8,811 research outputs found
Robots and us: towards an economics of the âGood Lifeâ
(Expected) adverse effects of the âICT Revolutionâ on work and opportunities for
individuals to use and develop their capacities give a new impetus to the debate on the
societal implications of technology and raise questions regarding the âresponsibilityâ of
research and innovation (RRI) and the possibility of achieving âinclusive and sustainable
societyâ. However, missing in this debate is an examination of a possible conflict
between the quest for âinclusive and sustainable societyâ and conventional economic
principles guiding capital allocation (including the funding of research and innovation).
We propose that such conflict can be resolved by re-examining the nature and purpose
of capital, and by recognising mainstream economicsâ utilitarian foundations as an
unduly restrictive subset of a wider Aristotelian understanding of choice
Detecting gravitational lensing cosmic shear from samples of several galaxies using two-dimensional spectral imaging
Studies of weak gravitational lensing by large-scale structures require the
measurement of the distortions introduced to the shapes of distant galaxies at
the few percent level by anisotropic light deflection along the line of sight.
To detect this signal on 1-10 arcmin scales in a particular field, accurate
measurements of the correlations between the shapes of order 1000-10000
galaxies are required. This large-scale averaging is required to accommodate
the unknown intrinsic shapes of the background galaxies, even with careful
removal of systematic effects. Here an alternative is discussed. If it is
possible to measure accurately the detailed dynamical structure of the
background galaxies, in particular rotating disks, then it should be possible
to measure directly the cosmic shear distortion, as it generally leads to a
non-self-consistent rotation curve. Narrow spectral lines and excellent
two-dimensional spatial resolution are required. The ideal lines and telescope
are CO rotational transitions and the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA)
respectively.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figures, Expected to appear in ApJ Letters Vol. 570, 10
May 2002. Replaced with final proof version correcting minor typo
3D MHD Modeling of the Gaseous Structure of the Galaxy: Synthetic Observations
We generated synthetic observations from the four-arm model presented in
Gomez & Cox (2004) for the Galactic ISM in the presence of a spiral
gravitational perturbation. We found that velocity crowding and diffusion have
a strong effect in the l-v diagram. The v-b diagram presents structures at the
expected spiral arm velocities, that can be explained by the off-the-plane
structure of the arms presented in previous papers of this series. Such
structures are observed in the Leiden/Dwingeloo HI survey. The rotation curve,
as measured from the inside of the modeled galaxy, shows similarities with the
observed one for the Milky Way Galaxy, although it has large deviations from
the smooth circular rotation corresponding to the background potential. The
magnetic field inferred from a synthetic synchrotron map shows a largely
circular structure, but with interesting deviations in the midplane due to
distortion of the field from circularity in the interarm regions.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ. Better quality figures in
http://www.astro.umd.edu/~gomez/publica/3d_galaxy-3.pd
Assessment of motor recovery and decline
Assessment of motor disorders forms an important ingredient of neurology, rehabilitation medicine and orthopaedics. Until now, however, many of the employed assessment tools are derived from empirical knowledge. Almost no relation exists with modern theoretical notions about motor control. In the present article, motor control theory is reviewed in the light of its potential contribution to understanding motor recovery. An attempt is made to present a theoretical framework for the assessment of motor disorders related to recent insights in motor control. The framework emphasizes the dynamical character of recovery. The principle of output optimization is discussed and it is stressed that compensation plays a permanent role in adapting to damage of the body or to changes in the environment. An assessment procedure is introduced to measure the (mental) costs of this compensation. It is argued that changes in the costs of compensation across time reflect recovery
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