Who am I talking with? A face memory for social robots

In order to provide personalized services and to develop human-like interaction capabilities robots need to rec- ognize their human partner. Face recognition has been studied in the past decade exhaustively in the context of security systems and with significant progress on huge datasets. However, these capabilities are not in focus when it comes to social interaction situations. Humans are able to remember people seen for a short moment in time and apply this knowledge directly in their engagement in conversation. In order to equip a robot with capabilities to recall human interlocutors and to provide user- aware services, we adopt human-human interaction schemes to propose a face memory on the basis of active appearance models integrated with the active memory architecture. This paper presents the concept of the interactive face memory, the applied recognition algorithms, and their embedding into the robot’s system architecture. Performance measures are discussed for general face databases as well as scenario-specific datasets

El correu carlista en el Maestrazgo (1872-1875)

El presente artículo describe el sistema del correo en el Maestrazgo organizado por los insurgentes durante lo última de las Guerras Carlistas (l 872-1876). Incluye también, además de los aspectos de administración postal, algunos filatélicos referentes a los sellos allí usados, basándose mayormente en un mapa postal carlista olvidado y los documentos del archivo de lo familia Borbón-Parma.The present article describes the organisation of the postal system at the Spanish Maestrazgo-region (provinces of Valencia, Castellón, Teruel) established by the insurgents during the last Carlist War in Spain (1872-1876). Beside the aspects of the postal administration it takes in account as well some philatelic ones concerning the use of the stamps supposedly issued there. The study is mainly based on a forgotten carlist post route map and the documents accessible at the archive of The Borbón-Parma family.Aquest article descriu el sistema de correus al Maestrat organitzat pels carlins durant la darrera guerra (1872-1876). lnclou també, a més deis aspectes d'administració postal, alguns filatèlics referents als segells utilitzats basant-nos majoritàriament en un mapa postal carlí oblidat i als documents de l'arxiu de la família Borbón-Parma

Neonatal Fc receptor FcRn is involved in intracellular transport of the Fc fusion protein aflibercept and its transition through retinal endothelial cells

AbstractRetinal endothelial cells (REC) likely contribute to the clearance of intravitreally injected IgG. Because this is of high relevance to the pharmacokinetic assessment of the widely used therapeutic Fc fusion protein aflibercept, we studied its transport through immortalized bovine REC (iBREC) in detail. For shuttling of IgG or Fc fusion proteins like aflibercept, endothelial cells use the highly conserved neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn) also expressed in iBREC where it is down regulated by serum depletion. Therefore, we focused on studying intracellular localization and transport of aflibercept under conditions affecting its interaction with the FcRn. Intracellular localization of aflibercept was assessed by Western-blot analyses of subcellular protein fractions or by immunofluorescence staining. After uptake in a temperature-dependent process, aflibercept co-localized with early endosomes, which harbor FcRn. Similar amounts of aflibercept were co-extracted with proteins from membranes/organelles irrespectively of the amount of FBS in the culture medium. Lowering the concentration of FBS resulted in a strong, but reversible association with cytoskeletal proteins suggesting a block in intracellular transport. In accordance with this finding, aflibercept's transport through an iBREC monolayer grown on porous membrane inserts was markedly delayed in the absence of FBS in the culture medium indicating that aflibercept is taken up but not exocytosed under these conditions. Transcytosis of aflibercept was also strongly delayed by inhibition of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase with LY294002, which affects FcRn-mediated IgG transport. A similar inhibition of aflibercept's transport was observed with IgG-binding proteins (i.e. protein A or protein G) that block interaction between FcRn and aflibercept. Interfering with aflibercept's binding to the FcRn with protein A (or protein G) or the inhibitory FcRn-specific monoclonal antibody 1G3 resulted in a reduced amount of intracellular aflibercept. Taken together, our results strongly suggest that FcRn is involved in transport of aflibercept through REC in vitro

Die spät- und frühpostglaziale Vegetationsentwicklung im Umkreis der Alpen. Bemerkungen zur Arbeit von H. Zoller: „Pollenanalystische Untersuchungen zur Vegetationsgeschichte der insurbischen Schweiz“, 1960

Auf Grund neuerer Arbeiten wird eine kurze Übersicht über die spätglaziale und präboreale Vegetationsentwicklung am West- und Nordrand der Alpen gegeben, wobei auf die Auswirkungen der Böllng- und vor allem der Allerödschwankung hingewiesen wird. Davon ausgehend werden die abweichenden Befunde von H. Zoller (1960) im Tessin überprüft und die Gründe dargelegt, die eine andere Datierung seiner beiden spätglazialen Pollendiagramme wahrscheinlich machen. Danach erfolgte die erste Wiederbewaldung der Tief lagen am Südalpenrand nicht erst in der Allerödzeit, sondern bereits in der Böllingzeit; bei der dem Gschnitz-Stadium zugeordneten „Piottinoschwankung" handelt es sich wahrscheinlich nicht um eine neuentdeckte vorwärmezeitliche Klimaschwankung, sondern um die Allerödschwankung. Die Gleichsetzung von Jüngerer Dryaszeit und Schlußvereisung der Alpen braucht damit nicht bezweifelt zu werden.researc

The Carlist Mail in the Maestrazgo (1872-1875)

