Earlier Work Research Articles

The crucial role of diagnostics in achieving ignition on the National Ignition Facility (NIF)

Well over 100 diagnostics can operate on the National Ignition Facility (NIF) as a result of several decades of development on NIF, and before that on Nova, OMEGA, and earlier LLNL lasers. A subset of these have guided the approach to achieving ignition on the NIF in 2022 [H. Abu-Shawareb et al. (Indirect Drive ICF Collaboration), Phys. Rev. Lett. 129(7), 075001 (2022)]. Achieving ignition on NIF has required many types of experiments with this core set of diagnostics, some constraining known unknowns and some revealing surprises—arguably unknown unknowns. Early design work realized that the extreme precision required for ignition on NIF would require fine-tuning by experiment, that is, measuring and adjusting known unknowns. Many examples are given where the use of the core set of ignition diagnostics in experimental arrangements called platforms demonstrated control of the key theoretical parameters defined as shape, adiabat, velocity, and mix. The direction of the adjustments to input conditions is found either by trend analysis or, in many cases, by observing from the diagnostic data the direction to make an adjustment. In addition, diagnostics have revealed some unexpected or neglected known issues, which degrade performance, or unexpected issues, unknown unknowns. Some of these factors had been previously considered, but underestimated or difficult to calculate at the time. The overall methodology can be described as a variant of Popper's falsifiability philosophy [K. Popper, The Logic of Scientific Discovery (Hutchinson, 1974)]. This paper summarizes the role of ignition diagnostics in terms of falsification or validation of theory or experimental setup as well as uncovering unexpected issues. The journey to ignition started in the seventies with a 1-µm wavelength laser producing disastrous results. Diagnostics have guided us to the recent multi-decadal goal of demonstrating ignition and burn in the laboratory.

The journey from bench to bedside-it takes a science village.

I was fortunate enough to start my career at what was the dawn of modern-day molecular biology and to apply it to an important health problem. While my early work focused on fundamental science, the desire to understand human disease better and to find practical applications for research discoveries resulted, over the following decades, in creating a stream of translational research directed specifically toward epithelial cancers. This could only have been possible through multiple collaborations. This type of team science would eventually become a hallmark of my career. With the development of higher throughput molecular techniques, the pace of research and discovery has quickened, and the concept of personalized medicine based on genomics is now coming to fruition. I hope my legacy will not just reflect my published works, but will also include the impact I have had on the development of the next generation of scientists and clinician scientists who inspired me with their dedication, knowledge, and enthusiasm.

Repair of genomic interstrand crosslinks

Genomic interstrand crosslinks (ICLs) are formed by reactive species generated during normal cellular metabolism, produced by the microbiome, and employed in cancer chemotherapy. While there are multiple options for replication dependent and independent ICL repair, the crucial step for each is unhooking one DNA strand from the other. Much of our insight into mechanisms of unhooking comes from powerful model systems based on plasmids with defined ICLs introduced into cells or cell free extracts. Here we describe the properties of exogenous and endogenous ICL forming compounds and provide an historical perspective on early work on ICL repair. We discuss the modes of unhooking elucidated in the model systems, the concordance or lack thereof in drug resistant tumors, and the evolving view of DNA adducts, including ICLs, formed by metabolic aldehydes.

A Multilevel Analysis of Fazil Say’s Sonata for Violin and Piano Op.7

This article introduces Fazıl Say’s Sonata for Violin and Piano op. 7, composed in 1997, shortly after his international success. Despite being an early work, it exhibits the architectural complexity characteristic of Say’s style, blending his Turkish cultural heritage with innovative compositional techniques. The authors aim to analyze this sonata thoroughly, exploring its mature style and cultural influences in order to provide a series of guiding principles for interpretation. They discuss the architectural and semantic meanings that reside in the incorporation of Turkish musical elements, such as modal approaches, folk traditions, and dance rhythms, throughout the sonata’s three movements. Each movement is examined, highlighting technical challenges, interpretive nuances, and thematic connections to Turkish culture. The sonata’s structure, culminating in a palindromic arrangement, is investigated, emphasizing its coherence and narrative thread. The first movement introduces melancholic themes, the second movement evokes Turkish instruments and rhythmic patterns, the third movement emulates the Horon dance, and the second to last movement draws from Turkish folk songs. The conclusion praises Say’s fusion of tradition and innovation, highlighting the interpretive freedom left to performers and listeners. Overall, the Sonata op. 7 reflects Say’s distinctive musical language and showcases his prowess as both a pianist and composer, blending tradition with modernity in a captivating manner. Keywords: Fazıl Say, Sonata op. 7, violin, piano, Turkish culture, composition, musical elements, modal approaches, folk traditions, dance rhythms, interpretation, structure, thematic connections, melancholy, Turkish instruments, rhythmic patterns, Horon dance, folk songs, tradition, innovation, interpretive freedom.

