Virtus et disciplina : an interdisciplinary study of the roman martial values of courage and discipline

This thesis discusses Roman martial values, principally virtus and disciplina, and their literary characterization. This is an interdisciplinary study that employs data and methodologies from anthropology, evolutionary biology, moral philosophy, military history, and analytical psychology to supplement scholarship from classical studies. My aim is to analyze and interpret, as deeply and profoundly as possible, the values that the Romans regarded as essential to their military success. I argue that Greek and Roman authors depict nuanced but relatively consistent representations of Roman martial values, which both derive from actual Roman military practice and project an important component of Roman cultural identity. Virtus was a virtue that primarily denoted martial courage, an ethical quality, while disciplina functioned as a means to virtus, but it was not necessarily a virtue itself. The premises of my argument are as follows: 1) military doctrine reflects culture, which manifests in the projection of Roman values through military narratives; 2) there is significant agreement among classical authors discussing Roman warfare in the abstract; 3) historiography distorts to some extent but is not deliberately mendacious, which derives from the relatively meritocratic hierarchies cultivated by the Roman army; 4) an appreciation of archetypal imagery has utility in interpreting Roman values, given that the primary evidence for these qualities derive from stories imbued with moral instruction.Includes bibliographical reference

A Compton telescope for remote location and identification of radioactive material

The spare detectors from NASA Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory COMPTEL instrument have been reconfigured to demonstrate the capability at ground level to remotely locate and identify sources of g radiation or the movement of material that might shield γ-ray sources. The Gamma-Ray Experimental Telescope Assembly (GRETA) employs two 28 cm diameter scintillation detectors separated by 81 cm: one 8.5 cm thick liquid scintillator detector and one 7.5 cm thick NaI(Tl) detector. The assembly electronics and real-time data acquisition system measures the energy deposits and time-of- flight for each coincident detection and compiles histograms of total energy and incident angle as computed using the kinematics of Compton scattering. The GRETA field of view is a cone with full angle approximately 120°. The sensitive energy range is 0.3 to 2.6 MeV. Energy resolution is ~10% FWHM. The angular resolution, ~19° in the simplified configuration tested, will improve to better than 5° with well-defined enhancements to the data acquisition hardware and data analysis routines. When operated in the mode that was used in space, the instrument is capable of measuring and imaging up to 30 MeV with an angular resolution of 1.5°. The response of the instrument was mapped in the laboratory with 14 Ci 22Na source 3 m from the instrument. Later, we conducted demonstrations under two measurement scenarios. In one, the remotely located instrument observed an increase of background radiation counts at 1.4 MeV when a large amount of lead was removed from a building and a corresponding decrease when the lead was replaced. In the other scenario, the location and isotope-identifying energy spectrum of a 500 μCi137Cs source 3-5 m from the instrument with two intervening walls was determined in less than one minute. We report details of the instrument design and these measurements

Position Resolution in LaBr3 and LaCl3 Scintillators Using Position-Sensitive Photomultiplier Tubes

Advanced scintillator materials such as LaBr3:Ce and LaCl3:Ce hold great promise for future hard X-ray and gamma-ray astrophysics missions due to their high density, high light output, good linearity, and fast decay times. Of particular importance for future space-based imaging instruments, such as coded-aperture telescopes, is the precise spatial location of individual gamma-ray interactions. We have investigated the position and energy resolution achievable within monolithic (5 cm × 5 cm × 1 cm) LaBr3:Ce and LaCl3:Ce crystals using position-sensitive light readout devices, including a position-sensitive photomultiplier tube and a multi-anode photomultiplier tube. We present the results of these tests and discuss the applicability of such advanced scintillators to future high-energy imaging astrophysics missions

Integrative genomic mining for enzyme function to enable engineering of a non-natural biosynthetic pathway.

