Online Pattern Recognition for the ALICE High Level Trigger

The ALICE High Level Trigger has to process data online, in order to select interesting (sub)events, or to compress data efficiently by modeling techniques.Focusing on the main data source, the Time Projection Chamber (TPC), we present two pattern recognition methods under investigation: a sequential approach "cluster finder" and "track follower") and an iterative approach ("track candidate finder" and "cluster deconvoluter"). We show, that the former is suited for pp and low multiplicity PbPb collisions, whereas the latter might be applicable for high multiplicity PbPb collisions, if it turns out, that more than 8000 charged particles would have to be reconstructed inside the TPC. Based on the developed tracking schemes we show, that using modeling techniques a compression factor of around 10 might be achievableComment: Realtime Conference 2003, Montreal, Canada to be published in IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science (TNS), 6 pages, 8 figure

Nano-structured morphological features of pulsed direct current magnetron sputtered Mo films for photovoltaic applications

Historically, molybdenum thin films have been used as the back contact for Cu(In,Ga)Se2 based solar cells and as such the properties of these layers play an important role in the overall cell structure. This paper describes the production of molybdenum films using pulsed d.c magnetron sputtering from compressed molybdenum powder targets. The films were deposited at different substrate temperatures under constant power and constant current modes, and analysed using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy and four point resistance probe. Mechanical strain and resistivity were found to decrease with substrate temperature together with a shift in the (110) crystallographic plane towards higher diffraction angles. All films were well adhered to the glass substrates irrespective of their high tensile strain. Surface morphology analysis revealed the presence of nano-structured stress relief patterns which can enhance the nucleation sites for subsequent CuInSe2 deposition. A high-resolution cross sectional image showed the columnar growth of the films. Surface roughness analysis revealed that roughness increased with increase in substrate temperature

THE LEARNING AND STUDY STRATEGIES INVENTORY (LASSI) TOOL FOR DEVELOPING STUDENTS’ METACOGNITION SKILLS AND STRATEGIC STEERING IN MEDICAL SCHOOL

Medical education poses significant challenges for several students, especially given the rapidly evolving medical science curriculum. Further, the intensity increases as they prepare for the high-stakes term exams and the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE).  As per the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Student Records System data from medical school registrars between 1997-1998 and 2016-2017, medical students exited medical school for nonacademic reasons rather than academic reasons. The national total attrition rate, ranging this 20-year period, remained averaging 3.2% (Association of American Medical Colleges, 2022). Therefore, recognizing areas of strengths and opportunities in both cognitive and noncognitive skills for achieving targeted mediation during the early years of medical education is critical for ensuring student success. One valuable diagnostic tool we have found effective is the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory (LASSI), a 60-item tool with ten scales designed to evaluate the "Skill component," the "Will component," and the "Self-regulation component" of strategic learning. Our primary strategy has been to investigate the benefits of utilizing the LASSI tool for early recognition of metacognitive skills and providing tailored learning approaches to remediate the overall progress in successfully completing medical education by future clinicians

Retraction Notice of the Article: The DYRK-family kinase Pom1 phosphorylates the F-BAR protein Cdc15 to prevent division at cell poles

Division site positioning is critical for both symmetric and asymmetric cell divisions. In many organisms, positive and negative signals cooperate to position the contractile actin ring for cytokinesis. In rod-shaped fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe cells, division at midcell is achieved through positive Mid1/anillin-dependent signaling emanating from the central nucleus and negative signals from the dual-specificity tyrosine phosphorylation-regulated kinase family kinase Pom1 at the cell poles. In this study, we show that Pom1 directly phosphorylates the F-BAR protein Cdc15, a central component of the cytokinetic ring. Pom1-dependent phosphorylation blocks Cdc15 binding to paxillin Pxl1 and C2 domain protein Fic1 and enhances Cdc15 dynamics. This promotes ring sliding from cell poles, which prevents septum assembly at the ends of cells with a displaced nucleus or lacking Mid1. Pom1 also slows down ring constriction. These results indicate that a strong negative signal from the Pom1 kinase at cell poles converts Cdc15 to its closed state, destabilizes the actomyosin ring, and thus promotes medial septation

Pom1 gradient buffering through intermolecular auto-phosphorylation.

Concentration gradients provide spatial information for tissue patterning and cell organization, and their robustness under natural fluctuations is an evolutionary advantage. In rod-shaped Schizosaccharomyces pombe cells, the DYRK-family kinase Pom1 gradients control cell division timing and placement. Upon dephosphorylation by a Tea4-phosphatase complex, Pom1 associates with the plasma membrane at cell poles, where it diffuses and detaches upon auto-phosphorylation. Here, we demonstrate that Pom1 auto-phosphorylates intermolecularly, both in vitro and in vivo, which confers robustness to the gradient. Quantitative imaging reveals this robustness through two system's properties: The Pom1 gradient amplitude is inversely correlated with its decay length and is buffered against fluctuations in Tea4 levels. A theoretical model of Pom1 gradient formation through intermolecular auto-phosphorylation predicts both properties qualitatively and quantitatively. This provides a telling example where gradient robustness through super-linear decay, a principle hypothesized a decade ago, is achieved through autocatalysis. Concentration-dependent autocatalysis may be a widely used simple feedback to buffer biological activities

