Textured Surfaces for Ultrasound Haptic Displays

We demonstrate a technique for rendering textured haptic surfaces in mid-air, using an ultrasound haptic display. Our technique renders tessellated 3D `haptic' shapes with different waveform properties, creating surfaces with distinct perceptions

Mapping the Galactic Halo. V. Sgr dSph Tidal Debris 60 degrees from the Main Body

As part of the Spaghetti Project Survey (SPS) we have detected a concentration of giant stars well above expectations for a smooth halo model. The position (l~350, b~50) and distance (~50 kpc) of this concentration match those of the Northern over-density detected by SDSS (Yanny et al. 2000, Ivezic et al. 2000). We find additional evidence for structure at ~80 kpc in the same direction. We present radial velocities for many of these stars, including the first published results from the 6.5m Magellan telescope. The radial velocities for stars in these structures are in excellent agreement with models of the dynamical evolution of the Sgr dwarf tidal debris, whose center is 60 degrees away. The metallicity of stars in these streams is lower than that of the main body of the Sgr dwarf, which may indicate a radial metallicity gradient prior to disruption.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figures accepted in Astrophysical Journal Letter

Neurophysiology

Contains reports on seven research projects.National Institutes of Health (Grant 5 RO1 EY01149-02)Bell Telephone Laboratories, Inc. (Grant)National Institutes of Health (Grant 1 TO1 EY00090-01

Zn-induced spin dynamics in overdoped La2−x_{2-x}Srx_xCu1−y_{1-y}Zny_yO4_4

Spin fluctuations and the local spin susceptibility in isovalently Zn-substituted La$_{2-x}$Sr$_{x}$Cu$_{1-y}$Zn$_y$O$_4$ ($x=0.25$, $y\approx0.01$) are measured via inelastic neutron scattering techniques. As Zn$^{2+}$ is substituted onto the Cu$^{2+}$-sites, an anomalous enhancement of the local spin susceptibility $\chi^{\prime\prime}(\omega)$ appears due to the emergence of a commensurate antiferromagnetic excitation centered at wave vector \textbf{Q}$=(\pi, \pi, 0)$ that coexists with the known incommensurate SDW excitations at \textbf{Q}$_{HK}=(\pi\pm\delta,\pi), (\pi,\pi\pm\delta)$. Our results support a picture of Zn-induced antiferromagnetic (AF) fluctuations appearing through a local staggered polarization of Cu$^{2+}$-spins, and the simultaneous suppression of T$_c$ as AF fluctuations are slowed in proximity to Zn-impurities suggests the continued importance of high energy AF fluctuations at the far overdoped edge of superconductivity in the cuprates.Comment: 10 pages, 8 figure

Estimating the horizontal and vertical direction-of-arrival of water-borne seismic signals in the northern Philippine Sea

Author Posting. © Acoustical Society of America, 2013. This article is posted here by permission of Acoustical Society of America for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 134 (2013): 3282, doi:10.1121/1.4818843.Conventional and adaptive plane-wave beamforming with simultaneous recordings by large-aperture horizontal and vertical line arrays during the 2009 Philippine Sea Engineering Test (PhilSea09) reveal the rate of occurrence and the two-dimensional arrival structure of seismic phases that couple into the deep ocean. A ship-deployed, controlled acoustic source was used to evaluate performance of the horizontal array for a range of beamformer adaptiveness levels. Ninety T-phases from unique azimuths were recorded between Yeardays 107 to 119. T-phase azimuth and S-minus-P-phase time-of-arrival range estimates were validated using United States Geological Survey seismic monitoring network data. Analysis of phases from a seismic event that occurred on Yearday 112 near the east coast of Taiwan approximately 450 km from the arrays revealed a 22° clockwise evolution of T-phase azimuth over 90 s. Two hypotheses to explain such evolution—body wave excitation of multiple sources or in-water scattering—are presented based on T-phase origin sites at the intersection of azimuthal great circle paths and ridge/coastal bathymetry. Propagation timing between the source, scattering region, and array position suggests the mechanism behind the evolution involved scattering of the T-phase from the Ryukyu Ridge and a T-phase formation/scattering location estimation error of approximately 3.2 km.This research is supported by the Office of Naval Research, both the Applied Research Laboratory program and Code 322(OA)

