Observation and analysis of diving beetle movements while swimming

The fast swimming speed, flexible cornering, and high propulsion efficiency of diving beetles are primarily achieved by their two powerful hind legs. Unlike other aquatic organisms, such as turtle, jellyfish, fish and frog et al., the diving beetle could complete retreating motion without turning around, and the turning radius is small for this kind of propulsion mode. However, most bionic vehicles have not contained these advantages, the study about this propulsion method is useful for the design of bionic robots. In this paper, the swimming videos of the diving beetle, including forwarding, turning and retreating, were captured by two synchronized high-speed cameras, and were analyzed via SIMI Motion. The analysis results revealed that the swimming speed initially increased quickly to a maximum at 60% of the power stroke, and then decreased. During the power stroke, the diving beetle stretched its tibias and tarsi, the bristles on both sides of which were shaped like paddles, to maximize the cross-sectional areas against the water to achieve the maximum thrust. During the recovery stroke, the diving beetle rotated its tarsi and folded the bristles to minimize the cross-sectional areas to reduce the drag force. For one turning motion (turn right about 90 degrees), it takes only one motion cycle for the diving beetle to complete it. During the retreating motion, the average acceleration was close to 9.8 m/s2 in the first 25 ms. Finally, based on the diving beetle's hind-leg movement pattern, a kinematic model was constructed, and according to this model and the motion data of the joint angles, the motion trajectories of the hind legs were obtained by using MATLAB. Since the advantages of this propulsion method, it may become a new bionic propulsion method, and the motion data and kinematic model of the hind legs will be helpful in the design of bionic underwater unmanned vehicles

Fine Art Pattern Extraction and Recognition

This is a reprint of articles from the Special Issue published online in the open access journal Journal of Imaging (ISSN 2313-433X) (available at: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/jimaging/special issues/faper2020)

The Primitivist Imaginary in Iberian and Transatlantic Modernisms

UIDB/00417/2020 UIDP/00417/2020Taking into account politics, history, and aesthetics, this edited volume explores the main expressions of primitivism in Iberian and Transatlantic modernisms. Ten case studies are thoroughly analyzed concerning both the circulations and exchanges connecting the Iberian and Latin American artistic and literary milieus with each other and with the Parisian circles. Chapters also examine the patterns and paradoxes associated with the manifestations of primitivism, including their local implications and cosmopolitan drive. This book opens up and deepens the discussion of the ties that Spain and Portugal maintained with their imperial pasts, which extended into European twentieth-century colonialism, as well as the nationalist and folk aesthetics promoted by the cultural industry of Iberian dictatorships. The book significantly rethinks long-established ideas about modern art and the production of primitivist imagery.publishersversionpublishe

Towards The Development of Biosensors for the Detection of Microbiologically Influenced Corrosion (MIC)

Corrosion is one of the biggest concerns for mechanical integrity of infrastructure and infrastructural components, such as oil refineries, bridges and roads. The economic cost of corrosion is typically estimated to be between 1 to 5 % of the gross national product (GNP) of countries, of which the contribution of microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC) is estimated to be between 10% and 50%. Current state-of-the-art approaches for detecting MIC primarily rely on ex-situ tests, including bacterial test kits (bug bottles); corrosion coupons, pigging deposits analysis and destructive analysis of MIC affected sites using SEM, TEM, and XRD. These ex-situ measurements do not capture the complexities and time sensitivities underlying MIC. This is owed to the fact that the proliferation of the microbial contamination is a dynamic and rapid process, and any delay can prove expensive as it is estimated that once the biofilm formation takes place the amount of biocides needed is magnitude of orders more as compared to when the bacteria are in planktonic form. Additionally, the field environment is a complex biotic and abiotic environment which is often difficult to replicate even in high fidelity laboratory models. Hence a real-time/pseudo real-time method of detection would greatly help reduce the costs and optimize biocide-based mitigation of MIC. To overcome the above-mentioned shortcomings associated with the state-of-the-art; this work is aimed at the development of a sensor substrate whereby highly specific detection can be carried out in the environment where the corrosion exists, in a real-time/pseudo real-time basis. More specifically, the research is aimed at the development of sensors based on a nanowire matrix functionalized with biomolecules which can perform this specific and real-time detection of MIC in the pipeline environment. Here, the detection of MIC is based on the binding of specific biomolecules causing MIC to organic molecules anchored on top of the nanowires. These sensors also need to be inexpensive (made of low-cost, earth abundant materials), have low power consumption, and robustly deployable. The primary component of the detection platforms are copper oxide nanowire arrays (CuONWs with lengths of 25 to 30 m, 50 to 100 nm in diameter) and silicon nanowires arrays (SiNWs with lengths of 5 to 8 m, 45 to 100 nm in diameter). They are synthesized using facile and scalable techniques and are selected for their robust electrical and mechanical properties. Electrochemical degradation studies of the NWs were performed in 3.5 wt. % NaCl solution and simulated produced water using polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The NWs systems showed robust resistance to degradation despite higher surface area (as compared to bulk counterparts), and both diffusion limitations and charge transfer resistance was observed on the analysis of the impedance response. The ability to immobilize a variety of moieties on the nanowire platforms gives them the ability to detecting a wide variety of MIC biomarkers. The Biotin-Streptavidin (SA) complex was used as a proof of concept to test the viability of the NW arrays as a substrate for sensing. A custom test bed was built for the functionalized NW thin films, and cyclic voltammetry studies revealed a stable current response with time for 10nM and 10,000 nM SA concentrations. The use of different probes such as aptamers to larger immunoglobulin probes provides the flexibility to detect the full spectrum of biomarkers. The development of these next generation sensor platforms along with the methodologies employed to stabilize them and assemble them into functional devices are explored in detail in this dissertation

