Real Sphere Research Articles

Time required for a sphere to fall through a funnel

We experimentally test a recently proposed theory of the behavior of a single frictional, inelastic, spherical particle falling under gravity through a symmetric funnel. We find that, while many qualitative results of the theory are supported by the data, the quantitative behavior of a real sphere falling through a real funnel differs from the predictions. The behavior above a 45∘ funnel angle, the duration, and the dependence of the duration on the initial horizontal position all show significant deviations from the predicted results. In particular, for drop positions near the gap, the duration of the fall is often significantly less than predicted for 50∘ and 60∘ funnel angles; and at a 60∘ funnel angle, where the data best matches the model, the R2 goodness of fit is only 0.27. The fit can be significantly improved for 60∘ funnel angle by relaxing the most stringent approximation of the theory, which asserts that the transition from slipping to rolling is governed by a single constant parameter, β, independent of impact speed and angle. We conclude that, although the theory captures most of the key features of the dynamics of a ball falling through a funnel, it does not do so with quantitative accuracy, indicating that for commonly encountered balls and drop heights, a more realistic model of particle collisions is required.

Disconnection between the Financial Sphere and the Real Sphere: Theoretical Foundations and Empirical Investigation

Although several studies of theoretical and empirical ones converge on the financial dimension in economic growth, they do not actually provide real common response to the problem of the possible interaction between the real economy and the financial. In fact, the interrelationship between financial development and economic arises more acutely and becomes increasingly uncertain to know is that the financial activity that stimulates real or vice versa. Who rightly, Schumpeter argues that: Financial institutions are required to technological innovation underlying growth or Robinson says, Where leads; finance follows. »The question posed in this article question then is at the intersection of two areas, namely finance and economics. We will be interested throughout this research to the Tunisian context by using a methodology that is first to apply the test cointegration between the rate of return on equity and the rate of in economic activity real. While in second place, we will adopt the technique of error correction (VECM) to be considered in order to understand the dynamics between the variables studied in the short and long term. Finally, the causality test will be the third step of our methodology to detect the direction and magnitude of the causal relationship between the two spheres studied.

Tuning a microsphere whispering-gallery-mode sensor for extreme thermal stability

The reactive sensing application of optical microspheres can be plagued by local temperature fluctuations. Fluctuations due to laser heating or ambient changes in the lab environment cause resonance shifts that appear as noise or an underlying drift in the sensor data. Here, we show that thermal fluctuations can be exactly compensated in virtually any local medium (i.e., “analyte”) by the application of a high-index coating on the surface of the microsphere. The coating precisely controls the extent of the field penetration into the surroundings in such a way that the thermal shifts associated with the three layers (the glass sphere, the coating, and the exterior medium) can be exactly balanced. The conditions required for thermal stability were investigated theoretically; on the basis of these calculations a real sphere was then synthesized that showed excellent stability for aqueous solutions.

English

Female bodies have been exposed to a maximum possible extent through print and visual media globally. The physical impression of women body has been used to sell several consumer products, viz., food to floors, from creams to cars, from perfume to popcorn. The standards of beauty being imposed on women by external sources are much debated and complicated process and need to be understood within the age old socio-culturally milieu. In addition, the political economy of ‘women image’ and its commercial exploitation by selling and purchasing ‘beauty’ and consumption of it also requires serious attention. Hence, a theoretical discourse is developed being based on content analysis to cross-examine the representation of women around the patriarchic cultural notion of ‘beauty’ and its commoditization in commercial space through media. The paper further explores the social dynamics of ‘female body’ and reconstruction of ‘femaleness’ through socio-cultural process of ‘gendering’ and ‘popular media’. The discourse revolves around how and whether the ‘reconstruction of female body’ could be dissected in search of ‘real image (‘Changing the ‘image of beauty’ in real sphere of womens’ life and life style) of a woman’ with a special focus on Indian society.   Key words: Gender; Media; beauty and objectification.

