Determining the Visual Interpretation of Actions in Multimedia Presentations of Interactive Stories

Recent advances in Web-based multimedia technologies encourage the development of interactive entertainment forms, such as interactive stories, that seek to create engaging and meaningfully interactive stories. This article describes a novel method for determining parts of the visual interpretation of actions in interactive stories. The method accepts as input an interactive plot, a 2-D layout of the 3-D space in which the story will play out and a list of possible behaviors for each of the objects in this space. It then composes 3-D renditions for each story action by assigning behaviors to the objects in the scene. These renditions are enriched with appropriate multimedia effects that seek to emphasize their dramatic nature. The effectiveness of this method is currently being tested in user trials of an interactive adventure story that has been deployed on the Web.     

Electric vehicle charging in stochastic smart microgrid operation with fuel cell and RES units

Plug-in electric vehicles increasingly augment their share in the global market as they appear to be an economic and emission-free alternative to modern means of transportation. As their presence strengthens, ways that will ensure economic charge along with uninterrupted grid operation are necessary to be found. This paper aims to approach the economic optimization problem that includes several Electric Vehicles (EVs) within a Low Voltage (LV) network comprising various Distributed Energy Resources (DER) as fuel cell, Renewable Energy Sources (RES), (photovoltaics, wind turbine) etc. via a scenario based simulation. The purpose is to investigate the main variables of the grid, such as its operating cost, charging patterns, power injection from the upstream network, resulting from the coordinated control of DER in Smart Microgrid operation in conjunction to the flexible load the controlled EV charging introduces. The base case study is that of absence of EVs, and therefore the demand is met only by the upstream network and the DER units. Subsequently, EVs are introduced as controllable loads and finally as dispatchable storage units incorporating a Vehicle to Grid (V2G) capability to the Smart Microgrid. Furthermore, the problem is not tackled deterministically and although forecasts for all network parameters are assumed to be known, forecasting errors and stochastic driver patterns cannot be ignored. Thus, for each imposed policy, a scenario based approach is implemented to determine operating cost in various cases along to DER utilization and the effect EVs bear on these results.     

Model analysis of sorption isotherms

The equation developed by Blahovec and Yanniotis, which is based on surface adsorption and solution water, was applied for fitting experimental sorption data for starchy and high protein foods, fruits and vegetables, nuts, legumes, and seeds. Analysis of sorption isotherms shows that surface adsorption is more important than solution water in the isotherms for cereals, potatoes, legumes and seeds, while in vegetables, fruits, meat, milk products and some nuts solution water is more important. The ratio of solution water to surface adsorption increases as water activity increases, it is higher for the adsorption isotherm than the desorption isotherm at any water activity value and decreases as temperature increases.     

Differentiation of Greek Thyme Honeys According to Geographical Origin Based on the Combination of Phenolic Compounds and Conventional Quality Parameters Using Chemometrics

The aim of the present study was to differentiate Greek thyme honeys according to geographical origin, based on phenolic compound content and conventional physicochemical parameters using MANOVA and Linear Discriminant Analysis. Thirty-five thyme honey samples were collected during the harvesting period 2011 from four different regions in Greece (Irakleio, Hania, Kefalonia and Lakonia) known to produce thyme honey of good quality. The analysis of phenolic compounds (quercetin, myricetin, kaempferol, chrysin, and syringic acid) was performed by high pressure liquid chromatography. Conventional quality parameter analysis included the determination of the following: pH, free, lactonic and total acidity, electrical conductivity, moisture, ash, as well as lactonic/free acidity ratio and colour parameters L*, a*, b*. Using five phenolic compounds and 11 conventional quality parameters, thyme honey samples were satisfactorily classified (91.2 % correct prediction) according to geographical origin.     

Caffeine use in sports, pharmacokinetics in man, and cellular mechanisms of action

