblasts using different organisations of fibronectin (FN) triggered by two chemically similar surfaces, poly(ethyl acrylate) (PEA) and poly(methyl acrylate) (PMA); cell migration is mediated via an intermediate layer of fibronectin (FN). FN is organised into nanonetworks upon simple adsorption on PEA whereas a globular conformation is observed on PMA. We studied cell speed over the course of 24 h and the morphology of focal adhesions in terms of area and length. Additionally, we analysed the amount of cell-secreted FN as well as FN remodelling. Velocity of human fibroblasts was found to exhibit a biphasic behaviour on PEA, whereas it remained fairly constant on PMA. FA analysis revealed more mature focal adhesions on PEA over time contrary to smaller FAs found on PMA. Finally, human fibroblasts seemed to remodel adsorbed FN more on PMA than on PEA. Overall, these results indicate that the cell–protein–material interface affects cell migratory behaviour. Analysis of FAs together with FN secretion and remodelling were associated with differences in cell velocity providing insights into the factors that can modulate cell motility

Ultrafast Resonant Polarization Interferometry: Towards the First Direct Detection of Vacuum Polarization

Vacuum polarization, an effect predicted nearly 70 years ago, is still yet to be directly detected despite significant experimental effort. Previous attempts have made use of large liquid-helium cooled electromagnets which inadvertently generate spurious signals that mask the desired signal. We present a novel approach for the ultra-sensitive detection of optical birefringence that can be usefully applied to a laboratory detection of vacuum polarization. The new technique has a predicted birefringence measurement sensitivity of $\Delta n \sim 10^{20}$ in a 1 second measurement. When combined with the extreme polarizing fields achievable in this design we predict that a vacuum polarization signal will be seen in a measurement of just a few days in duration.Comment: 9 pages, 2 figures. submitted to PR

A delta Scuti distance to the Large Magellanic Cloud

We present results from a well studied delta Scuti star discovered in the LMC. The absolute magnitude of the variable was determined from the PL relation for Galactic delta Scuti stars and from the theoretical modeling of the observed B,V,I light curves. The two methods give distance moduli for the LMC of 18.46+-0.19 and 18.48+-0.15, respectively, for a consistent value of the stellar reddening of E(B-V)=0.08+-0.02. We have also analyzed 24 delta Scuti candidates discovered in the OGLE II survey of the LMC, and 7 variables identified in the open cluster LW 55 and in the galaxy disk by Kaluzny et al. (2003, 2006). We find that the LMC delta Scuti stars define a PL relation whose slope is very similar to that defined by the Galactic delta Scuti variables, and yield a distance modulus for the LMC of 18.50+-0.22 mag. We compare the results obtained from the delta Scuti variables with those derived from the LMC RR Lyrae stars and Cepheids. Within the observational uncertainties, the three groups of pulsating stars yield very similar distance moduli. These moduli are all consistent with the "long" astronomical distance scale for the Large Magellanic Cloud.Comment: Accepted for publication on A

Bankruptcy risk model and empirical tests

We analyze the size dependence and temporal stability of firm bankruptcy risk in the US economy by applying Zipf scaling techniques. We focus on a single risk factor-the debt-to-asset ratio R-in order to study the stability of the Zipf distribution of R over time. We find that the Zipf exponent increases during market crashes, implying that firms go bankrupt with larger values of R. Based on the Zipf analysis, we employ Bayes's theorem and relate the conditional probability that a bankrupt firm has a ratio R with the conditional probability of bankruptcy for a firm with a given R value. For 2,737 bankrupt firms, we demonstrate size dependence in assets change during the bankruptcy proceedings. Prepetition firm assets and petition firm assets follow Zipf distributions but with different exponents, meaning that firms with smaller assets adjust their assets more than firms with larger assets during the bankruptcy process. We compare bankrupt firms with nonbankrupt firms by analyzing the assets and liabilities of two large subsets of the US economy: 2,545 Nasdaq members and 1,680 New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) members. We find that both assets and liabilities follow a Pareto distribution. The finding is not a trivial consequence of the Zipf scaling relationship of firm size quantified by employees-although the market capitalization of Nasdaq stocks follows a Pareto distribution, the same distribution does not describe NYSE stocks. We propose a coupled Simon model that simultaneously evolves both assets and debt with the possibility of bankruptcy, and we also consider the possibility of firm mergers.Comment: 8 pages, 8 figure

The role of worldviews in the governance of sustainable mobility

Sustainable development aims for a viable interaction between human and physical nature. However, how do we perceive the social and natural world, rationalize our behavior, and modify our ways of life? Here, we apply the idea of worldviews to cognition and rationality in transport since a transition to sustainable mobility is crucial in dealing with global climate change. We utilize Cultural Theory and the British Social Attitudes survey (N = 1,120) to study how three worldviews—egalitarianism, hierarchy, and individualism—relate to people’s attitudes to sustainable mobility. First, we use factor analysis to extract the three worldviews or ways of life in Great Britain. Second, we construct hypotheses concerning the correlations between the worldviews and social attitudes to sustainable mobility. Our statistical analysis of 11 mobility issues in the survey confirms our hypotheses, elucidating the cultural cognition or rationality that underlies people’s transport decision-making. Egalitarianism favors demand control, environmental friendliness, and action driven by inner conviction; hierarchy privileges conformity, order, and security; and individualism embraces freedom, speed, and external incentives. The findings show that the worldviews have a systematic and comprehensive impact on how people assess sustainable mobility debates. Moreover, we perform regression analysis to investigate how these cultural styles are associated with British people’s sociodemographics and political party identification, which can help identify the characteristics of stakeholders in sustainability planning and engagement. We conclude that the worldviews form the bedrock of individual decisions on sustainable mobility and have a wider significance for holistic sustainability governance