Algorithms for colour image processing based on neurological models

373 p. : il., gráf., fot., tablasColour image processing is nowadays mostly achieved through the extrapolation of algorithms developed for images in grey levels into three colour planes, either RGB or some transformed planes, such as HSI, CIELAB... These techniques provide reliable solutions only in simple situations. As colour is a perception and not a characteristic inherent to objects, this thesis has developed new bioinspired algorithms for colour image processing. The work of this thesis has joined elements in colour theory and processing undertaken in the human visual system. A new functional model of the retina has been developed where each cell type has been characterised according to its connections, distribution and size. A retina architecture has been created which provides detailed information about its cell elements and organisation. This has allowed the creation of a retina model that generates a set of parallel output channels as happens in the human retina. The level of detail provided in the model has allowed the characterisation of each of the pathways with a precision that is not present in existing models described in scientific publications. The development of a colour processing model requires the combination of a functional retina model with colour appearance models. This union has achieved a new algorithm for colour image processing that provides colour attributes, such as: hue, lightness, brightness, saturation, chroma, colourfulness as well as edge detection components both in chromatic as well as achromatic components. The results provided by this model have been compared with CIECAM02 model's ones and have obtained noticeably better results in the "ab" plane and in the attributes calculated on Munsell colour samples. The colour processing model is backed by its results and has allowed identifying output channels of the retina that make up the usual "a", "b" and "A" channels in colour appearance models. This model entails a step forward on colour processing techniques that shall be of great use for image segmentation, characterisation and object identification. Key Words Colour image processing, neuroinspired models, computational modelling, colour appearance models. Colour image processing is nowadays mostly achieved through the extrapolation of algorithms developed for images in grey levels into three colour planes, either RGB or some transformed planes, such as HSI, CIELAB... These techniques provide reliable solutions only in simple situations. As colour is a perception and not a characteristic inherent to objects, this thesis has developed new bioinspired algorithms for colour image processing. The work of this thesis has joined elements in colour theory and processing undertaken in the human visual system. A new functional model of the retina has been developed where each cell type has been characterised according to its connections, distribution and size. A retina architecture has been created which provides detailed information about its cell elements and organisation. This has allowed the creation of a retina model that generates a set of parallel output channels as happens in the human retina. The level of detail provided in the model has allowed the characterisation of each of the pathways with a precision that is not present in existing models described in scientific publications. The development of a colour processing model requires the combination of a functional retina model with colour appearance models. This union has achieved a new algorithm for colour image processing that provides colour attributes, such as: hue, lightness, brightness, saturation, chroma, colourfulness as well as edge detection components both in chromatic as well as achromatic components. The results provided by this model have been compared with CIECAM02 model's ones and have obtained noticeably better results in the "ab" plane and in the attributes calculated on Munsell colour samples. The colour processing model is backed by its results and has allowed identifying output channels of the retina that make up the usual "a", "b" and "A" channels in colour appearance models. This model entails a step forward on colour processing techniques that shall be of great use for image segmentation, characterisation and object identification. Key Words - Colour image processing, neuroinspired models, computational modelling, colour appearance models.El Gobierno Vasco ha proporcionado apoyo financiero a través del programa ETORTEK, para las estancias en el Instituto Técnico de Massachusetts (MIT) y en la Universidad de Cambridge