The ability to biosynthetically produce chemicals beyond what is commonly found in Nature requires the discovery of novel enzyme function. Here we utilize two approaches to discover enzymes that enable specific production of longer-chain (C5-C8) alcohols from sugar. The first approach combines bioinformatics and molecular modelling to mine sequence databases, resulting in a diverse panel of enzymes capable of catalysing the targeted reaction. The median catalytic efficiency of the computationally selected enzymes is 75-fold greater than a panel of naively selected homologues. This integrative genomic mining approach establishes a unique avenue for enzyme function discovery in the rapidly expanding sequence databases. The second approach uses computational enzyme design to reprogramme specificity. Both approaches result in enzymes with >100-fold increase in specificity for the targeted reaction. When enzymes from either approach are integrated in vivo, longer-chain alcohol production increases over 10-fold and represents >95% of the total alcohol products

Cross-Participant EEG-Based Assessment of Cognitive Workload Using Multi-Path Convolutional Recurrent Neural Networks

Applying deep learning methods to electroencephalograph (EEG) data for cognitive state assessment has yielded improvements over previous modeling methods. However, research focused on cross-participant cognitive workload modeling using these techniques is underrepresented. We study the problem of cross-participant state estimation in a non-stimulus-locked task environment, where a trained model is used to make workload estimates on a new participant who is not represented in the training set. Using experimental data from the Multi-Attribute Task Battery (MATB) environment, a variety of deep neural network models are evaluated in the trade-space of computational efficiency, model accuracy, variance and temporal specificity yielding three important contributions: (1) The performance of ensembles of individually-trained models is statistically indistinguishable from group-trained methods at most sequence lengths. These ensembles can be trained for a fraction of the computational cost compared to group-trained methods and enable simpler model updates. (2) While increasing temporal sequence length improves mean accuracy, it is not sufficient to overcome distributional dissimilarities between individuals’ EEG data, as it results in statistically significant increases in cross-participant variance. (3) Compared to all other networks evaluated, a novel convolutional-recurrent model using multi-path subnetworks and bi-directional, residual recurrent layers resulted in statistically significant increases in predictive accuracy and decreases in cross-participant variance

Validating the Commercially Available Garmin Fenix 5x Wrist-Worn Optical Sensor for Aerobic Capacity

Recreational exercisers continue to take a greater interest in monitoring their personal fitness levels. One of the more notable measurements that are monitored and estimated by wrist-worn tracking devices is maximum aerobic capacity (VO2max), which is currently the accepted measure of cardiorespiratory fitness. Traditional methods of obtaining VO2max present expensive barriers, whereas new wearable technology, such as of the Garmin Fenix 5x (GF5) provides a more cost-effective alternative. PURPOSE: To determine the validity of the GF5 VO2max estimation capabilities against the ParvoMedics TrueOne 2400 (PMT) metabolic measurement system in recreational runners. METHODS: Twenty-five recreational runners (17 male and 8 female) ages 18-55 participated in this study. Participants underwent two testing sessions: one consisting of the Bruce Protocol utilizing the PMT, while the other test incorporated the GF5 using the Garmin outdoor protocol. Both testing sessions were conducted within a few days of each other, with a minimum of 24 hours rest between sessions. RESULTS: The mean VO2max values for the PMT trial (49.1 ± 8.4 mL/kg/min) and estimation for the GF5 trial (47 ± 6.0 mL/kg/min) were found to be significantly different (t = 2.21, p = 0.037).   CONCLUSION: The average difference between the GF5 estimation and the PMT was 2.16 ml/kg/min.  Therefore, the watch is not as accurate compared to a PMT for obtaining VO2max.  However, although not statically significant, the proximity of scores to the PMT shows that the GF5 can be an option for a person seeking an affordable and easily available method of determining VO2max. &nbsp

Daily changes in phytoplankton lipidomes reveal mechanisms of energy storage in the open ocean

© The Author(s), 2018. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Nature Communications 9 (2018): 5179, doi:10.1038/s41467-018-07346-z.Sunlight is the dominant control on phytoplankton biosynthetic activity, and darkness deprives them of their primary external energy source. Changes in the biochemical composition of phytoplankton communities over diel light cycles and attendant consequences for carbon and energy flux in environments remain poorly elucidated. Here we use lipidomic data from the North Pacific subtropical gyre to show that biosynthesis of energy-rich triacylglycerols (TAGs) by eukaryotic nanophytoplankton during the day and their subsequent consumption at night drives a large and previously uncharacterized daily carbon cycle. Diel oscillations in TAG concentration comprise 23 ± 11% of primary production by eukaryotic nanophytoplankton representing a global flux of about 2.4 Pg C yr−1. Metatranscriptomic analyses of genes required for TAG biosynthesis indicate that haptophytes and dinoflagellates are active members in TAG production. Estimates suggest that these organisms could contain as much as 40% more calories at sunset than at sunrise due to TAG production.This work was supported by a grant from the Simons Foundation, and is a contribution of the Simons Collaboration on Ocean Processes and Ecology (SCOPE award # 329108, B.A.S.V.M.). K.W.B. was further supported by the Postdoctoral Scholarship Program at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution & U.S. Geological Survey

