De la rueda de libros a la escritura enciclopédica

En 1588, el inventor italiano Agostino Ramelli publicó el libro Le diverse et artificiose machine. Entre las muchas máquinas de ingeniería hidráulica y militar, un total de 195 aparatos, destaca un artilugio construido para facilitar la lectura de varios libros a la vez. Esta llamada "rueda de libros" se suele citar en publicaciones recientes como precursora del hipertexto ya que esta máquina para leer permite saltar de un texto a otro de la misma manera que nos movemos entre páginas WEB y módulos textuales. Se trata de una invención que los investigadores describen como reacción al desafío que plantea la enorme cantidad de saber libresco que circula gracias a otra invención que era la imprenta con letras móviles. Aunque muy posiblemente nunca hubiera llegado a construirse, se trata de un artefacto que funciona potencialmente como una máquina de producir textos o, dicho de otra manera, como dispositivo de impulsar un determinado tipo de escritura. Me propongo leer florilegios, obras enciclopédicas y polianteas como Lugares comunes de Juan de Aranda o la escritura enciclopédica en obras como el Guzmán de Alfarache, La pícara Justina o el Libro de todas las cosas como productos virtuales de la rueda de libros.

De la rueda de libros a la escritura enciclopédica

En 1588, el inventor italiano Agostino Ramelli publicó el libro Le diverse et artificiose machine. Entre las muchas máquinas de ingeniería hidráulica y militar, un total de 195 aparatos, destaca un artilugio construido para facilitar la lectura de varios libros a la vez. Esta llamada "rueda de libros" se suele citar en publicaciones recientes como precursora del hipertexto ya que esta máquina para leer permite saltar de un texto a otro de la misma manera que nos movemos entre páginas WEB y módulos textuales. Se trata de una invención que los investigadores describen como reacción al desafío que plantea la enorme cantidad de saber libresco que circula gracias a otra invención que era la imprenta con letras móviles. Aunque muy posiblemente nunca hubiera llegado a construirse, se trata de un artefacto que funciona potencialmente como una máquina de producir textos o, dicho de otra manera, como dispositivo de impulsar un determinado tipo de escritura. Me propongo leer florilegios, obras enciclopédicas y polianteas como Lugares comunes de Juan de Aranda o la escritura enciclopédica en obras como el Guzmán de Alfarache, La pícara Justina o el Libro de todas las cosas como productos virtuales de la rueda de libros.

De la rueda de libros a la escritura enciclopédica

En 1588, el inventor italiano Agostino Ramelli publicó el libro Le diverse et artificiose machine. Entre las muchas máquinas de ingeniería hidráulica y militar, un total de 195 aparatos, destaca un artilugio construido para facilitar la lectura de varios libros a la vez. Esta llamada "rueda de libros" se suele citar en publicaciones recientes como precursora del hipertexto ya que esta máquina para leer permite saltar de un texto a otro de la misma manera que nos movemos entre páginas WEB y módulos textuales. Se trata de una invención que los investigadores describen como reacción al desafío que plantea la enorme cantidad de saber libresco que circula gracias a otra invención que era la imprenta con letras móviles. Aunque muy posiblemente nunca hubiera llegado a construirse, se trata de un artefacto que funciona potencialmente como una máquina de producir textos o, dicho de otra manera, como dispositivo de impulsar un determinado tipo de escritura. Me propongo leer florilegios, obras enciclopédicas y polianteas como Lugares comunes de Juan de Aranda o la escritura enciclopédica en obras como el Guzmán de Alfarache, La pícara Justina o el Libro de todas las cosas como productos virtuales de la rueda de libros.

Geochemical and Nd isotopic investigations of sediments from the South China Sea

Secular variations in geochemistry and Nd isotopic data have been documented in sediment samples at ODP Site 1148 in the South China Sea. Major and trace elements show significant changes at ca. 29.5 Ma and 26-23 Ma, whereas epsilon-Nd values show a single change at ca. 26-23 Ma. Increases in Al/Ti, Al/K, Rb/Sr, and La/Lu ratios and a decrease in the Th/La ratio of the sediments beginning at 29.5 Ma are consistent with more intense chemical weathering in the source region. The abrupt change in Nd isotopes and geochemistry at ca. 26-23 Ma coincides with a major discontinuity in the sedimentology and physical properties of the sediments, implying a drastic change in sedimentary provenance and environment at the drill site. Comparison of the Nd isotopes of sediments from major rivers flowing into the South China Sea suggests that pre-27 Ma sediments were dominantly derived from a southwestern provenance (Indochina-Sunda Shelf and possibly northwestern Borneo), whereas post-23 Ma sediments were derived from a northern provenance (South China). This change in provenance from southwest to north was largely caused by ridge jumping during seafloor spreading of the South China Sea, associated with a southwestward expansion of the ocean basin crust and a global rise in sea level. Thus, the geochemical and Nd isotopic changes in the sediments at ODP Site 1148 are interpreted as a response to a major plate reorganization in SE Asia at ca. 25 Ma.