Lights, camera, action! Light, canvas, stillness. A look at the intermedial relationship between cinema and Edward Hopper´s paintings

The following work analyses the relationship between painting and cinema, focusing on the figure of the American painter Edward Hopper and the influence that the artist both received from cinema and has had in cinema. The first chapter discusses Intermediality and general aspects that link both arts, such as atmosphere, light, and shadow. I will stress that Hopper transposes to his paintings some of cinema´s atmospheres, characteristics, themes, and techniques, and film directors influenced by the painter transpose to their films some of Hopper´s painterly style, atmospheres, and themes. The second chapter approaches Hopper´s life and overall oeuvre, as well as the main themes of his work. I will identify the influences suffered by his work and the importance of his marriage in the development of his craft. I will discuss his main themes: city, alienation, loneliness, silence, stillness, light, shadow, and windows. The third chapter points out the influences operated by cinema on Hopper´s work. I will analyse the artist´s major paintings representing stage and cinema. I will explore how Hopper´s works developed a close relationship with film, on a reciprocal inspiration based on the depiction of the “American Way of Life”. I will argue that not only did he choose to paint cinema halls throughout his career, but he also took inspiration and adopted techniques from cinema. The last chapter identifies and analyses concrete examples of the painter´s influence on cinema. I will discuss how film noir brought to the big screen the "American nightmare." I will explain the paternity of the term film noir. I will explore the fact that cinema has also been influenced by Hopper’s paintings. I will analyse films by Alfred Hitchcock, Michelangelo Antonioni, David Lynch, Wim Wenders, and Todd Haynes that manifestly display Hopper´s pictorial influence, as well as other directors and films.O trabalho que se segue analisa a relação entre a pintura e o cinema, focando-se na figura do pintor americano Edward Hopper e na influência que o artista recebeu do cinema e tem exercido no cinema até aos dias de hoje. O primeiro capítulo aborda a Intermedialidade e aspectos gerais que ligam ambas as artes, como a atmosfera, a luz e a sombra. Edward Hopper transpõe para as suas pinturas algumas das atmosferas, características, temas e técnicas do cinema, e realizadores influenciados pelo pintor transpõem para os seus filmes alguns dos estilos, atmosferas e temas pictóricos de Hopper. O segundo capítulo aborda a vida de Hopper bem como os principais temas da sua obra. Em 1923 Hopper casou-se com a também artista Josephine Verstille Nivison. Esta aliança é fundamental para entender o artista e a sua obra, já que Jo se tornou um elemento indispensável na execução da sua arte. Foi a única modelo feminina do marido e tornou-se a sua assistente de estúdio. Embora fascinado pelos mestres flamengos, Hopper foi influenciado principalmente pela paleta dos Impressionistas. Outra grande influência na obra de Hopper foi o cinema. Ao trabalhar nas suas pinturas, Hopper deu forma às influências cinematográficas que recebeu desta recente invenção. As suas pinturas exalam uma atmosfera de solidão urbana e possuem um carácter indescritível. A melancolia paira sobre a maioria das suas pinturas mais famosas, nas mulheres que pintou em quartos de hotel (Hotel Room), nos clientes de um “diner” (Nighthawks), ou na jovem mulher que bebe o seu café sozinha num restaurante automático (Automat). Hopper transformou cenas normais da vida quotidiana em pinturas de beleza e construiu uma narrativa ambígua, intemporal e universal. Personagens absortas, muitas vezes mulheres, são observadas por um voyeur, e pelo espectador que contempla a pintura. As suas pinturas, uma mistura do comum e do estranho, são instantaneamente reconhecíveis. Hopper deu forma visual ao anonimato, ao isolamento, ao tédio, à solidão e estagnação da vida americana do século XX. O artista encenou a vida quotidiana em restaurantes - Chop Suey (1929) e Tables for Ladies (1930), e em escritórios - Conference at Night (1949), Office in a Small City (1953) e New York Office (1962). Tinha relutância em colocar as suas pinturas no contexto da época, mas algumas revelam várias mudanças sociais que ocorreram na sua época. Hopper sempre preferiu pintar o vazio: as suas cidades estão desertas, os seus apartamentos têm pouca mobília, as suas paisagens são vastos espaços nos quais emergem, à distância, uma casa, um farol. A falta de acção, os espaços, e os silêncios constituem a acção nas pinturas de Hopper. Ele escolhe precisamente os momentos em que nada acontece, e nada é ouvido, para aumentar o mistério em torno das suas cenas. Este minimalismo desperta a