Bio Inspired Composites Perform Better In Compression and Impact

The various ways that nature has enabled organisms to perform amazing feats is well known. Materials utilized in the construction of biological structures use only what is available, and with the bare minimum of resources, the bodies of some animals outperform advanced materials made by humans. The Peacock Mantis Shrimp uses its dactyl club, creating devastating cavitation bubbles, to obliterate mollusks and other small arthropods on a daily basis. Despite repetitive impacts and cyclic loading in compression, the body parts of the mantis shrimp continue to allow the animal to feed itself. It is now known that the durability of the mantis shrimp is due to the helically structured mineral biopolymer that its shell is composed of, encasing the animal in what is by all definitions an incredibly advanced suit of armor. Helical layup schedules have proven to be more durable in compression and impact testing than traditional layup schedules with uni- or biaxial fiber orientations. In this study, we create a helically stacked laminate composite in ANSYS using a carbon fiber and epoxy pre-preg (CFRP) material. Tsai-Hill and Tsai-Wu failure criterion for composite laminate are used to determine failure. We perform compression and point force analysis on this composite material and compare its performance to composites commonly used in industry. Composite structures employed in daily industrial applications frequently sustain impact damage; these loadings are constantly present in real world composite employment and frequently result in damage emerging as micro-cracking in the polymer matrix and/or fracture of the fiber tows of the reinforcement

A cost-benefit analysis of pathways to work for new and repeat incapacity benefits claimants

This latest research forms part of a comprehensive independent evaluation of Pathways to Work. The report is based on a cost-benefit analysis conducted by a consortium of researchers from the Institute for Fiscal Studies, the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and the Policy Studies Institute. It examines whether the financial benefits from Pathways are larger or smaller than its costs and the generalisability of some of the quantitative findings. The estimates of costs and benefits relate to new and repeat incapacity benefits claimants in the seven original Jobcentre Plus districts. The overall findings provide a favourable impression of the financial benefits of the Pathways to Work for new and repeat incapacity benefits claimants, for the Exchequer and hence, for society as a whole

Atmospheric blocking and mean biases in climate models

Models often underestimate blocking in the Atlantic and Pacific basins and this can lead to errors in both weather and climate predictions. Horizontal resolution is often cited as the main culprit for blocking errors due to poorly resolved small-scale variability, the upscale effects of which help to maintain blocks. Although these processes are important for blocking, the authors show that much of the blocking error diagnosed using common methods of analysis and current climate models is directly attributable to the climatological bias of the model. This explains a large proportion of diagnosed blocking error in models used in the recent Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change report. Furthermore, greatly improved statistics are obtained by diagnosing blocking using climate model data corrected to account for mean model biases. To the extent that mean biases may be corrected in low-resolution models, this suggests that such models may be able to generate greatly improved levels of atmospheric blocking

Artistic control over the glitch in AI-generated motion capture

Artificial intelligence (AI) models are prevalent today and provide a valuable tool for artists. However, a lesser-known artifact that comes with AI models that is not always discussed is the glitch. Glitches occur for various reasons; sometimes, they are known, and sometimes they are a mystery. Artists who use AI models to generate art might not understand the reason for the glitch but often want to experiment and explore novel ways of augmenting the output of the glitch. This paper discusses some of the questions artists have when leveraging the glitch in AI art production. It explores the unexpected positive outcomes produced by glitches in the specific context of motion capture and performance art

Equine Assisted Therapy and Changes in Gait for a Young Adult Female with Down Syndrome

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of equine assisted therapy on selected gait parameters in a person with Down syndrome. One female participant with Down syndrome completed two therapeutic horseback riding programs, each consisting of six riding sessions. Specific gait characteristics were analyzed with a trend analysis of the data by examining the means of the different variables. The trend analysis revealed a difference in stride length as well as hip and knee angle. These results indicate that over the course of the two therapeutic horseback riding programs, changes in gait occurred. Therefore, therapeutic horseback riding may have the potential to benefit gait characteristics and stability in young adult females with Down syndrome; however, further research is warranted