Effects of ocean acidification on respiration, growth and C:N ratio of arctic Hyas araneus larvae

Early life stages of marine crustaceans respond sensitively to elevated seawater PCO2. However, the underlying physiological mechanisms have not been studied well. We therefore investigated the effects of elevated seawater PCO2 on oxygen consumption, dry weight, elemental composition, median developmental time (MDT) and mortality in zoea I larvae of the spider crab Hyas araneus (Svalbard 79°N/11°E; collection, May 2009; hatch, December 2009). At the time of moulting, oxygen consumption rate had reached a steady state level under control conditions. In contrast, elevated seawater PCO2 caused the metabolic rate to rise continuously leading to a maximum 1.5-fold increase beyond control level a few days before moulting into the second stage (zoea II), followed by a pronounced decrease. Dry weight of larvae reared under high CO2 conditions was lower than in control larvae at the beginning of the moult cycle, yet this difference had disappeared at the time of moulting. MDT of zoea I varied between 45 ± 1 days under control conditions and 42 ± 2 days under the highest seawater CO2 concentration. The present study indicates that larval development under elevated seawater PCO2 levels results in higher metabolic costs during premoulting events in zoea I. However, H. araneus zoea I larvae seem to be able to compensate for higher metabolic costs as larval MDT and survival was not affected by elevated PCO2 levels.

Correlation Between Processing Conditions, Microstructure and Mechanical Behavior in Regenerated Silkworm Silk Fibers

Regenerated silkworm fibers spun through a wet-spinning process followed by an immersion postspinning drawing step show a work to fracture comparable with that of natural silkworm silk fibers in a wide range of spinning conditions. The mechanical behavior and microstructure of these high performance fibers have been characterized, and compared with those fibers produced through conventional spinning conditions. The comparison reveals that both sets of fibers share a common semicrystalline microstructure, but significant differences are apparent in the amorphous region. Besides, high performance fibers show a ground state and the possibility of tuning their tensile behavior. These properties are characteristic of spider silk and not of natural silkworm silk, despite both regenerated and natural silkworm silk share a common composition different from that of spider silk.

Vanadium-Doped In and Sn Sulphides: Photocatalysts able to use the whole visible light spectrum

Using photocatalysis for energy applications depends, more than for environmental purposes or selective chemical synthesis, on converting as much of the solar spectrum as possible; the best photocatalyst, titania, is far from this. Many efforts are pursued to use better that spectrum in photocatalysis, by doping titania or using other materials (mainly oxides, nitrides and sulphides) to obtain a lower bandgap, even if this means decreasing the chemical potential of the electron-hole pairs. Here we introduce an alternative scheme, using an idea recently proposed for photovoltaics: the intermediate band (IB) materials. It consists in introducing in the gap of a semiconductor an intermediate level which, acting like a stepstone, allows an electron jumping from the valence band to the conduction band in two steps, each one absorbing one sub-bandgap photon. For this the IB must be partially filled, to allow both sub-bandgap transitions to proceed at comparable rates; must be made of delocalized states to minimize nonradiative recombination; and should not communicate electronically with the outer world. For photovoltaic use the optimum efficiency so achievable, over 1.5 times that given by a normal semiconductor, is obtained with an overall bandgap around 2.0 eV (which would be near-optimal also for water phtosplitting). Note that this scheme differs from the doping principle usually considered in photocatalysis, which just tries to decrease the bandgap; its aim is to keep the full bandgap chemical potential but using also lower energy photons. In the past we have proposed several IB materials based on extensively doping known semiconductors with light transition metals, checking first of all with quantum calculations that the desired IB structure results. Subsequently we have synthesized in powder form two of them: the thiospinel In2S3 and the layered compound SnS2 (having bandgaps of 2.0 and 2.2 eV respectively) where the octahedral cation is substituted at a â?10% level with vanadium, and we have verified that this substitution introduces in the absorption spectrum the sub-bandgap features predicted by the calculations. With these materials we have verified, using a simple reaction (formic acid oxidation), that the photocatalytic spectral response is indeed extended to longer wavelengths, being able to use even 700 nm photons, without largely degrading the response for above-bandgap photons (i.e. strong recombination is not induced) [3b, 4]. These materials are thus promising for efficient photoevolution of hydrogen from water; work on this is being pursued, the results of which will be presented.

Identification and dynamics of polyglycine II nanocrystals in Argiope trifasciata flagelliform silk

Spider silks combine a significant number of desirable characteristics in one material, including large tensile strength and strain at breaking, biocompatibility, and the possibility of tailoring their properties. Major ampullate gland silk (MAS) is the most studied silk and their properties are explained by a double lattice of hydrogen bonds and elastomeric protein chains linked to polyalanine β-nanocrystals. However, many basic details regarding the relationship between composition, microstructure and properties in silks are still lacking. Here we show that this relationship can be traced in flagelliform silk (Flag) spun by Argiope trifasciata spiders after identifying a phase consisting of polyglycine II nanocrystals. The presence of this phase is consistent with the dominant presence of the –GGX– and –GPG– motifs in its sequence. In contrast to the passive role assigned to polyalanine nanocrystals in MAS, polyglycine II nanocrystals can undergo growing/collapse processes that contribute to increase toughness and justify the ability of Flag to supercontract.

