1,721,071 research outputs found
Digital fabrication of a novel bio-actuator for bio-robotic art and design
No full textWe describe the design, fabrication and testing of a biologically-driven actuator which serves as a proof-or-concept "artificial heartbeat" for future use within bio-robotic art and design. The actuator employs live biological material, both as a source of power and means of actuation. Pneumatic pressure generated by the action of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae causes a diaphragm to distend. Movement of the diaphragm is regulated by a purpose-built control valve. When the diaphragm is fully distended, the valve opens to release pressure, returning the actuator to its state of rest in readiness for the next actuation cycle. The control valve employs a temperature-responsive NiTi "artificial muscle" which is activated when heated electrically using power generated by microbial fuel cells. In an alternative embodiment, the NiTi valve is powered by solar energy via photovoltaic panels. Results are presented showing the performance of devices powered by both energy sources. The structure of the bio-actuator is fabricated by 3D printing and rapid tooling techniques. Bio-actuation may be employed for such functions as shape-change, pumping and propulsion. Possible applications for the physical principles described in this paper range from energy autonomous robotics and artificial life to artworks which creatively exploit robotic and bio-technology.</p
One Bright Star
No full text<i>One Bright Star</i> was commissioned by Rhondalay Music (Los Angeles, USA) in 2015. Jazz artists, Kristina Kelman and Peter Walters were invited to challenge the traditional Christmas catalogue with an album of fresh and unique arrangements and originals. The album is a tribute to the late Frank Pooler, award-winning American choirmaster, and former Director of Choral Studies at California State University, Long Beach, and well-known for his collaborations with Richard and Karen Carpenter. \ud
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The album includes a stylised, jazz re-invention of traditional songs such as Silver Bells, Carol of the Bells, O Christmas Tree and Let it Snow through mixed modes, changing time signatures, use of layering techniques, altered harmony, new forms, re-invention of melody and rhythm, improvisation and exploration of various styles, feels and instrumentation . Five original compositions exploring themes of family, loss and personal understandings of the theme of Christmas. \ud
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The album was released internationally in December, 2015 and distributed both digitally and physically
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe 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
Artificial heartbeat: Design and fabrication of a biologically inspired pump
No full textWe present a biologically inspired actuator exhibiting a novel pumping action. The design of the 'artificial heartbeat' actuator is inspired by physical principles derived from the structure and function of the human heart. The actuator employs NiTi artificial muscles and is powered by electrical energy generated by microbial fuel cells (MFCs). We describe the design and fabrication of the actuator and report the results of tests conducted to characterize its performance. This is the first artificial muscle-driven pump to be powered by MFCs fed on human urine. Results are presented in terms of the peak pumping pressure generated by the actuator, as well as for the volume of fluid transferred, when the actuator was powered by energy stored in a capacitor bank, which was charged by 24 MFCs fed on urine. The results demonstrate the potential for the artificial heartbeat actuator to be employed as a fluid circulation pump in future generations of MFC-powered robots ('EcoBots') that extract energy from organic waste. We also envisage that the actuator could in the future form part of a bio-robotic artwork or 'bio-automaton' that could help increase public awareness of research in robotics, bio-energy and biologically inspired design. © 2013 IOP Publishing Ltd
Variations on the Author
Full text link“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
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Full text linkWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
koamabayili/VECTRON-author-checklist: VECTRON author checklist
No full textWe have done our best to complete the author checklist relating to the use of animals in the hut study. Note that the objective for the hut study was to evaluate the IRS treatment applications for residual efficacy against Anopheles mosquitoes, including the local An. coluzzii mosquito population. Cows were only used to attract mosquitoes into the huts and no tests were carried out directly on the cows. The author checklist is intended for use with studies where experiments are carried out on animals, which is why we have had such difficulty in completing this for the hut study, as many of the questions do not relate to how the cows were used
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