Central Connecticut State University

Densification and plateau behavior of lattices can be manipulated by selectively grading the cells. Metallic lattices are the conventional choice for energy absorption, while the generated impact has not been the subject of interest. However, this is the crucial requirement for protective applications like mine-blast absorber for armor vehicles. Different gradient approaches have been examined in this study to find the method which not only controls the absorbed energy, but also keeps the impact level below the identified threshold. This includes available density gradients as well as an innovative gradient geometry for the structure. The concept of how each gradient approach influences the plateau behavior was discussed. A novel approach has been presented which enables tracking the impact magnitude during densification. Although, series density-gradient is a common approach to improve energy absorption in industry, the result of this study demonstrates that crushing the denser region of lattice may generate significantly larger impact. Instead, arranging density gradient cells parallelly can absorb higher energy, while the increase in impact is not significant. An innovative design is presented for lattice structure with gradient geometry. It starts absorbing energy at very low impact and ends with significantly higher absorbed energy at full compaction. To expand the domain of application and effectiveness, new gradient approach was proposed by combining geometry and density grading. It was demonstrated that this highly efficient and flexible design configuration could reduce the activation impact by 94% with descending arrangement and double the absorbed energy by ascending arrangement. This was achieved while the impact magnitude was kept at a reasonable level. In addition, design parameters can be adjusted for desired level of energy and impact for particular application.

The diffraction-free property of space-time wave packets has led to an abundance of interest in the field of optical physics. This feature may also find utility in applications for biomedical optics. Specifically, the programmability of the space-time light sheet can yield µm-thick light sheets with widths that resist diffraction in free space over several millimeters, whereas similarly sized Airy, Bessel, or Gaussian light sheets diverge significantly when focused to reach comparable widths. Here, we experimentally and numerically demonstrate this, and confirm that a 10-µm-thick space-time light sheet, achieved without a focusing lens and synthesized by tuning the spectral tilt angle of the light cone, maintains its width over a free-space propagation distance of 2 mm. In comparison, we find that over the same propagation distance, the Airy, Bessel, and Gaussian light sheets, all with starting thicknesses of ∼10 µm, become ∼4.5× to ∼10× wider, respectively. Space-time light sheets thus offer an opportunity for significantly extended depth-of-focus for light sheet microscopy.

Incorporating nanomaterials into liquid crystals has gained popularity since the rise of nanotechnology in the 1990s. The modifications of the physical and chemical properties of liquid crystals are envisioned with the formulation of nanocomposites. In this work, we provide the experimental evidence for the enhancement in the conductivity observed in composites of ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) doped in hydrogen bonded liquid crystals (HBLCs) (P18:FBA) built with (4-pyridyl)-benzylidene-4ʹ-n-octadecylaniline as proton acceptors and 4-Fluorobenzoic acids as proton donors. The FTIR and Photoluminescence studies confirmed the decreased H-bonding interactions proving an efficient pathway for the observed conductivity in the nanocomposites. A theoretical model is proposed for the quantitative explanation of observed conductivity which emphasizes mixed ionic-electronic conductivity.

Rajkumar Hirani’s film Dunki (2023) takes its name from an immigration method that is popular among undocumented immigrants originating from states such as Punjab, Haryana, and Gujarat in India. Using this film as a case study, this article critiques immigration and visa laws that engender methods of crossing borders such as dunki, identifies the inherent classicism and racism embedded in such laws, and explores how they generate a false dichotomy between dunki and the “right way” of immigrating. It argues how such laws are aligned with neocolonial ideological projects that seek to contain and control the mobility and circulation of bodies and epistemologies from former colonies, demonstrating how what Aníbal Quijano terms the “coloniality of power” operates in the context of contemporary visa and immigration law.

Background This study examined the relationship between the Duration of Untreated Psychosis (DUP) and functional outcomes at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months after admission to Coordinated Specialty Care (CSC). Methods A total of 246 participants from two U.S. public-sector CSC programs were categorized into Low and High DUP groups using two criteria: (i) a median split of the DUP distribution and (ii) the World Health Organization (WHO) aspirational standard of 3 months. Changes in global functioning (GAF), social functioning (GF: Social), and occupational functioning (GF: Role), symptom severity (PANSS), and quality of life (QoL) were assessed using a Linear Mixed Model Repeated Measures (MMRM) analysis across the three time points. A Generalized Linear Model (GLM) with a logit link function was applied to analyze binary outcomes, specifically the status of being Neither in the Labor Force, Education, or Training (NLFET). Both models adjusted for time and site as covariates and used an unstructured variance-covariance matrix to account for within-subject correlations in repeated measures. The difference-in-differences method was employed to estimate the impact of DUP on outcomes over time, with results reported as least square means for continuous outcomes, odds ratios for binary outcomes, and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for both Low and High DUP groups. Results No significant differences were observed between the Low and High DUP groups at baseline. By 6 months, participants in the Low DUP group (DUP < 3 months) exhibited significantly greater improvements (reduction) in NLFET status (3-month OR = 3.25, p = 0.03; median split OR = 2.25, p = 0.03) and global functioning, GF: Role, and GF: Social. By 12 months, the Low DUP group continued to show significantly greater NLFET status improvement (3-month OR = 3.59, p = 0.03; median split OR = 3.40, p = 0.0032). Improvements in global functioning were sustained at 12 months, while social and occupational functioning gains were not. No significant differences were observed between groups for quality of life or symptom severity over time. Conclusion Shorter DUP is linked to more rapid functional recovery within the first year after CSC admission.