Percolation theory applied to measures of fragmentation in social networks

We apply percolation theory to a recently proposed measure of fragmentation $F$ for social networks. The measure $F$ is defined as the ratio between the number of pairs of nodes that are not connected in the fragmented network after removing a fraction $q$ of nodes and the total number of pairs in the original fully connected network. We compare $F$ with the traditional measure used in percolation theory, $P_{\infty}$, the fraction of nodes in the largest cluster relative to the total number of nodes. Using both analytical and numerical methods from percolation, we study Erd\H{o}s-R\'{e}nyi (ER) and scale-free (SF) networks under various types of node removal strategies. The removal strategies are: random removal, high degree removal and high betweenness centrality removal. We find that for a network obtained after removal (all strategies) of a fraction $q$ of nodes above percolation threshold, $P_{\infty}\approx (1-F)^{1/2}$. For fixed $P_{\infty}$ and close to percolation threshold ($q=q_c$), we show that $1-F$ better reflects the actual fragmentation. Close to $q_c$, for a given $P_{\infty}$, $1-F$ has a broad distribution and it is thus possible to improve the fragmentation of the network. We also study and compare the fragmentation measure $F$ and the percolation measure $P_{\infty}$ for a real social network of workplaces linked by the households of the employees and find similar results.Comment: submitted to PR

Stakeholder Theory and Marketing: Moving from a Firm-Centric to a Societal Perspective

This essay is inspired by the ideas and research examined in the special section on “Stakeholder Marketing” of the Journal of Public Policy & Marketing in 2010. The authors argue that stakeholder marketing is slowly coalescing with the broader thinking that has occurred in the stakeholder management and ethics literature streams during the past quarter century. However, the predominant view of stakeholders that many marketers advocate is still primarily pragmatic and company centric. The position advanced herein is that stronger forms of stakeholder marketing that reflect more normative, macro/societal, and network-focused orientations are necessary. The authors briefly explain and justify these characteristics in the context of the growing “prosociety” and “proenvironment” perspectives—orientations that are also in keeping with the public policy focus of this journal. Under the “hard form” of stakeholder theory, which the authors endorse, marketing managers must realize that serving stakeholders sometimes requires sacrificing maximum profits to mitigate outcomes that would inflict major damage on other stakeholders, especially society

Is Profound Boredom Boredom?

Martin Heidegger is often credited as having offered one of the most thorough phenomenological investigations of the nature of boredom. In his 1929–1930 lecture course, The Fundamental Concepts of Metaphysics: World, Finitude, Solitude, he goes to great lengths to distinguish between three different types of boredom and to explicate their respective characters. Within the context of his discussion of one of these types of boredom, profound boredom [tiefe Langweile], Heidegger opposes much of the philosophical and literary tradition on boredom insofar as he articulates how the experience of boredom can be existentially beneficial to us. In this chapter, we undertake a study of the nature of profound boredom with the aim of investigating its place within contemporary psychological and philosophical research on boredom. Although boredom used to be a neglected emotional experience, it is no more. Boredom’s causal antecedents, effects, experiential profile, and neurophysiological correlates have become topics of active study; as a consequence, a proliferation of claims and findings about boredom has ensued. Such a situation provides an opportunity to scrutinize Heidegger’s claims and to try to understand them both on their own terms and in light of our contemporary understanding of boredom

Continuity and change - The planning and management of long distance walking routes in Scotland

In recent years a number of changes have taken place in Scotland in respect of issues of land management, access and the natural environment. These include the creation of Scotland’s first National Parks in 2002 and the introduction of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003, which has enshrined in legislation the principle of responsible access in the countryside. The aim of this study was to consider the implications of these changes for a specific type of recreational land use in Scotland, Long Distance (Walking) Routes (LDRs). Using semi-structured interviews with representatives of a number of agencies and with other individuals closely involved with LDRs, the research considered the extent to which these changes have or may alter the rationale for the provision of LDRs, their funding and their management. The research indicates a need and a willingness to build on existing stakeholder approaches to management with a view to engaging a broader range of communities of interest. The main challenge for those involved with LDRs is how to fund future development of these routes. One aim of a more participatory stakeholder management approach is to help route managers to use public funds to lever funds from other source