imaginação do espectador, que é convidado a entrar nas pinturas e a decifrá-las. Hopper era um mestre da luz. Os personagens das suas telas estão imóveis, sentados, deitados ou em pé sob um brilho branco. Estão como que estacionados na tela, à espera de serem "iluminados". A luz oferece a possibilidade de redenção, é um raio de esperança na dura realidade do dia-a-dia. A contribuição de Hopper para a pintura moderna é que ele tornou o tédio épico, sacralizando os momentos de desatenção banal da vida quotidiana, tendo "salvo" a realidade com a luz. Hopper entendeu que não necessitava de pintar assuntos solenes ou temas nobres; bastava-lhe uma passagem de nível, uma casa, um telhado, um bar, um quarto de hotel ou uma personagem absorta. As pinturas de Hopper incluem frequentemente janelas, e os seus edifícios estão muitas vezes situados em ângulos que sugerem que os seus personagens estão posicionados tanto diante como atrás de janelas. A janela é como a abertura de um grande espaço obscuro, que lenta e firmemente separa a luz da escuridão. As suas janelas conferem-nos uma visão interna do seu mundo pessoal. Cidade, alienação, solidão, silêncio, quietude, luz e sombra são temas recorrentes na sua obra. O retrato realista de Hopper de cenas urbanas comuns leva o espectador ao reconhecimento da estranheza em ambientes familiares. O terceiro capítulo aponta as influências operadas pelo cinema sobre a obra de Hopper. O artista prestou inúmeras homenagens à sétima arte na sua obra. No entanto, nos seus quadros o ecrã ou o filme são dificilmente visíveis, em prol dos espectadores que estão absortos nos seus pensamentos, em momentos em que não há projecção (chegada, intervalo,) ou da arrumadora pensativa. Há também que mencionar a questão da absorpção nas pinturas de Hopper. Os seus personagens estão geralmente absortos nos seus pensamentos, reflectindo sobre as suas vidas, e alheios ao facto de estarem a ser observados por um voyeur/pintor (Hopper), e pelo voyeur/espectador que contempla a pintura. Os temas das pinturas de Hopper nem sempre provieram da observação directa da vida real; desde o início da sua carreira até à década de 1940, procederam predominantemente do cinema noir. Tal como nos seus filmes preferidos, as suas obras são sobre "a cidade", representando uma noção abstracta de espaço urbano em vez de uma cidade específica. O voyeurismo é outra característica do cinema que as pinturas de Hopper partilham. Hopper não só escolheu pintar salas de cinema ao longo da sua carreira (Two on the Aisle, 1927; Sheridan Theatre, 1937; New York Movie, 1939; First Row Orchestra, 1951 e Intermission, 1963,) o que demonstra a importância destes lugares para ele, como também se baseou na cinematografia e em técnicas cinematográficas que se tornariam a marca registada do seu estilo. Realizadores e cineastas da Europa Central destacaram-se no desenvolvimento do chamado cinema noir. Ao introduzir um novo conjunto de valores estéticos e culturais na indústria cinematográfica americana, estes cineastas desencadearam um processo de transformação do paradigma clássico de Hollywood. O cinema noir trouxe o "pesadelo americano" para o grande ecrã, retratando uma sociedade impulsionada pelo dinheiro e a alienação causada pela vida nos grandes centros urbanos da América. O termo cinema noir foi inventado por dois críticos de cinema franceses para definir um conjunto de filmes cujo tema principal era a ocorrência de um crime. Após a libertação da França em 1944, os ecrãs franceses foram inundados com filmes de Hollywood, entre eles este novo tipo de filmes sobre crimes. As cenas urbanas de Hopper estão imbuídas de desespero e tristeza ao ponto de inspirarem o cinema noir. As suas obras e o cinema noir partilham uma relação tão profunda que, ao conectarem-se entre si, criam uma visão de um país e do seu povo. O último capítulo identifica e analisa exemplos concretos da influência do pintor no cinema. Se o pintor gostava do cinema, os cineastas apreciavam as pinturas de Hopper (e ainda o fazem). A atmosfera, por vezes ameaçadora e misteriosa, que Hopper criou em algumas das suas obras através de formas, luz e ângulos incomuns, inspirou muitos cineastas a criar as suas atmosferas. A sua importância para o cinema é imensa: ajudou a ensinar ao novo meio que, numa narrativa, o momento de pausa, de reflexão, de devaneio, não é menos importante do que o da dança ou do combate, do movimento gracioso, violento ou desordenado. Hopper ajudou a integrar o momento da pintura no cinema. Há tantas referências ao trabalho de Edward Hopper no cinema que me foi necessário destacar apenas as mais conhecidas. Falarei sobre o trabalho de diferentes cineastas, que têm uma relação directa e reconhecida com a obra de Hopper, começando por Alfred Hitchcock e Michelangelo Antonioni, passando por David Lynch e Wim Wenders, e terminando com Todd Haynes

