Nutation damper for the AMPTE-IRM satellite: Final Report

The design, computations, and testing of the nutation damper for the AMPTE-IRM satellite are described. The nutation motions of the satellite excite fluid oscillations in the closed tube system; kinetic energy is destroyed (converted to heat) through tube/fluid friction, constriction of the stream by cross sectional change, and formation of turbulence by stream enlargement. This energy is extracted from the satellite such that nutation is reduced. Tests were carried out in a pendulum testing device and the time constants were calculated. Findings showed that the damper remained within the originally specified values and provided for good dynamic behavior of the satellite

“Is [he] a man? If so, is he mad? And if not, is he a devil?”: The Influence of Culture Versus Experience on the Brontë Sisters’ Perception of Mental Illness

Charlotte, Emily, and Anne Brontë each presented a different perspective on mental illness within their novels. The primary reason for this difference in perspective can be found in their different responses to their brother Branwell’s poor mental state. As Branwell’s health deteriorated mentally and physically, his sisters ended up becoming his primary caregivers, giving them a unique insight into mental illness that would have been unusual for the time period, given the tendency to send any mentally ill family members away to asylums. Still, this shared experience impacted each of the sisters differently, likely due to the different relationship each of them had with their brother as well as the way they responded to the cultural influences, which then affected the way they portrayed mental illness in their novels: Charlotte, though once the closest to Branwell, held an outdated, unfavorable opinion of mental illness, presenting those afflicted as animalistic in nature in her fiction; Anne took a more religious approach, viewing addiction as a result of a fallen moral state; whereas Emily showed the humanity of the mentally ill and the reasons behind their mental deterioration, all while maintaining hope for rehabilitation

Argument Pedagogy for Everyday Life

This article assists argumentation and debate instructors in developing courses that provide coverage of foundational concepts while reflecting their own interests. Courses in argumentation and debate also offer instructors an opportunity to teach through applied engagement with contemporary events. We encourage instructors to reflect on the various contexts of argumentation and debate as well as challenging questions concerning the role of technology in the classroom, the conflict between normative and descriptive examples of argumentation, how much to emphasize the role of argumentation and debate in societal change, and the connections between argumentation and deliberation

The decrease in growth hormone (GH) response after repeated stimulation with GH-Releasing hormone is partly caused by an elevation of somatostatin tonus.

Repeated injection of GHRH leads to a decrease in the GH response in normal subjects. Arginine (Arg) stimulates GH secretion by suppression of hypothalamic somatostatin. To confirm these findings, eight normal men were examined in a series of five settings: test 1 (GHRH/GHRH-TRH), 100 micrograms GHRH injected iv, followed by 100 micrograms GHRH, iv, after 120 min and 200 micrograms TRH, iv, after 150 min; test 2 (GHRH/Arg-TRH), like test 1, but instead of the second GHRH injection, a 30 g Arg infusion over 30 min; test 3 (GHRH/GHRH-Arg-TRH), like test 1, but additionally a 30 g Arg infusion after 120 min; test 4 (GHRH-Arg-TRH), iv GHRH and Arg infusion initially, followed by iv TRH after 30 min; and test 5 (TRH), 200 micrograms TRH, iv, at 0 min. For statistical evaluation, the area under the GH curve (AUC) from 0-120 min was compared with the AUC from 120-240 min. The GH response to the second administration of GHRH was significantly lower (P < 0.02) than the first increase [AUC, 0.5 +/- 0.01 min.mg/L (mean +/- SE) vs. 1.2 +/- 0.3]. No significant differences were found between the GH responses to either GHRH or Arg alone (AUC, 0.9 +/- 0.2 min.mg/L vs. 0.9 +/- 0.2). A larger GH increase (P < 0.02) was seen after GHRH-Arg compared to GHRH alone (AUC, 1.9 +/- 0.4 min.mg/L vs. 1.2 +/- 0.3). The GH response (P < 0.02) to GHRH-Arg stimulation was lower after previous GHRH injection than after GHRH-Arg stimulation alone (AUC, 1.9 +/- 0.4 min.mg/L vs. 3.5 +/- 0.9). There was a statistically significant difference between the TRH-stimulated TSH response in test 4 compared to that in test 5. We could show that decreasing GH responses to repeated GHRH can be avoided by a combined stimulation with GHRH/Arg. These findings suggest that the decreased GH response to a second GHRH bolus may be partly due to an elevated hypothalamic somatostatin secretion, which can be suppressed by Arg. The lower GH response to GHRH-Arg stimulation after a previous GHRH bolus suggests, furthermore, that the readily available GH pool in the human pituitary may be limited

