1,721,396 research outputs found
Physics at the grocery store
The motion of a food can on an accelerated conveyor belt in a grocery store is described by means of Newtonian mechanics. By assuming that the food can may roll on the conveyor belt, when the cashier starts this device, one can prove that the rolling motion, observed in the belt reference system, is such that the can is seen to move away for the cashier. Experiments can be performed with common material: an empty and a full food can, and a
sheet of paper as conveyor belt
Sliding doors
Looking closely to the mechanism which make sliding doors move, one sees that the motion of the commonly used objects can be understood by solving a problem related to the motion of blocks and pulleys. The system is by itself interesting to be modelled as a problem in Newtonian mechanics, and the solution of the equation of the motion can lead us to estimate the time it takes for a sliding door to open or close
Pac-Man Josephson junctions: Useful trigonometric puzzles?
Rather interesting trigonometric equations arise when considering a Josephson junction obtained by embedding a Pac-Man shaped superconducting island in between two superconducting electrodes. In the present work we unfold these equations, written in terms of the superconducting phase difference between the two electrodes, and find the current-phase relation and the maximum superconducting current of the Josephson junction network. The solution of the trigonometric equations defining the superconducting current state of the system can be proposed to advanced high-school students or to undergraduate students in an interdisciplinary lecture
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
The present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Cooper pairs localization in tree-like networks of superconducting islands
We study inhomogeneous Cooper pairs distribution and localization effects in tree-like networks of superconducting islands coupled via Josephson weak links. Using a generalized Feynman's approach, reminiscent of the Bose-Hubbard model, we demonstrate that the Cooper pairs fraction which localizes on a specific network's island is limited by the network topology and, if present, by the repulsive interaction. These findings contribute to clarify the interplay between confinement effects induced by the network's topology and interaction and shed some light on recent experiments dealing with networks of Josephson junctions
Variations on the Author
“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
ESPOSIZIONE CRITICO-ANALITICA DEI RISULTATI DELL'ATTIVITA' SOCIO-SANITARIA DEL CENTRO
Napoli, Marott
Memory effects and self-excited oscillations in deterministic epidemic models with intrinsic time delays
The simplest delay differential equation describing the dynamics of non-lethal infectious diseases in a fixed-size population is extended to include the incubation period, as an additional delay parameter. It is observed that these types of deterministic models consist of one delay differential equation, whereas standard SIR and SEIR models consist of two and three ordinary differential equations, respectively. The extended model presents interesting peculiarities as, for example, initial oscillatory patterns in the curve counting the infectious individuals. A comparison of the doubly delayed differential equation with the standard SEIR model is made. It is argued that self-sustained oscillations, which are intrinsic properties of models with time delay, have to be taken into account in designing optimal epidemic containment strategies
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