User-generated contents and reasoning-based personalization: Ingredients for a novel model of mobile TV

During the last years, we have witnessed the boom of the digital market due to the proliferation of emergent audiovisual services and the increasing number of broadband networks. In this scenario, users insistently demand innovative services for exchanging and sharing their own audiovisual contents. In order to meet these needs, in this paper we propose a system that broadcasts user-generated audiovisual contents for handheld devices in a mobile network based on the DVB-H broadcasting standard. Besides, our system offers diverse added-value services to these new active users, such as: (i) multi modal access (via Web or by client applications running locally in handheld devices) to digital contents, (ii) exploitation of return channels to transmit interactive contents that enhance the user’s experience, and (iii) annotation, sharing and personalized distribution of audiovisual contents. To achieve these goals, our system adopts well-known technologies for broadcasting and semantic annotation of audiovisual contents, as well as emergent technology from the so-called Web 2.0. A prototype of our system has been experimentally evaluated with a group of students from the University of Vigo, who were enthusiastic about the personalization capabilities offered by our TV system for a mobile setting.     

Salt Concentration Effects in Planar Light‐Emitting Electrochemical Cells

Incorporation of ions in the active layer of organic semiconductor devices may lead to attractive device properties like enhanced injection and improved carrier transport. In this paper, we investigate the effect of the salt concentration on the operation of light‐emitting electrochemical cells, using experiments and numerical calculations. The current density and light emission are shown to increase linearly with increasing ion concentration over a wide range of concentrations. The increasing current is accompanied by an ion redistribution, leading to a narrowing of the recombination zone. Hence, in absence of detrimental side reactions and doping‐related luminescence quenching, the ion concentration should be as high as possible.     

A theory-based approach to teaching young children about health: A recipe for understanding.

The theory–theory account of conceptual development posits that children's concepts are integrated into theories. Concept-learning studies have documented the central role that theories play in children's learning of experimenter-defined categories but have yet to extensively examine complex, real-world concepts, such as health. The present study examined whether providing young children with coherent and causally related information in a theory-based lesson would facilitate their learning about the concept of health. This study used a pretest/lesson/posttest design, plus a 5-month follow-up. Children were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 conditions: theory (i.e., 20 children received a theory-based lesson), nontheory (i.e., 20 children received a nontheory-based lesson), and control (i.e., 20 children received no lesson). Overall, the results showed that children in the theory condition had a more accurate conception of health than children in the nontheory and control conditions, suggesting the importance of theories in children's learning of complex, real-world concepts. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Preparation of novel distinct highly aromatic liquors using fruit distillates

This work describes the preparation of aromatised liquors using deodorised and concentrated fruit distillates. The raw spirits were improved by making a partial deodorisation, using activated charcoal, followed by concentration, using a distiller. The liquors were prepared by a maceration process. The procedure is exemplified using fig distillates to prepare myrtle berry liquors. The acidity, copper, polyphenol and anthocyanin indexes and volatile and anthocyanin profiles were monitored in each preparation step. The concentration process increased the ethanol proof to 75% v/v and decreased the acidity and the copper content. The partial deodorisation decreased the levels of high molecular weight volatiles, while the content of lower molecular weight compounds that contribute to flavour was maintained. Delphinidin‐3‐O‐glucoside, cyanidin‐3‐O‐glucoside, petunidin‐3‐O‐glucoside and malvidin‐3‐O‐glucoside were the major anthocyanins.     

NUMERICAL SOLUTIONS OF FLOWS IN ROCKET ENGINES WITH REGENERATIVE COOLING

A one-dimensional mathematical model is presented for flows in a rocket engine that has a regenerative cooling system. The problem involves the flow of a gas in a converging- diverging nozzle, the flow of a coolant in channels distributed around the engine, and the heat conduction through a wall between the gas and the coolant. The numerical model adopted is based on the finite-volume method with a second-order scheme. It was noted that it is important to use variable properties in order to predict the maximum wall temperature in the rocket engine and the drop in pressure of the coolant as it moves along the channels, whereas the thrust of the engine can be calculated with constant properties.     

Target Costing für Werkstoffe – Potenziale und Methodik

Target Costing for Materials – Potentialities and Methodology Target Costing is a standard instrument of cost management in business administration, but hardly mentioned in the economic oriented literature on material sciences. Nevertheless there are high potentialities for developers, producers, or users of materials regarding the improvement of efficiency. Therefore, this article will present these potentialities of a material oriented Target Costing. Besides, the general methodology of Target Costing will be modified to meet the specifics of materials from the perspectives of users of materials on the one hand and developers respectively producers of materials on the other.     

Composite gel-filled giant vesicles: Membrane homogeneity and mechanical properties

We further investigate the properties of composite Poly(NIPAM) (poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)) gel-filled giant vesicles, focusing here on i) the homogeneity of the membrane, ii) its coupling to the inner gel under strong suction pressures, and iii) the relation between the final elastic modulus of the vesicles and the amount of crosslinker in the pre-gel medium. We show that whereas the photo-polymerization process induces a decrease of the membrane homogeneity at the micrometer size range, the membrane still remains strongly coupled to the internal gel network. The vesicles studied here display average moduli in the range [0.5–25] kPa, confirming their potential as biomimetic mechanical systems.     

Background Limited Performance of Long Wavelength Infrared Focal Plane Arrays Fabricated From M-Structure InAs–GaSb Superlattices

The recent introduction of a M-structure design improved both the dark current and R₀ A performances of type-II InAs-GaSb photodiodes. A focal plane array fabricated with this design was characterized at 81 K. The dark current of individual pixels was measured between 1.1 and 1.6 nA, 7 times lower than previous superlattice FPAs. This led to a higher dynamic range and longer integration times. The quantum efficiency of detectors without antireflective coating was 74%. The noise equivalent temperature difference reached 23 mK, limited only by the performance of the testing system and the read out integrated circuit. Background limited performances were demonstrated at 81 K for a 300 K background.