Approximately counting semismooth integers

An integer $n$ is $(y,z)$-semismooth if $n=pm$ where $m$ is an integer with all prime divisors $\le y$ and $p$ is 1 or a prime $\le z$. arge quantities of semismooth integers are utilized in modern integer factoring algorithms, such as the number field sieve, that incorporate the so-called large prime variant. Thus, it is useful for factoring practitioners to be able to estimate the value of $\Psi(x,y,z)$, the number of $(y,z)$-semismooth integers up to $x$, so that they can better set algorithm parameters and minimize running times, which could be weeks or months on a cluster supercomputer. In this paper, we explore several algorithms to approximate $\Psi(x,y,z)$ using a generalization of Buchstab's identity with numeric integration.Comment: To appear in ISSAC 2013, Boston M

Self-directed work teams at an aerospace company

Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, 1995.This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.Includes bibliographical references (leaf 79).by Eric C. Sorenson.M.S

Low Prevalence of Patellar Tendon Abnormality and Low Incidence of Patellar Tendinopathy in Female Collegiate Volleyball Players

The prevalence of patellar tendinopathy has been reported to be as high as 50% in elite male volleyball (VB) players; however, the rate of injury in female collegiate VB athletes is unknown. The purpose of this study was to 1) identify the prevalence of ultrasonographic evidence of patellar tendon abnormality at the start of the preseason in female collegiate VB players; 2) report the incidence of tendinopathy during the season; and 3) determine if the preseason presence of tendon abnormality is associated with onset of disease. One hundred and six female collegiate VB players had both patellar tendons imaged. Incidence of patellar tendinopathy was tracked during the course of the 4-month season. Twenty-two athletes presented with ultrasonographic evidence of patellar tendon abnormality in at least one knee at the start of the preseason. The incidence of time-loss patellar tendinopathy was 0.26 (95% CI: 0.04, 0.85) per 1000 athletic exposures. This study was unable to determine if preseason presence of tendon abnormality was associated with a greater risk of tendinopathy due to power. The prevalence of tendon abnormality in the preseason and the incidence of patellar tendinopathy in female collegiate VB players are lower than that observed in other populations

Quarrels of Sir Conscience: Langland’s critique of knighthood in the visio of Piers Plowman AND “And harped at his Owhen Wille”: developing bardic kingship in the lay of Sir Orfeo.

Piers Plowman was written in its three forms roughly between 1365 and 1388, in the midest of the Hundred Years' War. This war spanning 1337 through 1453 saw English knights in France performing acts of violence, theft, pillaging, and ransom which directly opposed the societal understanding of chivalric figures. There existed a disconnect between what society, as displayed through the knightly depictions in literature at the time, perceived as knightly behavior and what was occurring overseas in France, due in part to a cultivation of chivalric identity spurred by King Edward III. In Piers Plowman, William Langland depicts knights which do not match the traditional literary knightly depictions, rather Langland deconstructs what it means to be a chivalric literary knightly figure in order to criticize the contemporary knight in feudal society. The deconstructed depictions of knights seen in Sir Conscience and the nameless knight of the field allow Langland to highlight contemporary societal problems with knights and to facilitate the need for a new model of knightly depiction. The behavior of knights in the Hundred Years' War as purely mercenary becomes a model for Langland to illustrate the problems of the failin feudal system in late fourteenth century England due to the rising proto-capitalist influence caused by the mercantile class. Langland's knights in Piers Plowman serve as a model for the problematic impact proto-capitalism has on feudal society and present a display to maintain an atavistic connection to feudal society through the introduction of the Christ-knight figure at the conclusion of the narrative. SORENSON, ERIC M., M.A. "And Harped at His Owhen Wille": Developing Bardic Kingship in the Lay of Sir Orfeo. (2015) Directed by Dr. Amy Vines. 44 pp. The Breton lay of Sir Orfeo is a text which explores the relationship between space and authority and how these two combine to influence a king's development. Through the utilization of the medieval spaces of the courtly society and the wilderness the lay provides instances of medieval spaces which provide different opportunities for the development of kingly chivalric authority. The text focuses around the methods a kingdom is ruled, not the question of who has the right to rule. My work utilizes the depictions of these different spaces to orchestrate the texts development of a new kind of kingship to parallel the already established militant kingship displayed in most medieval romance narratives. Through Orfeo's initial loss of his wife and the subsequent undermining of his kingly authority the king is shown to be an ineffective militant king and a need for transition is developed. By removing himself from the courtly setting and retreating into the wilderness, Orfeo is able to transition his supernatural harping ability from a tool of pure entertainment into a tool for attaining kingly authority. The necessity of the wilderness as a space for this transition is stressed because of the possibilities of isolation and individual agency which the medieval wilderness space provides. Orfeo's transition from the wilderness into the otherworldly setting of the fairy kingdom allows for the opportunity for application of bardic authority in a courtly space outside of Orfeo's own court, the success of which allows for the return of Heurodis to Orfeo's kingdom and the final solidification of Orfeo as a successful bardic king