Frenchmen in Dante’s Shoes: Sentimental Journeys through Italy in Early 19th Century Literature

Nel corso del Diciannovesimo secolo l’atteggiamento dei Francesi nei confronti dell’Italia è alquanto ambiguo, compreso tra una posa di superiorità ‘coloniale’ esercitata su un paese (ancora) disgregato e arretrato e la venerazione per geni letterari come Dante e Tasso. Dante soprattutto, affascina l’universo artistico e letterario francese durante tutto il secolo. Scrittori quali Lamartine o Hugo, così come pittori e musicisti, sono attratti sia dalla sua personalità, sia dal suo Inferno, la cantica indiscutibilmente più letta del poema dantesco. L’ambiguità risulta particolarmente ovvia nei viaggi sulle orme di Dante compiuti in Italia dagli scrittori francesi del Diciannovesimo secolo, che enfatizzano particolarmente il processo di identificazione emotiva. Si pensi qui a Chateaubriand, che nel 1828 viaggia attraverso l’Italia assumendo la posa di nuovo Alighieri, sebbene la sua conoscenza dell’opera di quest’ultimo sia piuttosto approssimativa. La sua identificazione con Dante, tuttavia, non sembra oltrepassare la semplice imitazione delle vicissitudini del Poeta e punta principalmente a forgiare un’immagine letteraria della sua persona. In maniera analoga, Jean-Jacques Ampère, nel suo Voyage dantesque (1839), predilige un approccio basato anch’esso sulle emozioni, ma le vaste conoscenze di storia della letteratura di Ampère consentono a quest’ultimo di sviluppare un atteggiamento critico più raffinato. Pertanto, la sua capacità di immedesimazione non consiste in una semplice imitazione, bensì in una comprensione più profonda dell’opera dantesca, che conduce Ampère non solamente a elogiare l’Italia rinascimentale, ma, addirittura, ad arrivare a mettere in discussione alcuni aspetti della cultura francese. Si delinea quindi un processo che, similmente a ciò che Dilthey chiamerà, in seguito, Einfuehlung, apporta un cambiamento profondo nella percezione dell’‘altro’ culturale, aprendo alla possibilità di un’ermeneutica interculturale tra la Francia e l’Italia

Guiding Deep Learning with Expert Knowledge for Dense Stereo Matching

Dense depth information can be reconstructed from stereo images using conventional hand-crafted as well as deep learning-based approaches. While deep-learning methods often show superior results compared to hand-crafted ones, they commonly learn geometric principles underlying the matching task from scratch and neglect that these principles have already been intensively studied and were considered explicitly in various models with great success in the past. In consequence, a broad range of principles and associated features need to be learned, limiting the possibility to focus on important details to also succeed in challenging image regions, such as close to depth discontinuities, thin objects and in weakly textured areas. To overcome this limitation, in this work, a hybrid technique, i.e., a combination of conventional hand-crafted and deep learning-based methods, is presented, addressing the task of dense stereo matching. More precisely, the input RGB stereo images are supplemented by a fourth image channel containing feature information obtained with a method based on expert knowledge. In addition, the assumption that edges in an image and discontinuities in the corresponding depth map coincide is modeled explicitly, allowing to predict the probability of being located next to a depth discontinuity per pixel. This information is used to guide the matching process and helps to sharpen correct depth discontinuities and to avoid the false prediction of such discontinuities, especially in weakly textured areas. The performance of the proposed method is investigated on three different data sets, including studies on the influence of the two methodological components as well as on the generalization capability. The results demonstrate that the presented hybrid approach can help to mitigate common limitations of deep learning-based methods and improves the quality of the estimated depth maps