PERSPECTIVES ON VIDEO GAME RESEARCH THROUGH THE CONCEPT OF MEDIA ARCHAEOLOGY

This article delves into various approaches to the cultural and philosophical study of video games. It primarily examines the potential of employing methodological foundations of media archaeology to enhance the understanding of the history of video game technical media. Additionally, it offers a brief review of existing publications on the proposed topic.To justify the applicability of the media-archaeological approach, the article provides a concise analysis of key research directions in game studies, highlighting their advantages and main shortcomings. The paper includes a succinct history of video game research, elucidates the philosophical concepts underpinning early works on the essence of video games, and explores the principal directions within game studies. Special attention is given to several approaches: Espen Aarseth’s narratological perspective, which interprets the cyberspace of games as a text that can be decoded and read; Gonzalo Frasca’s ludological approach, where the primary characteristic of a game is its interactivity; and Ian Bogost’s multi-level theory of video game study, which integrates the use of media anthropology.Subsequently, the article outlines the core principles of media anthropology as an interdisciplinary field that not only investigates the past of media and attempts to forecast the future of technologies by identifying patterns in their development but also addresses the relationship between humans and technologies. The primary representatives of this field, such as Friedrich Kittler, Jussi Parikka, and Erkki Huhtamo, are also mentioned.In the final section of the article, the necessity of employing media anthropology for understanding video games is discussed, particularly emphasizing the hegemony of technical media over the content of video games. Furthermore, examples of the application of the archaeological approach in game studies are provided, illustrating the potential of this direction.This comprehensive exploration aims to advance the discourse on video game studies by integrating insights from media archaeology and media anthropology, thereby fostering a deeper and more nuanced understanding of video games as cultural and technological artifacts.

Fantasy and Innovation in Deux pièces pour clavecin, h. 244 by Bohuslav Martinů

This article highlights the divergences between the historical and modern style of playing the harpsichord, through a detailed analysis of the album 2 Pièces pour clavecin, H. 244 by Bohuslav Martinů, a leading figure of 20th century cultural life. Given the abundance of baroque compositional means, this album of solo works for harpsichord, composed in 1935, represent the perfect combination between old and new, moreover, between tradition and innovation. The predilection for rediscovering Baroque music in its pure forms began in the 1900s and continues to this day, spreading with great speed thanks to the evolution of technology and numerous historical documents. Historical treatises, writings and numerous criticisms of Baroque performances have led performers towards the closest possible performance of early works, with emphasis on proper articulation type, dynamics, freedom in phrasing, construction and fingering. The harpsichord occupies a unique place in the chronicle of the renaissance of Early music, even if it was by no means the only ancient instrument to arouse new interest in the decades preceding the early 20th century. Looking at all these major changes, modern composers such as Arnold Schoenberg, Arthur Honegger, Darius Milhaud, Igor Stravinsky, Francis Poulenc, Philip Glass, Manuel de Falla and Bohuslav Martinů have revived the effervescent music of the Baroque. Keywords: Bohuslav Martinů, harpsichord, 20th Century, modern playing, analysis

Spiritual Conversation with a Companion Machine

This article explores the prospects for humans having spiritual conversation with a computer. It has long been clear that it is possible for humans to talk about personal issues with a computer, as evident from Weizenbaum’s early work on programming nondirective counseling. There are various ways in which automated spiritual interlocutors could be developed, e.g., using chatbot methodologies, script-based knowledge, machine learning, or some kind of hybrid. Preliminary empirical work suggests that a significant number of people are happy to discuss spiritual issues with a computer, whether the responses are by a human masquerading as a computer using Wizard-of-Oz methodology or GPT. In due course, it may be possible to develop a personalized artificial spiritual companion. The acceptability of spiritual conversation with the computer may depend on various factors such as the personality of the human user, their views on religious issues, and the focus and content of the spiritual conversation.

