scholarly journals A Mechanics Study on the Self-Righting of Abalone from the Substrate

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Yun Zhang ◽  
Shanpeng Li ◽  
Pingcheng Zuo ◽  
Jing Li ◽  
Jianlin Liu
Keyword(s):  
Potential Energy ◽  
Energy Minimization ◽  
Critical Condition ◽  
Rotation Angle ◽  
The Self ◽  
Tension Force ◽  
Experimental Result ◽  
Soft Robotics ◽  
Righting Behavior ◽  
The Moment

In this study, we aim to probe the self-righting behavior of abalone on a substrate based on experiments and mechanistic analyses. A successful self-righting process of abalone is observed, and its critical condition in theory can be given in terms of the rotation angle. Then, according to the moment balance and potential energy minimization, the required tension force of the abalone foot for self-righting is derived with respect to the rotation angle. The experimental result also shows that in many cases the abalone cannot finish this self-righting process. Then, measurements on the tolerant strength of abalone muscle and tolerant adhesion strength of the foot on substrate are both conducted. It is judged that the abalone muscle is strong enough, which can provide enough tension force, and thus, the self-righting mainly depends on the adhesion area of the foot on substrate. These findings cast new light on engineering new types of biomaterials and devices, such as marine equipment and soft robotics.

Monkey on My Back. An Autoethnographic Narrative of a Therapeutic Experience

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam Wiesner
Keyword(s):  
Personal Experience ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
The Self ◽  
Symbolic Language ◽  
Discursive Practices ◽  
Therapeutic Experience ◽  
Postmodern Philosophy ◽  
The Moment ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Global Uncertainty

With a conscious attempt to contribute to contemporary discussions in mad/trans/queer/monster studies, the monograph approaches complex postmodern theories and contextualizes them from an autoethnographic methodological perspective. As the self-explanatory subtitle reads, the book introduces several topics as revelatory fields for the author’s self-exploration at the moment of an intense epistemological and ontological crisis. Reflexively written, it does not solely focus on a personal experience, as it also aims at bridging the gap between the individual and the collective in times of global uncertainty. There are no solid outcomes defined; nevertheless, the narrative points to a certain—more fluid—way out. Through introducing alternative ways of hermeneutics and meaning-making, the book offers a synthesis of postmodern philosophy and therapy, evolutionary astrology as a symbolic language, embodied inquiry, and Buddhist thought that together represent a critical attempt to challenge the pathologizing discursive practices of modern disciplines during the neoliberal capitalist era.

WHY ARE SOME NUCLEI SPHERICAL?

1993 ◽  
Vol 02 (supp01) ◽  
pp. 71-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
KRISHNA KUMAR
Keyword(s):  
Potential Energy ◽  
Spherical Shell ◽  
Shell Model ◽  
Energy Minimization ◽  
Zero Point ◽  
Natural State ◽  
Atomic Nuclei ◽  
Point Motion ◽  
Spherical Nuclei ◽  
General Conditions

Energy minimization is not sufficient to determine whether a nucleus is spherical or deformed. The quantal zero-point motion can make a nucleus spherical even if the potential energy has a deformed minimum. However, some general conditions give deformed shape as the natural state of atomic nuclei. They are spherical only under some special conditions. Some general criteria for distinguishing spherical nuclei from deformed, as well as some advantages of using a deformed-shell model rather than a spherical-shell model, are presented.

Floating Body Equilibrium by Potential-Energy Minimization

1991 ◽  
Vol 28 (03) ◽  
pp. 153-162
Author(s):  
Antonio Campanile
Keyword(s):  
Potential Energy ◽  
Energy Minimization ◽  
Stable Equilibrium ◽  
Mathematical Formulation ◽  
Floating Body ◽  
Offshore Platforms ◽  
Equilibrium Equations ◽  
Hull Form ◽  
Computer Based ◽  
Marine Vehicle

The paper presents a computer-based approach aiming to solve the equilibrium equations of a floating body by means of potential-energy minimization. After a brief and general discussion, the principle that the potential energy of the system must be at a minimum is adopted as the condition for identifying the stable equilibrium positions of a marine vehicle. A consistent mathematical formulation is then developed. The problem is solved, therefore, by searching for the minimum of a function of three variables using a simple and efficient iterative method. This makes it possible for the equilibrium positions to be determined directly, unlike the classic methods-that is, without any previously constructed table of hydrostatic data and regardless of the magnitude of waterplane rotation compared with the initial orientation. No restriction is stipulated on hull form. Some study cases relating to a prismatic barge and a jacket-type platform are presented and analyzed. Relevant numerical results allow the procedure to be optimized so as to improve convergence. Finally, peculiar features of the proposed method are discussed, with particular reference to jacket-type offshore platforms, and further valuable applications are indicated.

