Abstract
We present a novel physics-based concatenative sound synthesis (CSS) methodology for congruent interactions across physical, graphical, aural and haptic modalities in Virtual Environments. Navigation in aural and haptic corpora of annotated audio units is driven by user interactions with highly realistic photogrammetric based models in a game engine, where automated and interactive positional, physics and graphics data are supported. From a technical perspective, the current contribution expands existing CSS frameworks in avoiding mapping or mining the annotation data to real-time performance attributes, while guaranteeing degrees of novelty and variation for the same gesture.

Abstract
Cancer is driven by genetic change, and the advent of massively parallel sequencing has enabled systematic documentation of this variation at the whole-genome scale(1-3). Here we report the integrative analysis of 2,658 whole-cancer genomes and their matching normal tissues across 38 tumour types from the Pan-Cancer Analysis of Whole Genomes (PCAWG) Consortium of the International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). We describe the generation of the PCAWG resource, facilitated by international data sharing using compute clouds. On average, cancer genomes contained 4-5 driver mutations when combining coding and non-coding genomic elements; however, in around 5% of cases no drivers were identified, suggesting that cancer driver discovery is not yet complete. Chromothripsis, in which many clustered structural variants arise in a single catastrophic event, is frequently an early event in tumour evolution; in acral melanoma, for example, these events precede most somatic point mutations and affect several cancer-associated genes simultaneously. Cancers with abnormal telomere maintenance often originate from tissues with low replicative activity and show several mechanisms of preventing telomere attrition to critical levels. Common and rare germline variants affect patterns of somatic mutation, including point mutations, structural variants and somatic retrotransposition. A collection of papers from the PCAWG Consortium describes non-coding mutations that drive cancer beyond those in the TERT promoter(4); identifies new signatures of mutational processes that cause base substitutions, small insertions and deletions and structural variation(5,6); analyses timings and patterns of tumour evolution(7); describes the diverse transcriptional consequences of somatic mutation on splicing, expression levels, fusion genes and promoter activity(8,9); and evaluates a range of more-specialized features of cancer genomes(8,10-18).

Abstract
Inspired by observing the motions of vessels at sea, the E-Motions has been proposed as an innovative concept capable of converting wave (and wind) induced roll oscillations on multipurpose offshore floating platforms into electricity. The device can be integrated, theoretically, into any type of offshore floating structure, given its simple 3-component design: floating platform, encasing and sliding Power Take-Off. This latter component can be sheltered from the marine environment by being placed within a casing, at deck level, or the hull of the offshore structure. With so much potential for application at sea, it was important to subject the E-Motions to an initial proof-of-concept, as done for other wave energy converters. This paper presents and discusses the main results and conclusions of an experimental study, carried out with a 1:40 reduced scale physical model, aimed at demonstrating the technical and technological viability of the E-Motions. It was found that, for the considered study variables, the device can operate without major incident and convert electricity from wave induced roll oscillations. Four ballast configurations were considered, of which two yielded higher power outputs. The average measured power reached as high as 11 kW and 13 kW, respectively, with the values reducing for wave period further away from the resonance range and lower wave heights. Power Take-Off damping was found to be an important variable that can considerably influence the energy generation process, yet it will be imperative to further assess this variable in combination with other pertinent variables, such as an external attached mass and different generators. This is key to better understand and describe the complex and non-linear relationship between the motions of the Power Take-Off and the floating platform components.

Abstract
Large-scale Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) capacity installed for stationary applications is rising in the first decades of 21st century. Business models related to BESS highly depend on BESS lifetime. BESS lifetime can be preserved only if accurate thermal management of the assets allows to keep it at design temperature. Auxiliary systems' needs for cooling and heating the BESS cannot be disregarded while modeling the real-world operation of these facilities. In this paper we propose an improved protocol for organic modeling of large-scale BESS grid-connected. We assess the share of losses and the operational efficiency related to the provision of ancillary services to the network by BESS in different seasons and different working conditions. We highlight that BESS efficiency increases in case the system is constantly exploited, avoiding time idle or at low power. The model proposed, with respect to standard techniques, allows to better represent BESS performance. Indeed, just by disregarding the losses related to thermal management of the assets (as it is for standard modeling techniques), errors committed are up to 10%.

Abstract
The unprecedented pervasiveness of IoT systems is pushing this technology into increasingly stringent domains. Such application scenarios become even more challenging due to the demand for encompassing the interplay between safety and security. The IEEE 802.15.4 DSME MAC behavior aims at addressing such systems by providing additional deterministic, synchronous multi-channel access support. However, despite the several improvements over the previous versions of the protocol, the standard lacks a complete solution to secure communications. In this front, we propose the integration of TAKS, an hybrid cryptography scheme, over a standard DSME network. In this paper, we describe the system architecture for integrating TAKS into DSME with minimum impact to the standard, and we venture into analysing the overhead of having such security solution over application delay and throughput. After a performance analysis, we learn that it is possible to achieve a minor impact of 1% to 14% on top of the expected network delay, depending on the platform used, while still guaranteeing strong security support over the DSME network.

Abstract
Extremely Large Telescopes are considered worldwide as one of the highest priorities in ground-based astronomy, for they have the potential to vastly advance astrophysical knowledge with detailed studies of subjects including the first objects in the Universe, exoplanets, super-massive black holes, and the nature and distribution of the dark matter and dark energy which dominate the Universe. ESO is building its own Extremely Large optical/infrared Telescope, the ELT. This new telescope will have a 39 m main mirror and will be the largest optical/NIR telescope in the world, able to work at the diffraction limit. METIS, one of the first light instruments of the ELT, has powerful imaging and spectrographic capabilities on the thermal wavelengths. It will allow the investigation of key properties of a wide range of objects, from exoplanets to star forming regions, and it is highly complementary to other facilities such as the JWST. METIS is an extremely complex instrument, weighing almost 11 ton, and requiring high positioning and steering precisions. Here we present the ELT's METIS' Warm Support Structure. It consists on a 7 leg elevation platform, a passive hexapod capable of providing METIS with sub-millimetre and arcsecond positioning and steering resolutions, and an access platform where personnel can perform in-situ maintenance activities. The support structure weighs less than 5 ton and is capable of surviving earthquake conditions with accelerations up to 5g. The current design is supported by FEM simulations in ANSYS®, and was approved for Phase C. © 2020 SPIE