The SEMAINE corpus of emotionally coloured character interactions

We have recorded a new corpus of emotionally coloured conversations. Users were recorded while holding conversations with an operator who adopts in sequence four roles designed to evoke emotional reactions. The operator and the user are seated in separate rooms; they see each other through teleprompter screens, and hear each other through speakers. To allow high quality recording, they are recorded by five high-resolution, high framerate cameras, and by four microphones. All sensor information is recorded synchronously, with an accuracy of 25 μs. In total, we have recorded 20 participants, for a total of 100 character conversational and 50 non-conversational recordings of approximately 5 minutes each. All recorded conversations have been fully transcribed and annotated for five affective dimensions and partially annotated for 27 other dimensions. The corpus has been made available to the scientific community through a web-accessible database.

Sustainability and the Multifunctional Landscape: An Assessment of the Cairngorms National Park Authority’s Approach to Planning and Management in Upland Scotland.

Upland Scotland contains some of Britain’s most prized areas of natural heritage value. However, although such areas may appear both ‘wild’ and ‘remote’, these are typically working landscapes which symbolise the interdependence of nature and society. The complexity of this relationship means that management responses will need to address a multitude of potentially conflicting priorities whilst at the same time ensuring that sufficient social and institutional capital exists to allow for the promotion of landscape integrity. The introduction of national parks to Scotland in the form of the National Parks (Scotland) Act 2000 allows for a high-level of protection for designated areas in upland Scotland. Yet, whilst the recent Act outlines the statutory purpose and direction national parks should take, it allows a significant degree of flexibility in theway in which the Actmay be implemented. This level of discretion allows for significant local distinctiveness within the model but also raises questions about the potential effectiveness of chosen responses. In order to assess the potential implications of a model rooted in self-determination,we provide a case study review of the institutional basis of the Cairngorms National Park along with an assessment of the strategic character of the first National Park Plan. It is argued that whilst the Cairngorms National Park Authority has developed a significant level of stakeholder engagement, the authority may struggle to bridge the policy-implementation gap. Although a number of shortcomings are identified, particular concerns relate to the potential mismatch between strategic ambition and local level capacity.

Influence of the Graphical Levels of Detail of a Virtual Thrower on the Perception of the Movement

Virtual reality has a number of advantages for analyzing sports interactions such as the standardization of experimental conditions, stereoscopic vision, and complete control of animated humanoid movement. Nevertheless, in order to be useful for sports applications, accurate perception of simulated movement in the virtual sports environment is essential. This perception depends on parameters of the synthetic character such as the number of degrees of freedom of its skeleton or the levels of detail (LOD) of its graphical representation. This study focuses on the influence of this latter parameter on the perception of the movement. In order to evaluate it, this study analyzes the judgments of immersed handball goalkeepers that play against a graphically modified virtual thrower. Five graphical representations of the throwing action were defined: a textured reference level (L0), a nontextured level (L1), a wire-frame level (L2), a moving point light display (MLD) level with a normal-sized ball (L3), and a MLD level where the ball is represented by a point of light (L4). The results show that judgments made by goalkeepers in the L4 condition are significantly less accurate than in all the other conditions (p

Sectarianism in Scotland: A ‘West of Scotland’ Problem, a Patchwork or a Cobweb?

Drawing on research carried out for the Scottish Government in 2014, this article explores how people experience sectarianism in Scotland today. For some, sectarianism is manifestly part of their everyday experience, but for others it is almost invisible in their social world. The article sets out a metaphor of sectarianism experienced like a cobweb in Scotland; running strongly down the generations and across masculine culture particularly, but experienced quite differently by different people depending on their social relationships. Using the examples of song and marching, the article suggests that sectarian prejudice should be conceived of as much as a cultural phenomenon as in social and legal terms. A multidisciplinary and intergenerational approach to tackling sectarian prejudice would help emphasise its cultural and relational construction. Much can also be learned from examining the broader research on prejudice worldwide, rather than treating Scottish sectarianism as if it is a unique and inexplicable quality of the national character.

The Multidirectional Memory of Charlie Hebdo

This article will discuss notions and concepts of remembering in the aftermath of the Charlie Hebdo attacks. Much has been written about the immediate response to the attacks, both commending the collective spirit of unity that defined the ‘marche républicaine’ of 11 January 2015, and criticising the alleged hypocrisy and cynicism of, most notably, the political figures that took to the streets that day, hand in hand. I will consider a selection of the memory practices that have emerged since then, notably on the anniversary of the event. This demonstration of memory provides key insights into the form and manner of remembering within a particular cultural group, but also reflects how the present moment is integral to our understanding of memory. The purpose of this article is to consider how official and non-official remembering of Charlie Hebdo can intertwine as well as pull in separate directions. A focus on the politics, the language, the aesthetics and the geography of commemorative activities in this article will enable an appreciation of the multidirectional character of remembering Charlie Hebdo.

