Pressure effects on selected correlated electron systems

This thesis summarizes experimental work using high pressure for materials synthesis and also as a tuning parameter in the study of selected correlated electron systems at low temperatures. Details of materials growth at high pressure and high temperature are given as well as the details of the assembly and use of the high pressure modified Bridgman anvil cell (mBAC) for resistivity measurements. The mBAC was used to tune the various ground states of several correlated electron systems: the metal-to-insulator transition in V6O11, the spin density wave antiferromagnetism in V7O13 as well as members of Ba(Fe1-xRux)2As2, the superconductivity of members of Ba(Fe1-xRux)2As2, and the heavy fermion states of YbFe2Zn20

BlogForever: D2.5 Weblog Spam Filtering Report and Associated Methodology

This report is written as a first attempt to define the BlogForever spam detection strategy. It comprises a survey of weblog spam technology and approaches to their detection. While the report was written to help identify possible approaches to spam detection as a component within the BlogForver software, the discussion has been extended to include observations related to the historical, social and practical value of spam, and proposals of other ways of dealing with spam within the repository without necessarily removing them. It contains a general overview of spam types, ready-made anti-spam APIs available for weblogs, possible methods that have been suggested for preventing the introduction of spam into a blog, and research related to spam focusing on those that appear in the weblog context, concluding in a proposal for a spam detection workflow that might form the basis for the spam detection component of the BlogForever software

Applications of Machine Learning in Pharmacogenomics: Clustering Plasma Concentration-Time Curves

Pharmaceutical researchers are continually searching for techniques to improve both drug development processes and patient outcomes. An area of recent interest is the potential for machine learning (ML) applications within pharmacology. One such application not yet given close study is the unsupervised clustering of plasma concentration-time curves, hereafter, pharmacokinetic (PK) curves. In this paper, we present our findings on how to cluster PK curves by their similarity. Specifically, we find clustering to be effective at identifying similar-shaped PK curves and informative for understanding patterns within each cluster of PK curves. Because PK curves are time series data objects, our approach utilizes the extensive body of research related to the clustering of time series data as a starting point. As such, we examine many dissimilarity measures between time series data objects to find those most suitable for PK curves. We identify Euclidean distance as generally most appropriate for clustering PK curves, and we further show that dynamic time warping, Fr\'{e}chet, and structure-based measures of dissimilarity like correlation may produce unexpected results. As an illustration, we apply these methods in a case study with 250 PK curves used in a previous pharmacogenomic study. Our case study finds that an unsupervised ML clustering with Euclidean distance, without any subject genetic information, is able to independently validate the same conclusions as the reference pharmacogenomic results. To our knowledge, this is the first such demonstration. Further, the case study demonstrates how the clustering of PK curves may generate insights that could be difficult to perceive solely with population level summary statistics of PK metrics.Comment: 38 pages, 14 figures, 3 table

Final evaluation of the project for expanding the role of networks of people living with HIV/AIDS

In July 2006, the International HIV/AIDS Alliance launched a three-year project on Expanding the Role of Networks of People Living with HIV/AIDS in Uganda. The project, which is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)/Uganda, sought to increase the involvement of people living with HIV/AIDS (PHA) in the HIV/AIDS response and to improve access to and utilization of prevention, treatment, care, and support services for PHA households. USAID/Uganda commissioned an evaluation of the project’s design, strategies, and performance in order to improve its implementation and learn from its successes and challenges. The study was a cross-sectional descriptive and analytical process evaluation employing both rapid participatory assessment and appraisal techniques. It utilized mixed methodologies in data collection, including a desk review, 113 key informant interviews, and 16 focus group discussions. The evaluation was conducted in 11 project districts. This final evaluation report includes the main findings and recommendations

Gender, Bodies, Sex, Technology: Dismantling Heterosexual Male Subjectivity and Desire in Transnational Film

This dissertation examines subversions of the male gaze in 21st century films from Argentina, Spain, and South Korea--Lucía Puenzo's XXY (2007), Pedro Almodóvar's La piel que habito / The Skin I Live In (2011), and Kim Ki-duk's Time / Sigan (2006). This project begins with the idea that if mainstream cinematic practices create a perspective that "naturalizes" a heterosexual male viewpoint as the universal and the norm, then the specificity of this position may also be used as a starting point to subvert cinematic desire. Using a variety of theoretical frameworks, such as those proposed by Jacques Lacan, Laura Mulvey, Teresa de Lauretis, Barbara Creed, Leon Festinger, John Berger, Robert Stam, and Bernadette Wegenstein, among others, this project explores how different embodied realities, such as the intersexed body, forced gender reassignment surgery, rape, female madness, and cosmetic surgery--address themselves to the heterosexual male viewer in a way that subverts, displaces, or otherwise problematizes this viewer's privileged position.Doctor of Philosoph

