Storage of localized structure matrixes in nematic liquid crystals

We show experimentally that large matrixes of localized structures can be stored as elementary pixels in a nematic liquid crystal cell. Based on optical feedback with phase modulated input beam, our system allows to store, erase and actualize in parallel the localized structures in the matrix.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure

Are Students Competent? Methods of Assessing Bachelor of Social Work Student Competence

Higher educational institutions must demonstrate that their Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) students are competent prior to graduation. There are conflicting studies regarding the reliability of field instructor, faculty, and students’ self-assessment. The purpose of this study was to examine the consistency of how field instructors, faculty, and students assessed the same students’ social work competence across three academic years. This quantitative research study examined historical data from one Midwestern University where students, faculty, and field instructors rated students’ competence in the last semester of their senior year using the Council on Social Work Education’s (CSWE) 13 core competencies (2.1.1-2.1.10d). Data analysis included descriptive statistics, 39 Kruskal-Wallis H tests, 13 Friedman’s test, Bonferroni correction, and a False Discovery Rate, due to the large number of statistical tests conducted using the same data set. The field instructor and faculty sample were similar (n = 83); however, the sample for student self-assessment was n = 45. Findings indicated that faculty assessment of students’ social work 13 core competencies was the most inconsistent across three academic years, whereas field instructors’ assessment was the most consistent. When comparing how faculty, field instructors, and students assessed the same students, finding indicated that faculty and field instructors were more closely aligned than students and field instructors and students rated their own social work competence higher than faculty on two core competencies and higher than field instructors on four core competencies

Bouncing localized structures in a liquid-crystal light-valve experiment

Experimental evidence of bouncing localized structures in a nonlinear optical system is reported.Comment: 4 page

The mechanical characterization of the legs, fangs, and prosoma in the spider Harpactira curvipes (Pocock 1897)

The exoskeleton of spiders is the primary structure that interacts with the external mechanical stimuli, thus playing a crucial role in spider life. In particular, fangs, legs, and prosoma are the main rigid structures of the exoskeleton and their properties must be measured to better understand their mechanical behaviours. Here we investigate, by means of nanoindentation, the mechanical properties of the external sclerotized cuticles of such parts in the spider Harpactira curvipes. Interestingly, the results show that the leg’s cuticle is stiffer than the prosoma and has a stiffness similar to the one of the tip fangs. This could be explained by the legs’ function in perceiving vibrations that could be facilitated by higher stiffness. From a broader perspective, this characterization could help to understand how the same basic material (the cuticle, i.e. mainly composed of chitin) can be tuned to achieve different mechanical functions, which improves the animal’s adaptation to specific evolutive requirements. We, thus, hope that this work stimulates further comparative analysis. Moreover, these results may also be potentially important to inspire the design of graded materials with superior mechanical properties

«Del fuggir la moltitudine ». Néoplatonisme et scepticisme dans le Malpiglio secondo du Tasse

La composition, en 1584-1585, du dyptique de dialogues consacré à Vincenzo et à Giovanlorenzo Malpiglio semble destinée à illustrer la double vocation de l’œuvre dialogique du Tasse, telle que l’auteur la définit à la même époque dans son discours sur le dialogue.Le malpiglio overo de la corte, qui a pour protagoniste le gentilhomme lucquois Vincenzo Malpiglio, trésorier du duc de Ferrare, est un exemple parfait de dialogue « civil ou moral », portant sur les problèmes éthiques et politiques ..