scholarly journals From Literature to Image—Aesthetic Features of Space Megastructure Cities in American Sci-Fi Movies

Author(s):  
Zhi Li ◽  

The concept of Space megastructures is originated from science fiction novels. They symbolize the material landscape form of a comprehensive advancement of intelligent civilization after the continuous development of technology. Space megacity is actually an expansion process of human development in the future. It is not only a transformation of space colonization but also a mapping of self-help homeland. Therefore, it is a symbol of technological optimism and a future utopia in the context of technology. In contemporary times, sci-fi movies use digital technology to translate the giant imagination in literature into richer digital image landscapes. Space giant cities are one of the most typical digital images with spectacle view, which reflects the impact of American sci-fi movie scene design on the landscape and preference that human will be living in the future. The aesthetic preferences and design principles of the future picture, and the aesthetic value of science fiction as a medium of imagination are revealed. The aim of this article is to explore the digital design style of space megastructure with utopia sense in science fiction movies, and analyzes its aesthetic connotation.

2018 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 104-107
Author(s):  
Matthew Cutulle ◽  
Jeffrey Derr ◽  
David McCall ◽  
Adam Nichols ◽  
Brandon Horvath

Abstract Tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Shreb.) has exceptional utility as a low maintenance lawn in the transition zone. However, during the summer smooth crabgrass [Digitaria ischaemum (Schreb.) Schreb. ex Muhl.] infestations can reduce the aesthetic value and function of the turf and lead to a thinning of the tall fescue stand, noticeable after the crabgrass plants have senesced. Research was conducted to evaluate the impact of mowing height and nitrogen fertility on smooth crabgrass plant counts and tall fescue cover in Virginia Beach, VA. Plots were mowed at either 6 cm (2.5 in) or 10 cm (4 in) and received 49, 171, or 220 kg of nitrogen annually per hectare (44, 152, and 196 lb.A−1). Mowing at 10 cm with the highest level of fertility resulted in the most turfgrass cover among all the treatment combinations. Mowing at 10 cm as opposed to 6 cm resulted in less smooth crabgrass plants, regardless of nitrogen fertilization rate. Index words: fertilization, turfgrass, weed control. Species used in this study: Smooth crabgrass [Digitaria ischaemum (Schreb.) Schreb. ex Muhl.]; tall fescue [Festuca arundinacea Shreb. synonym Schedonorus phoenix (Scop.) Holub].


2017 ◽  
Vol 42 (4) ◽  
pp. 60-69
Author(s):  
Salar Salah Muhy Al-Dın ◽  
Hourakhsh Ahmad Nia

The aim of this study is to extend the rationale and comprehensive understanding in respect of the notion of functionality and beauty in the smart skin buildings. Smart skin in buildings plays a key role in improving building functionality, and the future lies in the use of innovative smart skin strategies. The methodology focused on the objectivity and subjectivity of human perception to assess the aesthetic value of a building's smart skin. A theoretical analysis has been conducted based on the results of the investigation model and fortified by comparing the results with the findings obtained through the opinions of experts based in AHP methodology. The study demonstrates that there is a relation between both the aesthetic value and the functionality of the smart skin of a building. The findings revealed the difference in the aesthetic evaluation between the subjective functionality and the objective functionality of the building skin. The findings contribute useful evidence for the promotion of our understanding regarding the aesthetic value of the smart skin of a building, based on its functionality.


Molecules ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (23) ◽  
pp. 5534
Author(s):  
Zarshad Ali ◽  
Rashid Ahmad ◽  
W. Aslam Farooq ◽  
Aslam Khan ◽  
Adnan Ali Khan ◽  
...  

