Clarification of the Hall effect as an energy transfer mechanism in a theory of the Earth's magnetic field and sunspots

International audienceClarification is offered of the energy transfer role played by the Hall effect in a recent paper: de Paor, A., A theory of the Earth's magnetic field and of sunspots, based on a self-excited dynamo incorporating the Hall effect, Nonlinear Processes in Geophysics, 8, 265-279, 2001

On the Origins of Hip Hop: Appropriation and Territorial Control of Urban Space

Projecting forward in time from the processes of design and construction that are so often the focus of architectural discourse, Consuming Architecture examines the variety of ways in which buildings are consumed after they have been produced, focusing in particular on processes of occupation, appropriation and interpretation. Drawing on contributions by architects, historians, anthropologists, literary critics, artists, film-makers, photographers and journalists, it shows how the consumption of architecture is a dynamic and creative act that involves the creation and negotiation of meanings and values by different stakeholders and that can be expressed in different voices. In so doing, it challenges ideas of what constitutes architecture, architectural discourse and architectural education, how we understand and think about it, and who can claim ownership of it

Permanent Transience: the identity crisis within representations of new urban housing

In the twenty-first century, our way of life is fast accelerating. This acceleration can be attributed to disposable and transient lifestyle, the desire to consume and the accessibility of products, all of which are simultaneously dependent on one another. Rarely, however, do we consider the notion of the disposable and the dynamics of consumption and production in spatial terms. In 2007-08 during the last economic boom in the UK, house building peaked as 207,370 new homes were constructed compared to 128,680 in 2009-10 after the economic collapse (Housing and planning statistics 2010), clearly demonstrating the relationship between the economy and construction, and in turn, production and consumption. This paper considers three key urban issues related to the disposable and transient, production and consumption, and the identity of dwelling. Firstly, by espousing Paul Virilio’s theories of the dromospere and picnolepsy, the paper interrogates the relationship between speed and the disposable, and the paradoxical desire to escape the city only to be reliant on global technology within the safety of private space. Secondly, the paper continues by exploring issues of spatial production drawing from The Production of Space as well as Neil Brenner’s Implosions/ Explosions to raise concerns of social and community sustainability within capitalist urbanisation of cities. Thirdly, the paper contests the concept of dwelling as mass product, arguing that the consumerist-driven catalogue browsing approach to home ownership by definition separates the very essence of dwelling from community whilst it is still no more than an idea. To support the theoretical position of this paper, three case studies of different typologies will be analysed via participant observation and discussions with residents. These case studies were all constructed during the last economic boom. The case studies are Bellevue, Dublin- a large apartment complex on the outskirts of the city centre, Cranbrook, Exeter- a new suburb to support Exeter’s expanding city and Singleton Close, Southport- a small estate of semi-detached dwellings. The paper concludes by attesting that slow urbanism, achieved by critical understanding of existing (or lack of) community identity could successfully improve social sustainability in the thickening urban network of globally connected cities

Calculation of the parameter "deflection" in a new theory of the Earth's magnetic field

International audienceIn a recent paper on the theory of the Earth's magnetic field and key features of Sunspot activity (de Paor, 2001), a central role in the calculation of secular variations of the geomagnetic field was played by a newly-introduced parameter called the deflection (abbreviated def ). In this note, the significance of def is elucidated and the method used to calculate it is explained

A new eccentric geomagnetic dipole to give the correct dip pole locations

In this paper, we describe a new eccentric dipole model of the Earth’s magnetic field. The constraints under which the conventional eccentric dipole model is defined result in predicted dip pole locations that differ significantly from the measured locations. Here, we give a preliminary exposition of a new dipole model which, because it is constrained by the observed dip pole locations, overcomes this problem

The potency of optical and augmented reality mirror boxes in amputees and people with intact limbs

Phantom limb pain is the distressing problem experienced by many amputees, defined as a painful sensation perceived in the area of the missing body part. Phantom limb pain can be very severe and disabling. It continues to be experienced by two thirds of amputees, eight years post-amputation. Augmented reality has the ability to change a person’s sensory experience. More applications of this technology are gradually being utilised for therapeutic purposes as augmented environments can be used both to distract the attention of patients from excruciatingly painful experiences and to promote cortical re-mapping at the site from where the pain arises. Using Augmented Reality, an environment has been created where upper limb amputees can both view and control motion of their phantom limb to help alleviate phantom limb pain

HEADZ-zINe 'REGIONS-UK' NORTH-WEST HEADZ: Vol. 1, Issue 1

HEADZ-zINe is a periodical output of the HEADZ Project. Taking the form of the fanzine with a critical edge, it challenges the convention of academic knowledge production and dissemination. HEADZ-zINe seeks to capture the personal, local, and communal histories of hip hop. HEADZ-zINe is foremost interested in the stories of its participants, and through a series of in-depth interviews and complimentary analysis of the artefacts and archives of hip hop, reveals a set of previously untold stories. HEADZ-zINe is created with much the same immediacy as a zine. It is produced within a period of weeks, is self-published and designed using standard domestic hardware and software. Although the topic addressed is historical, participants’ reflections illustrate the immediacy and closeness of this material to their current lives. True to the aims of the fanzine, HEADZ-zINe illuminates the histories of music culture which have previously been largely un-documented. These histories are told through the personal and collective stories of their participants. HEADZ-zINe is freely distributed, and the inaugural issue has been manufactured with a print-run of only 200 copies, in addition to being available in an expanded edition online. The zine presents a continued engagement with questions of knowledge production and dissemination. HEADZ-zINe has been developed in collaboration with practitioners and seeks to foreground their histories, thoughts, and ideas. We are interested in how hip hop offers practitioners a way of engaging with and knowing the world through music, artistic and dance practices. In this, we take hip hop seriously as a cultural form through which practitioners and fans learn, share and archive knowledge. Hip hop practitioners are both the creators of and thinkers about hip hop, they are local intellectuals. The principal focus of this zine is on the voices of hip hop practitioners themselves as they not only tell but theorise hip hop history. As accumulators of vinyl records, flyers, posters, photographs, and magazines ourselves we are interested in what these artefacts and archives can reveal to us about the creative acts of curating and remembering cultural history. We are interested in exploring how involvement in hip hop culture shaped the lives of practitioners and provided a space for creatively, imaginatively, and intellectually engaging with the world around them

A Monocular Marker-Free Gait Measurement System

This paper presents a new, user-friendly, portable motion capture and gait analysis system for capturing and analyzing human gait, designed as a telemedicine tool to monitor remotely the progress of patients through treatment. The system requires minimal user input and simple single-camera filming (which can be acquired from a basic webcam) making it very accessible to nontechnical, nonclinical personnel. This system can allow gait studies to acquire a much larger data set and allow trained gait analysts to focus their skills on the interpretation phase of gait analysis. The design uses a novel motion capture method derived from spatiotemporal segmentation and model-based tracking. Testing is performed on four monocular, sagittal-view, sample gait videos. Results of modeling, tracking, and analysis stages are presented with standard gait graphs and parameters compared to manually acquired data

Electromagnetic measurement of spinal curvature

In this paper, we describe an original mathematical technique for calculating the position and orientation of an electromagnetic coil from a minimum of four collinear magnetic field measurements. This problem arose in the development of a system for evaluating the efficacy of inflatable back rafts designed to mitigate complications that arise from the immobilisation of patients with suspected spinal injuries on spinal boards during transport to hospital. Electromagnetic markers are attached to points of interest on the back of an immobilised test subject. Spinal curvature is then measured by passing a magnetometer underneath the board