An Inkjet Printed Flexible Electrocorticography (ECoG) Microelectrode Array on a Thin Parylene-C Film

Electrocorticography (ECoG) is a conventional, invasive technique for recording brain signals from the cortical surface using an array of electrodes. In this study, we developed a highly flexible 22-channel ECoG microelectrode array on a thin Parylene film using novel fabrication techniques. Narrow (\u3c40 \u3eµm) and thin (\u3c500 \u3enm) microelectrode patterns were first printed on PDMS, then the patterns were transferred onto Parylene films via vapor deposition and peeling. A custom-designed, 3D-printed connector was built and assembled with the Parylene-based flexible ECoG microelectrode array without soldering. The impedance of the assembled ECoG electrode array was measured in vitro by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and the result was consistent. In addition, we conducted in vivo studies by implanting the flexible ECoG sensor in a rat and successfully recording brain signals

BlogForever D3.3: Development of the Digital Rights Management Policy

This report presents a set of recommended practices and approaches that a future BlogForever repository can use to develop a digital rights management policy. The report outlines core legal aspects of digital rights that might need consideration in developing policies, and what the challenges are, in particular, in relation to web archives and blog archives. These issues are discussed in the context of the digital information life cycle and steps that might be taken within the workflow of the BlogForever platform to facilitate the gathering and management of digital rights information. Further, the reports on interviews with experts in the field highlight current perspectives on rights management and provide empirical support for the recommendations that have been put forward

A Corpus Based Examination of Autogenous and Reactive Obsessions in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Counselors are tasked with being knowledgeable about assessing and treating a broad range of mental health issues. There has been an overall rise in mental health symptoms in individuals during the current COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the increased use of online internet forums as part of help-seeking behaviors. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) received attention during this time due to its close connection to fears of contamination and contracting an illness. However, research on OCD has found that there are several different symptom dimensions and that there are heterogeneous manifestations of obsessions and compulsions. A model of OCD that separates obsessions into autogenous and reactive types has been proposed in order to differentiate between their clinical features. Understanding the differences of these subtypes of obsessions can be beneficial to counselors when working with clients with OCD. This dissertation has two research arms; Research Arm A looked at the psychological and linguistic variables use in anonymous online posts of individuals with OCD, and Research Arm B looked at the collocates of keywords in the autogenous and reactive corpuses. Research Arm A used natural language processing software to look at the differences in 4 linguistic variables and 15 psychological variables in the autogenous and reactive corpuses. A log likelihood ratio compared the usage rates of these variables, and effect sizes were calculated to identify the variables that most differentiated the two corpuses. Research arm B used a collocation study method to look at the words and word networks that most differentiated the two types of obsessions. The results of these studies show a delineation between the subtypes of obsessions. The results of research arm A showed different psychological variables having large effect sizes in the two different corpuses. The LIWC variables “sexual” and “insight” in the autogenous corpus and “health” and “body” in the reactive corpus had the largest effect sizes. First person singular and third person singular had larger effect sizes in the autogenous corpus. In research arm B, the keywords sexual and POCD had the strongest keyness in the autogenous corpus while contamination and checking had the strongest keyness in the reactive corpus. These results indicate the clinical importance of training counselors about the heterogeneity of the symptoms of OCD, as research has shown that many individuals do not seek out help due to fears of being inaccurately assessed, particularly for those with obsessions with a sexual theme. These results also have implications for future research, as there is a lack of research about each subtype of OCD from a corpus linguistic approach

Electrical resistivity study of CeZn11: Magnetic field and pressure phase diagram up to 5 GPa

Thorough resistivity measurements on single crystals of CeZn11 under pressure p and magnetic field H are presented. At ambient pressure, CeZn11 orders antiferromagnetically at TN=2 K. The pressure dependence of the resistivity reveals an increase of the Kondo effect. We determine the pressure evolution of the magnetic exchange interaction between conduction and localized 4f electrons. It qualitatively reproduces the pressure evolution of the magnetic ordering temperature TO1 (with TO1=TN at ambient pressure). In addition to TO1, a new anomaly TO2appears under pressure. Both anomalies are found to increase with applied pressure up to 4.9 GPa, indicating that CeZn11 is far from a pressure induced quantum critical point. Complex T-H phase diagrams are obtained under pressure which reveal the instability of the ground state in this compound