67 research outputs found

    The GPT3 Re-Imagining of “Howl” By Allen Ginsberg: What Are The Strengths and Weaknesses of This Representation?

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    With AI technology rapidly advancing, natural language processing systems are producing higher quality creative work like music and poetry. With the arrival of GPT-3, the generative pre-trained transformer, in May 2020, we are now confronting more opportunities to question its strengths and weaknesses. These transformer models have been known to successfully recreate the styles and themes of specific authors, writing across genres, and creating exciting new reversals. The main criticism remains that the AI cannot maintain coherent arguments or narrative threads

    EFFECTS OF AL(2)O(3) NANOPARTICLES DEPOSITION ON CRITICAL HEAT FLUX OF R-123 IN FLOW BOILING HEAT TRANSFER

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    In this study, R-123 flow boiling experiments were carried out to investigate the effects of nanoparticle deposition on heater surfaces on flow critical heat flux (CHF) and boiling heat transfer. It is known that CHF enhancement by nanoparticles results from porous structures that are very similar to layers of Chalk River unidentified deposit formed on nuclear fuel rod surfaces during the reactor operation period. Although previous studies have investigated the surface effects through surface modifications, most studies are limited to pool boiling conditions, and therefore, the effects of porous surfaces on flow boiling heat transfer are still unclear. In addition, there have been only few reports on suppression of wetting for decoupled approaches of reasoning. In this study, bare and Al2O3 nanoparticle-coated surfaces were prepared for the study experiments. The CHF of each surface was measured with different mass fluxes of 1,600 kg/m(2)s, 1,800 kg/m(2)s, 2,100 kg/m(2)s, 2,400 kg/m(2)s, and 2,600 kg/m(2)s. The nanoparticle-coated tube showed CHF enhancement up to 17% at a mass flux of 2,400 kg/m(2)s compared with the bare tube. The factors for CHF enhancement are related to the enhanced rewetting process derived from capillary action through porous structures built-up by nanoparticles while suppressing relative wettability effects between two sample surfaces as a highly wettable R-123 refrigerant was used as a working fluid. Copyright (C) 2015, Published by Elsevier Korea LLC on behalf of Korean Nuclear Societyclose0

    Dinomyrmex gigas (Latreille, 1802): a potential icon for Taman Negara Johor Endau Rompin

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    Dinomyrmex gigas (Latreille, 1802) is one of the largest ants in the world and the largest in Southeast Asia. It is also more commonly known as the giant forest ant. This large charismatic ant can be found in the forests of Southeast Asia, however it is not often sighted by the public due to its predominant nocturnal nature. Despite being considerably well studied compared to its smaller counterparts, most people know little about the giant forest ant beyond its large size. Most studies on this species focus on the populations found in Malaysia and Brunei characterizing many aspects of the natural history and biology of this species including its foraging behaviour, diet, territoriality, reproduction and colony structure. While much is known about the biology of this species, fragmented forest habitats may have an impact on the viability and behaviour of this majestic giant ant of the forest. This study involved insects’ viability observation and sampling of ant specimens. The results of observations showed that D. gigas is viable in Endau Rompin Johor National Park (TNJER). Then, various ecological aspects of D. gigas was investigated through field studies and secondary information. Due to its size and uniqueness this species has a potential to be developed into a nature tourism product for Malaysia. The present study elaborated to further discover its daily activity, nesting and defence behaviour which could be useful in developing it into a nature tourism product. As the species is also limited in distribution to undisturbed forest, the issue of its survival is discussed with relation to conservation of the tropical rainforest

    The critical heat flux condition with water in a uniformly heated microtube

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    The critical heat flux (CHF

    Structure of RiVax: a recombinant ricin vaccine

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    The X-ray crystal structure (at 2.1 Å resolution) of an immunogen under development as part of a ricin vaccine for humans is presented and structure-based analysis of the results was conducted with respect to related proteins and the known determinants for inducing or suppressing the protective immune response

    Real-Time Cytotoxicity Assay for Rapid and Sensitive Detection of Ricin from Complex Matrices

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    BACKGROUND: In the context of a potential bioterrorist attack sensitive and fast detection of functionally active toxins such as ricin from complex matrices is necessary to be able to start timely countermeasures. One of the functional detection methods currently available for ricin is the endpoint cytotoxicity assay, which suffers from a number of technical deficits. METHODOLOGY/FINDINGS: This work describes a novel online cytotoxicity assay for the detection of active ricin and Ricinus communis agglutinin, that is based on a real-time cell electronic sensing system and impedance measurement. Characteristic growth parameters of Vero cells were monitored online and used as standardized viability control. Upon incubation with toxin the cell status and the cytotoxic effect were visualized using a characteristic cell index-time profile. For ricin, tested in concentrations of 0.06 ng/mL or above, a concentration-dependent decrease of cell index correlating with cytotoxicity was recorded between 3.5 h and 60 h. For ricin, sensitive detection was determined after 24 h, with an IC50 of 0.4 ng/mL (for agglutinin, an IC50 of 30 ng/mL was observed). Using functionally blocking antibodies, the specificity for ricin and agglutinin was shown. For detection from complex matrices, ricin was spiked into several food matrices, and an IC50 ranging from 5.6 to 200 ng/mL was observed. Additionally, the assay proved to be useful in detecting active ricin in environmental sample materials, as shown for organic fertilizer containing R. communis material. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The cell-electrode impedance measurement provides a sensitive online detection method for biologically active cytotoxins such as ricin. As the cell status is monitored online, the assay can be standardized more efficiently than previous approaches based on endpoint measurement. More importantly, the real-time cytotoxicity assay provides a fast and easy tool to detect active ricin in complex sample matrices

    Three Cheers For Partisanship: Lexical Framing and Applause in U.S. Presidential Primary Debates

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    Thesis (Master's)--University of Washington, 2017-03Polarization in American politics is at its highest levels in recent history. This polarization can be observed not only in the behaviors of citizens and the politicians who represent them, but also in the rhetoric that politicians use and the reactions of voters to that rhetoric. In this work, I study the language used by candidates in presidential primary debates, and consider the audience's applause (or lack thereof) as a measure of the success of such language. I hypothesize that applause is more likely to occur when the language being used is highly polarized. While previous analyses of voter-directed speech have focused largely on rhetorical structure, this study examines the semantic content of applause-generating language through the automatic discovery of issue-specific lexical framing strategies. Specifically, I present an analysis that 1) models the topics present in a corpus of 104 primary debates, 2) quantifies the party polarization of the language used to discuss those topics, and 3) measures the association between audience applause and topic-specific party polarization. While the relationship is more pronounced for some issues than for others, the results of the analysis lend strong support to the hypothesis that applause is significantly and positively associated with polarity

    A Retrospective Look at Russian Interference: Why Russian Meddling in the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election is Different From its Previous Instances of Foreign Interference

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    ABSTRACT This paper seeks to illustrate the ways in which Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election differs from its previous efforts to interfere in democratic processes and elections around the world. It presents three distinct factors that distinguish Russia’s 2016 campaign from its previous efforts: 1) the deployment of cyber technology and social media to manipulate public opinion and perception; 2) the simultaneous backing of ideological groups across the political spectrum to achieve societal disruption; and 3) the influence of external forces such as luck and good timing. Collectively, these circumstances establish a scope of Russian interference that was previously underemphasized. An extensive, historical examination of Moscow’s behavior will facilitate the deepest understanding of this unprecedented attack on American democracy, and will inform future strategic approaches used to confront the threat of foreign interference
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