Freedom of Speech in America’s Concentration Camps: The Press and Public Discourse for Japanese Americans at Manzanar

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Multidisciplinary Studies of Bard College

Speeding up the solution of the Bethe-Salpeter equation by a double-grid method and Wannier interpolation

The Bethe-Salpeter equation is a widely used approach to describe optical excitations in bulk semiconductors. It leads to spectra that are in very good agreement with experiment, but the price to pay for such accuracy is a very high computational burden. One of the main bottlenecks is the large number of k-points required to obtain converged spectra. In order to circumvent this problem we propose a strategy to solve the Bethe-Salpeter equation based on a double-grid technique coupled to a Wannier interpolation of the Kohn-Sham band structure. This strategy is then benchmarked for a particularly difficult case, the calculation of the absorption spectrum of GaAs, and for the well studied case of Si. The considerable gains observed in these cases fully validate our approach, and open the way for the application of the Bethe-Salpeter equation to large and complex systems.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures. Accepted for Phys. Rev.

Multi-Agent Systems

This Special Issue ""Multi-Agent Systems"" gathers original research articles reporting results on the steadily growing area of agent-oriented computing and multi-agent systems technologies. After more than 20 years of academic research on multi-agent systems (MASs), in fact, agent-oriented models and technologies have been promoted as the most suitable candidates for the design and development of distributed and intelligent applications in complex and dynamic environments. With respect to both their quality and range, the papers in this Special Issue already represent a meaningful sample of the most recent advancements in the field of agent-oriented models and technologies. In particular, the 17 contributions cover agent-based modeling and simulation, situated multi-agent systems, socio-technical multi-agent systems, and semantic technologies applied to multi-agent systems. In fact, it is surprising to witness how such a limited portion of MAS research already highlights the most relevant usage of agent-based models and technologies, as well as their most appreciated characteristics. We are thus confident that the readers of Applied Sciences will be able to appreciate the growing role that MASs will play in the design and development of the next generation of complex intelligent systems. This Special Issue has been converted into a yearly series, for which a new call for papers is already available at the Applied Sciences journal’s website: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/applsci/special_issues/Multi-Agent_Systems_2019

An image-based modeling framework for patient-specific computational hemodynamics

We present a modeling framework designed for patient-specific computational hemodynamics to be performed in the context of large-scale studies. The framework takes advantage of the integration of image processing, geometric analysis and mesh generation techniques, with an accent on full automation and high-level interaction. Image segmentation is performed using implicit deformable models taking advantage of a novel approach for selective initialization of vascular branches, as well as of a strategy for the segmentation of small vessels. A robust definition of centerlines provides objective geometric criteria for the automation of surface editing and mesh generation. The framework is available as part of an open-source effort, the Vascular Modeling Toolkit, a first step towards the sharing of tools and data which will be necessary for computational hemodynamics to play a role in evidence-based medicine

Developing a meta-model for early-stage overheating risk assessment for new apartments in London

The study presents a proposed approach towards developing the core engine for a simplified Rapid Overheating ASSessment Tool (ROASST), which is intended to help assist early-stage analysis of the risks of indoor overheating for apartments located in Greater London. Using a discrete number of plan forms selected from case studies, a virtual risk database was populated with the results of a large number of parametric dynamic thermal simulations based on the EnergyPlus calculation engine and including aspects such as location within Greater London, orientation, fenestration size and natural ventilation, which are associated with known overheating risk factors. Alternative statistical meta-models were developed with both explanatory and predictive purposes, correlating the simulation input with the overheating risk predictions expressed according to multiple metrics. Results from multiple linear regression analysis show that while all factors considered are relevant towards determining the propensity to overheating, window opening and natural ventilation capacity are by far the strongest predictors among those considered. The implementation of machine learning algorithms is shown to improve the accuracy of the meta-model, producing very high coefficients of determination (R2) and lower prediction errors (RMSE). The development of a meta-model demonstrates the ability of returning accurate predictions with limited input, albeit with significant limitations. Possibilities of further improvements to the tool are briefly outlined, including the coupling with a User Interface for applicability in a design environment for early-stage design advice