‘The Very Complexion of the Mirror’

2015 ◽  
pp. 1-21
Author(s):  
Mhairi Pooler
Keyword(s):  
Henry James ◽  
First World War ◽  
The Self ◽  
World War ◽  
Autobiographical Writing ◽  
Reflective Surface ◽  
The First World War ◽  
Mixed Genre ◽  
The Moment ◽  
First World

The introduction’s title is taken from a quote by Henry James that underlines the book’s focus on the self-theorising artist: the idea that autobiographical writing shows the author’s mirrored reflection as well as an examination of the reflective surface itself. This idea is introduced alongside other key themes of the book, including the concern with genre, especially the mixed genre of ‘creative autobiography’ and how it compares with the Künstlerroman. The choice of authors studied and their interconnections are explained. It is described how each of the works focused on is a response to the moment of its composition – to the new century, to the shock of the First World War, to the experiments in self-expression or to the uncertainty of the interwar years – making Hans Georg Gadamer’s notion of the ‘historical horizon’ important to the study. This discussion dwells on Virginia Woolf’s idea that ‘human character changed’ in 1910.

scholarly journals Feeling Empathically Toward Other People and the Self: The Role of Perspective Shifting in Emotion Sharing and Self-Reassurance

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 169-183 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chui-De Chiu ◽  
Hau Ching Ng ◽  
Wing Ki Kwok ◽  
Marieke S. Tollenaar
Keyword(s):  
Emotional Reactivity ◽  
The Self ◽  
First Person ◽  
Cognitive Characteristic ◽  
Negative Thoughts ◽  
The Moment

Feeling one’s own emotions empathically when negative thoughts about the self arise, a defining element of self-reassurance, promotes resilience to prolonged emotional reactivity. We propose that feeling empathically toward the self is accomplished by first stepping into the shoes of an objectified, undesired self-aspect, after which the process of perspective shifting should be completed by reengaging the self to experience the moment in the first person. We hypothesize that the resumption of the egocentric perspective in perspective shifting, a cognitive characteristic of sharing other people’s emotions, is crucial for self-reassurance as well. The relationships among flexibility in perspective shifting, self-reassurance, and emotion sharing were examined in community participants. Our results show that quickly switching back to a visuospatial egocentric perspective after adopting an opposing perspective relates to self-reassurance and emotion sharing. We conclude that both reassuring the self and empathizing with other people involve flexibility in perspective shifting.

scholarly journals The softness distribution index: towards the creation of guidelines for the modeling of soft-bodied robots

2019 ◽  
pp. 027836491989345
Author(s):  
Giovanna A Naselli ◽  
Barbara Mazzolai
Keyword(s):  
Material Properties ◽  
Soft Robotics ◽  
Dimensionless Quantity ◽  
Unified Framework ◽  
Soft Body ◽  
Computational Burden ◽  
Highly Nonlinear ◽  
Nonlinear Mechanical ◽  
Distribution Index ◽  
The Moment

Modeling soft robots is not an easy task owing to their highly nonlinear mechanical behavior. So far, several researchers have tackled the problem using different approaches, each having advantages and drawbacks in terms of accuracy, ease of implementation, and computational burden. The soft robotics community is currently working to develop a unified framework for modeling. Our contribution in this direction consists of a novel dimensionless quantity that we call the softness distribution index (SDI). The SDI for a given soft body is computed based on the distribution of its structural properties. We show that the index can serve as a tool in the choice of a modeling technique among multiple approaches suggested in literature. At the moment, the investigation is limited to bodies performing planar bending. The aim of this work is twofold: (i) to highlight the importance of the distribution of the geometrical and material properties of a soft robotic link/body throughout its structure; and (ii) to demonstrate that a classification based on this distribution provides guidelines for the modeling.