Building Autonomous Sensitive Artificial Listeners

This paper describes a substantial effort to build a real-time interactive multimodal dialogue system with a focus on emotional and non-verbal interaction capabilities. The work is motivated by the aim to provide technology with competences in perceiving and producing the emotional and non-verbal behaviours required to sustain a conversational dialogue. We present the Sensitive Artificial Listener (SAL) scenario as a setting which seems particularly suited for the study of emotional and non- verbal behaviour, since it requires only very limited verbal understanding on the part of the machine. This scenario allows us to concentrate on non-verbal capabilities without having to address at the same time the challenges of spoken language understanding, task modeling etc. We first report on three prototype versions of the SAL scenario, in which the behaviour of the Sensitive Artificial Listener characters was determined by a human operator. These prototypes served the purpose of verifying the effectiveness of the SAL scenario and allowed us to collect data required for building system components for analysing and synthesising the respective behaviours. We then describe the fully autonomous integrated real-time system we created, which combines incremental analysis of user behaviour, dialogue management, and synthesis of speaker and listener behaviour of a SAL character displayed as a virtual agent. We discuss principles that should underlie the evaluation of SAL-type systems. Since the system is designed for modularity and reuse, and since it is publicly available, the SAL system has potential as a joint research tool in the affective computing research community.

Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering from Metallic Nanostructures: Bridging the Gap between the Near-Field and Far-Field Responses

We present here a detailed study of the complex relationship between the electromagnetic near-field and far-field responses of "real" nanostructured metallic surfaces. The near-field and far-field responses are specified in terms of (spectra of) the surface-enhanced Raman-scattering enhancement factor (SERS EF) and optical extinction, respectively. First, it is shown that gold nanorod- and nanotube-array substrates exhibit three distinct localized surface plasmon resonances (LSPRs): a longitudinal, a transverse, and a cavity mode. The cavity mode simultaneously has the largest impact on the near-field behavior (as observed through the SERS EF) and the weakest optical interaction: It has a "near-field-type" character. The transverse and longitudinal modes have a significant impact on the far-field behavior but very little impact on SERS: They have a "far-field-type" character. We confirm the presence of the cavity mode using a combination of SERS EF spectra, electron microscopy, and electromagnetic modeling and thus clearly illustrate and explain the (lack of) correlation between the SERS EF spectra and the optical response in terms of the contrasting character of the three LSPRs. In doing so, we experimentally demonstrate that, for a surface that supports multiple LSPRs, the near-field and far-field properties can in fact be tuned almost independently. It is further demonstrated that small changes in geometrical parameters that tune the spectral location of the LPSRs can also drastically influence the character of these modes, resulting in certain unusual behavior, such as the far-field resonance redshift as the near-field resonance blueshifts. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevX.3.011001

Spin-wave modes in Ni nanorod arrays studied by Brillouin light scattering

Dynamic magnetic properties of arrays of Ni nanorods with a low aspect ratio have been investigated. It has been shown that the spectra of spin-wave resonances localized on nanorods with a low aspect ratio typically feature the presence of zones with high density of states resulting in a characteristic two-peak pattern of Stokes and anti-Stokes lines of magneto-optical (MO) Brillouin light scattering with pronounced Stokes–anti-Stokes (S-AS) asymmetry. A simple theoretical model based on the analysis of the elliptic character of the polarization of the optical wave interacting with a dipole magnetostatic wave has been proposed. It has been shown that the S-AS asymmetry is due entirely to the asymmetry of the MO interaction efficiency with respect to time reversal of the magnetic precession in a magnon.

“If I Were Nick”: Men’s Responses to an Interactive Video Drama Series to Support Smoking Cessation

Background: Men continue to smoke in greater numbers than women; however, few interventions have been developed and tested to support men’s cessation. Men also tend to rely on quitting strategies associated with stereotypical manliness, such as willpower, stoicism and independence, but may lack the self‐efficacy skills required to sustain a quit. In this article we describe the development of and reception to an interactive video drama (IVD) series, composed of 7 brief scenarios, to support and strengthen men’s smoking cessation efforts. The value of IVD in health promotion is predicated on the evidence that viewers engage with the material when they are presented characters with whom they can personally identify. The video dramatizes the challenges unfolding in the life of the main character, Nick, on the first day of his quit and models the skills necessary to embark upon a sustainable quit. 
Objective: The objective was to describe men’s responses to the If I were Nick IVD series as part of a pilot study of QuitNow MenTM, an innovative smoking cessation website designed for men. Specific objectives were to explore the resonance of the main character of the IVD series with end‐users, and men’s perceptions of the effectiveness of the IVD series for supporting their quit self‐management. 
Methods: Seven brief IVD scenarios were developed, filmed with a professional actor and uploaded to a new online smoking cessation website, QuitNow MenTM.  A sample of 117 men who smoked were recruited into the study and provided baseline data prior to access to the QuitNow MenTM website for a 6 month period. During this time, 47 men chose to view the IVDs. Their responses to questions about the IVDs were collected in 3‐month and 6‐month online follow‐up surveys and analyzed using descriptive statistics. 
Findings: The majority of participants indicated they related to the main character, Nick. Participants who “strongly agreed” they could relate to Nick perceived significantly higher levels of support from the IVDs than the “neutral” and “disagree” groups (P <.001, d =2.0, P <.001 d =3.1). The “agree” and “neutral” groups were significantly higher on rated support from the videos than the “disagree” (P <.001 d =2.2, P =.01 d = 1.5). Participants’ perception of the main character was independent of participant age, education attainment or previous quit attempts. 
Conclusions: The findings suggest that IVD interventions may be an important addition to men’s smoking cessation programs. Given that the use of IVD scenarios in health promotion is in its infancy, the positive outcomes from this pilot study signal the potential for IVD and warrant ongoing evaluation in smoking cessation and, more generally, men’s health promotion.  