Evaluating the extent of a large-scale transformation in gateway science courses

We evaluate the impact of an institutional effort to transform undergraduate science courses using an approach based on course assessments. The approach is guided by A Framework for K-12 Science Education and focuses on scientific and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts, and core ideas, together called three-dimensional learning. To evaluate the extent of change, we applied the Three-dimensional Learning Assessment Protocol to 4 years of chemistry, physics, and biology course exams. Changes in exams differed by discipline and even by course, apparently depending on an interplay between departmental culture, course organization, and perceived course ownership, demonstrating the complex nature of transformation in higher education. We conclude that while transformation must be supported at all organizational levels, ultimately, change is controlled by factors at the course and departmental levels

The Work of Cultural Intermediaries and the Enduring Distance between Production and Consumption

This article raises some critical questions about cultural intermediaries as both a descriptive label and analytic concept. In doing so, it has two main aims. First, it seeks to provide some clarification, critique and suggestions that will assist in the elaboration of this idea and offer possible lines of enquiry for further research. Second, it is argued that whilst studying the work of cultural intermediaries can provide a number of insights, such an approach provides only a partial account of the practices that continue to proliferate in the space between production and consumption. Indeed, in significant ways, a focus on cultural intermediaries reproduces rather than bridges the distance between production and consumption. The paper focuses on three distinct issues. First, some questions are raised about the presumed special significance of cultural intermediaries within the production/consumption relations of contemporary capitalism. Second, how 'creative' and active cultural intermediaries are within processes of cultural production is discussed. Third, specific strategies of inclusion/exclusion adopted by this occupational grouping are highlighted in order to suggest that access to work providing 'symbolic goods and services' is by no means as fluid or open as is sometimes claimed

Predicting functional responses in agro-ecosystems from animal movement data to improve management of invasive pests

Functional responses describe how changing resource availability affects con- sumer resource use, thus providing a mechanistic approach to prediction of the invasibility and potential damage of invasive alien species (IAS). However, functional responses can be context dependent, varying with resource characteristics and availability, consumer attributes, and environmental variables. Identifying context dependencies can allow invasion and damage risk to be predicted across different ecoregions. Understanding how ecological factors shape the functional response in agro-ecosystems can improve predictions of hotspots of highest impact and inform strategies to mitigate damage across locations with varying crop types and avail- ability. We linked heterogeneous movement data across different agro-ecosystems to predict ecologically driven variability in the functional responses. We applied our approach to wild pigs (Sus scrofa), one of the most successful and detrimental IAS worldwide where agricultural resource depredation is an important driver of spread and establishment. We used continental- scale movement data within agro-ecosystems to quantify the functional response of agricul- tural resources relative to availability of crops and natural forage. We hypothesized that wild pigs would selectively use crops more often when natural forage resources were low. We also examined how individual attributes such as sex, crop type, and resource stimulus such as dis- tance to crops altered the magnitude of the functional response. There was a strong agricul- tural functional response where crop use was an accelerating function of crop availability at low density (Type III) and was highly context dependent. As hypothesized, there was a reduced response of crop use with increasing crop availability when non-agricultural resources were more available, emphasizing that crop damage levels are likely to be highly heterogeneous depending on surrounding natural resources and temporal availability of crops. We found sig- nificant effects of crop type and sex, with males spending 20% more time and visiting crops 58% more often than females, and both sexes showing different functional responses depend- ing on crop type. Our application demonstrates how commonly collected animal movement data can be used to understand context dependencies in resource use to improve our under- standing of pest foraging behavior, with implications for prioritizing spatiotemporal hotspots of potential economic loss in agro-ecosystems