Hip Flexion Angles During Supine Range of Motion and Bodyweight Squats

International Journal of Exercise Science 14(1): 912-918, 2021. During the lowering phase of a squat, it has been observed that a posterior pelvic tilt (PPT) may occur when squatting to full depth. Research suggests that defaulting to compensatory movement strategies, such as PPT, during the squat may correlate with risk of lower extremity and trunk pathology. The purpose of this study was to examine hip flexion (HF) angles at the point when PPT occurs among three conditions: standard squats, heel raise squats, and supine passive HF; analyzing the differences in depth between standard and heel raise squats; and calculating differences in knee angles and ankle excursion between standard and heel raise squats. 28 participants performed bodyweight squats and underwent supine passive HF while outfitted with 32 retroreflective motion capture markers. Hip, knee, and ankle joint angles were extracted at the point of PPT. A one-way repeated measures ANOVA was used to determine differences in hip joint angles between conditions, and a paired sample t-test was used to compare knee angles, ankle excursion, and squat depth between standard and heel raise squats. HF angles at PPT remained unchanged across all conditions. However, significantly greater knee flexion, ankle excursion, and squat depth were observed in the heel raise squats compared to the standard squats. Results suggest that PPT is a compensatory movement that occurs as the femur compresses into the acetabulum once hip flexion has been exhausted

Assessing the sensitivity of information distortion to four potential influences in studies of risky choice

The emergence of a leading alternative during the course of a decision is known to bias the evaluation of new information in a manner that favors that alternative. We report 3 studies that address the sensitivity of predecisional information distortion and its effects in hypothetical risky decisions with regard to 4 potential influences: choice domain, repeated choice, memory requirements, and intermediate progress questions. In Experiment 1 (N = 515), the magnitude of information distortion was similar in 5 choice domains (varied between participants) involving monetary gambles, song downloads, frequent-flyer miles, political decisions, or medical decisions. Information distortion mediated the relationship between our manipulation of initial preferences and participants’ final choices, with the magnitude of the indirect effect being roughly similar across domains. These results replicate and extend previous findings. Additionally, distortion decreased significantly over 4 similar decision problems (within participants), but remained significant in the fourth problem. In Experiment 2 (N = 214), information distortion increased significantly when previously viewed information remained available, apparently because reiterating that information strengthened emerging preferences. In Experiment 3 (N = 223), the removal of intermediate progress questions that measure information distortion and emerging preferences did not significantly affect final choices, again replicating previous results. We conclude that predecisional information distortion is a relatively stable and robust phenomenon that deserves a prominent role in descriptive theories of choice

Novel mutations in TARDBP (TDP-43) in patients with familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

The TAR DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP-43) has been identified as the major disease protein in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal lobar degeneration with ubiquitin inclusions (FTLD-U), defining a novel class of neurodegenerative conditions: the TDP-43 proteinopathies. The first pathogenic mutations in the gene encoding TDP-43 (TARDBP) were recently reported in familial and sporadic ALS patients, supporting a direct role for TDP-43 in neurodegeneration. In this study, we report the identification and functional analyses of two novel and one known mutation in TARDBP that we identified as a result of extensive mutation analyses in a cohort of 296 patients with variable neurodegenerative diseases associated with TDP-43 histopathology. Three different heterozygous missense mutations in exon 6 of TARDBP (p.M337V, p.N345K, and p.I383V) were identified in the analysis of 92 familial ALS patients (3.3%), while no mutations were detected in 24 patients with sporadic ALS or 180 patients with other TDP-43-positive neurodegenerative diseases. The presence of p.M337V, p.N345K, and p.I383V was excluded in 825 controls and 652 additional sporadic ALS patients. All three mutations affect highly conserved amino acid residues in the C-terminal part of TDP-43 known to be involved in protein-protein interactions. Biochemical analysis of TDP-43 in ALS patient cell lines revealed a substantial increase in caspase cleaved fragments, including the approximately 25 kDa fragment, compared to control cell lines. Our findings support TARDBP mutations as a cause of ALS. Based on the specific C-terminal location of the mutations and the accumulation of a smaller C-terminal fragment, we speculate that TARDBP mutations may cause a toxic gain of function through novel protein interactions or intracellular accumulation of TDP-43 fragments leading to apoptosis