Aquest article descriu el sistema de correus al Maestrat organitzat pels carlins durant la darrera guerra (1872-1876). lnclou també, a més deis aspectes d'administració postal, alguns filatèlics referents als segells utilitzats basant-nos majoritàriament en un mapa postal carlí oblidat i als documents de l'arxiu de la família Borbón-Parma.El presente artículo describe el sistema del correo en el Maestrazgo organizado por los insurgentes durante lo última de las Guerras Carlistas (l 872-1876). Incluye también, además de los aspectos de administración postal, algunos filatélicos referentes a los sellos allí usados, basándose mayormente en un mapa postal carlista olvidado y los documentos del archivo de lo familia Borbón-Parma.The present article describes the organisation of the postal system at the Spanish Maestrazgo-region (provinces of Valencia, Castellón, Teruel) established by the insurgents during the last Carlist War in Spain (1872-1876). Beside the aspects of the postal administration it takes in account as well some philatelic ones concerning the use of the stamps supposedly issued there. The study is mainly based on a forgotten carlist post route map and the documents accessible at the archive of The Borbón-Parma family

Oxygen behaviour in the process of float glass manufacturing

By means of solid electrolyte probes the oxygen content was determined in inert gas atmosphere and in the tin melt. The probes can be used within a temperature range of 500 °C for tin melt and of 600 °C for inert gas atmosphere up to 1100 °C. Α higher emf value causes an oxygen decrease, a lower emf value leads to an oxygen increase in the system. From the measured emf values the oxygen partial pressures in the inert gas atmosphere and the oxygen contents in the tin melt can be calculated by means of the respective mathematical relations. The investigations confirmed that the leveling of an oxygen-unsaturated tin melt is very time-consuming if forming gas of 10 vol.% H2 is used. However, at temperatures above 700 °C (900 °C may be best) the oxygen unsaturated tin melt is reached relatively quickly. At 500 and 600 °C the melt will stay in the oxygen-saturated state for days. Setting of an oxygen-unsaturated Sn melt is most efficient under pure hydrogen. If the Sn melt is covered by a glass melt, the oxygen content above the glass melt and in the tin melt is always higher than without the glass. Small amounts of oxygen are steadily transferred from the glass melt to the atmosphere and to the tin. Furthermore, the effects of air, H2O vapour, CO and CO2 on the system were investigated in detail. Α rather complicated behaviour in inert gas atmosphere and in the melt was observed. It depends on doping, temperature and type of inert gas atmosphere. Carrying SO2 in the carrier gas stream (forming gas and H2, respectively) leads to changes of oxygen content both in the tin melt and in the gas phase. The equilibrium state in the Sn melt is reached more slowly than in the gas phase. The emf curve for the gas phase falls below that of the tin melt, i.e. the main part of SO2 is decomposed in the gas atmosphere and only then is available as oxygen for the Sn melt. The restoration of the starting state of oxygen in both phases takes much time (about 40 h). However, at the Sn surface and at the wall of the vessel there are depositions consisting of SnS2, SnS and SnO2. As a further impurity in the floating chamber H2S is considered. The measurements show that there are no essential changes in oxygen behaviour in the system. The Sn melt, however, is strongly interspersed with SnS, such that it is no longer suitable for the float glass process. For the float glass process a tin melt unsaturated with oxygen is required. If saturation is achieved, SnO2 is formed, which is deposited as slag onto the tin surface, and thus is detrimental to the float glass process. Oxygen dissolved in tin can be removed by the addition of an dement, the oxide of which is more stable than that of the oxide of tin. Na, Mg, C and Zr are used as deoxidation agents. Using Zr, which is dissolved in Sn, a nearly oxygen-free melt is obtained, too. The advantage of the use of this getter consists in the fact that no slag is formed on the Sn surface. The introduction of a getter into the production process of float glass manufacture could lead to an essential improvement of the process technology

Electrochemical determination of the oxygen activity in tin melts by means of the solid electrolyte method

The measurements of oxygen activity in the tin melt were carried out under inert (light oxidizing) as well as under reducing (N2 with 2 vol.% H2 and 10 vol% H2, respectively) conditions. As solid electrolyte (SE) material Y2O3-, CaO- and MgO-stabilized zirconia was used in the form of a long tube closed at one end. Α short SE tube closed at one end within an alumina tube was applied as industrial probe. The galvanic cells worked with a Pt/air and Me/MeO reference electrode and with electrical leads of steel, tantalum as well as rhenium wires. Under inert conditions (argon with 30 vol.ppm O2) a saturation of the tin with oxygen is always obtained and SnO2 is formed. Under reducing conditions the saturation of the melt with oxygen does not take place and no SnO2 is formed. An equilibrium is adjusted between oxygen in the atmosphere and solute oxygen in the melt. At extremely low oxygen contents no equilibrium will be achieved. The lower operating temperatures of the probes were between 500 and 700 °C. The data taken from the literature were confirmed by EMF measurements (solubility of oxygen in liquid tin, molar free solution enthalpy of oxygen in tin, molar free standard enthalpy of formation of SnO2). This kind of investigations is new as to the behaviour of the tin melt under forming gas and the defined addition of elements and compounds to the tin melt (Na2SnO3, Na2O, Na, Fe2O3, Fe, MgO, Mg). Under reducing conditions and the addition of sodium or magnesium to the tin melt a quick decline of the oxygen activity can be recognized at the moment of addition. The melt becomes strongly deoxidized by the addition of these metals. The subsequent processes of deoxidation, which are different from metal to metal, have still to be investigated. No change of the oxygen activity in the melt was observed by addition of iron in the ppm range to the tin melt. For the measurements alumina and a fireclay brick were used as crucible materials. The tin surface was either in immediate contact with the gas phase or was covered with a float glass melt. The oxygen activity of the tin melt was influenced by the crucible material and the float glass melt, too