Is differential phytochelatin production related to decreased arsenate influx in arsenate tolerant Holcus lanatus?

Phytochelatins (PCs) are required for arsenic (As) detoxification in nontolerant plants. In addition, a role for PCs in arsenate tolerance has recently been proven, with tolerant plants able to accumulate significantly higher concentrations of As-PC complexes at equivalent levels of stress than nontolerant plants. The relationship between arsenate influx and PC production in tolerant and non-tolerant Holcus lanatus plants was determined in this study, along with an investigation of the effect of inhibition of PC synthesis by buthionine sulfoximine (BSO) on arsenate tolerance. A strong correlation between PC production and arsenate influx was demonstrated in arsenate-tolerant plants. In addition, inhibition of PC synthesis by BSO in tolerant plants increased arsenate sensitivity to that of the nontolerant clone. This dramatic reduction in tolerance proves that PC production is an essential component of the arsenate tolerance mechanism in H. lanatus. This study proposes that while there is a single major gene for arsenate tolerance, hypostatic modifiers are also in operation, affecting the expression of the tolerance character. © New Phytologist (2002).

Building autonomous sensitive artificial listeners (Extended abstract)

This paper describes a substantial effort to build a real-time interactive multimodal dialogue system with a focus on emotional and non-verbal interaction capabilities. The work is motivated by the aim to provide technology with competences in perceiving and producing the emotional and non-verbal behaviours required to sustain a conversational dialogue. We present the Sensitive Artificial Listener (SAL) scenario as a setting which seems particularly suited for the study of emotional and non-verbal behaviour, since it requires only very limited verbal understanding on the part of the machine. This scenario allows us to concentrate on non-verbal capabilities without having to address at the same time the challenges of spoken language understanding, task modeling etc. We first summarise three prototype versions of the SAL scenario, in which the behaviour of the Sensitive Artificial Listener characters was determined by a human operator. These prototypes served the purpose of verifying the effectiveness of the SAL scenario and allowed us to collect data required for building system components for analysing and synthesising the respective behaviours. We then describe the fully autonomous integrated real-time system we created, which combines incremental analysis of user behaviour, dialogue management, and synthesis of speaker and listener behaviour of a SAL character displayed as a virtual agent. We discuss principles that should underlie the evaluation of SAL-type systems. Since the system is designed for modularity and reuse, and since it is publicly available, the SAL system has potential as a joint research tool in the affective computing research community.

Ravel’s Gaspard de la Nuit: Extra-musical subtext, and its role within interpretive performance

Few works within the realm of the piano repertoire have amassed a reputation as formidable as Gaspard de la Nuit. These three pieces, each unique in character and pianistic requirements, arguably represent a pinnacle of early 20th-century French piano music. This paper seeks to illuminate points for consideration for the pianist who wishes to embark upon studying the work for performance, and for the musicologist.

I shall first consider the three character poems of Aloysius Bertrand that inspired the suite, as an understanding of these Diabolic creations is essential to understanding the piece analytically and programmatically. I shall then explore the subtitle of Bertrand’s Gaspard de la Nuit: ‘Fantaisies À La Manière De Rembrandt Et De Callot’, as an acknowledgement of these artists helps us better to engage with Bertrand’s poetry, and provides us with a direct link to the visual stimuli for Ravel’s compositions.

Finally, using Ondine as a case study, I shall explore how the composer unifies his inspirations to paint a musical portrait of both the character and the content of Bertrand’s poem. I shall focus on three particular aspects of Ravel’s style: the refined textures that create washes of watery colour, subtle rhythmic variations that imply the ‘deep, rolling currents of the sleeping lake’, and the simple melodic lines sung by the water nymph in the manner of a French air. Each element plays its part in the thematic development that illustrates Ondine’s seductive powers.