Thinking across Frames – Temporally Extended Consciousness and the Animation Timeline

This article explores ways in which animation production technologies (including pre-cinema, film, and digital tools) have evolved as a system that abstracts time, primarily through its spatialization. This abstraction necessitates certain assumptions about the nature of time, including its linearity and directionality. Animation technologies have evolved so as to support various modes of temporally extended consciousness; an animator’s craft thinks and works through time. Embedded within digital production technologies, the animator is faced with a new philosophical instrument: the animation timeline. The main timeline utility in most animation software adopts a linear, mechanical model of time with the individual frame as the base unit. However, digital animation timeline can also complicate the spatialized temporal dimension, as the timeline is also embedded within animated objects in motion paths and other interface elements . As animated objects always exist through time, not merely within individual frames, the animation software tools for working with time both confine and unlock opportunities for working with time.

Motion-Encoded Electric Charged Particles Optimization for Moving Target Search Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

In this paper, a new optimization algorithm called motion-encoded electric charged particles optimization (ECPO-ME) is developed to find moving targets using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). The algorithm is based on the combination of the ECPO (i.e., the base algorithm) with the ME mechanism. This study is directly applicable to a real-world scenario, for instance the movement of a misplaced animal can be detected and subsequently its location can be transmitted to its caretaker. Using Bayesian theory, finding the location of a moving target is formulated as an optimization problem wherein the objective function is to maximize the probability of detecting the target. In the proposed ECPO-ME algorithm, the search trajectory is encoded as a series of UAV motion paths. These paths evolve in each iteration of the ECPO-ME algorithm. The performance of the algorithm is tested for six different scenarios with different characteristics. A statistical analysis is carried out to compare the results obtained from ECPO-ME with other well-known metaheuristics, widely used for benchmarking studies. The results found show that the ECPO-ME has great potential in finding moving targets, since it outperforms the base algorithm (i.e., ECPO) by as much as 2.16%, 5.26%, 7.17%, 14.72%, 0.79% and 3.38% for the investigated scenarios, respectively.

Effects of caffeine ingestion on dynamic visual acuity: a placebo-controlled, double-blind, balanced-crossover study in low caffeine consumers

Background Acute caffeine ingestion has been associated with improvements in cognitive performance and visual functioning. The main objective of this study was to determine the effects of caffeine intake on dynamic visual acuity (DVA). Methods Twenty-one low caffeine consumers (22.5 ± 1.6 years) took part in this placebo-controlled, double-blind, and balanced crossover study. In two different days and following a random order, participants ingested either caffeine (4 mg/kg) or placebo, and DVA was measured after 60 min of ingesting the corresponding capsule. A recently developed and validated software (moV& test, V&mp Vision Suite, Waterloo, Canada) was used to assess DVA. Results We found a greater accuracy for both the horizontal and random motion paths of DVA after caffeine ingestion (p < 0.001 and p = 0.002, respectively). In regard to the speed of the response, our data revealed that caffeine intake was associated with a faster reaction time for horizontally (p = 0.012) but not for randomly (p = 0.846) moving targets. Also, participants reported higher levels of perceived activation after consuming caffeine in comparison to placebo (p < 0.001). Conclusions Our data suggest that caffeine intake (i.e., a capsule containing 4 mg/kg) has an ergogenic effect on DVA, which may be of special relevance in real-word contexts that require to accurately and rapidly detect moving targets (e.g., sports, driving, or piloting).

Tribological characterization of all-polymer prosthesis based on multi-directional motion

The complex movement of artificial joints is closely related to the wear mechanism of the prosthesis material, especially for the polymer prosthesis, which is sensitive to motion paths. In this paper, the “soft-soft” all-polymer of XLPE/PEEK are selected to study the influence of motion paths on the friction and wear performance. Based on the periodic characteristics of friction coefficient and wear morphology, this paper reveals the friction and wear mechanism of XLPE/peek under multi-directional motion path, and obtains the quantitative relationship between friction coefficient and the aspect ratios of “∞”-shape motion path, which is of great significance to reveal and analyze the wear mechanism of “soft” all-polymer under multi-directional motion path. The results show that the friction coefficient is affected by the motion paths and have periodicity. Morever, under the multi-directional motion paths, the wear of PEEK are mainly abrasive wear and adhesive wear due to the cross shear effect, while the wear of XLPE is mainly abrasive wear with plastic accumulation. In addition, the friction coefficient is greatly affected the aspect ratios Rs-l of “∞”-shape and loads. Meanwhile, the wear morphologies are greatly affected by the aspect ratios Rs-l of “∞”-shape, but less affected by loads.

