A non-linear transmission of Euclid's Elements in a medieval Hebrew calendrical treatise

In this article I present the unique partial transmission of Euclid's Elements in the medieval Hebrew calendrical treatise Yesod 'Olam (The Foundation of the World), which was composed by Isaac Israeli in 14th-century Toledo. After a short introduction of Yesod 'Olam, I discuss the role of mathematics, as understood by Israeli, in the study of astronomy and the Jewish calendar. I then provide a mapping of the Elements found in Yesod 'Olam and demonstrate Israeli's peculiar rendition of this seminal Greek work through four examples. Finally, I show that Israeli's transmission of the Elements is lexically independent of earlier known Hebrew versions of the text.     

To Forget and to Repeat: Negative and cliché

An illustrated essay about postcards, which performs as a postcard. No, rather it is an essay with postcards, which performs as a series of postcards. In any case, it begins and ends with a postcard. There are a number of clichés, and a number of negatives. Images of the unconscious, unconscious representations, are evoked. That an idea or image or presentation is present in more than one register is also the stuff of dreams, the material of The Interpretation of Dreams.     

The ‘Peccavi’ Photographs

Abstract

Among the holdings of the Asiatic Library of Bombay, there is a major album entitled Sind Photographs, which has become known to the initiated under the title ‘Peccavi Photographs’, in memory of a delicious political pun¹. All the photographs are portraits, with captions neatly inscribed. None is signed, but one bears the imprint ‘Photo by Capt. Houghton’, which was sufficient to provide researchers with an important clue as to their origin.     

Lovell Reeve

Abstract

A poet, painter, critic and political organizer, Kenneth Rexroth (1905–82) is best known for having spearheaded the San Francisco Poetry Renaissance if the 1950s, and for his association with the Beat poets. See, for instance, An Autobiographical Novel, Garden City: Doubleday 1963; and selected Poems, New York: New Directions 1984.     

Analogue special and general relativity by optical multilayer thin films: the Rindler space case

Abstract

In this paper, to obtain an analogy between the curved spaces and the linear optics, we expand the idea of Sánchez-Soto and co-workers [Phys. Rep.2012,513, 191; Phys. Rev. A 2011,84, 023830] to the multilayer films. We investigate effects of thickness and index of refraction of the films on the Lorentzian transformations. In addition, by using the multilayer films, we suggest a very simple experimental set-up which can serve as an analogue computer for testing special relativity. Finally, we draw an analogy between the Rindler space, as an example of the curved spaces, and a suitable multilayer film.     

Eigenvalues of damped structures: Vectoriteration in the original space of DOF

The equations of motion in structural dynamics as well as the corresponding eigenvalue problem are governed by 3 matrices for mass, damping and stiffness of order n which equals the number of degrees of freedom. High-performance eigenvalue-solvers are developed for only pairs A, B of matrices. Nevertheless, to benefit from these solvers, the original eigenvalue problem (λ² M+λD+K)x=0 is transformed into a linear eigenvalue representation with only two hypermatrices of double order 2n. Consequently the total numerical effort depends on this order 2n. This paper presents a vectoriteration process which actually works in the original space of order n and which needs no special actions like simultaneous iteration if complex conjugate eigenvalues λ, λˉ with identical norm have to be calculated. The theoretical foundation of this process still goes back to the pair of hypermatrices.     

A Polperro fishwife

Abstract

Early photographs can reveal a wealth of information to the careful researcher, from details of dress to social customs, but occasionally the historian can be misled. Francis Frith, or one of his postcard agents, took a photograph of Polperro, Cornwall, in 1907 (Figure 1) and found it a little dull, so a fishwife was borrowed from an earlier picture of Newlyn (Figure 2) and transplanted into the Polperro scene (Figure 3). Frith's pictorial considerations overrode any concern for historical accuracy, and the fact that Pol perro had no such fishwives was of little importance.     

Synthesis and properties of polycyclic quinones condensed with 1,6-methano[10]annulene

Two types of polycyclic quinones condensed with 1,6-methano[10]annulenes as type A: 1,6-methanonaphtho[2,3-c][10]annulene-7,12-dione 5a, and type B: 1,6-methanonaphtho[2,3-c][10]annulene-5,14-dione 18, bis(1,6-methano[10]annuleno[3,4-b; 3,4-g])anthracene-10,21-dione 20, 1,6-methanoanthraceno[2,3-c][10]annulene-5,16-dione 22, 1,6-methanotetraceno[2,3-c][10]annulene-6,17-dione 23, and 1,6-methano phenanthreno[2,3-c][10]annulene-5,6-dione 24 have been synthesized. The acene derivative 6 corresponding to that of 5a was synthesized by the reduction of quinone 5a. The physical, spectral, and chemical properties of these new compounds have been investigated.     