The structural and electrical properties of ionic metal‐alkanoate nanocomposites obtained based on a cadmium octanoate matrix with individual carbon and gold nanoparticles (NPs) as well as their combination are studied. Carbon and gold NPs were chemically synthesized within the smectic A phase of Cd⁺²(C7H15COO⁻)2, which served as a well‐ordered nanoreactor. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) data provide information on NPs location and allow the estimation of the sizes of the synthesized NPs inside the glassy liquid crystalline matrix. It is shown that the size and shape of the NPs were precisely controlled during synthesis, resulting in highly stable and organized nanocomposites. The electrical characteristics were studied in a wide temperature range corresponding to different phase states of the nanocomposites. We compared the electrical properties of both pure matrix and nanocomposites with carbon and gold NPs to identify the potential of the nanocomposite materials for designing new sensor structures. Notably, the nanocomposites exhibited anisotropic conductivity, highlighting the structural anisotropy of the material. In addition, using NPs allows fine‐tuning of the electrical properties of a metal‐alkanoate host matrix. The obtained nanocomposites open prospects for the development of electro‐optical sensors with high sensitivity and specificity that can be used to detect a variety of chemical and physical parameters including temperature, composition of substances, and environment.

In the last decades, research from cognitive science, clinical psychology, psychiatry, and social neuroscience has provided mounting evidence that several social cognitive abilities are impaired in people with schizophrenia and contribute to functional difficulties and poor clinical outcomes. Social dysfunction is a hallmark of the illness, and yet, social cognition is seldom assessed in clinical practice or targeted for treatment. In this article, 17 international experts, from three different continents and six countries with expertise in social cognition and social neuroscience in schizophrenia, convened several meetings to provide clinicians with a summary of the most recent international research on social cognition evaluation and treatment in schizophrenia, and to lay out primary recommendations and procedures that can be integrated into their practice. Given that many extant measures used to assess social cognition have been developed in North America or Western Europe, this article is also a call for researchers and clinicians to validate instruments internationally and we provide preliminary guidance for the adaptation and use of social cognitive measures in clinical and research evaluations internationally. This effort will assist promoting scientific rigor, enhanced clinical practice, and will help propel international scientific research and collaboration and patient care.

Using modern hunter-gatherers to infer about early Homo sapiens only works if at least (a) modern hunter-gatherers represent an unbiased sample of humanity, and (b) modern hunter-gatherers act in ways similar to the behavior of early Homo sapiens . Both of these are false, leading to the problem of whether we can draw conclusions about early Homo sapiens from modern hunter-gatherers.

The imposter phenomenon (IP) is a destructive set of beliefs, traits, and experiences in which high-achieving individuals fail to internalize their accomplishments and falsely perceive themselves as frauds. IP is a function of underrepresentation and contributes to and perpetuates a cycle of low self-worth, perfectionism, and anxiety, all of which negatively affect job performance and reinforce the IP cycle. Mitigating the deleterious effects of IP requires first naming this phenomenon and recognizing the patterns of IP. In this article, we summarize pertinent social science literature on this topic and share experiences of IP as told by the authors and anonymous contributors. We highlight the potential destructive effects of IP, as well as strategies that mentors and trainees can utilize to counter this phenomenon.

This chapter focuses on the role of powerful VIPs and their interactions with contestants, soldiers, and waiters as so-called precarious laborers in Squid Game, especially toward the end of the 9-episode series that started its global run in 2021 on Netflix in Korean. The analysis draws from media examples of other popular game-related shows such as The Hunger Games (Gary Ross, 2012), Battle Royale (Kinji Fukasaki, 2000), Spartacus (Stanley Kubrick, 1960) and Eyes Wide Shut (Stanley Kubrick, 1999). Masks are used frequently as dramaturgical devices in film, TV, games, and the arts; they add a sense of mystery, fright, suspense, and sexual allure to a plot. One of the trademarks of an elite spectator in Squid Game as well as Eyes Wide Shut is the use of ornate masks to conceal identity. The chapter studies the use of masks and the process of unmasking in Squid Game.

Despite Squid Game’s global popularity, the show has been criticized for its explicit depictions of violence. This chapter argues that the violence present in Squid Game is a narrative necessity and its primary allegory. It is a violence that facilitates the show’s scathing critique of capitalism and explores the embedded violence of the human psyche. Squid Game is a masterful exploration of the horrors of the human mind, well-executed through the portrayal of Oh Il-nam, the architect of the Squid Game. The human penchant for gratuitous, deliberate, and lucrative violence, reflected in umpteen examples from the non-ludological “real” world outside the Squid Game appears more problematic than the mere performance of onscreen violence replete with blood, blades, and bullets. The diegetic violence of Squid Game, therefore, needs to be understood as inseparable from the thematic concerns of the show.

Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece tells the story of a rubber boy named Monkey D. Luffy who gathers a ragtag crew and setsoff to become King of the Pirates by finding a mysterious treasure called the One Piece. In its 27 years of serialization, “One Piece” has become the second best-selling comic in the world surpassing titles like Batman, Asterix, and Spiderman. While better known for its whimsical world-building and art-style, this epic about pirates has also spurred discussion around anti-authoritarian and progressive politics. In this chapter, I argue that the comic’s portrayal of environmental justice centers its links with labor empowerment.

In this article, we experimentally generate a vortex space-time (ST) wave packet carrying orbital angular momentum (OAM) and confirm that the OAM of the beam survives after propagating either in the presence of a line obstruction or across a thin scattering medium. A comparison of our findings with both Bessel and standard Gaussian beams carrying OAM reveals that ST-OAM wave packets exhibit a significantly higher mean Pearson’s correlation coefficient compared to these other beams. In addition, we employ a standard 3-mm thick glass microscope slide as a waveguide and find that the OAM belonging to ST wave packets remains protected after propagation. Our findings have potential utility in communication applications, sensing, imaging, and optical trapping.