Comparing the Early Christian missionary work in Kyushu and Kinai

Comparing the Early Christian missionary work in Kyushu and Kinai

The Early Work of Paul Fraisse: The Timing of ‘Spontaneous’ Rhythms

Abstract The article discusses Paul Fraisse’s early study of the timing of what he called ‘spontaneous’ rhythms, where people were required to perform a specified sequence of spaced taps on a response key without the times between the responses being controlled. Results come from his doctoral thesis, carried out under the supervision of Albert Michotte in Louvain/Leuven in Belgium between 1935 and 1937. In spite of the lack of timing instructions, responses were divided into ‘short times’ (around 200 ms), ‘long times’ (usually around 450 ms), and ‘pauses’ (the times between execution of consecutive rhythmic sequences). This division held over changes in the tap sequence, when different patterns of three, four, and five responses were produced. A later experiment varied total sequence duration, including the pauses, and the ratio of long to short times was approximately preserved even with marked changes in sequence duration, except at the slowest speed. Fraisse regarded the pause as having a different function from the short and long times. It changed only slightly when the pattern changed, but marked changes in the duration of the pause did not affect the pattern. Fraisse suggested it was a kind of separator, needed to maintain the rhythmic structure of the patterns, and used the idea of a temporal ‘Gestalt’ where the pause represented the ‘ground’ or ‘framework’ and the rhythmic sequence the ‘Figure ’.

Potential Strategies for Overcoming Barriers to Career Transition among Students with Visual Impairments

The visually impaired group remains among the most unemployed despite laws designed to facilitate employment opportunities for the disabled population. This review article presents potential strategies for overcoming barriers experienced by students with visual impairments (VIs) during their career transition. An integrative literature review was employed by the authors. The integrative literature review allows authors to produce new frameworks and perspectives on a topic from a range of existing research data and ideas in a significant manner. Results of the literature review suggest that public education, adequate transportation and mobility skills, proper assessment of the students' skill development, the acquisition of relevant social and independent-living skills, adequate training for rehabilitation service providers, adequate access to prints, collaboration among professionals, and early career education and work experience are some of the strategies that can be adopted to help students with VIs overcome most of the challenges they experience in their career transition journey. Adopting the strategies discussed in this article may lead to a successful career transition for these students. One of the implications of this paper is that visually impaired students should be able to adapt to the career environment by acquiring relevant skills and being open to opportunities. Also, specialized job training and placement might make it easier for visually impaired students to find competitive work after earning an academic degree and raise their chances of embarking on a successful career path.

“Make way poet, jaywalking”: Play and irony in Arun Kolatkar’s work

ABSTRACT While Arun Kolatkar’s modernist and experimental modes have received critical attention, his application of irony remains under-researched. This article argues that his playful and ironic registers are a form of experimental modernism, employed to address socio-historical phenomena in South Asia. The self-aware irony in Kolatkar’s early work anticipates the use of personae in his later works. His poetry assumes the postcolonial stance of empowering the tyrannized. He ironizes from the perspective of the feminine and non-human to assess foundational myths and 20th-century events in India. As an ironist, Kolatkar acknowledges the speaker’s authoritative position in the text and strives to diminish hierarchies between the ironist and subject. Through textual analysis of the poet’s works, this article demonstrates that the purpose of Kolatkar’s critique and his attention to landscape is to challenge divisive and conservative ideologies that perpetuate conflict and to foreground the resilience of individuals in South Asia.

Explicit solutions in Cartesian coordinates for an elliptic hole in an infinite elastic plate

An explicit analytical solution for an elliptical hole in an infinite elastic plate is derived for uniaxial load from the earliest work on this configuration. This is used along with the biaxial loading case and more recent solutions, available in curvilinear coordinates, to transform the stress fields into Cartesian coordinates along the x and y axes, reducing the curvilinear solutions to simplified short-form expressions of x and y. The present closed-form results are the functions of polynomials of the second and third order of x or y along the x or y axes, respectively, and have the most concise form to the best of the authors’ knowledge. The displacements for plain stress condition are calculated directly from the present stress field expressions, as functions of second-order polynomials of x or y and demonstrate overall consistency. Application of the present stress field and displacements results to special cases, such as a circular hole, a crack, and an elliptical hole in a pressurized cylindrical shell, are shown to agree with published solutions where available.

