Ethical issues concerning expert systems' applications in education

This article traces the connection between expert systems used as consultants in medicine and their design for instructional purposes in education. It is suggested that there are important differences between these applications. Recognizing these differences leads to the view that the development of intelligent computer-assisted instructions (ICAI) should be guided by empirical research into social/psychological consequences and by ethical inquiries into the acceptability of those consequences. Three proposals are put forward: (1) that the pedagogical role of intelligent CAI be clarified, (2) that forms of intelligent CAI be developed that aim primarily at refining rather than replacing human judgements, and (3) that ICAI research and development projects contain components which address ethical and social/psychological components and which are equitably-funded, integral parts of the overall development effort.This work was supported in part by funds from the Foundation of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and from the State of North Carolina. An earlier version of this paper was read at the Human Dimension in Artificial Intelligence Symposium held at the University of Kentucky (April 1988).     

Swelling of Hot-Pressed A12O3

Fully dense aluminas, prepared by hot-pressing, were found to swell during annealing at 1600°C in air, but not during annealing in a reducing atmosphere (po₂= 10^-7 Pa). The reaction followed the relation p - po = -K log t, where p_o and p are the initial and final densities, respectively, t is the time, and AT is a constant. The rate of swelling was enhanced by MgO solute. The reduction in density resulted from the nucleation and growth of grain-boundary pores. Pore formation was attributed to the reaction of carbon and sulfur impurities at the boundaries with oxygen, which had diffused down the grain boundaries from the ambient, to form CO/CO₂ and SO₂ gas at high pressures. Preliminary results indicate that this reaction can be avoided by preannealing powders in flowing oxygen prior to hot-pressing. The consequences of internal gas-forming reactions to other processes such as high-temperature creep and sintering are also discussed.     

Stability studies on methyl and ethyl fatty acid esters of sunflowerseed oil

Fatty acid esters, high in linoleic acid, were prepared and stored for long-term engine tests. Storage tests with these esters were undertaken to obtain more information on optimal storage requirements and general stability characteristics. Samples were kept at three temperature levels (20 C, 30 C and fluctuating around 50 C) for a 90-day period and were removed at regular intervals for chemical and physical analysis. The influence of air, temperature, light, TBHQ and contact with mild steel was evaluated by comparing the free fatty acid, peroxide, anisidine, ultraviolet absorption, viscosity and induction periods. A statistical model was used to evaluate the data and to reduce the large number of data points to comparable curves. Storage of esters in contact with air, especially at a temperature above 30 C, resulted in significant increases in peroxide, ultraviolet absorption, free fatty acid, viscosity and anisidine values. Exclusion of air retarded oxidation at all temperature levels. A direct relationship between viscosity increases and oxidation parameters was evident. Exposure to light caused a small increase in the oxidation parameters of esters stored at the highest temperature level. Addition of TBHQ prevented oxidation of samples stored under moderate conditions. Under unfavorable storage conditions the anti-oxidant was no longer effective. Mild steel had very little effect on the oxidation parameters. Only the anisidine values of samples stored at the highest temperature level were slightly increased. Methyl esters performed slightly better than ethyl esters during the storage test. The following practical guidelines for storage of fatty acid ester fuels are: (i) airtight containers should be used; (ii) the storage temperature should be <30 C; (iii) mild steel (rust free) containers may be used, and (iv) TBHQ has a beneficial effect on oxidation stability.     

Performance of combined cobalt—nickel—zirconia and HZSM-5 catalyst systems for carbon monoxide hydrogenation

The synthesis of hydrocarbons via hydrogenation of carbon monoxide was investigated over cobalt—nickel—zirconia catalysts of various compositions in combination with zeolite HZSM-5 in “mixed bed” and “follow bed” arrangements. These combinations resulted in the formation of aromatics in amounts as high as 30-35 wt% under relatively mild operating conditions (1 atm, 250–280°C). Although the olefinicity of C₂ and C₃ fractions in the product stream was higher in the mixed bed compared to the follow bed arrangement, the selectivities to aromatics were comparable in the two bed arrangements. The aromatic selectivity was found to be sensitive to operating conditions. The formation of aromatics was favored at high HZSM-5/metal catalyst ratios, low space velocities and high reaction temperatures. The product distributions obtained using various metal/zeolite bifunctional catalysts have been discussed.     

Upgrading of aspen poplar wood oil over HZSM-5 zeolite catalyst

Thermally fractionated components of an oil prepared by the liquefaction of aspen poplar wood have been upgraded using a HZSM-5 zeolite catalyst to yield products rich in benzene, toluene, xylenes and higher molecular weight aromatics. The effect of reactor temperatures on the relative abundance of these products has been studied.     

45 GHz self-pulsation with narrow linewidth in quantum dot Fabry-Perot semiconductor lasers at 1.5 /spl mu/m

Self-pulsation at 45 GHz repetition frequency has been demonstrated in 1.5 /spl mu/m monolithic single-section quantum dot Fabry-Perot semiconductor lasers without saturable absorber. The mode-beating exhibits a narrow linewidth below 100 kHz, demonstrating high phase correlation between these modes. Such modelocked lasers open ways to low timing-jitter components for clock recovery or millimetre-wave generation in wireless transmission applications.     

Semiconductor-insulator structures in the phototargets of vidicons sensitive in the middle infrared region of the spectrum

The kinetics of electronic processes in vidicon phototargets based on semiconductor-insulator structures with a narrow-gap semiconductor is considered taking into account charge drain in the insulator layer and relaxation of the nonequilibrium depletion region in the semiconductor layer. The integration time, threshold sensitivity, and resolution at various intensities of incident radiation are estimated.     

High-load, squeeze action linear bearings with beam deflection

The literature provides little information on high-speed, high-normal-load, plain linear bearings, although the case for two rigid surfaces in relative linear motion can readily be solved by assuming squeeze action resistance. A new genus of internal combustion engines based on the Stiller-Smith mechanism incorporates connecting rods constrained by linear bearings, with the central normal load on the rod restricted by an oil film. A general analysis takes into account the bending of the rod, when the distributed oil film pressure resists the distributed load on the elastic rod. Design charts result that yield the dimensionless velocity at which the rod sinks in the oil as a function of the dimensionless load and the bearing clearance, and predict the deflection of the beam. The rod clearance history simulations for the Stiller-Smith engine compare favourably with computations for the rigid beam, confirming the analysis technique.