Zinc is an essential trace metal and its concentration above 4ppm reduces the aesthetic value of water. This study explores the possibility of using functionalized nanohybrids as Zn(II) ion scavengers from aqueous solution. Functionalized nanohybrids were synthesized by the attachment of thiosemicarbazide to silica. The material was characterized by TGA, SEM, FTIR, EDX, and BET analysis, which revealed ligand bonding to silica. The functionalized silica was employed as Zn(II) ion extractant in batch experiments and removed about 94.5% of the Zn(II) ions at pH 7, near zero point charge (6.5) in 30 min. Kinetics investigations revealed that zinc adsorption follows an intra particle diffusion mechanism and first-order kinetics (K = 0.1020 min−1). The data were fitted to Freundlich, Dubinin–Radushkevich, and Langmuir models and useful ion exchange parameters were determined. The impact of co-existing ions on Zn(II) ion sequestration was also studied and it was found that the adsorbent can be used for selective removal of zinc with various ions in the matrix. Quantum mechanical investigations revealed that the Zn(II) ion adsorption on ZnBS1 is more favorable, having higher binding energy (BE) (−178.1 kcal/mol) and ∆H (−169.8), and making tridentate complex with the N and S sites of the chelating ligand. The negative ∆G and BE values suggest highly spontaneous Zn(II) adsorption on the modified silica even at low temperatures.


2016 ◽  
Vol 148 (4) ◽  
pp. 466-475 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Berthiaume ◽  
Christian Hébert ◽  
Georges Pelletier ◽  
Conrad Cloutier

AbstractThe balsam twig aphid, Mindarus abietinus Koch (Hemiptera: Aphididae), is one of the most important pests of balsam fir (Abies balsamea (Linnaeus) Miller; Pinaceae) grown as Christmas trees in eastern North America. Aphid feeding on the current-year shoots results in needle distortion and shoots stunting, which reduces the aesthetic value of balsam fir trees and can have substantial economic impact. Syrphidae (Diptera) fly predators attacking this aphid are poorly known. We identified four species attacking the balsam twig aphid. Syrphus torvus Osten Sacken (Diptera: Syrphidae) was the most abundant species followed by Eupeodes lapponicus (Zetterstedt) (Diptera: Syrphidae) and Eupeodes americanus (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Syrphidae). We described the seasonal natural history of the two most abundant syrphids feeding on this aphid and we studied their synchrony with their prey. Syrphid larval density on balsam fir shoots increased rapidly and closely followed density of the balsam twig aphid. We also reported heavy parasitism of syrphid pupae by two Hymenoptera on tree foliage but lower parasitism on pupae in the soil under trees. Several cases of multiple parasitism and hyperparasitism were observed in syrphid pupae under trees. Abundance of predaceous syrphid species was higher in untreated balsam fir plantations compared with treated plantations. More research is needed to understand the role and the impact of these predators on balsam twig aphid population dynamics.


2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 87
Author(s):  
Wardatul Hidayah ◽  
Rasoel Hamidy ◽  
Trisla Warningsih

Research has been conducted in Kepenghuluan Melayu Besar Subdistrict Tanah Putih Tanjung Melawan in January to February 2018. The aim of this research was to analyze the indicator of the presence of Aedes aegypti mosquito larvae on 3M Plus movement in Kepenghuluan Melayu Besar Subdistrict Tanah Putih Tanjung Melawan and analyze the effect of 3M Plus movements and impacts socio-economic on the existence of Aedes aegypti mosquito larvae in Kepenghuluan Melayu Besar Subdistrict Tanah Putih Tanjung Melawan. The results showed that 3M Plus movement affected to decrease larva population in an area. The impact of the 3M Plus movement was viewed from an economic aspect, namely the costs incurred was cheaper than before the 3M Plus movement. The social impact gained from 3M's movement Plus the empathy and feeling of mutual cooperation in the community, the use of recycled goods increases the aesthetic value because the use of used goods to be used as crafts, feeling safe and comfortable and not panicking when there is an attack of DHF and the emergence of clean living behavior and healthy in the community.


2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 156-168
Author(s):  
Rudy van Belkom

Artificial intelligence (AI) has surpassed the level of science fiction; it is increasingly being used as an analysis tool in modern scientific research. AI is able to classify and cluster large amounts of data in a short time, which could potentially save a lot of time and money. Algorithms can also recognize patterns that scientists might overlook. These advantages are currently hardly exploited in futures studies. This article will focus on the impact of AI on the activities of a futurist. A distinction is made between predicting, exploring, and creating the future. The aim of this article is to discuss the possibilities and challenges of using AI in futures studies. One of the biggest challenges of using AI in futures studies is the dependence of AI on large amounts of data which are not available about the future. We therefore have to work with historical data. I emphasize that it is crucial for futurists to take advantage of the opportunities that AI offers in futures studies, but to be well aware of its disadvantages and limitations.


