This paper considers affective interactions to achieve empathic engagement with synthetic characters in virtual learning environments, in order to support and induce the expression of empathy in children. The paper presents FearNot!, a school based virtual learning environment, populated by synthetic characters used for personal, social and health education, specifically bullying issues in scho...

This study examines the influence of the geometrical intensity of an emotional facial expression on the perceived intensity and the recognition accuracy. The stimuli consisted of synthetic faces at ten geometrical intensity levels in each of the five emotional categories. A curve–linear relationship was found between geometrical and perceived intensity. Steps of 20% geometrical intensity appear...

Gene delivery of nucleic acid to the cell nucleus is a fundamental step in gene therapy. In this review of modeling drug and gene delivery, we focus on the particular stage of plasmid DNA or virus cytoplasmic trafficking. A challenging problem is to quantify the success of this limiting stage. We present some models and simulations of plasmid trafficking and of the limiting phase of DNA-polycat...

It is scant exaggeration to say that modern organic synthesis would be almost inconceivable without the important carbon-carbon bond-forming reactions involving the addition or organometallic reagents to aldehydes, ketones and acid derivatives. Today, the addition reactions of organometallic reagents of most elements of the periodic table have been explored in great detail, permitting the synth...

This paper is concerned with the simulation of human-like capabilities in synthetic characters within the domain of Personal and Social Education. Our aim was to achieve socially meaningful and engaging interactions with children in the 8-12 age group to enable an exploration of bullying and coping strategies. In this paper, we consider the engagement between the interacting partners, focusing ...

It is argued that the fields of science and engineering are at two ends of a spectrum of shared technological products (artifacts) and processes in which, at any given time and to some lesser or greater degree, scientists behave as engineers and engineers as scientists, creating technological artifacts and contributing to knowledge domains that drive and advance both fields. Employing an exampl...

Computational approaches to immunology represent an important area of systems biology where both multiscale and time and spatial dynamics play important roles. In order to explore how different modelling and computational techniques can be better integrated to support in silico experiments, a collaboration amongst researchers of Italian and British institutions has been established. In the long...

We discuss our experience with automatic synthesis of animations of deaf signing from an avatar-independent notation for signing gestures, and consider principles that a notation designed for synthetic animation should satisfy.

The Rose Report, commissioned by the Secretary of State for Education for England, recommended in March 2006 that early reading instruction must include synthetic phonics. This paper evaluates the extent to which research evidence supports this recommendation. In particular, a review of international research into the teaching of early reading shows that the Rose Report’s main recommendation on...