Existential and Ethical Values in an Information Era

The development of new e-culture becomes one of the most important phenomena of the digital age. The concept ‘e-culture’ has been still developing; though it is evident, that as a phenomenon, it cannot be compared with anything that has ever existed. It requires the necessity of its deep study in general and in terms of axiological and ethical aspects, reflecting the nature of its influence on human world view and behaviour. The author offers the concept of e-culture as a new type of creative activity, the ‘third nature’, progressively replacing ‘living culture’ and natural environment for human beings. Digital culture gives human beings new ways to solve existential problems (death and desolation; not liberty and ethical choice), forming in this regard new dependences and risks for biosocioelectronical subjects developing within its conditions. First of all, internet-dependence refers to such risks. It enhances ‘existential vacuum’, axiological disorientation in the real sphere; deformation of interpersonal communication essence with the virtualization of its sensual and emotional aspects; appearance of new freedom forms of personality ethical choice, generated by virtual interaction. An existential approach to the understanding of e-culture allows us to determine the relation between deep ontological personality problems and new technology achievements of the digital age.

The coordinate ring of an n-dimensional sphere and some examples of differentially simple algebras

Using the coordinate ring of an n-dimensional real sphere, we construct examples of differentially simple algebras which are finitely generated projective, but nonfree, modules over their centroids. As a consequence, examples of such algebras are obtained in varieties of associative, Lie, alternative, Mal’tsev, and Jordan algebras.

КАК СДЕЛАТЬ ЕСТЕСТВЕННЫЕ НАУКИ ПРИОРИТЕТНЫМИ

In many countries the interest to natural sciences among youth declines at the same time the interest to human sciences and management of human activity increases. Educational environment reflects those transformative mechanisms which influence the real sphere of human activity. Education being a socially significant institution should respond to human needs “here and now”, keep and develop fundamental knowledge using innovative means of education. Knowledge of some areas of physics, chemistry and biology remain conservative. New industries require professionals who can integrate different knowledge. This knowledge is acquired in the process of school education and the best time is primary school period. Forms of extracurricular work: traditional clubs, inter-class associations, interest cen-ters and so on. Teachers give less preference to research of natural objects and phenomena and more preference to use of video information. This includes different presentations devel-opment of which is encouraged and widely used in primary school. New technologies should be implemented in school education but we shouldn’t substitute live communication with na-ture by texts and pictures from the Internet. Observation of nature being a method of classi-cal biology is still of great value because it allows a child to identify and explore the environ-ment and become a discoverer of the world. Key words: educational environment, interest in science, new technologies, natural science education.

Economic Growth and the Development of Financial Markets: Some African Evidence

The purpose of this study is to determine if African stock markets have contributed to a better allocation of savings and economic growth in the countries in question. Our results reveal a strong and significant relationship between aggregate economic growth and stock market development indicators. Causality tests indicate that the real sphere involves the financial sphere for relatively new markets.

THE ECONOMIC CRISIS VERSUS THE CRISIS OF ECONOMICS AS A SCIENCE

Abstract. The paper starts with arguments against forming causative links between crisis phenomena in the economy, both in its real and regulatory sphere, and the crisis of the economic science as such, in terms of its cognitive and predictive values. According to the author, it is also true with respect to the current economicfinancial crisis.The second part of the paper is an attempt of explaining what should be considered a ‘normal’ way of development of economic science. The author puts and justifies a thesis that this development is a journey of ideas being brought about by numerous causes, with a significant role played by inspirations related not to observation of the real world but to the ‘world of economists’ (ideas shared by academic communities) and the phenomena appearing in the external environment of economics as a science: new political and social ideologies, cultural and technological trends, as well as geopolitical changes.In the subsequent part of the paper, starting with the recognition of the so-called logical and historical factors in the development of economic science or, following the distinction made by D. Ross (2005), the distinction of philosophical and historical-sociological strategies in this development, the author tries to prove that over the last half-century the development of economic science has been heavily influenced by the broadening acceptance of the criterion of instrumental effectiveness (Laudan–Mongin) in the appraisal of its scientific progress. It is argued in the paper that this has the effect of diminishing the ability of economic science to recognize and explain some major contemporary civilizational and technological trends (a kind of crisis in terms of the cognitive realism criterion). However, with respect to the emergence of new and cognitively valuable schools and currents (e.g., New Institutional Economy), this should not be considered a common feature of today’s economics. Secondly, the increasing role attributed to the instrumental effectiveness criterion in the evaluation of progress in economic science, has resulted in some crisis phenomena with respect to the predictive strength of economic models and theories.The paper ends with some more general reflections attempting to identifiy the civilization and technological trends and structural changes in modern economies that are not sufficiently addressed and analyzed in the mainstream economics, thus leading to some crisis phenomena (but not a general crisis) in its development in terms of the cognitive, predictive, and utilitarian value. With regard to the latter (perceived from the point of view of various economic policies), the author postulates the need for a more eclectic approach. It is understood as a postulate to look for the nature, manifestations of and reasons for both growth and crisis processes in contemporary economies, as well as for the instruments of growth state policy, in various (sometimes even competing) theories and schools in today’s economics.Key words: economic crisis, crisis of economics as a science, criteria of scientific progress in economics, migration of economic ideas, logical and historical factors in the development of economic science, instrumental and cognitive realism, civilizational and technological trends

