709 research outputs found
Liam Rector, 14th Annual ODU Literary Festival
No full textLiam Rector is the author of The Sorrow of Architecture, a book of poems. He\u27s also the editor of The Day I Was Older: On the Poetry of Donald Hall. He has taught at Old Dominion University, George Mason, Goucher College, and Phillips Academy at Andover. In addition, he has administered literary programs at the Folger Academy of American Poets. Currently, Liam Rector is executive director of Associated Writing Programs, which has lately taken a leading role in defending the 1st amendment. Rector has been awarded both NEA and Guggenheim fellowships for poetry
Liam Rector, 12th Annual ODU Literary Festival
No full textLiam Rector is the author of a book of poetry, The Sorrow of Architecture, 1984, and editor of The Day I Was Older: On the Poetry of Donald Hall, 1989, and is currently working on a second book of poems, tentatively titled The Persistence of Virginia. He is executive director of the Associated Writing Programs, located at Old Dominion University
Project Triton : A study into delivering targeted information to an individual based on implicit and explicit data.
No full textThe World Wide Web is frequently seen as a source of knowledge, however much of this remains undiscovered by its users. In recent times, recommender systems (e.g. Digg and Last.fm) have attempted to bridge this gap, alerting users to previously untapped knowledge. As more socially oriented services appear on the Web (e.g. Facebook and MySpace), it has never been easier to obtain information pertaining to an individual’s interests. At present, solutions for automated data recommendation tend to be highly topic specific (recommending only a certain topic such as news) and often only allow access to the system using monolithic interfaces. This report hopes to detail the stages from research to evaluation involved in creating an extensible framework, which will operate without the need for human intervention. The framework will feature several proof-of-concept plugins residing in a custom workflow, which target information that is useful to the user. Information will be retrieved automatically through plugins involved with data gathering (such as feed processing and page scraping), while users’ interests will be obtained implicitly (for example, using header information to derive location) or explicitly (taking advantage of Social Network APIs such as Facebook Connect). Finally, Third Parties will be able to integrate the framework into their own solutions using the customisable XML API (written in PHP), so that their products can provide custom user interfaces without style constraints
Rapid Solidification for Metal Ribbons
No full textRandall S. Filippone, Electrical Engineering Technology, Liam Hulsebosch, Physics, Jacob Casey, PhysicsFaculty Mentor(s): Professor Arjun Pathak, Physics
Rapid solidification is a technique to prepare materials with unique microstructure for desire functionality. This technique involves shooting a stream of molten material onto a spinning copper wheel where it solidifies quickly to form a ribbon of metal. In the typical melt-spinning process, about 5 to 10 g of the alloy is placed inside a quartz or sometimes boron nitride crucible depending on the materials melting temperature, and then the crucible is inserted into the circular induction coil. The current with several amps will apply to the coil, which provides enough heat to the sample, and eventually, it melts. To maximize the melting process, samples temperature should rise several degrees above the melting temperature of the alloy of which ribbons to be prepared. When the temperature reaches the desired point, usually above 100 to 150 degrees C above the melting point, molten metallic liquid eject by Air-pressurization through a fine nozzle of quartz/or boron nitride onto a fast rotating copper wheel, which usually rotates at 3000 rpm (in our equipment). Such high speed offers rapid solidification rates several thousand degrees centigrade per second to freeze the atoms of the liquid phase. We are currently installing melt spinner equipment at the physics department and planning to get ready to synthesize metallic samples in near future. Here we present the installation process of the melt spinner, optimization, and importance of this technique for material science research.https://digitalcommons.buffalostate.edu/srcc-sp21-physgeosci/1003/thumbnail.jp
Design, fabrication and molecular modeling of protein subunits for use in a novel hydrogel:
No full textUse of bioinspired, genetically engineered proteins in tissue engineering scaffolds represents a new opportunity for engineering these constructs. However, the production and rational modification of new, artificial proteins is hindered by significant gaps in knowledge regarding expression of artificial gene constructs in E. coli and their molecular modeling. This thesis focuses on the production of a novel hydrogel scaffold composed of four self-assembling protein modules and their rational modification using Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations. Two of the modules are based on the ABA triblock copolymer design. In this triblock, a hydrophilic, random coiled region is flanked by 28 amino-acid α−helical endblocks. The purpose of these endblocks is to function as virtual crosslinkers and support network formation. The length of the endblocks can be changed by the addition of two unlinked, fiber-forming peptides and thus potentially alter the gelation and melting points of the hydrogel. We evaluate the efficacy of production of these endblocks by two separate expression strategies in E. coli and demonstrate their ability to form hydrogels. Furthermore, we analyze the Gibbs free energy of formation of oligomeric intermediates that arise early on during fibrillogenesis from the unlinked peptides using the MM/PBSA module of Amber 9. Thermodynamic data demonstrates changes in the primary structure of these peptides affect the stability of the intermediate that seeds fiber formation. This analysis also suggests a shift in the fiber forming mechanism from monomer addition to protofibril addition. We offer how this data can be used to improve interhelical interactions between endblocks and unlinked peptides and how to develop coarse-grain models of fiber formation.Ph.D.Includes bibliographical referencesby Christopher Liam Gaugha
Concurrent validation of an index to estimate fall risk in community dwelling seniors through a wireless sensor insole system: A pilot study
No full textFalls are a major health problem for older adults with immediate effects, such as fractures and head injuries, and longer term effects including fear of falling, loss of independence, and disability. The goals of the WIISEL project were to develop an unobtrusive, self-learning and wearable system aimed at assessing gait impairments and fall risk of older adults in the home setting; assessing activity and mobility in daily living conditions; identifying decline in mobility performance and detecting falls in the home setting. The WIISEL system was based on a pair of electronic insoles, able to transfer data to a commercially available smartphone, which was used to wirelessly collect data in real time from the insoles and transfer it to a backend computer server via mobile internet connection and then onwards to a gait analysis tool. Risk of falls was calculated by the system using a novel Fall Risk Index (FRI) based on multiple gait parameters and gait pattern recognition. The system was tested by twenty-nine older users and data collected by the insoles were compared with standardized functional tests with a concurrent validity approach. The results showed that the FRI captures the risk of falls with accuracy that is similar to that of conventional performance-based tests of fall risk. These preliminary findings support the idea that theWIISEL system can be a useful research tool and may have clinical utility for long-term monitoring of fall risk at home and in the community setting
Author Reading: Mason Deaver
No full textAward-winning young adult author Mason Deaver is returning (virtually) to CWU to discuss their new book, The Ghosts We Keep.
