SCDBR: An Automated Reasoner for Specifications of Database Updates

In this paper we describe SCDBR, a system that is able to reason automatically from specifications of database updates written in the situation calculus, a first–order language originally proposed by John McCarthy for reasoning about actions and change. The specifications handledby the system are written in the formalism proposed by Ray Reiter for solving the frame problem that appears when one expresses the effects on the database predicates of the execution of atomic transactions.SCDBR is written in PROLOG, and can solve several reasoning tasks, among others,it is able to derive the final specification from effect axioms, to answerqueries to virtually updated databases, to check legality of transactions,to prove integrity constraints from the specification, to modify thespecification in order to embed a desired integrity constraint, and to answer historical queries. For some of these tasks SCDBR can call othersystems, like relational database systems, automated theorem provers, andconstraint solvers.     

Synthesis of ZSM‐5 from diatomite: a case of zeolite synthesis from a natural material

A highly crystalline ZSM‐5 product was obtained from diatomite, a natural raw material, both with and without the presence of diethanolamine. The synthesis process took 40 h, and was carried out under hydrothermal conditions, at autogenic pressure, and at a temperature of 180 °C. The resulting crystals were identified as ZSM‐5 by X‐ray diffraction and characterized by scanning electron microscopy, infrared spectroscopy, thermal gravimetry and differential thermal analysis. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry     

Internet Protocol Packet Delay Variation measurements in communication networks: How to evaluate measurement uncertainty?

Measurement of Quality of Service (QoS) parameters is a relevant task in communication networks. Similarly to other contexts, the measurement result has to be completed with the related uncertainty in order to provide information about the significance and reliability of the overall measurement process. This aspect is particularly crucial in communication networks. In fact, the measured values of QoS parameters have often to be compared against suitable thresholds to check their compliance with required quality constraints (QoS levels delivered to the user are generally offered for a fee) or to reliably verify the effect of new services conveyed by the network on its performance.     

An alternative analysis and solution procedure for the EPQ model with rework process at a single-stage manufacturing system with planned backorders

This paper revisits the work by Cárdenas-Barrón (Cárdenas-Barrón, L. E., (2009). Economic production quantity with rework process at a single-stage manufacturing system with planned backorders. Computers and Industrial Engineering, 57(3), 1105–1113). The optimal solution condition is analyzed using the production time and the time to eliminate backorders as decision variables instead of the classical decisions variables of lot and backorder quantities. This new approach leads to an alternative inventory policy for imperfect quality items when the optimal production time is less than the optimal time. This is a new method that has not been explored before; it improves and complements the work by Cárdenas-Barrón (2009) and provides interesting managerial insights. An easy to apply solution procedure is provided to obtain the optimal policy. Finally, numerical examples are solved to illustrate our results.     

Storage stability of the natural colourant from Justicia spicigera microencapsulated in protective colloids blends by spray‐drying

Muitle (Justicia spicigera), a Mexican native plant, produces a purple aqueous extract (MAE) because of its anthocyanin content. The aim of this work was to microencapsulate MAE by spray‐drying in two different protective colloids blends in a 1:1 weight ratio: gum Arabic‐mesquite gum (GA50‐MD50) and mesquite gum‐maltodextrin DE10 (MG50‐MD50), yielding the microcapsules M_GA50‐MD50 and M_MG50‐MD50. The minimum integral entropy of the microcapsules was determined at 20, 35 and 40 °C, and the resulting water activities (a_W) were 0.555, 0.592, 0.627 for M_GA50‐MD50 and 0.581, 0.587, 0.648 for M_MG50‐MD50, respectively. These a_W temperature sets were considered as the most adequate conditions for achieving maximum storage stability of the microcapsules. Total anthocyanin content (TAC) and total colour change (ΔE) suffered considerable degradation at all storage conditions, but that degradation was significantly inhibited by encapsulating MAE in the biopolymers blends especially that made up by MG50‐MD50.     

Unsteady conjugate water/air mixed convection in a square cavity

Transient natural convection inside an inner thin walled container caused by external mixed convection in a square cavity has been analyzed numerically. Air and water were chosen alternatively as internal and external working fluids. Fluid mechanics and conjugate heat transfer, described in terms of continuity, linear momentum and energy equations, were predicted by using the finite volume method. Streamlines, isotherms, velocity profiles and local Nusselt number time evolution are presented for external flows, of either air or water, with Ri = 1, in two cases: Re = 200 and 500.     

An improved solution to replenishment lot size problem with discontinuous issuing policy and rework,and the multi-delivery policy into economic production lot size problem with partial rework

Recently, in Expert Systems with Applications journal, Chen, Wu, Chiu, and Lee (2012) present an alternative optimization solution process to determine the optimal replenishment lot size with discontinuous issuing policy considering imperfect rework process and multiple shipments. Simultaneously, Chiu, Chiu, and Yang (2012) solve a multi-delivery policy into economic production quantity with partial rework. Both papers consider the number of shipments as a fixed and a given value. In this paper both the optimal replenishment lot size and the optimal number of shipments are derived jointly for the inventory models of Chen et al. (2012) and Chiu, Chiu, et al. (2012). Two easy to apply solution procedures are proposed. The solutions reported in this paper are better than the solutions of Chen et al., 2012, Chiu, Chiu, et al., 2012.     

A mixed numerical–analytical stable pseudo‐inversion method aimed at attaining an almost exact tracking

This paper considers the problem of computing the input u(t) of an internally asymptotically stable, possibly non‐minimum phase, linear, continuous time system Σ yielding a very accurate tracking of a pre‐specified desired output trajectory . The main purpose of the new approach proposed here is to alleviate some limitations that inherent the classical methods developed in the framework of the preview‐based stable inversion, which represents an important reference context for this class of control problems. In particular, the new method allows one to deal with arbitrary and possibly uncertain initial conditions and does not require a pre‐actuation. The desired output to be exactly tracked in steady state is here assumed to belong to the set of polynomials, exponential, and sinusoidal time functions. The desired transient response is specified to obtain a fast and smooth transition toward the steady‐state trajectory , without under and/or overshoot in the case of a set point reset. The transient control input u_t(t) is a priori assumed to be given by a piecewise polynomial function. Once has been specified, this allows the computation of the unknown u_t(t) as the approximate least squares solution of the Fredholm's integral equation corresponding to the explicit formula of the output forced response. The steady‐state input u_s(t) is analytically computed exploiting the steady‐state output response expressions for inputs belonging to the same set of . Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Data Cleaning and Query Answering with Matching Dependencies and Matching Functions

Matching dependencies were recently introduced as declarative rules for data cleaning and entity resolution. Enforcing a matching dependency on a database instance identifies the values of some attributes for two tuples, provided that the values of some other attributes are sufficiently similar. Assuming the existence of matching functions for making two attribute values equal, we formally introduce the process of cleaning an instance using matching dependencies, as a chase-like procedure. We show that matching functions naturally introduce a lattice structure on attribute domains, and a partial order of semantic domination between instances. Using the latter, we define the semantics of clean query answering in terms of certain/possible answers as the greatest lower bound/least upper bound of all possible answers obtained from the clean instances. We show that clean query answering is intractable in general. Then we study queries that behave monotonically w.r.t. semantic domination order, and show that we can provide an under/over approximation for clean answers to monotone queries. Moreover, non-monotone positive queries can be relaxed into monotone queries.