Virtual worlds as knowledge management platform – a practice‐perspective

Virtual worlds, as electronic environments where individuals can interact in a realistic manner in form of avatars, are increasingly used by gamers, consumers and employees. Therefore, they provide opportunities for reinventing business processes. Especially, effective knowledge management (KM) requires the use of appropriate information and communication technology (ICT) as well as social interaction. Emerging virtual worlds enable new ways to support knowledge and knowing processes because these virtual environments consider social aspects that are necessary for knowledge creating and knowledge sharing processes. Thus, collaboration in virtual worlds resembles real‐life activities. In this paper, we shed light on the use of Second Life (SL) as a KM platform in a real‐life setting. To explore the potential and current usage of virtual worlds for knowledge and knowing activities, we conducted a qualitative study at IBM. We interviewed IBM employees belonging to a special workgroup called ‘Web 2.0/virtual worlds’ in order to gain experience in generating and exchanging knowledge by virtually collaborating and interacting. Our results show that virtual worlds – if they are able to overcome problems like platform stability, user interface or security issues – bear the potential to serve as a KM platform. They facilitate global and simultaneous interaction, create a common context for collaboration, combine different tools for communication and enhance knowledge and knowing processes.     

Exploratory learning structures in artificial cognitive systems

The major goal of the COSPAL project is to develop an artificial cognitive system architecture, with the ability to autonomously extend its capabilities. Exploratory learning is one strategy that allows an extension of competences as provided by the environment of the system. Whereas classical learning methods aim at best for a parametric generalization, i.e., concluding from a number of samples of a problem class to the problem class itself, exploration aims at applying acquired competences to a new problem class, and to apply generalization on a conceptual level, resulting in new models. Incremental or online learning is a crucial requirement to perform exploratory learning.In the COSPAL project, we mainly investigate reinforcement-type learning methods for exploratory learning, and in this paper we focus on the organization of cognitive systems for efficient operation. Learning is used over the entire system. It is organized in the form of four nested loops, where the outermost loop reflects the user-reinforcement-feedback loop, the intermediate two loops switch between different solution modes at symbolic respectively sub-symbolic level, and the innermost loop performs the acquired competences in terms of perception–action cycles. We present a system diagram which explains this process in more detail.We discuss the learning strategy in terms of learning scenarios provided by the user. This interaction between user (’teacher’) and system is a major difference to classical robotics systems, where the system designer places his world model into the system. We believe that this is the key to extendable robust system behavior and successful interaction of humans and artificial cognitive systems.We furthermore address the issue of bootstrapping the system, and, in particular, the visual recognition module. We give some more in-depth details about our recognition method and how feedback from higher levels is implemented. The described system is however work in progress and no final results are available yet. The available preliminary results that we have achieved so far, clearly point towards a successful proof of the architecture concept.     

Influence of defined milk products on the flavour of white coffee beverages using static headspace gas chromatography–mass spectrometry/olfactometry and sensory analysis

The influence of milk processing and ingredients on the sensory properties of white coffee beverages has, as yet, not been thoroughly investigated, so in this study analysed milk products processed in a defined manner were added to a standardized, fresh coffee beverage; the resulting odour, taste and retronasal odour perception were measured by intensity tests, and selected volatiles were analysed by static headspace gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. After adding pasteurized consumers’ milk, the effects of a different fat content (3.5 and 1.5%) and fat dispersion were studied. The milk with the lower fat content and with smaller fat globules, resulting from double homogenization (each 250/50 bar), induced a more intense coffee-related retronasal odour perception, whereas the milk-related impression was nearly the same. The addition of casein increased the creamy and milky retronasal odour perception and reduced the coffee-related taste and retronasal odour. These correlations may result in a custom-made development of milky coffee beverages controlled in their nasal and retronasal odour and taste by the defined processing of the milk component. With instrumental analysis it was observable that the effect of the addition of twice-homogenized, twice-pasteurized low-fat milk and of the addition of whole milk was similar. In both cases more volatiles were released from the beverage than with the addition of low-fat milk that was homogenized once. This is an unexpected result, because the whole milk has a higher fat content than the low-fat milk and therefore a greater retention of the flavour compounds was expected. Is it possible that the flavour compounds are not dissolved in fat and that interactions happen only with fat globule membrane constituents?     