Influence of PET reconstruction para meters on the TrueX algorithm

SummaryWith the increasing use of functional imaging in modern radiotherapy (RT) and the envisaged automated integration of PET into target definition, the need for reliable quantification of PET is growing. Reconstruction algorithms in new PET scanners employ pointspread-function (PSF) based resolution recovery, however, their impact on PET quantification still requires thorough investigation. Patients, material, methods: Measurements were performed on a Siemens PET/CT using an IEC phantom filled with varying activity. Data were reconstructed using the OSEM (Gauss filter) and the PSF TrueX (Gauss and Allpass filter) algorithm with all available products of iterations (i) and subsets (ss). The recovery coeffcient (RC) and threshold defining the real sphere volume were determined for all settings and compared to the clinical standard (4i21ss). PET acquisitions of eight lung patients were reconstructed using all algorithms with 4i21ss. Volume size and tracer uptake were determined with different segmentation methods. Results: The threshold for the TrueX was lower (up to 40%) than for the OSEM. The RC for the different algorithms and filters varied. TrueX was more sensitive to permutations of i and ss and only the RC of the OSEM stabilised with increasing number. For patient scans the difference of the volume and activity between TrueX and OSEM could be reduced by applying an adapted threshold and activity correction. Conclusion: The TrueX algorithm results in excellent diagnostic image quality, however, guidelines for native algorithms have to be extended for PSF based reconstruction methods. For appropriate tumour delineation, for the TrueX a lower threshold than the 42% recommended for the OSEM is necessary. These filter dependent thresholds have to be verified for different scanners prior to using them in multicenter trials.

Państwo we współczesnej gospodarce światowej – wybrane zagadnienia

The 2007+ financial crisis and the depression in real sphere of many economies important for the world economy has led to many initiatives directed against the negative effects of the crisis. The state and its institutions played the most important role in anti-crisis actions. At the beginning states concentrated on fiscal and monetary policy measures aiming to help national economic subjects. In other words, the challenges of early 21st century changed common opinion on the position and the importance of the modern state. Quickly, however, it has become clear that such help is not sufficient. The advanced level of international cooperation and interdependence between micro- and macroeconomic subjects have led to the situation in which single states could not take effective action against crisis phenomena that were not only initiated in their economies but also imported. In such conditions we can observe the emergence of new international initiatives such as G20, Financial Stability Council, the new European Financial Supervision System or European instruments for financial stability, including the fiscal pact, which was preliminary agreed on during the December summit of the European Council. All those actions are, unfortunately, designed as short-term and emergency measures. They do not aim for longer time frame. There is no debate on doctrinal foundations of the contemporary global economy. The actions described in this text also fi t into that pattern, as they are only an attempt at addressing the problems and not an initiative which has pre-dated the contemporary crisis phenomena.

