ParaSites: initial report and research context

The ongoing, practice-led research project ParaSites explores the potential of using behaviours and strategies of parasites as a model for sculptural propositions in the built environment and investigates how these interventions might resonate with architectural, urban, historical and socio-cultural issues. We treat the term parasitism both literally and metaphorically, and are particularly inspired by Michel Serres’ philosophical writing "The Parasite" (2007). Considering its different significations in French language (biological, social, static/noise), Serres uses the parasite to extrapolate ideas about human relations, society, history and communication while emphasising its destabilising and transformative powers. With this in mind, we are keen to explore the potential of using the polysemic notion of the parasite as an integrated conceptual framework and methodological tool to feed new sculptural interventions, and to investigate their impact on our relationship with the built environment (sonic, visual, structural, historical, ecological, symbolic and socio-cultural). "ParaSites: Initial Report and Research Context" presents a preliminary artistic intervention at a dilapidated edifice in Paris which has initiated this ongoing research. This is followed by a brief discussion of the methodological framework that has evolved from this, originally rather intuitive, practical investigation. The second part of this paper provides an overview of the research context, ranging from artistic and architectural explorations of site-specificity to socially engaged projects

ParaSites: new propositions

The ongoing, practice-led research project ParaSites explores the potential of using behaviours and strategies of parasites as a model for sculptural propositions in the built environment and investigates how these interventions might resonate with architectural, urban, historical and socio-cultural issues. We treat the term parasitism both literally and metaphorically, and are particularly inspired by Michel Serres’ philosophical writing "The Parasite" (2007). Considering its different significations in French language (biological, social, static/noise), Serres uses the parasite to extrapolate ideas about human relations, society, history and communication while emphasising its destabilising and transformative powers. With this in mind, we are keen to explore the potential of using the polysemic notion of the parasite as an integrated conceptual framework and methodological tool to feed new sculptural interventions, and to investigate their impact on our relationship with the built environment (sonic, visual, structural, historical, ecological, symbolic and socio-cultural). "ParaSites: New Propositions" presents a preliminary artistic intervention at a dilapidated edifice in Paris which has initiated this ongoing research. This is followed by a discussion of the theoretical framework that has evolved from this, originally rather intuitive, practical investigation. We then introduce two new artistic propositions which have been developed within the context of this research and debate to what extent they correspond with and/or elicit our theoretical ideas

Next generation keyboards: The importance of cognitive compatibility

The computer keyboard of today is essentially the same as it has been for many years. Few advances have been made in keyboard design even though computer systems in general have made remarkable progress in improvements. This paper discusses the future of keyboards, their competition and compatibility with voice input systems, and possible special-application intelligent keyboards for controlling complex systems

The effect of a stellar magnetic variation on the jet velocity

Stellar jets are normally constituted by chains of knots with some periodicity in their spatial distribution, corresponding to a variability of order of several years in the ejection from the protostar/disk system. A widely accepted theory for the presence of knots is related to the generation of internal working surfaces due to variations in the jet ejection velocity. In this paper we study the effect of variations in the inner disk-wind radius on the jet ejection velocity. We show that a small variation in the inner disk-wind radius produce a variation in the jet velocity large enough to generate the observed knots. We also show that the variation in the inner radius may be related to a variation of the stellar magnetic field.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in Ap

4-D quantitative GPR analyses to study the summer mass balance of a glacier: A case history

In order to assess the seasonal changes of the topography, the inner structure and the physical properties of a small glacier in the Eastern Alps, we performed a 4-D multi frequency GPR survey by repeating the same data acquisition in four different periods of the year 2013. The usual glacier mass balance estimation encompasses only topographic variations, but the real evolution is much more complex and includes surface melting and refreezing, snow metamorphism, and basal melting. We analyzed changes in both the imaged geometrical-morphological structures and the densities, estimated from GPR data inversion. The inversion algorithm uses reflection amplitudes and traveltimes to extract the electromagnetic velocity in the interpreted layers and the densities of the frozen materials through empirical relations. The obtained results have been compared and validated with direct measures like snow thickness surveys, density logs within snow pits and ablation stakes. This study demonstrates that GPR techniques are a fast and effective tool not only for glacial qualitative studies, but also for detailed glacier monitoring and accurate quantitative analyses of crucial glaciological parameters like density distribution and water runoff

Determination of a Wave Function Functional

In this paper we propose the idea of expanding the space of variations in standard variational calculations for the energy by considering the wave function $\psi$ to be a functional of a set of functions $\chi: \psi = \psi[\chi]$, rather than a function. In this manner a greater flexibility to the structure of the wave function is achieved. A constrained search in a subspace over all functions $\chi$ such that the wave function functional $\psi[\chi]$ satisfies a constraint such as normalization or the Fermi-Coulomb hole charge sum rule, or the requirement that it lead to a physical observable such as the density, diamagnetic susceptibility, etc. is then performed. A rigorous upper bound to the energy is subsequently obtained by variational minimization with respect to the parameters in the approximate wave function functional. Hence, the terminology, the constrained-search variational method. The \emph{rigorous} construction of such a constrained-search--variational wave function functional is demonstrated by example of the ground state of the Helium atom.Comment: 10 pages, 2 figures, changes made, references adde