Synthesis and rheological properties of an associative star polymer in aqueous solutions

Rheological properties of aqueous solutions and hydrogels formed by an amphiphilic star block copolymer, poly(acrylic acid)-block-polystyrene (PAA₅₄-b-PS₆)₄, were investigated as a function of the polymer concentration (C_p), temperature, and added salt concentration. The water-soluble polymer synthesised by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) was found to form hydrogels at room temperature at polymer concentrations, C_p, over 22 g/L due to the interpolymer hydrophobic association of the PS blocks. Increasing C_p leads to stronger elastic networks at room temperature that show a gel-to-solution transition with increasing temperature. Increase of ionic strength decreases the moduli compared with the pure hydrogel but did not affect the gel-sol transition temperature significantly. Small-angle X-ray experiments showed two distinct scattering correlation peaks for samples above the gelling C_p, which indicates the aggregates formed due to hydrophobic association. Upon heating the intensity of the scattering correlation peaks was found to decrease indicating the loss of the network structure due to thermal motion.     

Surface modification of macroporous poly(glycidyl methacrylate-co-ethylene glycol dimethacrylate) resins for improved Candida antarctica lipase B immobilization

Crosslinked macroporous hydrophilic poly(glycidyl methacrylate-co-ethylene glycol dimethacrylate) [abbreviated poly(GMA-co-EGDMA)] with identical chemical structure (60% of glycidyl methacrylate) but with varied average pore sizes (from 30 to 560 nm), specific surface areas (from 13.2 to 106.0 m²/g), specific volumes (from 0.755 to 1.191 cm³/g) and particle sizes (<100 μm–630 μm) were synthesized via suspension polymerization. Modifications of poly(GMA-co-EGDMA) with various diamines (1,2-diaminoethane, 1,4-diaminobutane, 1,6-diaminohexane and 1,8-diaminooctane), 2-fluoroethylamine, glutaraldehyde and cyanuric chloride were carried out. The influence of the interaction between Candida antarctica lipase B (Cal-B) and various carriers during immobilization on the loading and hydrolytic activity (hydrolysis of para-nitrophenyl acetate) of the immobilized Cal-B were studied. Immobilization of Cal-B was performed at different temperatures and pH values. Cal-B immobilized at 30 °C and pH 6.8 was leading to increased activities. Purely physical adsorption between enzyme and copolymer was observed on carriers in which amine or fluorine groups were introduced into the carrier structure by modification with various diamines or 2-fluoroethylamine. As a consequence enzyme loading and activity decreases. In contrary, modification of the poly(GMA-co-EGDMA) with glutaraldehyde and cyanuric chloride results in a covalent connection between enzyme and carrier. The obtained results show a significant increase in Cal-B activity. The influence of the amount of glutaraldehyde and cyanuric chloride used for modification was screened. Increasing the amount of glutaraldehyde or cyanuric chloride used for modification resulted in an increase of the enzyme loading. Consequently, higher amount of glutaraldehyde used led to a higher fraction of the enzyme molecules that are covalently connected on to the carrier. As the amount of glutaraldehyde or cyanuric chloride used for modifications increases, activity of immobilized C. antarctica lipase B primarily increases, showing the highest value for 0.66% and 0.050% w/w, respectively, and subsequently decreases. We could show that Cal-B immobilized on epoxy-containing copolymer modified with glutaraldehyde and cyanuric chloride performs higher activity than free enzyme powder.     