Redefining Vygotsky’s early works as a theory of aesthetics

The paper critically examines Lev Vygotsky’s art-related texts from 1915 to 1924, challenging interpretations based in Psychology by asserting that his aesthetic framework transcends outdated objectivist references, offering a nuanced philosophical perspective. Situating this within post-1917 Revolutionary Russia, the study explores its alignment with the visions of a ‘Revolutionary’ theatre for the ‘new human being’ in the Russian Futurist movement. It underscores Vygotsky’s pursuit of empirical evidence for understanding theatre’s impact on individuals and society, highlighting Marxist dialectics as the backbone of his aesthetic thought. Moreover, it establishes a connection between Vygotsky’s thought and Formalism, rooted in their shared emphasis on art’s structural features and links his ideas with Futurism, exploring their shared belief in the transformative power of form as a crucial element in provoking social change. The paper defines Vygotsky’s aesthetics, focusing on integral aspects of artistic reception, particularly emotion and imagination. It traces the shifts in Vygotsky’s understanding of these terms from his early reliance on psychoanalysis to the incorporation of dialectic and, later, cultural-historical perspectives, thus integrating Vygotsky’s later theories on human psychology into his aesthetic theory. The paper concludes by exploring the resonance between Vygotsky’s redefined aesthetics and contemporary Cognitive Theatre Studies. It draws attention to methodological convergence and shared insights on the interplay between natural and cultural influences, such as image schemas and conceptual blending, emphasising the enduring relevance of Vygotsky’s perspective on artistic structure and theatre’s transformative socio-political impact.

Long-term durability between parent and child patient-reported outcomes in eosinophilic esophagitis

BackgroundBecause young children cannot self-report symptoms, there is a need for parent surrogate reports. While early work suggested parent child alignment for eosinophil esophagitis (EoE) patient reported outcomes (PROs), the longitudinal alignment is unclear. ObjectiveTo assess the agreement and longitudinal stability of PROs between children with EoE and their parents. Methods292 parent-child respondents completed 723 completed questionnaires over 5 years in an observational trial in the Consortium of Eosinophilic Gastrointestinal Disease Researchers. The change in and agreement between parent and child Pediatric Eosinophilic Esophagitis Symptom Score version 2 (PEESSv2.0) and Pediatric Quality of Life Eosinophilic Esophagitis Module (PedsQL-EoE) PROs over time were assessed using Pearson correlation and Bland-Altman analyses. Clinical factors influencing PROs and their agreement were evaluated using linear mixed models. ResultsThe cohort had a median disease duration equalling 3.7 years and was predominantly male (73.6%) and white (85.3%). Child and parent PEESSv2.0 response groups were identified and were stable over time. There was strong correlation between child and parent report (PEESSv2.0 0.83, PedsQL-EoE 0.74) with minimal pairwise differences for symptoms. Longitudinally, parent-reported PedsQL-EoE scores were stable (p ≥ 0.32), whereas child-reported PedsQL-EoE scores improved (p = 0.026). A larger difference in parent and child PedsQL-EoE reports was associated with younger age (p < 0.001) and differences were driven by psychosocial PRO domains. ConclusionThere is strong longitudinal alignment between child and parent report using EoE PROs. These data provide evidence that parent report is a stable proxy for objective EoE symptoms in their children.

Study on the Changes in Dostoevsky’s “Thoughts of Loving Others”

As one of the most important Russian writers in the 19th century, Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky often praised pure and selfless love in his early works. In his later works, he focused on describing the complex relationship between human nature and religion, as well as advocating fraternity in religion. Such changes stem from his personal experience and the changing Russian society, which reflects Dostoevsky’s spiritual growth and in-depth thoughts on social reality. This paper probes into the change of Dostoevsky’s thoughts of “loving others” in his early and late periods and the corresponding reasons.

A stochastic production frontier model for evaluating the performance efficiency of artificial intelligence investment worldwide

As artificial intelligence (AI) begins to take center stage in technological innovations, it is essential to understand the business value of AI innovation efforts and investments. While some early work at the firm level exists, there is a shortage of literature that takes a larger country-level perspective. This study investigated the effect of AI innovation efforts on production efficiency across countries using stochastic production frontier approaches. In addition, our model also included the traditional economic inputs of capital and labor. We used both the Cobb–Douglas function and Constant Elastic Substitution model specifications. The significant findings of this study are as follows: Innovation efforts in AI measured by the number of AI-related patents and capital investment in AI have a substantial effect on economic output. The significance of AI investments indicates the need for a robust digital infrastructure as a prerequisite for harnessing AI capabilities. The complementary relationship between labor and AI-related patents implies that high-skilled labor is often necessary to incorporate AI inputs into production. However, as AI capabilities develop, they weaken the effect on labor input. The study also distinguishes between AI innovation (research and development activities indicated by AI patents) and the production efficiency of AI investments (return on every dollar invested), highlighting that more AI innovation does not always translate into better production efficiency. The findings indicate that while the United States leads innovation in AI, the UK has the best production efficiency. China ranked fourth in AI innovation and has the lowest production efficiency among the countries included in the study.

