1,335 research outputs found
Things that Believe: Talismans, Amulets, Dolls, and How to Get Rid of Them
This article looks at religious and semi-religious paraphernalia in everyday life from the perspective of disposal. Recent research in religious studies and anthropology has focused on the ways in which beliefs are performed through religious objects. But what happens to the object that is not performed? What notions of materiality do they bring into play? By using the notion of migawari (body substitution) and ethnographic vignettes, I argue that talismans and amulets become âbelieving substitutesâ that allow for an externalization of belief altogether. They become problematic again at the point of disposal. In particular, in the case of dolls, where body substitution acquires a literal sense, questions of the relationship between dolls and their owners, and of their value and inalienability, add to the dollsâ ambiguity. Memorial rites for dolls instill a sense of closure for participants by appealing to orthopraxy rather than by addressing beliefs concerning dolls
Robot Companions: The Animation of Technology and the Technology of Animation in Japan
Contemporary Japan is often described in utopian terms as a place where humans and nonhumans live and work together in harmony. This acceptance of nonhuman others is explained by some anthropologists as stemming from an âanimist unconsciousâ (Allison 2006) that allows people to attribute âlifeâ to robots and other artefacts, a notion that is explicitly linked to the âShinto universeâ of ânative animist beliefsâ (Robertson 2010). Contrary to the darker tone of robot fantasies in the EuroAmerican tradition, this âtechno-animismâ turns technological objects into non-alienating allies, or so the narrative goes. This chapter critically examines the ideological underpinnings of these claims. Instead of attributing âmodern techno-animismâ to a native and naĂŻve ontology, the author argues that all forms of animism are âtechno-animismâ because they are based on a technology of animation. In turn, this technology of animation is based on what Bird-David (1999) understands as ârelatednessâ, but which the author hesitates to call a ârelational ontologyâ because what enables animation is often a relation that emerges from an unexpected and surprising encounter. Drawing on the work of Japanese roboticists and anthropologists of technology, this chapter proffers the heuristic device of an âanimation continuumâ to better apprehend the broad range of relations that result in animation
Ab initio Molecular Dynamics in Adaptive Coordinates
We present a new formulation of ab initio molecular dynamics which exploits
the efficiency of plane waves in adaptive curvilinear coordinates, and thus
provides an accurate treatment of first-row elements. The method is used to
perform a molecular dynamics simulation of the CO_2 molecule, and allows to
reproduce detailed features of its vibrational spectrum such as the splitting
of the Raman sigma+_g mode caused by Fermi resonance. This new approach opens
the way to highly accurate ab initio simulations of organic compounds.Comment: 11 pages, 3 PostScript figure
Mercury in Our Environment
A project was initiated July 1, 1971, involving the Station Biochemistry and Animal Science departments, to study mercury from the standpoint of (1) methods for mercury determination in natural materials, (2) a survey of the occurrence of mercury in nature in South Dakota and (3) the toxicity of different chemical forms of mercury especially with respect to animal reproduction and teratogenic effects
Star-shaped Local Density of States around Vortices in a Type II Superconductor
The electronic structure of vortices in a type II superconductor is analyzed
within the quasi-classical Eilenberger framework. The possible origin of a
sixfold ``star'' shape of the local density of states, observed by scanning
tunneling microscope experiments on NbSe, is examined in the light of the
three effects; the anisotropic pairing, the vortex lattice, and the anisotropic
density of states at the Fermi surface. Outstanding features of split parallel
rays of this star are well explained in terms of an anisotropic -wave
pairing. This reveals a rich internal electronic structure associated with a
vortex core.Comment: 4 pages, REVTeX, 3 figures available upon reques
A Self-Consistent Microscopic Theory of Surface Superconductivity
The electronic structure of the superconducting surface sheath in a type-II
superconductor in magnetic fields is calculated
self-consistently using the Bogoliubov-de Gennes equations. We find that the
pair potential exhibits pronounced Friedel oscillations near the
surface, in marked contrast with the results of Ginzburg-Landau theory. The
role of magnetic edge states is emphasized. The local density of states near
the surface shows a significant depletion near the Fermi energy due to the
development of local superconducting order. We suggest that this structure
could be unveiled by scanning-tunneling microscopy studies performed near the
edge of a superconducting sample.Comment: 12 pages, Revtex 3.0, 3 postscript figures appende
Comparison of Global and Local Adaptive Coordinates for Density Functional Calculations
A globally-adaptive curvilinear coordinate formalism is shown to be easily
convertible to a class of curvilinear transformations locally optimized around
atom sites by a few parameters. Parameter transferability is established for a
demanding test case, and the results of the two methods are shown to be
comparable. Computational efficiencies realized in the local method are
discussed.Comment: 21 pages, 4 figure
A unified electrostatic and cavitation model for first-principles molecular dynamics in solution
The electrostatic continuum solvent model developed by Fattebert and Gygi is
combined with a first-principles formulation of the cavitation energy based on
a natural quantum-mechanical definition for the surface of a solute. Despite
its simplicity, the cavitation contribution calculated by this approach is
found to be in remarkable agreement with that obtained by more complex
algorithms relying on a large set of parameters. Our model allows for very
efficient Car-Parrinello simulations of finite or extended systems in solution,
and demonstrates a level of accuracy as good as that of established
quantum-chemistry continuum solvent methods. We apply this approach to the
study of tetracyanoethylene dimers in dichloromethane, providing valuable
structural and dynamical insights on the dimerization phenomenon
Quasiparticle States at a d-Wave Vortex Core in High-Tc Superconductors: Induction of Local Spin Density Wave Order
The local density of states (LDOS) at one of the vortex lattice cores in a
high Tc superconductor is studied by using a self-consistent mean field theory
including interactions for both antiferromagnetism (AF) and d-wave
superconductivity (DSC). The parameters are chosen in such a way that in an
optimally doped sample the AF order is completely suppressed while DSC
prevails. In the mixed state, we show that the local AF-like SDW order appears
near the vortex core and acts as an effective local magnetic field on the
quasiparticles. As a result, the LDOS at the core exhibits a double-peak
structure near the Fermi level that is in good agreement with the STM
observations on YBCO and BSCCO. The presence of local AF order near the votex
core is also consistent with the recent neutron scattering experiment on LSCO.Comment: 4 pages, 2 ps figure
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