De-Sign Environment Landscape City Atti

La VI Conferenza Internazionale sul Disegno, De_Sign Environment Landscape City_Genova 2020 tratta di: Rilievo e Rappresentazione dell’Architettura e dell’Ambiente; Il Disegno per il paesaggio; Disegni per il Progetto: tracce - visioni e pre-visioni; I margini i segni della memoria e la città in progress; Cultura visiva e comunicazione dall’idea al progetto; Le emergenze architettoniche; Il colore e l’ambiente; Percezione e identità territoriale; Patrimonio iconografico culturale paesaggistico: arte, letteratura e ricadute progettuali; Segni e Disegni per il Design e Rappresentazione avanzata. Federico Babina, architetto e graphic designer presenta ARCHIVISION, e Eduardo Carazo Lefort, Docente dell’Università di Valladolid e Targa d’Oro dell’Unione Italiana Disegno la Lectio Magistralis. The VI International Conference on Drawing, De_Sign Environment Landscape City_Genoa 2020, deals with: Survey and Representation of Architecture and the Environment; Drawing for the landscape; De-signs for the Project: traces-visions and previews; Margins, signs of memory and the city in progress; Visual culture and communication from idea to project; Architectural emergencies; The color and the environment; Perception and territorial identity; Landscape cultural iconographic heritage: art, literature and design implications; Signs and Drawings for Design and Advanced Representation. Federico Babina, architect and graphic designer presents ARCHIVISION, and Professor Eduardo Carazo Lefort-University of Valladolid and Gold Plate of the Italian Design Union presents his Lectio Magistralis

Changing Priorities. 3rd VIBRArch

In order to warrant a good present and future for people around the planet and to safe the care of the planet itself, research in architecture has to release all its potential. Therefore, the aims of the 3rd Valencia International Biennial of Research in Architecture are: - To focus on the most relevant needs of humanity and the planet and what architectural research can do for solving them. - To assess the evolution of architectural research in traditionally matters of interest and the current state of these popular and widespread topics. - To deepen in the current state and findings of architectural research on subjects akin to post-capitalism and frequently related to equal opportunities and the universal right to personal development and happiness. - To showcase all kinds of research related to the new and holistic concept of sustainability and to climate emergency. - To place in the spotlight those ongoing works or available proposals developed by architectural researchers in order to combat the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. - To underline the capacity of architectural research to develop resiliency and abilities to adapt itself to changing priorities. - To highlight architecture's multidisciplinarity as a melting pot of multiple approaches, points of view and expertise. - To open new perspectives for architectural research by promoting the development of multidisciplinary and inter-university networks and research groups. For all that, the 3rd Valencia International Biennial of Research in Architecture is open not only to architects, but also for any academic, practitioner, professional or student with a determination to develop research in architecture or neighboring fields.Cabrera Fausto, I. (2023). Changing Priorities. 3rd VIBRArch. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/VIBRArch2022.2022.1686

Color, the Visual Arts, and Representations of Otherness in the Victorian Novel

This dissertation investigates the cultural connections made between race and color in works of fiction from the Victorian and Edwardian era, particularly how authors who are also artists invent fantastically colored characters who are purple, blue, red, and yellow to rewrite (and sometimes reclaim) difference in their fiction. These strange and eccentric characters include the purple madwoman in Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre (1847), the blue gentleman from Wilkie Collins’s Poor Miss Finch (1872), the red peddler in Thomas Hardy’s The Return of the Native (1878), and the little yellow girls of Arthur Conan Doyle’s “The Yellow Face” (1893) and Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Garden (1911). These fictional texts serve as a point of access into the cultural meanings of color in the nineteenth century and are situated at the intersection of Victorian discourses on the visual arts and race science. The second half of the nineteenth century constitutes a significant moment in the history of color: the rapid development of new color technologies helps to trigger the upheavals of the first avant-garde artistic movements and a reassessment of coloring’s prestige in the art academies. At the same time, race science appropriates color, using it as a criterion for classification in the establishment of global racial hierarchies. By imagining what it would be like to change one’s skin color, these artist-authors employ the aesthetic realm of color to explore the nature of human difference and alterity. In doing so, some of them are able to successfully formulate their own challenges to nineteenth-century racial discourse