Blade Runner ◽  
2016 ◽  
pp. 13-26
Author(s):  
Sean Redmond

This chapter reviews the terms of the themes, iconographies and mode of address of Ridley Scott's Blade Runner that made it fall within the science-fiction genre. It describes Blade Runner as a dystopian, iconic and visually spectacular film that is argued to be an exemplary case study for what constitutes a science-fiction film. It also explains how Blade Runner offers a despairing view of the future, showing high, low and expansive shots of the Gothic, patchwork city as it belches flames, chokes on its own smog, and produces the discernible sense of an omnipresent decay. The chapter discusses Blade Runner's theme on disintegration, in which earth is so over-populated and polluted that people in the film are encouraged to move to off-world colonies. It investigates the 'aesthetic of decay' of Blade Runner that is compounded by the encroachment of technology and techno-science into all areas of social life.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (9) ◽  
pp. 163-167
Author(s):  
Dacai Huang ◽  

Taking 266 CSSCI records of sports dance from CNKI database as the research object, the relevant data were analyzed by CiteSpace software. By means of knowledge map, this paper combs the number of papers, high-yield institutions, high-yield authors, cooperation and research hotspots. This study draws the following conclusions, which are divided into three time periods according to the amount of documents issued; The cooperation between the authors is scattered, and the representatives are mainly concentrated in Beijing Sports University; The distribution of research institutions is scattered and the cluster scale is small; The keywords are clustered into nine cluster labels. Through sorting and summarizing, the nine clusters are summarized into six aspects: the development of sports dance, the development of sports dance in China’s mass sports, sports dance teaching, the cultural integration of national standard dance and Chinese classical dance, the aesthetic value of sports dance, and the impact of sports dance on College Students’ physical and mental health.


建築學報 ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 116 (116-1) ◽  
pp. 041-054
Author(s):  
柯純融 柯純融

<p>本研究主要在探討建築設計在數位工具與生物學觀點介入後,如何將形態生成語彙的,以自然的湧現特質呈現在設計中。設計的操作方法透過材料特性的探索、量體聚集和力學傳遞的差異與連續,企圖創造出不同於以往只有幾何的組織特性而能傳達自組織美學的意。此看法包含Las Spuybroek所說解釋的新激進唯物主義概念,可以體現從構築、跨越物質感知與物質本身產生共鳴的設計方法。目前在數位設計型態上十分常見。但是,如何避免只是複製形式而不了解邏輯的生成原則,將材料探索和其生成意義傳遞給學生,需要一套較完整的設計教學方法。本研究歷經三年的嘗試,已接近明確的方法論,其目的就是希望讓學生從近身事物之觀察為起點,分門別類理解各種材料與對應工具的技術,最後運用於生成形式獨特的空間內涵。即便學生沒有直接接觸或使用計算機工具或任何種類的演算和結構運算軟體。學生也能自然地體驗形式由下而上的生成方法,以及來自構築性物件中結構力量的流動與傳遞經驗。他們可以看到組織的流動性如何轉移到物體結構中。</p> <p>&nbsp;</p><p>The research primarily explores how, after the introduction of digital tools and biological viewpoints, architectural design may express the morphological generation language within as a natural emergence. Through the exploration of material properties, mass aggregation and the force distribution and continuity, the design method attempts to create an assemblage characteristic containing more than simply geometry as in the past, and the ability to communicate the aesthetic value of self-assemblage. This aspect was also explained by Las Spuybroek, on new radical materialist concept that embodies a design approach resonating with the tectonics, cross-material perception and the material itself. At the moment, this approach is prevalent in digital design. Nonetheless, for the purpose of conveying this tectonic significance to students by the material exploration, and avoiding a simple replication of form and uninformed of the principles that generate such logic, a more thorough method in design teaching is required. After three years of experimentation, the research has nearly arrived at a clear methodology, which aims to allow students to take the observation of the surrounding objects as the outset, categorizing and understanding the materials and set of techniques of respective tools, and finally realized by generating unique forms of spatial connotation. Even if the students have yet been in direct contact or use of the computational tools or any types of algorithms and structural calculations, they can naturally experience the bottom-up approach of the form generation and the flow of structural force from the tectonic, thus pass on the experience. They will observe how the organizational mobility is transferred to the structure.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document