20,878 research outputs found
Evocative computing – creating meaningful lasting experiences in connecting with the past
We present an approach – evocative computing – that demonstrates how ‘at hand’ technologies can be ‘picked up’ and used by people to create meaningful and lasting experiences, through connecting and interacting with the past. The approach is instantiated here through a suite of interactive technologies configured for an indoor-outdoor setting that enables groups to explore, discover and research the history and background of a public cemetery. We report on a two-part study where different groups visited the cemetery and interacted with the digital tools and resources. During their activities serendipitous uses of the technology led to connections being made between personal memo-ries and ongoing activities. Furthermore, these experiences were found to be long-lasting; a follow-up study, one year later, showed them to be highly memorable, and in some cases leading participants to take up new directions in their work. We discuss the value of evocative computing for enriching user experiences and engagement with heritage practices
Detection of 84-GHz class I methanol maser emission towards NGC 253
We have investigated the central region of NGC 253 for the presence of
84.5-GHz (E) methanol emission using the Australia
Telescope Compact Array. We present the second detection of 84.5-GHz class~I
methanol maser emission outside the Milky Way. This maser emission is offset
from dynamical centre of NGC 253, in a region with previously detected emission
from class~I maser transitions (36.2-GHz E and 44.1-GHz
A methanol lines) . The emission features a narrow
linewidth (12 km s) with a luminosity approximately 5 orders of
magnitude higher than typical Galactic sources. We determine an integrated line
intensity ratio of between the 36.2 GHz and 84.5-GHz class I
methanol maser emission, which is similar to the ratio observed towards
Galactic sources. The three methanol maser transitions observed toward NGC 253
each show a different distribution, suggesting differing physical conditions
between the maser sites and that observations of additional class~I methanol
transitions will facilitate investigations of the maser pumping regime.Comment: Accepted into ApJL 12 October 2018. 10 pages, 3 Figures and 2 Table
The experience of enchantment in human-computer interaction
Improving user experience is becoming something of a rallying call in human–computer interaction but experience is not a unitary thing. There are varieties of experiences, good and bad, and we need to characterise these varieties if we are to improve user experience. In this paper we argue that enchantment is a useful concept to facilitate closer relationships between people and technology. But enchantment is a complex concept in need of some clarification. So we explore how enchantment has been used in the discussions of technology and examine experiences of film and cell phones to see how enchantment with technology is possible. Based on these cases, we identify the sensibilities that help designers design for enchantment, including the specific sensuousness of a thing, senses of play, paradox and openness, and the potential for transformation. We use these to analyse digital jewellery in order to suggest how it can be made more enchanting. We conclude by relating enchantment to varieties of experience.</p
Chemical abundances and winds of massive stars in M31: a B-type supergiant and a WC star in OB10
We present high quality spectroscopic data for two massive stars in the OB10
association of M31, OB10-64 (B0Ia) and OB10-WR1 (WC6). Medium resolution
spectra of both stars were obtained using the ISIS spectrograph on the William
Hershel Telescope. This is supplemented with HST-STIS UV spectroscopy and KeckI
HIRES data for OB10-64. A non-LTE model atmosphere and abundance analysis for
OB10-64 is presented indicating that this star has similar photospheric CNO, Mg
and Si abundances as solar neighbourhood massive stars. A wind analysis of this
early B-type supergiant reveals a mass-loss rate of M_dot=1.6x10^-6
M_solar/yr,and v_infty=1650 km/s. The corresponding wind momentum is in good
agreement with the wind momentum -- luminosity relationship found for Galactic
early B supergiants. Observations of OB10W-R1 are analysed using a non-LTE,
line-blanketed code, to reveal approximate stellar parameters of log L/L_solar
\~ 5.7, T~75 kK, v_infty ~ 3000 km/s, M_dot ~ 10^-4.3 M_solar/yr, adopting a
clumped wind with a filling factor of 10%. Quantitative comparisons are made
with the Galactic WC6 star HD92809 (WR23) revealing that OB10-WR1 is 0.4 dex
more luminous, though it has a much lower C/He ratio (~0.1 versus 0.3 for
HD92809). Our study represents the first detailed, chemical model atmosphere
analysis for either a B-type supergiant or a WR star in Andromeda, and shows
the potential of how such studies can provide new information on the chemical
evolution of galaxies and the evolution of massive stars in the local Universe.Comment: 17 pages, 14 figures, MNRAS accepted version, some minor revision
Recommended from our members
Making Sense of Family Deaths in Urban Senegal: Diversities, Contexts, and Comparisons
Despite calls for cross-cultural research, Minority world perspectives still dominate death and bereavement studies, emphasizing individualized emotions and neglecting contextual diversities. In research concerned with contemporary African societies, on the other hand, death and loss are generally subsumed within concerns about AIDS or poverty, with little attention paid to the emotional and personal significance of a death. Here, we draw on interactionist sociology to present major themes from a qualitative study of family deaths in urban Senegal, theoretically framed through the duality of meanings-in-context. Such themes included family and community as support and motivation; religious beliefs and practices as frameworks for solace and (regulatory) meaning; and material circumstances as these are intrinsically bound up with emotions. Although we identify the experience of (embodied, emotional) pain as a common response across Minority and Majority worlds, we also explore significant divergencies, varying according to localized contexts and broader power dynamics
The influence of baryons on the mass distribution of dark matter halos
Using a set of high-resolution N-body/SPH cosmological simulations with
identical initial conditions but run with different numerical setups, we
investigate the influence of baryonic matter on the mass distribution of dark
halos when radiative cooling is NOT included. We compare the concentration
parameters of about 400 massive halos with virial mass from \Msun to
\Msun. We find that the concentration parameters for the
total mass and dark matter distributions in non radiative simulations are on
average larger by ~3% and 10% than those in a pure dark matter simulation. Our
results indicate that the total mass density profile is little affected by a
hot gas component in the simulations. After carefully excluding the effects of
resolutions and spurious two-body heating between dark matter and gas
particles, we conclude that the increase of the dark matter concentration
parameters is due to interactions between baryons and dark matter. We
demonstrate this with the aid of idealized simulations of two-body mergers. The
results of individual halos simulated with different mass resolutions show that
the gas profiles of densities, temperature and entropy are subjects of mass
resolution of SPH particles. In particular, we find that in the inner parts of
halos, as the SPH resolution increases the gas density becomes higher but both
the entropy and temperature decrease.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures, 1 table, ApJ in press (v652n1); updated to match
with the being published versio
Extremely metal-poor stars from the SDSS
We give a progress report about the activities within the CIFIST Team related
to the search for extremely metal-poor stars in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey's
spectroscopic catalog. So far the search has provided 25 candidates with
metallicities around or smaller -3. For 15 candidates high resolution
spectroscopy with UVES at the VLT has confirmed their extremely metal-poor
status. Work is under way to extend the search to the SDSS's photometric
catalog by augmenting the SDSS photometry, and by gauging the capabilities of
X-shooter when going to significantly fainter targets.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figures, Proceedings paper of the conference "A stellar
journey: A symposium in celebration of Bengt Gustafsson's 65th birthday
- …