388 research outputs found
Say Hi to Eliza. An Embodied Conversational Agent on the Web
The creation and support of Embodied Conversational Agents (ECAs) has been
quite challenging, as features required might not be straight-forward to
implement and to integrate in a single application. Furthermore, ECAs as
desktop applications present drawbacks for both developers and users; the
former have to develop for each device and operating system and the latter must
install additional software, limiting their widespread use. In this paper we
demonstrate how recent advances in web technologies show promising steps
towards capable web-based ECAs, through some off-the-shelf technologies, in
particular, the Web Speech API, Web Audio API, WebGL and Web Workers. We
describe their integration into a simple fully functional web-based 3D ECA
accessible from any modern device, with special attention to our novel work in
the creation and support of the embodiment aspects.Comment: 4 Pages, 1 figure, 17th International Conference Intelligence Virtual
Agents (IVA
Report and preliminary results of R/V POSEIDON cruise POS481, Las Palmas (Canary Islands) - Las Palmas (Canary Islands), 15.03.2015 - 03.03.2015
Report and preliminary results of R/V MARIA S. MERIAN cruise MSM20-4. WACOM - West-Atlantic Cold-water Coral Ecosystem: The West Side Story, Bridgetown-Freeport, 14 March - 07 April 2012
The second data release of the INT Photometric Ha Survey of the Northern Galactic Plane (IPHAS DR2)
The INT/WFC Photometric Hα Survey of the Northern Galactic Plane (IPHAS) is a 1800 deg2 imaging survey covering Galactic latitudes |b| < 5° and longitudes ℓ = 30°–215° in the r, i, and Hα filters using the Wide Field Camera (WFC) on the 2.5-m Isaac Newton Telescope (INT) in La Palma. We present the first quality-controlled and globally calibrated source catalogue derived from the survey, providing single-epoch photometry for 219 million unique sources across 92 per cent of the footprint. The observations were carried out between 2003 and 2012 at a median seeing of 1.1 arcsec (sampled at 0.33 arcsec pixel−1) and to a mean 5σ depth of 21.2 (r), 20.0 (i), and 20.3 (Hα) in the Vega magnitude system. We explain the data reduction and quality control procedures, describe and test the global re-calibration, and detail the construction of the new catalogue. We show that the new calibration is accurate to 0.03 mag (root mean square) and recommend a series of quality criteria to select accurate data from the catalogue. Finally, we demonstrate the ability of the catalogue's unique (r − Hα, r − i) diagram to (i) characterize stellar populations and extinction regimes towards different Galactic sightlines and (ii) select and quantify Hα emission-line objects. IPHAS is the first survey to offer comprehensive CCD photometry of point sources across the Galactic plane at visible wavelengths, providing the much-needed counterpart to recent infrared surveys
The Kinematic Properties of BHB and RR Lyrae stars towards the Anticentre and the North Galactic Pole: The Transition between the Inner and the Outer Halo
We identify 51 blue horizontal branch (BHB) stars, 12 possible BHB stars and
58 RR Lyrae stars in Anticentre fields. Their selection does not depend on
their kinematics. Light curves and ephemerides are given for 7 previously
unknown RR Lyrae stars. All but 4 of the RR Lyrae stars are of Oosterhoff type
I. Our selection criteria for BHB stars give results that agree with those used
by Smith et al. (2010) and Ruhland et al. (2011). We use 5 methods to determine
distances for the BHB stars and 3 methods for the RR Lyrae stars to get
distances on a uniform scale. Absolute proper motions (largely derived from the
GSCII and SDSS (DR7) databases) are given for these stars; radial velocities
are given for 31 of the BHB stars and 37 of the RR Lyrae stars. Combining these
data for BHB and RR Lyrae stars with those previously found in fields at the
North Galactic Pole, we find that retrograde orbits dominate for galactocentric
distances greater than 12.5 kpc. The majority of metal-poor stars in the solar
neighbourhood are known to be concentrated in a Lperp vs. Lz angular momentum
plot. We show that the ratio of the number of outliers to the number in the
main concentration increases with galactocentric distance. The location of
these outliers with Lperp and Lz shows that the halo BHB and RR Lyrae stars
have more retrograde orbits and a more spherical distribution with increasing
galactocentric distance. Six RR Lyrae stars are identified in the H99 group of
outliers; the small spread in their [Fe/H] suggests that they could have come
from a single globular cluster. Another group of outliers contains two pairs of
RR Lyrae stars; the stars in each pair have similar properties.Comment: 40 pages, 19 figures, to be published in MNRA
Rechargeable Batteries of the Future—The State of the Art from a BATTERY 2030+ Perspective
The development of new batteries has historically been achieved through discovery and development cycles based on the intuition of the researcher, followed by experimental trial and error—often helped along by serendipitous breakthroughs. Meanwhile, it is evident that new strategies are needed to master the ever-growing complexity in the development of battery systems, and to fast-track the transfer of findings from the laboratory into commercially viable products. This review gives an overview over the future needs and the current state-of-the art of five research pillars of the European Large-Scale Research Initiative BATTERY 2030+, namely 1) Battery Interface Genome in combination with a Materials Acceleration Platform (BIG-MAP), progress toward the development of 2) self-healing battery materials, and methods for operando, 3) sensing to monitor battery health. These subjects are complemented by an overview over current and up-coming strategies to optimize 4) manufacturability of batteries and efforts toward development of a circular battery economy through implementation of 5) recyclability aspects in the design of the battery
Genetic engineering of baker's and wine yeasts using formaldehyde hyperresistance-mediating plasmids
Murein and pseudomurein cell wall binding domains of bacteria and archaea—a comparative view
The cell wall, a major barrier protecting cells from their environment, is an essential compartment of both bacteria and archaea. It protects the organism from internal turgor pressure and gives a defined shape to the cell. The cell wall serves also as an anchoring surface for various proteins and acts as an adhesion platform for bacteriophages. The walls of bacteria and archaea are mostly composed of murein and pseudomurein, respectively. Cell wall binding domains play a crucial role in the non-covalent attachment of proteins to cell walls. Here, we give an overview of the similarities and differences in the biochemical and functional properties of the two major murein and pseudomurein cell wall binding domains, i.e., the Lysin Motif (LysM) domain (Pfam PF01476) and the pseudomurein binding (PMB) domain (Pfam PF09373) of bacteria and archaea, respectively
A Roadmap for Transforming Research to Invent the Batteries of the Future Designed within the European Large Scale Research Initiative BATTERY 2030+
This roadmap presents the transformational research ideas proposed by “BATTERY 2030+,” the European large-scale research initiative for future battery chemistries. A “chemistry-neutral” roadmap to advance battery research, particularly at low technology readiness levels, is outlined, with a time horizon of more than ten years. The roadmap is centered around six themes: 1) accelerated materials discovery platform, 2) battery interface genome, with the integration of smart functionalities such as 3) sensing and 4) self-healing processes. Beyond chemistry related aspects also include crosscutting research regarding 5) manufacturability and 6) recyclability. This roadmap should be seen as an enabling complement to the global battery roadmaps which focus on expected ultrahigh battery performance, especially for the future of transport. Batteries are used in many applications and are considered to be one technology necessary to reach the climate goals. Currently the market is dominated by lithium-ion batteries, which perform well, but despite new generations coming in the near future, they will soon approach their performance limits. Without major breakthroughs, battery performance and production requirements will not be sufficient to enable the building of a climate-neutral society. Through this “chemistry neutral” approach a generic toolbox transforming the way batteries are developed, designed and manufactured, will be created
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