Financial exclusion and the cost of incomplete participation

Economic and social implications of the access to financial services both in developed and in developing countries have increasingly promoted the debate around the issue of considering “financial inclusion” as a public good, according to potential positive externalities associated to greater financial participation. If the role of financial inclusion as a public good, and the enhanced efficiency of public policy following a greater participation in the financial markets are established in an abstract way, a numerical estimate of the potential costs of incomplete participation in the financial system is still not explicitly addressed in the literature. The study designs a simplified approach for the calculation of the cost of financial exclusion through the identification of a general functional form representing the cost of incomplete participation encountered by financial actors or by the public policy aimed at alleviating financial exclusion. Such a cost is estimated parametrically according to alternative subgroups of financial institutions with different levels of depth of outreach corresponding to distinct orientation toward individuals excluded from the mainstream financial sector. Calculations show the role of financial exclusion in generating inefficiencies that raise the cost of accessing to financial transactions for all the participating individuals, or, in a policy perspective, the cost to tackle incomplete participation

Financial exclusion and the cost of incomplete participation

Economic and social implications of the access to financial services both in developed and in developing countries have increasingly promoted the debate around the issue of considering “financial inclusion” as a public good, according to potential positive externalities associated to greater financial participation. If the role of financial inclusion as a public good, and the enhanced efficiency of public policy following a greater participation in the financial markets are established in an abstract way, a numerical estimate of the potential costs of incomplete participation in the financial system is still not explicitly addressed in the literature. The study designs a simplified approach for the calculation of the cost of financial exclusion through the identification of a general functional form representing the cost of incomplete participation encountered by financial actors or by the public policy aimed at alleviating financial exclusion. Such a cost is estimated parametrically according to alternative subgroups of financial institutions with different levels of depth of outreach corresponding to distinct orientation toward individuals excluded from the mainstream financial sector. Calculations show the role of financial exclusion in generating inefficiencies that raise the cost of accessing to financial transactions for all the participating individuals, or, in a policy perspective, the cost to tackle incomplete participation

Expression, crystallization and preliminary X-ray crystallographic analysis of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase from the human pathogen Trypanosoma cruzi in complex with substrate. Corrigendum

A correction to the article by Ortíz et al. [(2011), Acta Cryst. F67, 1457–1461]

Spontaneous Upbeat Nystagmus and Selective Anterior Semicircular Canal Hypofunction on Video Head Impulse Test: A New Variant of Canalith Jam?

: We describe a rare case of spontaneous upbeat nystagmus (UBN) attributable to a canalith jam involving the anterior semicircular canal (ASC) in a patient in whom comprehensive vestibular assessment was useful to identify the underlying pathomechanism. A 56-year-old woman with unsteadiness following repositioning procedures for left-sided benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) presented with spontaneous UBN that showed slight right torsional components. A vestibular test battery detected isolated left ASC hypofunction on a video-head impulse test (Video-HIT). We postulated a persistent utriculopetal deflection of the left ASC cupula, which was attributable to entrapment of debris in a narrow canal tract, with consequent sustained inhibition of the ampullary afferents. Although spontaneous UBN receded after impulsive physical therapy, unsteadiness deteriorated into positional vertigo secondary to canalolithiasis involving the ipsilateral posterior canal. In our view, physical therapy possibly fragmented the canalith jam and released free-floating otoconia that eventually settled into the ipsilateral posterior canal. Video HIT revealed normalization of ASC hypofunction, and leftsided posterior canal canalolithiasis was successfully treated using appropriate repositioning procedures. We propose that a canalith jam involving the ASC should be considered in the differential diagnosis of spontaneous UBN, particularly in patients with a history of BPPV and isolated ASC hypofunction detected on video HIT