Novel Computational Approach to Obtain Contact Angles: Application to Carbon Capture and Storage

Imperial Users onl

The big lie

People wonder about the cause of poverty when scarcity is the natural state of things. Why? Because we are “designed” (metaphorically) to survive and reproduce our genes as much as possible. Not to discover reality. Not to enjoy. This is why evolution has selected in us the fear of death and the belief in that life is always worth living. We are “programmed” to make our life as long as possible, at any cost. “The Big Lie” was published in The Antinatalism Magazine, vol. 1, September, 2017. Jiwoon Hwang, Ed. Paperback Kindle Editio

Ghana TRIPS Over the TRIPS Agreement on Plant Breeders' Rights

This document is the Accepted Manuscript version of the following article: Thaddeus Manu, 'Ghana Trips Over the TRIPS Agreement on Plant Breeders' Rights', African Journal of Legal Studies, Vol 9 (1): 20-45, July 2017. Under embargo. Embargo end date: 31 July 2019. The final, published version is available online at doi: https://doi.org/10.1163/17087384-12342070. Published by BRILL.The premise under which the global IP system is validated has often focused on a traditional materialistic approach. While this seems to find legitimate support in economic reasoning, such a fundamental view also appears to contradict a related social norm claim which dictates that society ought to be shaped by appropriate values rather than economic rubrics. Although Ghana is not a signatory member of the UPOV Convention, there is explicit evidence that the PBRs Bill under consideration in Parliament contains provisions modelled on the UPOV Act 1991 rather than the potentially flexible and “effective sui generis system” in TRIPS. This paper aims to contribute to a recently active area of discussion on the topic by examining the consequences of stringent legislation on PBRs in the absence of adequate safeguard measures to protect public interests. Consequently, the hypothesis of this paper rests on the argument that every system needs checks and balances and the legislative system is no exception; therefore, social policy matters must be integrated into the so-called PBRs Bill in order not to undervalue public interests. To conclude, the author presents an argument based on a logical balance that ought to be found on the path to promulgating such legislation.Peer reviewe

Viability of commercial depth sensors for the REX medical exoskeleton : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Engineering in Mechatronics at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand

Closing the feedback loop of machine control has been a known method for gaining stability. Medical exoskeletons are no exception to this phenomenon. It is proposed that through machine vision, their stability control can be enhanced in a commercially viable manner. Using machines to enhance human’s capabilities has been a concept tried since the 19th century, with a range of successful demonstrations since then such as the REX platform. In parallel, machine vision has progressed similarly, and while applications that could be considered to be synonymous have been researched, using computer vision for traversability analysis in medical exoskeletons still leaves a lot of questions unanswered. These works attempt to understand better this field, in particular, the commercial viability of machine vision system’s ability to enhance medical exoskeletons. The key method to determine this will be through implementation. A system is designed that considers the constraints of working with a commercial product, demonstrating integration into an existing system without significant alterations. It shows using a stereo vision system to gather depth information from the surroundings and amalgamate these. The amalgamation process relies on tracking movement to provide accurate transforms between time-frames in the threedimensional world. Visual odometry and ground plane detection is employed to achieve this, enabling the creation of digital elevation maps, to efficiently capture and present information about the surroundings. Further simplification of this information is accomplished by creating traversability maps; that directly relate the terrain to whether the REX device can safely navigate that location. Ultimately a link is formed between the REX device and these maps, and that enables user movement commands to be intercepted. Once intercepted, a binary decision is computed whether that movement will traverse safe terrain. If however the command is deemed unsafe (for example stepping backwards off a ledge), this will not be permitted, hence increasing patient safety. Results suggest that this end-to-end demonstration is capable of improving patient safety; however, plenty of future work and considerations are discussed. The underlying data quality provided by the stereo sensor is questioned, and the limitations of macro vs. micro applicability to the REX are identified. That is; the works presented are capable of working on a macro level, but in their current state lack the finer detail to improve patient safety when operating a REX medical exoskeleton considerably

The Hungry Fly: Hydrodynamics of feeding in the common house fly

A large number of insect species feed primarily on a fluid diet. To do so, they must overcome the numerous challenges that arise in the design of high-efficiency, miniature pumps. Although the morphology of insect feeding structures has been described for decades, their dynamics remain largely unknown even in the most well studied species (e.g. fruit fly). Here, in the fluid dynamics video, we demonstrate in-vivo imaging and microsurgery to elucidate the design principles of feeding structures of the common house fly. Using high-resolution X-ray absorption microscopy, we record in-vivo flow of sucrose solutions through the body over many hours during fly feeding. Borrowing from microsurgery techniques common in neurophysiology, we are able to perturb the pump to a stall position and thus evaluate function under load conditions. Furthermore, fluid viscosity-dependent feedback is observed for optimal pump performance. As the gut of the fly starts to fill up, feedback from the stretch receptors in the cuticle dictates the effective flow rate. Finally, via comparative analysis between the housefly, blow fly, fruit fly and bumble bees, we highlight the common design principles and the role of interfacial phenomena in feeding.Comment: Two videos are included with this submissio