A 2.5-D representation of the human hand

Primary somatosensory maps in the brain represent the body as a discontinuous, fragmented set of 2-D skin regions. We nevertheless experience our body as a coherent 3-D volumetric object. The links between these different aspects of body representation, however, remain poorly understood. Perceiving the body’s location in external space requires that immediate afferent signals from the periphery be combined with stored representations of body size and shape. At least for the back of the hand, this body representation is massively distorted, in a highly stereotyped manner. Here we test whether a common pattern of distortions applies to the entire hand as a 3-D object, or whether each 2-D skin surface has its own characteristic pattern of distortion. Participants judged the location in external space of landmark points on the dorsal and palmar surfaces of the hand. By analyzing the internal configuration of judgments, we produced implicit maps of each skin surface. Qualitatively similar distortions were observed in both cases. The distortions were correlated across participants, suggesting that the two surfaces are bound into a common underlying representation. The magnitude of distortion, however, was substantially smaller on the palmar surface, suggesting that this binding is incomplete. The implicit representation of the human hand may be a hybrid, intermediate between a 2-D representation of individual skin surfaces and a 3-D representation of the hand as a volumetric object

2.5 D Cavity Balancing

Cavity balancing is the process of altering the flow front within a cavity through thickness and design changes such that the desired fill pattern is achieved. The 2 dimensional (2D) cavity-balancing algorithm, developed by Lam and Seow [1] can only handle 2D geometry. This represents a major drawback as most, if not all of the practical injected parts are not 2D parts. To overcome this difficulty, the present investigation has developed a 2.5 dimensional (2.5D) cavity balancing optimization routine implemented within a 2.5 D finite elements domain. The aim of the automated cavity balancing routine is to reduce product development time and to improve product quality. This will lower the level of prerequisite expert knowledge necessary for successful mold and part design. The automated cavity balancing routine has been developed using the concept of flow paths. The hill-climbing algorithm of Lam and Seow is utilized but modified for the generation of flow paths for 2.5D parts. The algorithm has been implemented in a computer program running as an external loop to the MOLDFLOW software. Case studies are provided to demonstrate the efficiency of this routine.Singapore-MIT Alliance (SMA

Accurate 2.5-D boundary element method for conductive media

The solution of the time-harmonic Maxwell equations using a boundary element method, for 2-D geometries illuminated by arbitrary 3-D excitations, gives rise to numerical difficulties if highly conductive media are present. In particular, the interaction integrals arising in the method of moments involve kernels that strongly oscillate in space and, at the same time, decay exponentially. We present an accurate method to tackle these issues over a very broad conductivity range (from lossy dielectric to conductor skin-effect regime), for both magnetic and nonmagnetic conductors. Important applications are the modal analysis of waveguides with nonperfect conductors, scattering problems, and shielding problems with enclosures with arbitrary permeability and conductivity and 3-D noise sources

Supersymmetry algebra cohomology II: Primitive elements in 2 and 3 dimensions

The primitive elements of the supersymmetry algebra cohomology as defined in a companion paper are computed exhaustively for standard supersymmetry algebras in dimensions D=2 and D=3, for all signatures (t,D-t) and all numbers N of sets of supersymmetries.Comment: 19 pages; v3: matches published version; presentation of D=3 analysis streamlined; presentation of lemmas 2.3 and 2.5 improved; minor correction of misprints; minor change of titl

Spin asymmetry A_1^d and the spin-dependent structure function g_1^d of the deuteron at low values of x and Q^2

We present a precise measurement of the deuteron longitudinal spin asymmetry A_1^d and of the deuteron spin-dependent structure function g_1^d at Q^2 < 1 GeV^2 and 4*10^-5 < x < 2.5*10^-2 based on the data collected by the COMPASS experiment at CERN during the years 2002 and 2003. The statistical precision is tenfold better than that of the previous measurement in this region. The measured A_1^d and g_1^d are found to be consistent with zero in the whole range of x.Comment: 17 pages, 10 figure