Fracture morphology and mechanical properties of thermocatalytically polymerized MMA-impregnated mortar

Mortar mixes with different water-cement ratios and consistency were impregnated with methyl-methacrylate monomer and polymerized thermally under water using the free radical initiator, -azobis (isobutyronitrile). Results on drying, impregnation and polymerization are presented. It is shown that a considerable amount of polymer remained strongly adhered or chemically inserted in the inorganic matrix. The molecular weight of the inserted polymer is higher than that obtained in the solvent extracted polymer and this is also higher than the polymer molecular weight obtained by bulk polymerization under the same conditions. The compressive and flexural strength of the impregnated mortar were found to be a function of the amount of polymer in the composites. Fracture behaviour under load, and polymer distribution inside the composites were examined by scanning electron microscopic techniques (SEM). It was observed that the polymer acts in two ways, first as a filler of porous and microcrack voids, secondly forming an anisotropic irregular network improving the bond characteristic of the interface between aggregate and matrix. Furthermore, due to the the adhesion of the polymer to both phases, it acts as a reinforcement and improves the mechanical properties, in particular the flexural strength.     

对油水乳浊液分离的研究

本文主要研究了操作条件的改变对分离效果的影响，在研究中还考察了NaCl和絮凝剂加入乳浊液后对分离过程产生的增效作用。得到了一个与实验数据相关联的数学方程，为估算油的去除率提供了一个有用的工具。在电浮选装置中采用不溶电极，为今后的分离技术提供了一个新思路。     

FAIRNESS IN RECURRENT AUCTIONS WITH COMPETING MARKETS AND SUPPLY FLUCTUATIONS

Auctions have been used to deal with resource allocation in multiagent environments, especially in service‐oriented electronic markets. In this type of market, resources are perishable and auctions are repeated over time with the same or a very similar set of agents. In this scenario it is advisable to use recurrent auctions: a sequence of auctions of any kind where the result of one auction may influence the following one. Some problems do appear in these situations, as for instance, the bidder drop problem, the asymmetric balance of negotiation power or resource waste, which could cause the market to collapse. Fair mechanisms can be useful to minimize the effects of these problems. With this aim, we have analyzed four previous fair mechanisms under dynamic scenarios and we have proposed a new one that takes into account changes in the supply as well as the presence of alternative marketplaces. We experimentally show how the new mechanism presents a higher average performance under all simulated conditions, resulting in a higher profit for the auctioneer than with the previous ones, and in most cases avoiding the waste of resources.     

Topic model validation

In this paper the problem of performing external validation of the semantic coherence of topic models is considered. The Fowlkes-Mallows index, a known clustering validation metric, is generalized for the case of overlapping partitions and multi-labeled collections, thus making it suitable for validating topic modeling algorithms. In addition, we propose new probabilistic metrics inspired by the concepts of recall and precision. The proposed metrics also have clear probabilistic interpretations and can be applied to validate and compare other soft and overlapping clustering algorithms. The approach is exemplified by using the Reuters-21578 multi-labeled collection to validate LDA models, then using Monte Carlo simulations to show the convergence to the correct results. Additional statistical evidence is provided to better understand the relation of the metrics presented.     

A Java simulator of Rescorla and Wagner's prediction error model and configural cue extensions

In this paper we present the "R&W Simulator" (version 3.0), a Java simulator of Rescorla and Wagner's prediction error model of learning. It is able to run whole experimental designs, and compute and display the associative values of elemental and compound stimuli simultaneously, as well as use extra configural cues in generating compound values; it also permits change of the US parameters across phases. The simulator produces both numerical and graphical outputs, and includes a functionality to export the results to a data processor spreadsheet. It is user-friendly, and built with a graphical interface designed to allow neuroscience researchers to input the data in their own "language". It is a cross-platform simulator, so it does not require any special equipment, operative system or support program, and does not need installation. The "R&W Simulator" (version 3.0) is available free.     

A case based reasoning model for multilingual language generation in dialogues

The process of Natural Language Generation for a Conversational Agent translates some semantic language to its surface form expressed in natural language. In this paper, we are going to show a Case Based Reasoning technique which is easily extensible and adaptable to multiple domains and languages, that generates coherent phrases and produces a natural outcome in the context of a Conversational Agent that maintains a dialogue with the user.     

Comments on “A novel dead time compensator for stable processes with long dead times” [Journal of Process Control 22 (2012) 612–625]

This short communication analyzes the results recently presented in the paper “On a novel dead time compensator for stable processes with long dead times” published in the Journal of Process Control. In the mentioned paper it is argued that the proposed strategy, called modified Smith predictor (MSP), gives better performance than the filtered Smith predictor (FSP) dead-time compensator for stable processes with dead time. In fact MSP has the same structure as FSP and only some specific tuning rules of the filters are proposed. Therefore, in this work some aspects of the comparative analysis and tuning rules presented in the referred paper are discussed to show that MSP is a particular case of FSP and that for some particular cases its tuning rule does not allow for a good closed-loop response. Some simulation case studies are used to illustrate these aspects.     

基于物联网的苹果树病虫防治专家系统的设计与应用

提出一种基于物联网技术的专家系统结构,并以苹果树病虫防治专家系统为例,介绍专家系统的设计方法,以及物联网技术在专家系统中的应用和管理.