Anthropogenesis and Dynamics of Values Under Conditions of Information Technology Development

Entry into the Information Age provided radically new conditions of the modern anthropogenesis–the formation and the development of human beings, their corporality, consciousness, life world, relations with their social world and other persons. In modern society the space of the virtual sphere is extending and becoming dominant, forming a new kind of culture–a digital one. The development of a digital culture is a new form of creative work. After the creation of the second nature–the world of things–human beings created the third nature–the world of virtual phenomena, which is a peculiar composition of the conscious world and the world of modern high information technologies. In such a case it is still paradoxical, that presently human beings exist within two dimensions: The virtual dimension (game or Internet-communication), being a true value for them. The second physically real dimension is instrumental, accompanying and losing its significance in terms of value. interpersonal communication, education, creative work and leisure move from a real sphere into a virtual one. Virtuality is becoming not merely a mediator between a human and the world but truly the world itself. Virtual things are identified with real things in the younger generation’s consciousness. This changing reality model is modifying human beings.

L’ émergence du concept de “es gibt” chez le jeune Heidegger (1919-1920)

Abstract Our goal is to point out the tremendous importance of the “es gibt” concept in heideggerian philosophy through the analysis of few texts of the 1921 to 1923 period. It will lead us to the emerging heideggerian conceptualization of phenomenology, where “seeing” means interpreting or understanding. To be able to see is the same as to be able to interpret. Right from the first courses, this terme is associated to the word “phenomenology”. What does it mean? The understanding of life as pre-theoretical sphere with the philosophy’ conceptual and objectivizing tools, included those of the husserlian phenomenology, unsatisfied Heidegger: for him, we need to emancipate ourselves from the deeply anchored obsession of theoretical. Is the phenomenological seeing not a topicalization, thus an objectivation, namely a theoretical activity? We have to regain the possibility of an a-theoretical intuition which shows a phenomenology considered in the specifics terms of the “opening to the experiential real life sphere”, as a behavior, an attitude, a “to relate to something’‘.

First-principles studies of complex magnetism in Mn nanostructures on the Fe(001) surface

The magnetic properties of Mn nanostructures on the Fe(001) surface have been studied using the noncollinear first-principles real space-linear muffin-tin orbital-atomic sphere approximation method within density-functional theory. We have considered a variety of nanostructures such as adsorbed wires, pyramids, and flat and intermixed clusters of sizes varying from two to nine atoms. Our calculations of interatomic exchange interactions reveal the long-range nature of exchange interactions between Mn-Mn and Mn-Fe atoms. We have found that the strong dependence of these interactions on the local environment, the magnetic frustration, and the effect of spin-orbit coupling lead to the possibility of realizing complex noncollinear magnetic structures such as helical spin spiral and half-skyrmion.

Beamforming Codebooks for Two Transmit Antenna Systems Based on Optimum Grassmannian Packings

Precoding codebook design for limited feedback MIMO systems is known to reduce to a discretization problem on a Grassmann manifold. The case of two-antenna beamforming is special in that it is equivalent to quantizing the real sphere. The isometry between the Grassmannian G <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2,1</sub> <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">ℂ</sup> and the real sphere <i xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">S</i> <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> shows that discretization problems in the Grassmannian G <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2,1</sub> <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">ℂ</sup> are directly solved by corresponding spherical codes. Notably, the Grassmannian line packing problem in ℂ <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> , namely maximizing the minimum distance, is equivalent to the Tammes problem on the real sphere, so that optimum spherical packings give optimum Grassmannian packings. Moreover, a simple isomorphism between G <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2,1</sub> <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">ℂ</sup> and <i xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">S</i> <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> enables to analytically derive simple codebooks in closed-form having low implementation complexity. Using the simple geometry of some of these codebooks, we derive closed-form expressions of the probability density function of the relative SNR loss due to limited feedback. We also investigate codebooks based on other spherical arrangements, such as solutions maximizing the harmonic mean of the mutual distances among the codewords, which is known as the Thomson problem. We find that in some special cases, Grassmannian codebooks based on these other spherical arrangements outperform codebooks from Grassmannian packing.

