Solar Eclipses in Ancient China

Chinese astrology began in the Shang Dynasty. (1226 BCE to 1161 BCE) The Chinese culture believed that solar eclipses were caused by a mythical dragon devouring the sun. It was also believed that eclipses in general told the future of the emperor. Due to this, predicting solar eclipses was deemed of the highest importance; so much so, that two astrologers were once beheaded because they failed to predict a solar eclipse. Astrologers not wanting to be beheaded used many methods and tools in order to try and accurately predict solar eclipses

Using Implicit Associations to Reveal Hidden Biases Toward Robots

Previously, the Implicit Associations Test (IAT) has been used to measure attitudes toward different human variables (i.e. race, religion, age) (Fazio, R. H., & Olson, M. A., 2003). In this present study, we extend this research to examine biases toward robots by assessing the association between humans and robots with negative and positive stimuli. Participants were recruited at a large southeastern university in the U.S. (n = 23, Mage = 19). The IAT was created in the Qualtrics survey engine where it contains 7 tasks. An improved scoring algorithm was used to examine reaction times from tasks 3, 4, 6, and 7 (Greenwald, 2009). Tasks 3 and 4 measured the association between humans with negative stimuli, and robots with positive stimuli. Tasks 6 and 7 measured the association between humans with positive stimuli, and robots with negative stimuli. As the mean gets smaller, the reaction time increases leading to a stronger association. We hypothesized that people may hold stronger negative associations toward robots than toward humans. Therefore, the reaction time for Tasks 3 and 4 will be significantly larger than for Tasks 6 and 7. As predicted, our results indicate a higher mean for Tasks 3 and 4 (M = 1.09, SD = 0.49) compared to the mean for Tasks 6 and 7 (= 0.71, SD = 0.20). By implementing the IAT in the novel field of robotics, useful information about user’s implicit perceptions toward robots may aid in future human robot interaction

Do You Know if You Trust a Robot? Influences that Mediate Implicit and Explicit Trust

With the widespread expansion in fields of technology, the use of robotics in the average person’s everyday life continues to increase. This fast paced shift has brought about issues related to user trust. Here we investigate the effects of robot appearance and reliability on a user’s level of trust. Traditionally trust in the field of robotics has measured explicit trust, primarily through the use of self-report questionnaires. While we maintain this paradigm in our current work, we also expand on it by including a measure of implicit trust. This was achieved through the use of the Implicit Associations Test (IAT), administered prior to the experimental trials and aimed at evaluating participant’s implicit trust differences between humans and robots. Explicit trust was evaluated by measuring participant response to three different robot forms. Additionally, each robot could behave reliably or unreliably during a series of three experimental trials. A final fourth trial was also used, where we evaluated choice by allowing participants to choose their preferred robot. Explicit trust was measured through the use of two questionnaires: the Trust in Automation Scale (TAS) and the Human-Robot Trust Scale (HRTS). Results from the IAT showed implicit reservations related to trusting a robot over a human. Results from the explicit trust metrics showed differences based on the reliability of the robot, as well as when the participant chose to interact with the robot. We conclude that reliability remains a dominant driver of trust, yet other contextual factors do prove influential

Abiotic ammonium formation in the presence of Ni-Fe metals and alloys and its implications for the Hadean nitrogen cycle

Experiments with dinitrogen-, nitrite-, nitrate-containing solutions were conducted without headspace in Ti reactors (200°C), borosilicate septum bottles (70°C) and HDPE tubes (22°C) in the presence of Fe and Ni metal, awaruite (Ni80Fe20) and tetrataenite (Ni50Fe50). In general, metals used in this investigation were more reactive than alloys toward all investigated nitrogen species. Nitrite and nitrate were converted to ammonium more rapidly than dinitrogen, and the reduction process had a strong temperature dependence. We concluded from our experimental observations that Hadean submarine hydrothermal systems could have supplied significant quantities of ammonium for reactions that are generally associated with prebiotic synthesis, especially in localized environments. Several natural meteorites (octahedrites) were found to contain up to 22 ppm Ntot. While the oxidation state of N in the octahedrites was not determined, XPS analysis of metals and alloys used in the study shows that N is likely present as nitride (N3-). This observation may have implications toward the Hadean environment, since, terrestrial (e.g., oceanic) ammonium production may have been supplemented by reduced nitrogen delivered by metal-rich meteorites. This notion is based on the fact that nitrogen dissolves into metallic melts

The ABC130 barrel module prototyping programme for the ATLAS strip tracker

For the Phase-II Upgrade of the ATLAS Detector, its Inner Detector, consisting of silicon pixel, silicon strip and transition radiation sub-detectors, will be replaced with an all new 100 % silicon tracker, composed of a pixel tracker at inner radii and a strip tracker at outer radii. The future ATLAS strip tracker will include 11,000 silicon sensor modules in the central region (barrel) and 7,000 modules in the forward region (end-caps), which are foreseen to be constructed over a period of 3.5 years. The construction of each module consists of a series of assembly and quality control steps, which were engineered to be identical for all production sites. In order to develop the tooling and procedures for assembly and testing of these modules, two series of major prototyping programs were conducted: an early program using readout chips designed using a 250 nm fabrication process (ABCN-25) and a subsequent program using a follow-up chip set made using 130 nm processing (ABC130 and HCC130 chips). This second generation of readout chips was used for an extensive prototyping program that produced around 100 barrel-type modules and contributed significantly to the development of the final module layout. This paper gives an overview of the components used in ABC130 barrel modules, their assembly procedure and findings resulting from their tests.Comment: 82 pages, 66 figure

Factors Associated with Revision Surgery after Internal Fixation of Hip Fractures

Background: Femoral neck fractures are associated with high rates of revision surgery after management with internal fixation. Using data from the Fixation using Alternative Implants for the Treatment of Hip fractures (FAITH) trial evaluating methods of internal fixation in patients with femoral neck fractures, we investigated associations between baseline and surgical factors and the need for revision surgery to promote healing, relieve pain, treat infection or improve function over 24 months postsurgery. Additionally, we investigated factors associated with (1) hardware removal and (2) implant exchange from cancellous screws (CS) or sliding hip screw (SHS) to total hip arthroplasty, hemiarthroplasty, or another internal fixation device. Methods: We identified 15 potential factors a priori that may be associated with revision surgery, 7 with hardware removal, and 14 with implant exchange. We used multivariable Cox proportional hazards analyses in our investigation. Results: Factors associated with increased risk of revision surgery included: female sex, [hazard ratio (HR) 1.79, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.25-2.50; P = 0.001], higher body mass index (fo

Implicit Attitudes Toward Robots

This study explores employing a measurement of implicit attitudes to better understand attitudes and trust levels towards robots. This work builds upon an existing implicit measure (Implicit Associations Test) to compare attitudes toward humans with attitudes toward robots. Results are compared with explicit self-report measures, and future directions for this work are discussed

Novel Technique for Open Surgical Tracheostomy in Small Children

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