Fabrication of a thermoresponsive cell culture dish: a key technology for cell sheet tissue engineering

Abstract

This article reviews the properties and characterization of an intelligent thermoresponsive surface, which is a key technology for cell sheet-based tissue engineering. Intelligent thermoresponsive surfaces grafted with poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) exhibit hydrophilic/hydrophobic alteration in response to temperature change. Cultured cells are harvested on thermoresponsive cell culture dishes by decreasing the temperature without the use of digestive enzymes or chelating agents. Our group has developed cell sheet-based tissue engineering for therapeutic uses with single layer or multilayered cell sheets, which were recovered from the thermoresponsive cell culture dish. Using surface derivation techniques, we developed a new generation of thermoresponsive cell culture dishes to improve culture conditions. We also designed a new methodology for constructing well-defined organs using microfabrication techniques.     

Dispersion corrections to the collective mode spectrum in axial and planar phases of superfluid He3

Using the path integration technique developed by Brusov and Popov earlier, we have calculated for the first time the dispersion corrections to the collective mode spectrum in A- and 2D- phases of superfluidHe ³ for arbitrary directions of the collective excitation momentumk, taking the damping of collective modes into account. In axial-phase clapping (cl) mode remains six fold degenerate fork l, while for other directions a three fold splitting takes place, which reaches a maximum fork l. The pairbreaking modes remain degenerate even taking the dispersion induced corrections into account. In the planar phase the degeneracy of clapping (cl) and quasi-Goldstone (qGd) modes depends on the direction of the collective mode momentumk with respect to the external magnetic fieldH: the mode degeneracy remains the same as in the case of zero momentumk fork H only, and for any other directions two fold splitting of these modes takes place. The dispersion induced splitting of collective modes could be observed (at least in the A-phase) in sound absorption experiments.     

Behaviour in torsion of superelastic NiTi

Abstract

Torque–strain curves have been established at 20 and 37°C and for up to 100 strain cycles for NiTi tube with an A _f temperature of—8.5°C. The performance mirrors the behaviour in tension and compression. In the first few strain cycles, the curves exhibit the familiar flag shape, but this gradually changes into a sigmoidal curve on repeated cycling. Changes are rapid at first, but after ~ 40 cycles a steady state condition is approached closely. Attempts to analyse the performance in shear in relation to that in tension and compression draw attention to the problems involved in trying to establish flow or yield criteria for the material.     

New York and Photography

Abstract

This exhibition catalogue about the New York School of photography, begun long before 11 September 2001, fortuitously lifts up the city as both image and source of visual ideas. Comforting in this accidental homage, the book also offers significant essays that explore the reasons for the flourishing of photography in twentiethcentury New York. New York: Capital of Photography offers some especially thought provoking explanations. Max Kozloff, art historian, critic and photographer, traces the development of a particular way of seeing that evolved from the early years of the century in the Reform Movement through the ‘made-to-order Surrealism’ of New York in the 1960s and 1970s. Five of his six essays approach a textbook treatment of this art form in this period and place. The sixth, ‘Jewish Sensibility and the Photography of New York’, poses the intriguing thesis that the aesthetic of New York photography as a whole is a Jewish one. This idea may not be accepted as fact in actual photography history texts until another hundred years have passed, but is worthy and fascinating, in Kozloffs telling, of consideration.     

Diffusivity of Al and Fe near the diffusion bonding interface of Fe3Al with low carbon steel

The distribution of elements near the Fe₃Al/Q235 diffusion bonding interface was computed by the diffusion equation as well as measured by means of EPMA. The results indicated close agreement between the two for iron and aluminium. Diffusion coefficient in the interface transition zone is larger than that in the Fe₃Al and Q235 steel at the same temperature, which is favourable to elemental diffusion. The diffusion distance near the Fe₃Al/Q235 interface increased with increasing heating temperature,T , and the holding time, t. The relation between the width of the interface transition zone,x , and the holding time,t , conformed to parabolic growth law: x bd² = 4.8 × 10⁴ exp(-133/RT) bdt -t ₀bd. The width of the interface transition zone does not increase significantly for holding times beyond 60 min.     

Impact force on downstream bed of weir by free overfall flow

Abstract

According to previous experimental studies on free overfall, the main influencing factors of the local scour downstream of a drop structure were found to be the impact position of the nappe flow and the force striking on the channel bed. In this study, the pressure transducers and strain amplifiers, which did not disturb the flow field, were set up to measure the pressure distributions along the streamwise direction downstream of the weir. The data were recorded through an A‐D converter and compared with the data collected by Moore (1943) and Rand (1955). Expressions for the impact position and impact force of the flow nappe derived from the experimental results and the theoretical analysis. The relationship among weir height h, impact position of free overfall L_p , and drop number D were put into the following equation: L_p/h = 1.82D ^0.17.     

Linear response and instability of vortex lattice in type-II superconductors

The wave vector dependent linear response of the vortex lattice in type-II superconductors is studied by calculating the superfluid density and is shown to have a singular behavior with respect to the long wave length perturbation of vector potential. The calculations are carried out in terms of the nonlinear elastic theory of the vortex lattice, which is, in principle, a low temperature expansion, and the terms up to the first order in temperature are taken into account, which is beyond the usual Gaussian elastic theory. The superfluid density is found to behave as ~ k_BT ¦k¦² log ¦k¦,for the small wave vector,k,perpendicular to the external magnetic field, where Tand k_B are the temperature and the Boltzmann constant, respectively. This behavior causes the divergence of the magnetic susceptibility at a critical wave vector, k_c.We show that this behavior is associated with an instability of vortex lattice to the externally applied perturbation.     