Silicon‐Doped LiFePO4 Single Crystals: Growth,Conductivity Behavior,and Diffusivity

Single crystals of silicon doped LiFePO₄ with a silicon content of 1% are grown successfully by the floating zone technique and characterized by single‐crystal and powder X‐ray diffraction, secondary ion mass spectroscopy, and chemical analysis. Electron paramagnetic resonance demonstrates the presence of only Fe²⁺; no traces of Fe³⁺ are found. Impedance spectroscopy as well as step‐function polarization/depolarization (DC) measurements are carried out using the cells Ti/LiFe(Si)PO₄/Ti and LiAl/LiI/LiFe(Si)PO₄/LiI/LiAl. The electronic and ionic conductivities as well as the Li‐diffusivity of the sample in the major crystallographic directions ([h00], [0k0], and [00l]) are determined. Within experimental error the transport properties along the b‐ and c‐axes are found to be the same but differ significantly from the a‐axis, which exhibits lower values. Compared to undoped LiFePO₄, Si‐doping leads to an increase of the ionic conductivity while the electronic conductivity decreases, which is in agreement with a donor effect. The activation energies of conductivities and diffusivities are interpreted in terms of defect chemistry and relevant Brouwer diagrams are given.     

Policies and measures to address climate change in Central and Eastern European Countries

Pursuant to the commitments under the Framework Convention of Climate Change (FCCC), all Annex I Parties of FCCC have compiled their National Communications on Climate Change. There, Parties have reported the national greenhouse gas inventories, policies, and measures to address climate change, the greenhouse gas emissions projections, vulnerability and adaptation to climate change, and education and public awareness.

Implementation of policies and measures to address climate change in economies in transition (EIT) is very complicated due to the experienced deep economic crisis. It is important to outline the efforts of EIT countries to identify their climate change policy and to recognize the most effective policies and measures achieved under these countries' special circumstances.

This paper compiles information from the policies and measures section of the National Communications of nine EIT countries. The analysis has been carried out in the framework of overall policy context and the national circumstances of EIT countries in terms of energy and economy development.

In general, policies and measures in EIT countries tend to follow the trends observed in the other Annex I Parties to the FCCC. They address primarily carbon dioxide from fossil fuel combustion as the most important greenhouse gas and the energy transformation sector as the major greenhouse emissions source. The most effective mitigation measures — in terms of both greenhouse gas emission reduction and costs — were energy efficiency and the promotion of non-fossil energy sources. A prevailing part of policies and measures implemented or under implementation in EIT countries were cost-effective and no-regret measures. It was considered very difficult in these countries to go beyond no-regret measures in a situation of deep economic crisis and insufficient investments.     

Molecular monitoring of the microbial dynamics occurring on historical limestone buildings during and after the in situ application of different bio-consolidation treatments

Microbially Induced Carbonate Precipitation is proposed as an environmentally friendly method to protect decayed ornamental stone and introduced in the field of preservation of Cultural Heritage. Recent conservation studies performed under laboratory conditions on non-sterile calcarenite stones have successfully reported on the application of a suitable nutritional solution, inoculated and non-inoculated with Myxococcus xanthus, as a bioconsolidation treatment. Furthermore, this procedure has been applied in situ, very recently, to selected historical buildings in Granada, Spain. For the first time, we evaluate the efficiency and risks of the in situ application of the above mentioned treatments onto two historical buildings in Granada. The evaluation consists of a detailed investigation of the micro-biota actively growing during the seven days of the treatments - short-term monitoring and of that remaining on the stones after six and twelve months of the application - long-term monitoring. A molecular strategy, including DNA extraction, PCR amplification of 16S rRNA sequences, construction of clone libraries and fingerprinting by DGGE (Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis) analysis followed by sequencing was used to gain insight into the microbial diversity present on the differentially treated stones. The monitoring of M. xanthus was performed by PCR using species-specific primers. Similar dynamics were triggered on both buildings by the application of the nutritional solution (inoculated or non-inoculated). 16S rDNA sequencing revealed the dominant occurrence of members belonging to the Firmicutes and Proteobacteria during the seven days of the treatment, whereas after one year the order Bacillales of the phylum Firmicutes was the predominantly detected microorganisms. M. xanthus could be detected only during the seven days of the treatment. The treatments seem to activate no dangerous microorganisms and furthermore, to select the remainder of a homogeneous group of carbonatogenic bacteria on the stones after a long period of time.