Reimaging ‘the Self’ in Criminology: Transcendence, Unconscious States and the Limits of Narrative Criminology

2020 ◽  
pp. 136248062091910
Author(s):  
Ben Laws
Keyword(s):  
The Self ◽  
The Unconscious ◽  
Unconscious Processes ◽  
Critical Engagement ◽  
Causal Mechanisms ◽  
Future Action ◽  
The Moment ◽  
Desistance From Crime

Notions of ‘the self’ in criminology are rarely explored or defined, which is surprising given how pervasively the term is used. According to narrative criminology, the self is generated and moulded by the stories we tell; our identity emerges through narrative scripts and these stories motivate future action. But this understanding of selfhood is quite narrow. This article attempts to widen it by separating selfhood into three categories: ‘the reflexive self’ (the person we think we are); ‘the unconscious self’ (things we do not know that shape us); and ‘the experiencing self’ (the in-the-moment, living and breathing feeling of being alive). The article begins with a critical engagement with the field of narrative criminology which tends to address ‘the reflexive self’ somewhat in isolation. Then a number of findings in criminology, psychology and theology are presented which reveal alternative notions of selfhood. This includes engaging with theological accounts that can be described as transcendent or transpersonal. Second, psychoanalytic research notes how our behaviour is often motivated by unconscious processes that are hard to reconcile with traditional notions of selfhood. There is a call to bring these different ‘selves’ into dialogue and to draw cleaner distinctions between them. Increasing our understanding of selfhood helps us to think more clearly about key criminological debates, such as the causal mechanisms undergirding adaptation and desistance from crime.

scholarly journals Blind footballers direct their head towards an approaching ball during ball trapping

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Takumi Mieda ◽  
Masahiro Kokubu
Keyword(s):  
Rotation Angle ◽  
Sagittal Plane ◽  
Early Time ◽  
Head Rotation ◽  
Head Movements ◽  
Football Players ◽  
Trunk Rotation ◽  
The Moment ◽  
Head Rotations ◽  
Egocentric Direction

AbstractIn blind football, players predict the sound location of a ball to underpin the success of ball trapping. It is currently unknown whether blind footballers use head movements as a strategy for trapping a moving ball. This study investigated characteristics of head rotations in blind footballers during ball trapping compared to sighted nonathletes. Participants performed trapping an approaching ball using their right foot. Head and trunk rotation angles in the sagittal plane, and head rotation angles in the horizontal plane were measured during ball trapping. The blind footballers showed a larger downward head rotation angle, as well as higher performance at the time of ball trapping than did the sighted nonathletes. However, no significant differences between the groups were found with regards to the horizontal head rotation angle and the downward trunk rotation angle. The blind footballers consistently showed a larger relative angle of downward head rotation from an early time point after ball launching to the moment of ball trapping. These results suggest that blind footballers couple downward head rotation with the movement of an approaching ball, to ensure that the ball is kept in a consistent egocentric direction relative to the head throughout ball trapping.

scholarly journals Updating the theoretical tidal evolution constants: Apsidal motion and the moment of inertia

2019 ◽  
Vol 628 ◽  
pp. A29 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Claret
Keyword(s):  
Potential Energy ◽  
Internal Structure ◽  
Gravitational Potential ◽  
Moment Of Inertia ◽  
Close Binary ◽  
Gravitational Potential Energy ◽  
Radius Of Gyration ◽  
Apsidal Motion ◽  
Tidal Evolution ◽  
The Moment

Context. The theoretical apsidal motion constants are key tools to investigate the stellar interiors in close eccentric binary systems. In addition, these constants and the moment of inertia are also important to investigate the tidal evolution of close binary stars as well as of exo-planetary systems. Aims. The aim of the paper is to present new evolutionary models, based on the MESA package, that include the internal structure constants (k2, k3, and k4), the radius of gyration, and the gravitational potential energy for configurations computed from the pre-main-sequence up to the first ascent giant branch or beyond. The calculations are available for the three metallicities [Fe/H] = 0.00, −0.50, and −1.00, which take the recent investigations in less metallic environments into account. This new set of models replaces the old ones, published about 15 years ago, using the code GRANADA. Methods. Core overshooting was taken into account using the mass-fov relationship, which was derived semi-empirically for models more massive than 1.2 M⊙. The differential equations governing the apsidal motion constants, moment of inertia, and the gravitational potential energy were integrated simultaneously through a fifth-order Runge-Kutta method with a tolerance level of 10−7. Results. The resulting models (from 0.8 up to 35.0 M⊙) are presented in 54 tables for the three metallicities, containing the usual characteristics of an evolutionary model (age, initial masses, log Teff, log g, and log L), the constants of internal structure (k2, k3, and k4), the radius of gyration β, and the factor α that is related with the gravitational potential energy.

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