This emotional, character-driven journey is about a nonbinary teenager grieving their first shattering loss and, moving forward, allowing that experience to be a guidepost for the relationships that are important to them...An unflinchingly honest story that doesn’t shy away from the complex emotions of grief but also offers a hopeful path forward for Liam and everyone else left behind in the wake of Ethan’s death. ~ Alaina Leary, Booklist
Brought to you by CWU Libraries and CWU Lion Rock Visiting Writers Series.https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/libraryevents/1248/thumbnail.jp
Compliant Architecture Regulatory Limits and the Materiality of Risk
No full text“Compliant Architecture” is a project that combines three strands: historical research into the emergence of building regulations; design research illustrating the limits they pose for practitioners; and teaching-led research exploring the architectural potential of these limits. In this paper, Liam Ross offers a digest of this project, conducted at the University of Edinburgh since 2009. Ross inverts the ubiquitous critique of regulation among architects, suggesting that the disciplinary challenge posed by regulation is not the limits it sets, but the freedoms it offers. Ross advocates an architectural practice that works with and through regulatory limits to dramatize, rather than negate, the inherent risk of building, since it is only through exposure to risk that we develop subjectivity. The author makes this argument through a detailed study of a specific regulation, British Standard 8213-1: 2004. Windows, doors and rooflights, accompanied by diagrammatic studies and speculative window designs. Several student projects supervised by Ross explore the design potential of additional regulations
Energy and climate change: Nonpartisan policies for the next U.S. President
No full textThe world currently stands at a crossroads in terms of its energy future. The two choices laid before us could not be more stark. Either mankind can continue to burn fossil fuels at an astonishing rate and suffer the deleterious effects of global climate change, or we can commit ourselves to a sustainable, and attainable energy future. The United States—with the world’s largest GDP and third largest population—remains the second largest emitter of carbon dioxide. Regardless of its role as a major fossil fuel consumer, the United States has a clear opportunity to change its ways. By developing a sustainable carbon footprint, enhancing renewable energy partnerships, and pioneering new energy technologies, this nation has the opportunity to transform itself from major polluter to a green energy leader. Given the failures of the Trump administration to commit the United States to a sustainable carbon footprint and to make meaningful strides in sustainability, the authors of this document have tailored their respective reports for the next administration. President Trump's decision to withdraw from the Paris Climate Accords, refusal to invest in alternative energy resources, and multiple reversals of vital environmental regulations undercuts our country’s credibility as the leader of the free world. As undergraduate students of the University of Washington, however, we understand that future generations—including our own—will be directly impacted by issues related to energy security and climate change. It is therefore up to students such as ourselves to make young voices heard by the future president
Investigating chlorsulfuron toxicity and resistance in the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha
No full textHerbicide metabolic resistance is defined as the enhanced ability to metabolically detoxify herbicides. Enzymes that metabolise herbicides belong to the 71 and 72 clans of the cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzyme family and the Tau and Phi classes of the glutathione s-transferase (GST) enzyme family. I show that the 71 and 72 clans and Tau and Phi classes arose before the evolution of land plants and rapidly expanded in seed plants.
Using RNA-Seq and over-expression constructs I show that a 71 clan CYP up-regulated by the herbicide chlorsulfuron in the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha conferred a low level of resistance to chlorsulfuron when over-expressed. Chlorsulfuron treatment of sensitive plants caused the differential expression of hundreds of genes, while target site resistant (TSR) plants that possess a point mutation in the chlorsulfuron molecular target MpALS did not exhibit a transcriptional response to chlorsulfuron. This indicates that changes in steady state mRNA levels after chlorsulfuron treatment are caused by the chlorsulfuron-inhibition of ALS and not by the detection of the herbicide chemical in the plant. This suggests that the transcriptome response to chlorsulfuron represents a stress response to the disruption of the ALS enzyme, and is not a xenobiotic response. To test this, four of the most transcriptionally induced genes in response to chlorsulfuron were over-expressed in M. polymorpha. Only one gene conferred weak chlorsulfuron tolerance when over-expressed. This supports the hypothesis that plants do not possess a xenobiotic detoxifying suite of genes.
To determine how MpALS inhibition leads to plant death I generated loss of function (LOF) mutations in the MpALS gene. I show that the deletion of MpALS is lethal but the growth of Mpalslof mutants can be partially restored on medium supplemented with branched chain amino acids. Using targeted and untargeted metabolomics I show that chlorsulfuron-treatment reduces the abundance of some branched chain amino acids and increases pools of other amino acids and metabolites. I propose the hypothesis that chlorsulfuron lethality is due to a lack of branched chain amino acids which leads to large changes in gene expression
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