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1. A DRO Fret Slotter

   French, Mark ( July 2018 , American lutherie)

   Want a robot lutherie apprentice? It is here today and it is cheap. But it doesn’t look like something from the Jetsons. It looks like this; a digital readout connected to a lead screw. With a friendly whirr, it will move the saw guide right up to the next fret position for you. But get your own dang coffee. 

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2. Probabilistic simulation of tornado-like loading on a low-rise building based on laboratory testing

   Wu, Xinyang ; Zuo, Delong ( August 2023 , 16th International Conference on Wind Engineering)

   Tornadoes can cause severe damage to buildings, but it is difficult to measure tornado loading on structures due to limitation of equipment. To enable investigations of tornado effects on buildings, this paper presents a method that can be used to numerically simulate nonstationary, non-Gaussian tornado-like loading based on laboratory testing. An illustrative application shows that the proposed method can successfully simulate tornado-like loading that is statistically similar to the loading measured in experiments. 

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3. Rapid and Chronic Ethanol Tolerance Are Composed of Distinct Memory-Like States in Drosophila

   https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1348-22.2023  

   Larnerd, Caleb ; Adhikari, Pratik ; Valdez, Ashley ; Del Toro, Alexander ; Wolf, Fred W. ( February 2023 , The Journal of Neuroscience)

   Ethanol tolerance is the first type of behavioral plasticity and neural plasticity that is induced by ethanol intake, and yet its molecular and circuit bases remain largely unexplored. Here, we characterize the following three distinct forms of ethanol tolerance in maleDrosophila: rapid, chronic, and repeated. Rapid tolerance is composed of two short-lived memory-like states, one that is labile and one that is consolidated. Chronic tolerance, induced by continuous exposure, lasts for 2 d, induces ethanol preference, and hinders the development of rapid tolerance through the activity of histone deacetylases (HDACs). Unlike rapid tolerance, chronic tolerance is independent of the immediate early geneHr38/Nr4a. Chronic tolerance is suppressed by the sirtuin HDACSirt1, whereas rapid tolerance is enhanced bySirt1. Moreover, rapid and chronic tolerance map to anatomically distinct regions of the mushroom body learning and memory centers. Chronic tolerance, like long-term memory, is dependent on new protein synthesis and it induces thekayak/c-fosimmediate early gene, but it depends on CREB signaling outside the mushroom bodies, and it does not require the Radish GTPase. Thus, chronic ethanol exposure creates an ethanol-specific memory-like state that is molecularly and anatomically different from other forms of ethanol tolerance.

   SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTThe pattern and concentration of initial ethanol exposure causes operationally distinct types of ethanol tolerance to form. We identify separate molecular and neural circuit mechanisms for two forms of ethanol tolerance, rapid and chronic. We also discover that chronic tolerance forms an ethanol-specific long-term memory-like state that localizes to learning and memory circuits, but it is different from appetitive and aversive long-term memories. By contrast, rapid tolerance is composed of labile and consolidated short-term memory-like states. The multiple forms of ethanol memory-like states are genetically tractable for understanding how initial forms of ethanol-induced neural plasticity form a substrate for the longer-term brain changes associated with alcohol use disorder.

    

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4. Gum‐Like Nanocomposites as Conformable, Conductive, and Adhesive Electrode Matrix for Energy Storage Devices

   https://doi.org/10.1002/aenm.201601767  

   Wang, Yu ; Gozen, Arda ; Chen, Lu ; Zhong, Wei‐Hong ( November 2016 , Advanced Energy Materials)

   The electrodes in energy storage devices, such as lithium/sodium ion batteries, are typical multicomponent system consisting of inorganic electrode particles, polymer binders, conductive fillers, current collectors, and other components. These components are usually porously combined by a polymeric binder to accomplish the required electrochemical functions. In spite of the great success, this classic porous configuration faces serious issues in mechanical stability and flexibility due to weak and instable structures/interfaces. Here, by learning from polymeric nanocomposites, a concept of electrode matrix is proposed based on a gum‐like nanocomposite, a dual‐conductive adhesive. As an electrode matrix, the gum‐like nanocomposite integrates the functions of binder, electrolyte, and conductive fillers. In particular, it shows strong adhesion, high electrical/ionic conductivities, and appropriate mechanical and self‐healing properties. Finally, it is demonstrated that, with the electrode matrix, battery electrodes can be fabricated into nonporous composite showing not only excellent mechanical flexibility/stability but also improved electrochemical performance when working with a gum‐like electrolyte.

    

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5. Seasons, Shorelines, and Their Effects on the Tropical Circulation and Hydrological Cycle

   https://doi.org/10.1175/JAS-D-23-0076.1  

   McKinney, Matthew ; Mitchell, Jonathan ( August 2024 , Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences)

   This work is a direct continuation of McKinney et al., who attempted to create a planet with Earth-like temperatures and physical properties but with precipitation and circulation patterns that were Titan-like. McKinney et al. attempted to do so by changing only three basic planetary parameters: the ratio of dry land to ocean on the surface, the rotation period, and the volatility of the condensable. Each of these parameters is varied from an Earth-like value to a Titan-like one to analyze the climate transition between these two planetary archetypes. In this work, we expand on McKinney et al. by including a seasonal cycle and increasing the number of diagnostic criteria for determining Titan-like dynamics. The simulations use Earth-like obliquity and an Earth-like solar constant. We find that the presence of a dry land strip extending to at least 55°N/S is most effective at creating Titan-like climatic conditions on an otherwise Earth-like planet, such as high-latitude summer precipitation maxima and a low-humidity equator. In contrast, slow rotation and high atmospheric vapor abundance have minimal climatic impacts despite being characteristic features of Titan. Our experiments show that it is not difficult to produce distinctly Titan-like features in an Earth-like GCM with minimal changes to its fundamental parameters. This suggests that Earth-like planets could have a large range of global climate states throughout their history just through changes in topography. Similarly, Titan may have experienced more Earth-like climate states in periods where its tropics were wetter.

    

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