Semantic Web Technologies Meet BIM for Accessing and Understanding Cultural Heritage

Within the EU funded project INCEPTION – Inclusive Cultural Heritage in Europe through 3D semantic modelling, the key-targeted achievement is the development of a specific cloud based platform, in order to accomplish the main objectives of accessing, understanding and strengthening European Cultural Heritage by means of enriched 3D models. The whole INCEPTION project is based on the close connection between state-of-the-art architectural modeling technologies (BIM, Building Information Modeling) and the latest cutting-edge web technologies. The platform is grounded on semantic web technologies and makes extensive use of WebGL and RESTful APIs, in order to enrich heritage 3D models by using Semantic Web standards. The INCEPTION platform will be a space for interchange of information and for the dialogue among professionals, students, scholars, curators, non-expert users, etc. Furthermore, the Semantic Web structure interlinks the platform with external Cultural Heritage available linked data and makes it gradually enhanced by specific flexible data structures provided as project specific ontologies. The paper will describe solutions based on the match between BIM, Cloud and Semantic Web

Agents in decentralised information ecosystems: the DIET approach

The complexity of the current global information infrastructure requires novel means of understanding and exploiting the dynamics of information. One means may be through the concept of an information ecosystem. An information ecosystem is analo gous to a natural ecosystem in which there are flo ws of materials and energy analo gous to information flow between many interacting individuals. This paper describes a multi-agent platform, DIET (Decentralised Information Ecosystem Technologies) that can be used to implement open, robust, adaptive and scalable ecosystem-inspired systems. We describe the design principles of the DIET software architecture, and present a simple example application based upon it. We go on to consider how the DIET system can be used to develop information brokering agents, and how these can contribute to the implementation of economic interactions between agents, as well as identifying some open questions relating to research in these areas. In this way we show the capacity of the DIET system to support applications using information agents.Future and Emerging Technologies arm of the IST Programme of the European Union, under the FET Proactive Initiative – Universal Information Ecosystems (FET, 1999), through project DIET (IST -1999-10088), BTexaCT Intelligent Systems Laboratory for stimulating discussion and comment

Spectral hole burning: examples from photosynthesis

The optical spectra of photosynthetic pigment–protein complexes usually show broad absorption bands, often consisting of a number of overlapping, ‘hidden’ bands belonging to different species. Spectral hole burning is an ideal technique to unravel the optical and dynamic properties of such hidden species. Here, the principles of spectral hole burning (HB) and the experimental set-up used in its continuous wave (CW) and time-resolved versions are described. Examples from photosynthesis studied with hole burning, obtained in our laboratory, are then presented. These examples have been classified into three groups according to the parameters that were measured: (1) hole widths as a function of temperature, (2) hole widths as a function of delay time and (3) hole depths as a function of wavelength. Two examples from light-harvesting (LH) 2 complexes of purple bacteria are given within the first group: (a) the determination of energy-transfer times from the chromophores in the B800 ring to the B850 ring, and (b) optical dephasing in the B850 absorption band. One example from photosystem II (PSII) sub-core complexes of higher plants is given within the second group: it shows that the size of the complex determines the amount of spectral diffusion measured. Within the third group, two examples from (green) plants and purple bacteria have been chosen for: (a) the identification of ‘traps’ for energy transfer in PSII sub-core complexes of green plants, and (b) the uncovering of the lowest k = 0 exciton-state distribution within the B850 band of LH2 complexes of purple bacteria. The results prove the potential of spectral hole burning measurements for getting quantitative insight into dynamic processes in photosynthetic systems at low temperature, in particular, when individual bands are hidden within broad absorption bands. Because of its high-resolution wavelength selectivity, HB is a technique that is complementary to ultrafast pump–probe methods. In this review, we have provided an extensive bibliography for the benefit of scientists who plan to make use of this valuable technique in their future research

Genome-wide analysis reveals the ancient and recent admixture history of East African Shorthorn Zebu from Western Kenya

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Evolving greenfield passive optical networks

We investigate applying an evolutionary algorithm (EA) to the design of a passive optical network (PON). We use three techniques to improve the performance. Firstly, to reduce the risk of sub-optimal convergence, we use a novel genetic encoding. Secondly, we combine the EA with a heuristic to guide the optimisation. Thirdly, we investigate various ways of sub-dividing the problem. We briefly present experiments to demonstrate how the EA performs. The results show the strengths and weaknesses of the various techniques we employ

INCEPTION: Web cutting-edge technologies meet cultural heritage

INCEPTION project is a research and innovation project funded by the European Commission to realize “innovation in 3D modelling of cultural heritage through an inclusive approach for time-dynamic 3D reconstruction of artefacts, built and social environments. It enriches the European identity through understanding of how European cultural heritage continuously evolves over long periods of time”. In this paper are described some state of the art technologies adopted in developing the cloud web platform that is the core of the whole project. After a detailed comparison of the features of the INCEPTION platform, compared with 27 other existing web sites, some of the most interesting solutions, based on the match between BIM (Building Information Modeling), Cloud and Semantic Web approach, are described. This EU project is a clear example of cutting-edge technologies applied to the European Cultural Heritage.INCEPTION project is a research and innovation project funded by the European Commission to realize “innovation in 3D modelling of cultural heritage through an inclusive approach for time-dynamic 3D reconstruction of artefacts, built and social environments. It enriches the European identity through understanding of how European cultural heritage continuously evolves over long periods of time”. In this paper are described some state of the art technologies adopted in developing the cloud web platform that is the core of the whole project. After a detailed comparison of the features of the INCEPTION platform, compared with 27 other existing web sites, some of the most interesting solutions, based on the match between BIM (Building Information Modeling), Cloud and Semantic Web approach, are described. This EU project is a clear example of cutting-edge technologies applied to the European Cultural Heritage

DIET, a scalable, robust and adaptable multi-agent platform for information management

The complexity of the global information infrastructure demands new approaches to managing distributed information. The Decentralised Information Ecosystem Technologies (DIET) project has produced a software platform based on a lightweight, scalable, multi-agent system that can be used to support a variety of information management applications that deal with some of this complexity. This paper describes the main components of the DIET software platform, and several examples of its application. It also considers the diversity of potential applications for this technology