Lotus Meditation Assistive Device Using EEG to Measure State of Mind

Focus meditation has been proven to reduce stress, which according to American Psychological Association, 77% of the US population experienced in 2014. The Lotus, a meditation training device, will read brain signals and provide real time feedback to help a person meditate. The Lotus software package acquires and process brain signals to determine when the user has entered a meditative state. The signals were then output to a controller that varies the intensity of LED lights and movement of the lotus. This will, through neurofeedback, train the user to more effortlessly enter the meditative state. The brain signals present in meditating patients were studied and the lotus, as well as the software, were designed and calibrated to ensure optimal feedback

El Confucianismo y las tradiciones marciales asiáticas

El confucianismo ha sido un elemento base en la vida política y social de muchos países asiáticos. Su influencia se extiende por instituciones y prácticas en cada nivel de la actividad humana. Las artes marciales también se han beneficiado de esta filosofía, y el legado tradicional confuciano continúa influyendo en las prácticas modernas. Este artículo pone de relieve sucintamente algunas figuras y acontecimientos cruciales, describe conceptos relevantes y centrales de la filosofía confuciana, y por último muestra aplicaciones paradigmáticas para las artes marciales de hoy en día. Los artistas marciales modernos pueden lograr la comprensión de la visión tradicional confuciana y profundizar en el significado de las artes marciales contemporáneas

Theory for Nonlinear Spectroscopy of Vibrational Polaritons

Molecular polaritons have gained considerable attention due to their potential to control nanoscale molecular processes by harnessing electromagnetic coherence. Although recent experiments with liquid-phase vibrational polaritons have shown great promise for exploiting these effects, significant challenges remain in interpreting their spectroscopic signatures. In this letter, we develop a quantum-mechanical theory of pump-probe spectroscopy for this class of polaritons based on the quantum Langevin equations and the input-output theory. Comparison with recent experimental data shows good agreement upon consideration of the various vibrational anharmonicities that modulate the signals. Finally, a simple and intuitive interpretation of the data based on an effective mode-coupling theory is provided. Our work provides a solid theoretical framework to elucidate nonlinear optical properties of molecular polaritons as well as to analyze further multidimensional spectroscopy experiments on these systems

Revealing Hidden Vibration Polariton Interactions by 2D IR Spectroscopy

We report the first experimental two-dimensional infrared (2D IR) spectra of novel molecular photonic excitations - vibrational-polaritons. The application of advanced 2D IR spectroscopy onto novel vibrational-polariton challenges and advances our understanding in both fields. From spectroscopy aspect, 2D IR spectra of polaritons differ drastically from free uncoupled molecules; from vibrational-polariton aspects, 2D IR uniquely resolves hybrid light-matter polariton excitations and unexpected dark states in a state-selective manner and revealed hidden interactions between them. Moreover, 2D IR signals highlight the role of vibrational anharmonicities in generating non-linear signals. To further advance our knowledge on 2D IR of vibrational polaritons, we develop a new quantum-mechanical model incorporating the effects of both nuclear and electrical anharmonicities on vibrational-polaritons and their 2D IR signals. This work reveals polariton physics that is difficult or impossible to probe with traditional linear spectroscopy and lays the foundation for investigating new non-linear optics and chemistry of molecular vibrational-polaritons

Estrogens as neuroprotectants: Estrogenic actions in the context of cognitive aging and brain injury

There is ample empirical evidence to support the notion that the biological impacts of estrogen extend beyond the gonads to other bodily systems, including the brain and behavior. Converging preclinical findings have indicated a neuroprotective role for estrogen in a variety of experimental models of cognitive function and brain insult. However, the surprising null or even detrimental findings of several large clinical trials evaluating the ability of estrogen-containing hormone treatments to protect against age-related brain changes and insults, including cognitive aging and brain injury, led to hesitation by both clinicians and patients in the use of exogenous estrogenic treatments for nervous system outcomes. That estrogen-containing therapies are used by tens of millions of women for a variety of health-related applications across the lifespan has made identifying conditions under which benefits with estrogen treatment will be realized an important public health issue. Here we provide a summary of the biological actions of estrogen and estrogen-containing formulations in the context of aging, cognition, stroke, and traumatic brain injury. We have devoted special attention to highlighting the notion that estrogen appears to be a conditional neuroprotectant whose efficacy is modulated by several interacting factors. By developing criteria standards for desired beneficial peripheral and neuroprotective outcomes among unique patient populations, we can optimize estrogen treatments for attenuating the consequences of, and perhaps even preventing, cognitive aging and brain injury