Model of human rhythmic activities on structures

Crowd induced dynamic loading in large structures, such as gymnasiums or stadiums, is usually modelled as a series of harmonic loads which are defined in terms of their Fourier coefficients. Different values of these Fourier coefficients that were obtained from full scale measurements can be found in codes. Recently, an alternative has been proposed, based on random generation of load time histories that take into account phase lags among individuals inside the crowd. Generally the testing is performed on platforms or structures that can be considered rigid because their natural frequencies are higher than the excitation frequencies associated with crowd loading. In this paper we shall present the testing done on a structure designed to be a gymnasium, which has natural frequencies within that range. In this test the gym slab was instrumented with acceleration sensors and different people jumped on a force plate installed on the floor. Test results have been compared with predictions based on the two abovementioned load modelling alternatives and a new methodology for modelling jumping loads has been proposed in order to reduce the difference between experimental and numerical results at high frequency range.

Structures subjected to Human Actions

In this paper we present the tests on a structure designed to be a gymnasium, which has natural frequencies within that range. In these tests the gym slab was instrumented with acceleration sensors and different people jumped on a force plate installed on the floor. The test results have been compared with predictions based on the two existing load modelling alternatives (Sim and SCI Guide) and two new methodologies for modelling jumping loads has been proposed. The results of the force plate trials were analysed in an attempt to better characterize the profile of the jump force and determine how best to approximate it. In the first proposed methodology the study is carried out in the frequency domain using an average power spectral density of the jumps. In the second proposed methodology, the jump force is decomposed into the summation of one peak with a large period and a number of peaks with smaller periods. Utilizing a similar model to that of the Sim model, the approximation will still be comprised of the summation of two quadratic cosine functions.

Caracterización de las Propiedades Dinámicas de la Seda de Araña

El término Biomimética se ha hecho común en los medios científicos, se refiere al trabajo de diversos científicos (ingenieros, químicos, físicos, biólogos, etc.) que tratan de copiar los procesos biológicos y aplicarlos en distintas áreas tecnológicas y científicas. En este campo científico, uno de los productos naturales que llama más la atención es la telaraña. Numerosos científicos en todo el mundo tratan de copiar las propiedades de la seda que produce la araña, y lo más interesante es que hasta intentan reproducir el método que usan las arañas para fabricar la seda De la bibliografía consultada, se desprende la importancia de la seda en la vida de las arañas, pues toda actividad que realizan tiene que ver de alguna manera con este elemento. Uno de estos elementos es la tela de araña orbicular, que representa el objeto principal para la supervivencia de la araña y su especie. Las investigaciones realizadas en esta línea nos proporcionan información sobre sus magníficas propiedades mecánicas como de resistencia, elasticidad y tenacidad del hilo de seguridad (seda MA) segregada por una araña de la especie Argiope Argentata. El enfoque de la presente tesis se realiza desde una perspectiva analítica-experimental, tomando a la tela de araña como una clase especial de sistemas pretensados, llamados Tensegrity Structures. Se desarrolla un modelo conceptual que describe en forma aproximada el comportamiento dinámico de una estructura hecha de seda MA. Haciendo uso de las técnicas experimentales de vibraciones libres se realizan los ensayos experimentales. La evaluación de los resultados analíticos y experimentales reflejan claramente que la función principal de la tela de araña es la de convertir energía cinética en energía de deformación y primordialmente en energía de disipación, el cual se efectúa gracias a las propiedades viscoelásticas de la seda. La araña en forma instintiva recurre a la ayuda del aire (como elemento disipador) para el buen funcionamiento de la tela de araña al momento de la captura de las presas, disipándose el 99% de la energía total en los tres primeros ciclos de oscilación de la tela de araña luego del impacto de la presa. ABSTRACT The term Biomimetic has become a very common word in the scientific world to describe the reproduction of the biological processes and its application in the different technogycal and scientific areas. One of the most notably natural product of this field is the Spiderweb. In the present days, many scientists of the world are active working in the reproduction of the proprieties of the Spiderweb. Most interesting even more, is the attempt to reproduce the process of the production of the Spiderweb by the spider. Most of the bibliography references deals whit the importance of the Spiderweb silk in the life of the spiders and the orbicular Spiderweb represents the spider survival and of the species. The research conducted in this field provide information about the excellent mechanical proprieties such us strength, elasticity and tenacity of the safety fiber (silk MA Drag-line) segregated by a spider of the Argiope Argentata species. The present work is oriented to an analytical and experimental study considering the Spiderweb as a special class of pre-stressed systems called Tensegrity (tensional integrity) structures. A conceptual model maked up by a cord und a point mass has been developed. This model approximates the dynamics performance of the structure made of the silk MA. The evaluation of the analytical and experimental results clear described that the main function of the Spiderweb is the transformation of the kinetic energy in deformation energy, and mainly in dissipation energy thank to the viscoelastic proprieties of the Spiderweb. With the help of the Spiderweb, the spider instinctively resorts to the help of the surroundings air as a dissipation element. This permits to dissipative the 99% of the total energy during the three first oscillations cycles of the web after the impact of the victim.