The Obverse and Reverse Side of Jasmine Musabegović’s Essayistic Discourse

The paper analyses the essayistic discourse of Jasmina Musabegović with a focus on her second and last book of such procédé, Naličje historije (The Reverse Side of History) (1999), without neglecting her early essayistic work compiled in her first book of essays, The Secret and the Meaning of a Literary Work (1977). Since the literary criticism and essayistic work of this author, on the one hand, and her literary and artistic work, on the other, are closely related and interwoven with seemingly contradictory but identical ideologemes, for a more complete insight, her micro-essays that make up fabric of her novels are occasionally taken into consideration in the analysis. The conclusion reached shows that the author’s later literary critique essays, i.e. those that the author wrote during and after the recent war, where the intimate intertwines with the universal and meets a multitude of opposing pairs as well as occasional paroxysms conditioned by a change in life experience, represent a specific, fluid essayistic discourse that can be characterized by the newly coined phrase “women’s essay”.

Local versus Global Time in Early Relativity Theory.

In his groundbreaking 1905 paper on special relativity, Einstein distinguished between local and global time in inertial systems, introducing his famous definition of distant simultaneity to give physical content to the notion of global time. Over the following decade, Einstein attempted to generalize this analysis of relativistic time to include accelerated frames of reference, which, according to the principle of equivalence, should also account for time in the presence of gravity. Characteristically, Einstein's methodology during this period focused on simple, intuitively accessible physical situations, exhibiting a high degree of symmetry. However, in the final general theory of relativity, the a priori existence of such global symmetries cannot be assumed. Despite this, Einstein repeated some of his early reasoning patterns even in his 1916 review paper on general relativity and in later writings. Modern commentators have criticized these arguments as confused, invalid, and inconsistent. Here, we defend Einstein in the specific context of his use of global time and his derivations of the gravitational redshift formula. We argue that a detailed examination of Einstein's early work clarifies his later reasoning and demonstrates its consistency and validity.

San Bushman Human–Lion Transformation and the “Credulity of Others”

Lion transformation, among San-Bushmen, is arguably the most dramatic and spectacular instance of animal transformation. Transformation is a central component of San curing and initiation ritual and of certain San hunting practices. Moreover, it is a recurrent theme in San mythology, art and cosmology, all of them domains of San expressive and symbolic culture that are pervaded by ontological mutability (manifested most strikingly in the therianthropes of San myth and art). Lion transformation is a phenomenon that has received much mention in the ethnographic literature on Khoisan ritual and belief, through information that is based not on first-hand but second- or third-hand ethnographic and ethno-historical information. In the paper, I describe my own eye-witness account of what San people deemed a lion transformation by a trance dancer, which I observed in my early field work among Ghanzi (Botswana) Naro and = Au//eisi San in the 1970s. This is followed by my own musings on the actuality or reality of lion transformation, from both my own perspective and from what I understand to be the indigenous perspective. In terms of the latter, lion transformation—and animal transformation in general—is a plausible proposition. Indigenous doubt and scepticism, deriving from a rarely if ever fully conclusive witnessing of such transformations, are assuaged in a number of epistemological, cosmological and phenomenological ways. These are not available to a Western cultural outsider with a Cartesian mindset, nor to a Westernized—and perhaps also Christianized—insider, whose cosmos has become “disenchanted” through historical–colonial and contemporary–acculturational influences.

Understanding the roles of salt-inducible kinases in cardiometabolic disease.

Salt-inducible kinases (SIKs) are serine/threonine kinases of the adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase family. Acting as mediators of a broad array of neuronal and hormonal signaling pathways, SIKs play diverse roles in many physiological and pathological processes. Phosphorylation by the upstream kinase liver kinase B1 is required for SIK activation, while phosphorylation by protein kinase A induces the binding of 14-3-3 protein and leads to SIK inhibition. SIKs are subjected to auto-phosphorylation regulation and their activity can also be modulated by Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase in response to cellular calcium influx. SIKs regulate the physiological processes through direct phosphorylation on various substrates, which include class IIa histone deacetylases, cAMP-regulated transcriptional coactivators, phosphatase methylesterase-1, among others. Accumulative body of studies have demonstrated that SIKs are important regulators of the cardiovascular system, including early works establishing their roles in sodium sensing and vascular homeostasis and recent progress in pulmonary arterial hypertension and pathological cardiac remodeling. SIKs also regulate inflammation, fibrosis, and metabolic homeostasis, which are essential pathological underpinnings of cardiovascular disease. The development of small molecule SIK inhibitors provides the translational opportunity to explore their potential as therapeutic targets for treating cardiometabolic disease in the future.