Water Soluble Cellulose Acetate: A Versatile Polymer for Film Coating

ABSTRACT

The objective of this study was to investigate the use of water soluble cellulose acetate (WSCA) as a film coating material for tablets. Aspirin (ASA) tablets were prepared by direct compression and coated with either WSCA or HPMC (hydroxypropyl methylcellulose) dispersions. Coatings of 1–3%, depending on the intended application, were applied to the model drug (ASA) tablets employing a side-vented coating pan. Free films of WSCA, prepared by cast method, are crystal clear and, depending on the viscosity grade, are flexible, strong and durable. WSCA has the capability of forming free films without plasticizers and the films dry at room temperature. Glass transition temperature, Tg, was determined by differential scanning calorimetry. The Tg of WSCA is significantly higher relative to HPMC. Inclusion of plasticizer lowers the Tg of WSCA and effective plasticizers were PEG 400 and glycerin. Low viscosity WSCA was more soluble in water (25–30%) relative to medium viscosity WSCA (10–15%). WSCA solutions exhibited no increase in viscosity with an increase in temperature. Samples of coated (WSCA and HPMC) tablets and uncoated ASA cores were packaged for stability studies at room and elevated temperature storage. Physical stability of ASA tablets coated with 2:1 LV: MV (low viscosity: medium viscosity) WSCA formulations was better when compared to tablets coated with HPMC. Dissolution stability of WSCA coated ASA was similar to the physical stability results. After three months at elevated temperature (35 and 45°C), the WSCA coated tablets complied with USP dissolution requirements for ASA, while the HPMC coated tablets did not. There was no difference in moisture (weight) gain of ASA tablets coated with either WSCA or HPMC. The WSCA coated tablets were not sticky or tacky, while the HPMC coated tablets were tacky and stuck together.     

Phase Separation in Ternary Liquid Systems Tetradecane-n-Octanol (or Cyclohexanone)-Lanthanide(III) Nitrate Solvates with Tri-n-Butyl Phosphate

The phase diagrams of ternary liquid systems tetradecane-n-octanol (or cyclohexanone)-lanthanide(III) nitrate solvates with tri-n-butyl phosphate [Ln(NO₃)₃(TBP)₃, Ln = La, Ce, Pr, or Sm] at T = 298.15 K were studied. These diagrams contain areas of homogeneous solutions and an area of separation into two liquid phases (I, II). Phases I and II are enriched in tetradecane and Ln(NO₃)₃(TBP)₃, respectively. n-Octanol and cyclohexanone mainly pass into phase II.     

Duane Michals' real dreams

Abstract

The roman-photo, a kitsch, devitalized genre, is at the opposite end of the spectrum to the more experimental, analytical genre of the photo narrative. While the former targets a huge popular audience -like pop music or commercial cinema- the latter is intended for a select circle of intellectuals interested in fringe movements and the creative impact of mass-market publications on art. On the one hand, there is the roman-photo, a medium for outmoded mythology, trapped within a fixed framework and, on the other, there is the slick, self-referential experimental photo narrative, which systematically explores the genre's specificity and encourages the reader to play an active role in the formulation of meaning. Bringing about a genuine renewal of the photo story, however, is by no means an easy task: merely throwing oneself into a scholarly critique of the genre could lead to a dead end, while a continually ironic treatment, serving as a reference to the forms adopted by the romance photo story,¹ represents an inherently flirtatious approach as opposed to a serious attempt to create a new future for the genre.²     

A decomposition of the class of semiconvex games

Summary The paper studies the classSC ^N of cooperative games with player setN which have the semiconvexity property.SC ^N is decomposed into an algebraic sum of convex cones of games for which generating sets are available. The union of these sets thus forms a generating set forSC ^N . Special attention is paid to one of the considered cones, in the decomposition ofSC ^N . In particular, the so called airport savings gamesW _y, ℝ ^N , defined byw _y (S)=Σ _jεS Y _i −max _jεS Y _j for 0 ≠S⋞N, are emphasized. This work is part of the Ph.D. thesis of the first author (Derks 1991).     

Solving optimization problems by searching along a curve

Abstract

This paper proposes a curve for the one‐dimensional search method in optimization problems. The search is along a curve instead of a line. This curve is determined by a parameter [u] from the following three points: (1) the initial point X_o, (2) the Cauchy point X_c, (3) the Newton point X_N, and has the following four characteristics: (1) tangents to the steepest descent direction at X_o, (2) passes through X_N, (3) decreases monotonically from X_o to X_N for a quadratic function, (4) no complex computation on the parameter u. Therefore, the proposed method has the following advantages: (1) it is globally convergent, (2) it is locally q‐quadratically (or q‐superlinearly for quasi‐Newton point) convergent, (3) the search procedure is as simple as the line search method.