Analysis of hip joint cross-shear under variable activities using a novel virtual joint model within Visual3D

Cross-shear forces occur between bearing surfaces at the hip and have been identified as a key contributor to prosthesis wear. Understanding the variation in relative motion paths between both individuals and activities, is a possible explanation for increased revision rates for younger patients and could assist in improved pre-clinical testing regimes. Additionally, there is little information for the pre-clinical testing of cartilage substitution therapies for younger more active individuals. The calculation of motion paths has previously relied on computational modelling software which can be complex and time-consuming. The aim of this study was to determine whether the motion paths calculations could be integrated into gait analysis software to improve batch processing, reduce analysis time and ultimately improve the efficiency of the analysis of cross-shear variation for a broader range of activities. A novel Virtual Joint model was developed within Visual3D for calculating motion paths. This model was compared to previous computational methods and found to provide a competitive solution for cross shear analysis (accuracy <0.01 mm error between methods). The virtual hip model was subsequently applied to 13 common activities to investigate local aspect ratio’s, velocities and accelerations. Surprisingly walking produced the harshest cross shear motion paths in subjects. Within walking, of additional interest was that the localised change in acceleration for subjects was six times greater compared to the same point on an equivalent smoothed simulator cycle. The Virtual hip developed in Visual 3D provides a time saving technique for visualising and processing large data sets directly from motion files. The authors postulate that rather than focussing on a generalised smoothed cross-shear model that pre-clinical testing of more delicate structures should consider localised changes in acceleration as these may be more important in the assessment of cartilage substitutes sensitive to shear.

Numerical Simulation Study on the Recovery Process of Autonomous Underwater Vehicle

AUV (Autonomous Underwater Vehicle) recovery is considerably influenced by the nearby flow field and simulations of AUV in different motion paths in the wake of a submarine with a propeller are presented in this paper. A commercial CFD solver STAR CCM+ has been used to research the motion and flow characteristics of AUV, which using the advanced computational continuum mechanics algorithms. The DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) SUBOFF Submarine (L1 = 4.356m) propelled with INSEAN (Italian Ship Model Basin) E1619 propeller is used in this study, and the self-propulsion characteristics of the propeller at an incoming flow velocity of 2.75m/s are obtained through numerical simulation and results are compared with the available experimental data to prove the accuracy of the chosen investigation methodology. A grid/time-step convergence test is performed for verification study. AUV (L2 = 0.4356m) is a smaller-scale SUBOFF without a sail, which approaches the submarine in different motion paths in the submarine wake at a relative speed combined with the dynamic overlapping grid technology. The hydrodynamic performance of the AUV when approaching the submarine and the velocity distribution of the surrounding flow field are analyzed, which provides a useful reference for underwater recovery of the AUV.

Effect of ellipse motion paths with different aspect ratios on friction and wear of highly crosslinked polyethylene

Cobalt chromium molybdenum alloy and highly cross-linked polyethylene are selected as the counterpairs in this study to carry out friction and wear testing over different ellipse motion paths to explore the influence of ellipse motion path on friction and wear of prosthesis materials. Here, the analytical methods for the periodic friction coefficient and special point wear are proposed to investigate the relationship between motion paths and tribological properties. The damage mechanism model of high cross-linked polyethyleneunder ellipse motion paths was established, which revealed the connection among material composition, motion paths and friction and wear mechanism. The results show that the friction coefficient and wear morphology are directly affected by changes in motion paths. The friction coefficient decreases with increasing aspect ratios, and the wear profile depth increases with increasing aspect ratios. The spatially resolved friction coefficient curve distinctly exhibits periodic “W”-type variation in elliptical motion paths. The friction coefficient shows maximum values at the long-axis endpoints and minimum values at the short-axis endpoints. There are different wear morphologies in different characteristic areas over the elliptical wear paths. The wear profile depth and width at the long-axis endpoints are larger than those at the short-axis endpoints, and the wear morphology is also more serious.