Using CORE Model-Based Systems Engineering Software to Support Program Management in the U.S. Department of Energy Office of the Biomass Project: Preprint

This paper describes how a model-based systems engineering software, CORE, is helping the U. S. Department of Energy's Office of Biomass Program assist with bringing biomass-derived biofuels to the market. This software tool provides information to guide informed decision-making as biomass-to-biofuels systems are advanced from concept to commercial adoption. It facilitates management and communication of program status by automatically generating custom reports, Gantt charts, and tables using the widely available programs of Microsoft Word, Project and Excel

2,6-Dichloro-1-[(1E)-2-(phenyl­sulfon­yl)ethen­yl]benzene

In the title compound, C14H10Cl2O2S, the product of a base-catalyzed condensation followed by deca­rboxylation of the carboxyl­ate group of the sulfonyl derivative, the configuration of the alkene unit is E. The torsion angle between the alkene unit and the 2,6-dichloro­phenyl ring system is −40.8 (3)°. The dihedral angle between the rings is 80.39 (7)°

Practical sublimation source for large-scale chromium gettering in fusion devices

This paper describes the technique of chromium gettering with a large-scale sublimation source which resembles in its design the VARIAN Ti-Ball. It consists of a hollow chromium sphere with a diameter of approximately 3 cm and an incandescent filament for radiation heating from inside the ball. While the fabrication of the source is described in a companion paper, we discuss here the gettering technique. The experimental arrangement consists of an UHV system instrumented for total- and partial-pressure measurements, a film-thickness monitor, thermocouples, an optical pyrometer, and appropriate instrumentation to measure the heating power. The results show the temperature and corresponding sublimation rate of the Cr-Ball as function of input power. In addition, an example of the total pumping speed of a gettered surface is shown

Modulation of polymorphonuclear neutrophil functions by astrocytes

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Neuroinflammation is a complex process involving cells from the immune system and the central nerve system (CNS). Polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN) are the most abundant class of white blood cells, and typically the first type of leukocyte recruited to sites of inflammation. In the CNS, astrocytes are the most abundant glial cell population and participate in the local innate immune response triggered by a variety of insults. In the present study, we investigated the impacts of astrocytes on PMN function.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Primary astrocyte cultures were derived from postnatal C57BL/6 mice and primary neutrophils were isolated from 8 to 12 weeks old C57BL/6 mice. PMNs respiratory burst was analyzed by H2DCFDA assay. For phagocytosis assay, neutrophils were incubated with FITC-labeled E. coli and the phagocytosis of E coli was determined by flow cytometer. PMNs degranulation was determined by myeloperoxidase assay. Cytokine expression was determined by real-time PCR. To determine the involvement of different signaling pathway, protein lysates were prepared and western blots were conducted to assess the activation of Akt, Erk1/2, and p38.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Using ex vivo neutrophils and primary astrocyte cultures, our study demonstrated that astrocytes differentially regulate neutrophil functions, depending upon whether the interactions between the two cell types are direct or indirect. Upon direct cell-cell contact, astrocytes attenuate neutrophil apoptosis, respiratory bust, and degranulation, while enhancing neutrophil phagocytic capability and pro-inflammatory cytokine expression. Through indirect interaction with neutrophils, astrocytes attenuate apoptosis and enhance necrosis in neutrophils, augment neutrophil phagocytosis and respiratory burst, and inhibit neutrophil degranulation. In addition, astrocytes could augment Akt, Erk1/2, and p38 activation in neutrophils.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Astrocytes differentially regulate neutrophil functions through direct or indirect interactions between the two cell types. The diversified actions of astrocytes on neutrophils might provide protection against potential microbial infections given compromised blood-brain barrier integrity under certain neuropathological conditions. The complex actions of astrocytes on neutrophils could provide further insight to harness the inflammatory response to promote CNS repair.</p

Air entrainment through free-surface cusps

In many industrial processes, such as pouring a liquid or coating a rotating cylinder, air bubbles are entrapped inside the liquid. We propose a novel mechanism for this phenomenon, based on the instability of cusp singularities that generically form on free surfaces. The air being drawn into the narrow space inside the cusp destroys its stationary shape when the walls of the cusp come too close. Instead, a sheet emanates from the cusp's tip, through which air is entrained. Our analytical theory of this instability is confirmed by experimental observation and quantitative comparison with numerical simulations of the flow equations