Caffeine is the most widely consumed psychoactive 'drug' in the world and probably one of the most commonly used stimulants in sports. This is not surprising, since it is one of the few ergogenic aids with documented efficiency and minimal side effects. Caffeine is rapidly and completely absorbed by the gastrointestinal tract and is readily distributed throughout all tissues of the body. Peak plasma concentrations after normal consumption are usually around 50 microM, and half-lives for elimination range between 2.5-10 h. The parent compound is extensively metabolized in the liver microsomes to more than 25 derivatives, while considerably less than 5% of the ingested dose is excreted unchanged in the urine. There is, however, considerable inter-individual variability in the handling of caffeine by the body, due to both environmental and genetic factors. Evidence from in vitro studies provides a wealth of different cellular actions that could potentially contribute to the observed effects of caffeine in humans in vivo. These include potentiation of muscle contractility via induction of sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium release, inhibition of phosphodiesterase isoenzymes and concomitant cyclic monophosphate accumulation, inhibition of glycogen phosphorylase enzymes in liver and muscle, non-selective adenosine receptor antagonism, stimulation of the cellular membrane sodium/potassium pump, impairment of phosphoinositide metabolism, as well as other, less thoroughly characterized actions. Not all, however, seem to account for the observed effects in vivo, although a variable degree of contribution cannot be readily discounted on the basis of experimental data. The most physiologically relevant mechanism of action is probably the blockade of adenosine receptors, but evidence suggests that, at least under certain conditions, other biochemical mechanisms may also be operational.     

A Novel Method of Measuring Moisture Content Distribution in Timber During Drying Using CT Scanning and Image Processing Techniques

A new method for the nondestructive measurement of moisture content (MC) distribution in timber during drying was developed using X-ray computed tomography (CT) scanning and image processing techniques. The deformed cross section in the CT images due to shrinkage was corrected with the image registration, and the shrinkage was measured by digital image correlation analysis. The pixel-wise MC distributions during drying were measured and visualized successfully. The total timber MC estimated from the MC values of each pixel were strongly correlated with those measured by calculation without geometrical transformation of CT images. The coefficient of determination (R ²) and the standard error of prediction (SEP) were 0.99 and 0.18%, respectively, within the MC range of 19.2–47.3%. In addition, the measured shrinkage distribution during drying was in accordance with the diamonding deformation observed. The results suggest that CT scanning combined with image processing techniques is an effective tool for nondestructive assessment of MC distribution during drying.     

Using modern RF tools to detect chaotic behaviour of electronic circuits and systems

In this paper, a new approach in identifying chaotic behaviour of nonlinear circuits is presented. This approach could be very useful to circuit designers, whether they pursue a chaotic behaviour or not. Simulation tools used for radio-frequency circuit design (Cadence SpectreRF), initially developed to characterise harmonic oscillators, are now utilised to detect chaotic behaviour, as well as routes to chaotic mode of operation. Specifically, Periodic Steady State Convergence Norm is used for the first time for chaos detection in circuits. The advantages of this method (especially in terms of simulation time) are presented, together with an example of detection of chaotic route to chaos in the case of a chaotic-operating Colpitts oscillator.     

Identification of purple dye from molluscs on an excavated textile by non-destructive analytical techniques

The inherent sensitivity of textile fibres to the aggressive process of burial accounts for the rarity and poor condition of excavated textile finds retrieved. However, the information contained within these finds is important and yielding it contributes to the longevity of the finds. Therefore, the application of non-destructive methods of investigation for the extraction of the data present is imperative. This paper presents the results of dye analysis performed on the excavated textile find HTR-73 from the Kerameikos cemetery in Athens. The Kerameikos textile find is from the 5th century BC, and has been preserved in association with copper. The techniques applied were Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive X-Ray (EDX) analysis, Cathodoluminescence and micro Raman. For the first time Cathodoluminescence from an indigoid compound is reported. Comparison of the analysis results on samples from the find with the contemporary reference samples lead to the identification of purple dye as a dibromoindigo compound with the origin from molluscs of Murex trunculus species. The application of non-destructive analytical methods of investigation was successful in analysing dyes on excavated textiles.     

Sub-optimal solutions to track detection problem using graph theoretic concepts

This paper demonstrates how the problem of tracking targets, which appear as either straight or curved lines in two-dimensional display images (or data images) can be formulated in terms of a directed weighted graph model and how dynamic programming techniques can be efficiently applied to reach an optimal or sub-optimal solution. In general, track detection algorithms providing optimal solutions have good detective ability, but most of them suffer from the inability to detect discontinuous lines or to resolve efficiently pairs of crossing lines. A sub-optimal solution is provided that efficiently overcomes these weaknesses. We focus on modeling the track detection problem in terms of a graph, formulating fast sequential/parallel sub-optimal track detection algorithms and testing them on simulated data in order to show their detective ability. Moreover, we specify the conditions under which sub-optimal algorithms can perform at least as well as their corresponding optimal algorithms. This is significant for the track detection problem where fast, accurate and real-time detection is considered a necessity.