Development of an Autonomous Robot for Gas Storage Spheres Inspection

Inspection for corrosion of gas storage spheres at the welding seam lines must be done periodically. Until now this inspection is being done manually and has a high cost associated to it and a high risk of inspection personel injuries. The Brazilian Petroleum Company, Petrobras, is seeking cost reduction and personel safety by the use of autonomous robot technology. This paper presents the development of a robot capable of autonomously follow a welding line and transporting corrosion measurement sensors. The robot uses a pair of sensors each composed of a laser source and a video camera that allows the estimation of the center of the welding line. The mechanical robot uses four magnetic wheels to adhere to the sphere's surface and was constructed in a way that always three wheels are in contact with the sphere's metallic surface which guarantees enough magnetic atraction to hold the robot in the sphere's surface all the time. Additionally, an independently actuated table for attaching the corrosion inspection sensors was included for small position corrections. Tests were conducted at the laboratory and in a real sphere showing the validity of the proposed approach and implementation.

The Paradox of Monetary Profits: An Obstacle to Understanding Financial and Economic Crisis?

paradox of monetary profits has been a recurrent theme in macroeconomics since the problem was first formulated by Marx. Capitalists as a whole can at most get from workers, what they already paid out in wages. Marx did not solve this problem, and neither did Keynes, who had to face the problem in The General Theory. A consequential logical conclusion to Keynes treatment of the problem, leaves his concept of aggregate income indeterminate-based on imaginary magnitudes. Both Marx and Keynes tried to solve the problem by addressing current transaction flows, which is also the approach taken by more recent contributors. Another solution to the problem is to regard monetary profits as a flow arising from changes in stock magnitudes-more specifically the monetary valuation of real capital performed at financial markets. Besides solving the paradox of monetary profits, this solution also provides us with a very strong connection between the real and the financial spheres. monetary profit inducing capitalist production, emanates from the sphere of finance. In a world of fundamental uncertainty this gives us an explanation of, not only what may drive financial booms and busts, but also how these movements on financial markets are related to the real sphere of production.

Observation of the disconnection between real and financial spheres: the case of the Tunisian stock exchange market during the period 1969-2008

The strong volatility that characterized financial markets all over the word, these last years, leaves to think the existence of a disparity between stock prices and their fundamental values, which gives us the presumption of a disconnection between the real sphere and the financial one (Binswanger ( 1999, 2000, 2004 )). The purpose of this paper, is to focus on this possible disconnection by using the cointegration tests, to detect a possible equilibrium relation between the stock exchange returns and the real economic activity growth (measured by the GDP). The period of study lies between 1969 and 2008, according to an annual frequency of two series: the real yields (Stock Market Index return) and of GDP growth rates (real economic sphere indicator). To settle on the dynamics of short and long term between the stock exchange returns and the GDP growth, we used the Vector Errors Correction Model (VECM). Our results corroborate the existence of the disconnection between the two financial and economic series. Key Words: Stock market return, financial bubbles, real sphere JEL classification: E30, E44, G10, G12

Financial market crisis and financial market channel

Before a new financial architecture can be established in the wake of the financial crisis, the increasing importance of the global financial market channel must be fully understood. This importance was illustrated by the unexpectedly strong dampening effects of the financial crisis on the real economy and by the worldwide contagion of the crisis, including its spreading to emerging market economies that were macroeconomically stable. This article argues that the financial sphere is gaining in importance over the real sphere and that the impact of global financial determinants on economic activity is growing ever stronger. The keys to dealing with this change are greater transparency, stronger incentive structures and a stronger regulatory and supervisory framework.

Fitting Spheres to Range Data From 3-D Imaging Systems

Two error functions used for nonlinear least squares (LS) fitting of spheres to range data from 3-D imaging systems are discussed: the orthogonal error function and the directional error function. Both functions allow unrestricted gradient-based minimization and were tested on more than 40 data sets collected under different experimental conditions (e.g., different sphere diameters, instruments, data density, and data noise). It was found that the orthogonal error function results in two local minima and that the outcome of the optimization depends on the choice of starting point. The centroid of the data points is commonly used as the starting point for the nonlinear LS solution, but the choice of starting point is sensitive to data segmentation and, for some sparse and noisy data sets, can lead to a spurious minimum that does not correspond to the center of a real sphere. The directional error function has only one minimum; therefore, it is not sensitive to the starting point and is more suitable for applications that require fully automated sphere fitting.