Memory and History and William Morris’s Medievalism

Memory and history are at the core of the human condition. A deep concern for the human condition is at the heart of the work and ideas of the Victorian polymath William Morris. Morris abhorred the degraded state he believed to exist for so many in his own society and he worked long and hard for the greater part of his life to help create a more egalitarian world. This thesis explores the centrality of memory and history in three important works from the beginning, middle and end of Morris’s career. Its purpose is to show that in Morris’s persistent return to these themes he was seeking a new ontological awareness, one that might be generated from an exploration, through his literary art, of the social phenomena that shape memory and history, and thereby our lives. Such an awareness might lead to an identification of the changes that might make possible his egalitarian vision of all people living a life of enrichment rather than one shaped by the impoverishment he deemed existed for so many. I consider too the importance of his changing choice of literary genre in working towards that goal. Informing the thesis overall is Morris’s intense love of the Middle Ages, such that his medievalism is central to understanding how and why his works still resonate and engage with individuals and social structures in the twenty-first century

Five-beam interference pattern controlled through phases and wave vectors for diamondlike photonic crystals

We demonstrate, for what is believed to be the first time, the design of diamondlike photonic crystals made by holographic lithography based on five-beam interference. All five beams are launched from the same half-space, and the exposure can easily be realized by a single diffractive optical element. The photonic structure can be constructed through the translation of the interference pattern controlled by the phase shift of laser beams. The proposed holographic lithography is capable of creating series photonic crystals with large photonic bandgaps by adjusting the phase and the wave vector of interfering beams. © 2006 Optical Society of America

The Effects of cultural experience and subdivision on tapping to slow tempi

Our ability to accurately synchronize with rhythmic patterns is constrained by two factors: temporal length and interval structure. By using strategies such as subdivision, we can improve synchronization accuracy at slow tempos, but our ability to utilize subdivisions is constrained by the nature of interval ratios contained in culture-specific subdivision types. Western music falls within a restricted temporal range and its metrical subdivisions contain simple ratios, but Indian music violates these constraints. The present study examines the effects of culture-specific experience on these constraints. American and Indian listeners were asked to perform synchronous tapping to a stimulus with a slow tempo which was accompanied by silence or by a rhythmic pattern that subdivided the inter-event interval into groups of two or three (simple), or alternating units of two and three (complex). On a subset of trials, the subdividing pattern switched halfway through the trial, from a simple to simple, simple to complex, or complex to simple. Western listeners found complex patterns more challenging to reproduce, and exhibited a decrease in accuracy of synchronization whenever there was a switch away from a simple meter. By contrast, Indian listeners performed comparably across all subdivision patterns, and exhibited a drop in accuracy whenever there was a switch. These results reflect the role of passive cultural exposure to our ability to synchronize with different metrical patterns, and have important implications for ability to form mental representations

Molecular Dynamics Study of Diffusion of O2 Penetrates in Uncrosslinked Polydimethysiloxane (PDMS), Crosslinked PDMS, and PDMS-based Nanocomposites

Molecular dynamics simulations are used to study diffusion of O2 molecules in pure polydimethysiloxane (PDMS), crosslinked PDMS, and PDMS-based nanocomposites. The PDMS chains and penetrates are modeled using a hybrid interatomic potential which treats the Si-O atoms along the chain backbone explicitly while coarse-graining the methyl side groups and penetrates. By tracking the diffusion of penetrates in the system and subsequently computing their mean-squared displacement, diffusion coefficients are obtained. In pure PDMS models of varying molecular weight, diffusivity of the O22 penetrates is found to have an inverse relationship with chain length. Simulation models with longer chains have more entanglements which restrict the evolution of free volume in the system necessary for diffusion of the penetrants, thus reducing their diffusivity. In agreement with experiment, the crosslinked models studied in this work maintain a PDMS to crosslink molecule weight ratio of 5:1 or 10:1. In order to satisfy this weight ratio criterion, the crosslinked models in this study are oversaturated (number of crosslink molecule ends exceeds PDMS chain ends). Despite crosslinking, the presence of these unbonded crosslink molecules in the system enhances diffusivity for the crosslinked cases in comparison to the pure PDMS models. In the nanocomposite models, diffusivity of O22 has an inverse relationship with volume fraction. Nanoparticles act as geometric obstacles for diffusion of the atmospheric penetrates, reducing the available porosity for diffusion. In models with the smallest gap between nanoparticles, a crossover behavior is observed at the lowest temperatures examined, resulting in diffusivities higher than the crosslinked and pure PDMS models. This is attributed to the preferential diffusion of the penetrants through localized regions of low density within the PDMS matrix. The creation of these low density regions is due to a combination of the limited mobility of the PDMS chains at temperatures near glass transition and the close proximity of nanoparticles at 20% volume fraction. For all models, the role of temperature on diffusion is captured using the Williams-Landel-Ferry (WLF) equation. The relationship between WLF parameters and molecular weight or nanoparticle volume fraction is studied