The Unhappiness Muse

Chapter 6 provides an examination of findings related to the frequency of loss in the lives of artists, and how artists are motivated to shape loss and inner pain into creative products. Loss has been noted in the lives of artists for decades. It comes in the form of death; it comes in other ways, too. The chapter explores questions about the loss–art connection. What is it about loss that mobilizes creativity? What’s the nature of the correlation? Does loss propel art? The author outlines the role of trauma in creativity, with artist examples including Jorge Luis Borges, William Styron, Jack Kerouac, Truman Capote, and Patricia Highsmith.

MIMO Radar Array Antenna with Transmit-Receive Subarrays

Unlike the PMIMO radar, the transmit-receive (Tx-Rx) subarrays MIMO (TRSM) radar uses overlaping subarrays in Tx and Rx array so that it simultaneously combines the main advantage of the phased array radar (PA) i.e., high directional coherent gain, and the main advantage of the MIMO radar i.e., high waveform diversity gain. This paper has derived the radar performance formula such that Tx-Rx gain and SINR. The approach aims to overcome the beam shape loss, increase the transmit-receive gain, minimize the maximum peak sidelobe levels, narrow the half power beamwidth, increase directivity, and increase signal-to-noise-plus-interference ratio (SINR). This radar's performance is compared to the PMIMO radar in various methods such as equal subarrays, unequal subarrays, and optimum partitioning, the PA radar, and the MIMO radar. The numerical simulation and evaluation results show that the proposed radar has several advantages such as lowest the peak sidelobe level, narrow the half power beamwidth, and high directivity, so it is very robust against interference effects. When compared to the OPPM radar, as representative of the best-performing radars, this radar has an average performance improvement of MPSLL, directivity, and HPBW which are 21.5 dB, 2 dB, and 0.45 deg, respectively.

Shape Loss of Autoclaved, Machine-Bent Cobalt-Chrome and Titanium Spine Surgery Rods

Study Design: This was a biomechanical study. Objective: Shape loss of surgical spine rods has been implicated as a factor leading to postsurgical loss of alignment correction. Our objective was to compare the degree of shape loss in surgical spine rods of different compositions under physiological conditions that were bent before or after being autoclaved. Methods: 10 CoCr and 10 commercially pure titanium (CPTi) surgical spine rods were contoured using a machine press. Five CoCr and 5 CPTi rods were bent before being autoclaved (preoperative bent group); 5 CoCr and 5 CPTi rods were bent after being autoclaved (intraoperative bent group). All rods were immersed in a phosphate-buffered saline bath at body temperature (37.2°C ± 2°C). Changes in radius of curvature were measured at different time intervals over an 8-week course using a high-definition scanner. Results: Each rod demonstrated shape loss in radius of curvature (range = 1.04-9.99 mm) over the duration of the study. Intraoperatively bent CPTi rods demonstrated the largest shape loss (range = 8.73-9.99 mm; median 9.33 mm; P < .01). Preoperatively bent CPTi (range = 1.04-1.71 mm; median = 1.39 mm; P < .01) and intraoperatively bent CoCr (range = 1.11-2.11 mm; median = 2.01 mm; P < .01) rods underwent the least amount of shape loss. Conclusion: CPTi spinal rods bent after autoclave may lead to considerable loss of alignment correction. In addition, our results suggest that preautoclave bent CPTi and CoCr spinal rods bent after autoclave may be a more ideal choice of implant because they may provide more resistance to shape loss over time.

A Survey on Electrode Materials for Electrical Discharge Machining

This work screens electrode materials used in EDM and proposes some potential electrodes for future industrial applications. Traditional graphite, W, and Mo EDM electrodes have low TWR due to their high melting points; while, Zn, brass, and Cu often experience too much tool wear. As to some newly developed alloy and composite materials, their machining performances depend on not only their melting points but also their microstructures. Cu-W alloy has high wear resistance but it is susceptible to shape loss due to its internal porosity. By contrast, Cu-graphite, Cu-ZrB2 and Cu-TiB2 composites show good capabilities of removing material with little wear loss and therefore could be promising for future usages.

Ultrastructural Examination of the Host Cellular Response in the Gills of Atlantic Salmon, Salmo salar, with Amoebic Gill Disease

Gills from Atlantic salmon with experimentally induced amoebic gill disease ( Neoparamoeba spp.) were examined with transmission electron microscopy to assess pathology and host-cell responses. Amoebae were found either on the surface epithelium or with pseudopodia extending deeply into invaginations of epithelial cells. The amoebae had various densities along the plasma membrane and contained electron-dense deposits within their cytoplasm. Surface epithelial cells sloughed from the gills and had features consistent with apoptosis, including rounded shape, loss of surface microridges, and hypercondensation of nuclear chromatin. Affected areas of gills had fusion of secondary lamellae with interlamellar spaces occupied by mitotic epithelial cells and eosinophils. Eosinophils contained abundant fusiform-shaped granules that measured approximately 1 μm long and 360 nm wide. The granule consisted of an electron-dense matrix with a central inclusion that was less electron-dense, consisting of particulate and fibrillar material. In many instances, the central inclusion appeared empty and 90% of the eosinophils had morphology suggestive of piecemeal degranulation. Also observed within affected areas were a few neutrophils, mucous cells releasing mucus, and a small number of dendritic-like cells.

Lysis and protoplast formation of group B streptococci by mutanolysin

Group B streptococci, refractory to previously tested muralysins under physiological conditions, were successfully converted to protoplasts by use of a recently describede N-acetyl muramidase, mutanolysin, derived from a streptomycete. Purified enzyme was effective, but crude preparations, although degrading cell walls, simultaneously produced peculiar effects of cytoplasmic coagulation, retention of cell shape, loss of some intracellular enzymes, and a rise in optical density. Addition of purified mutanolysin to the array of muralysins (group C streptococcal phage-associated lysin, lysozyme), previously successful in preparing protoplasts of different streptococci, now makes possible enzymatic preparation of protoplasts of streptococci of groups A, B, C. D. G, and H.