Modelling defeasible and prioritized support in bipolar argumentation

Cayrol and Lagasquie-Schiex introduce bipolar argumentation frameworks by introducing a second relation on the arguments for representing the support among them. The main drawback of their approach is that they cannot encode defeasible support, for instance they cannot model an attack towards a support relation. In this paper, we introduce a way to model defeasible support in bipolar argumentation frameworks. We use the methodology of meta-argumentation in which Dung??s theory is used to reason about itself. Dung??s well-known admissibility semantics can be used on this meta-argumentation framework to compute the acceptable arguments, and all properties of Dung??s classical theory are preserved. Moreover, we show how different contexts can lead to the alternative strengthening of the support relation over the attack relation, and converse. Finally, we present two applications of our methodology for modeling support, the case of arguments provided with an internal structure and the case of abstract dialectical frameworks.     

Mapping of hydrothermally altered rocks by the EO‐1 Hyperion sensor,Northern Danakil Depression,Eritrea

An EO‐1 Hyperion scene was used to identify and map hydrothermally altered rocks and a Precambrian metamorphic sequence at and around the Alid volcanic dome, at the northern Danakil Depression, Eritrea. Mapping was coupled with laboratory analyses, including reflectance measurements, X‐ray diffraction, and petrographic examination of selected rock samples. Thematic maps were compiled from the dataset, which was carefully pre‐processed to evaluate and to correct interferences in the data. Despite the difficulties, lithological mapping using narrow spectral bands proved possible. A spectral signature attributed to ammonium was detected in the laboratory measurements of hydrothermally altered rocks from Alid. This was expressed as spectral absorption clues in the atmospherically corrected cube, at the known hydrothermally altered areas. The existence of ammonium in hydrothermally altered rocks within the Alid dome has been confirmed by previous studies. Spectral information of endmember's mineralogy found in the area (e.g. dolomite) enables a surface mineral map to be produced that stands in good agreement with the known geology along the overpass. These maps are the first hyperspectral overview of the surface mineralogy in this arid terrain and may be used as a base for future studies of remote areas such as the Danakil.     

Object-Oriented Analysis: Is It Just Theory?

Academic researchers and practitioners frequently describe a situation in which the object-oriented (OO) approach strongly supports the design and coding phases of software development but only weakly supports the analysis phase. Such observations conflict with impressions imparted by textbooks and training programs. This article examines whether object oriented analysis (OOA) theory has been deployed in practice (with or without support of computer-aided software engineering tools) or whether it exists only in theory. This study explores 54 projects, diverse in scope and topic, all of which were implemented using object-oriented tools. The study shows that practitioners haven't widely adopted the theoretically popular OOA and suggests a cost-benefit perspective, arguing that OOA fails to attract practitioners because of a low ratio of costs to benefits relative to other methodologies. In particular, practitioners perceive the cost of system modeling using OOA methodologies and UML diagrams as high relative to its benefits. The authors present of recommendations to reduce costs and increase benefits in OOA.     

A Theory of Hierarchical Consequence and Conditionals

We introduce A{\mathcal{A}} -ranked preferential structures and combine them with an accessibility relation. A{\mathcal{A}} -ranked preferential structures are intermediate between simple preferential structures and ranked structures. The additional accessibility relation allows us to consider only parts of the overall A{\mathcal{A}} -ranked structure. This framework allows us to formalize contrary to duty obligations, and other pictures where we have a hierarchy of situations, and maybe not all are accessible to all possible worlds. Representation results are proved.     

Unsupervised natural image patch learning

Computational Visual Media - A metric for natural image patches is an important tool for analyzing images. An efficient means of learning one is to train a deep network to map an image patch to a...     

A sparsity driven kernel machine based on minimizing a generalization error bound

A new sparsity driven kernel classifier is presented based on the minimization of a recently derived data-dependent generalization error bound. The objective function consists of the usual hinge loss function penalizing training errors and a concave penalty function of the expansion coefficients. The problem of minimizing the non-convex bound is addressed by a successive linearization approach, whereby the problem is transformed into a sequence of linear programs. The algorithm produced comparable error rates to the standard support vector machine but significantly reduced the number of support vectors and the concomitant classification time.     

Thermal Characterisation of Porous Silicon Membranes

Results of thermal characterisation based on the phase lag of photoacoustic signal for front-rear surface illumination of porous silicon and nitrided porous silicon membranes for gas sensing devices are presented. Thermal conductivity values in good agreement with literature values have been obtained, confirming the usefulness and reliability of photothermal methods in the investigation of new materials for sensors and microsystems. Preliminary results of stokes-antistokes Raman investigations are also reported.     

Mapping Knowledge about Product Lifecycle Engineering for Ontology Construction via Object-Process Methodology

Knowledge mapping is a first and mandatory step in ontology definition. This paper considers the lifecycle of products and systems, and discusses the creation of a knowledge-based ontology. With respect to the life cycle of products and systems, knowledge refers to the processes involved in their creation (design manufacturing and assembly), use and maintenance, and end of life (EOL). Hence, this knowledge should consider what a product is comprised of (its structure), how it operates (its dynamics), and how it interacts with the environment. A clearly defined and consistent mapping of knowledge regarding structure, operation and interaction is necessary to construct an effective and useful ontology. Yet, in order to obtain the required knowledge and to organize it in a consistent and useful form, an appropriate ontology must be used. An interactive, iterative and consistent method is needed to cope with this complex and circular problem. In this paper, the Object-Process Methodology (OPM) approach is considered, along with OPCAT [1], a tool for OPM-based knowledge modeling. OPM is a systems-modeling approach that represents knowledge about systems concurrently and bi-modally through graphics (a set of Object-Process Diagrams, OPDs) and text (Object-Process Language, OPL, a subset of English), yielding a single, unified and consistent view. In this paper we propose a foundational modeling and ontology construction approach for a generic product that incorporates hardware and software components. The ontology can serve as a basis for a knowledge model to cover the entire product lifecycle, from inception to EOL, and can be applied in the VRL-KCiP Network of Excellence.     

Modelling Off-the-Shelf Information Systems Requirements: An Ontological Approach

Requirements for choosing off-the-shelf information systems (OISR) differ from requirements for development of new information systems in that they do not necessarily provide complete specifications, thus allowing flexibility in matching an existing IS to the stated needs. We present a framework for OISR conceptual models that consists of four essential elements: business processes, business rules, information objects and required system services. We formalise the definitions of these concepts based on an ontological model. The ontology-based OISR model provides a framework to evaluate modelling languages on how appropriate they are for OISR requirements specifications. The evaluation framework is applied to the Object-Process Methodology, and its results are compared with a similar evaluation of ARIS. This comparison demonstrates the effectiveness of the ontological framework for evaluating modelling tools on how well they can guide selection, implementation and integration of purchased software packages.     

A family of goal directed theorem provers based on conjunction and implication: Part 1

This paper presents a family of theorem provers for classical, intuitionistic and neighbouring logics. The theorem provers are based on a formulation of these logics in terms of conjunction, implication and falsity. Computation is goal directed, and, for the special case of Horn clauses, coincides with pure Prolog computation. Our approach is generic, and, as we shall show in a subsequent paper, can be adapted to other logics, such as modal and temporal systems.The research described in this paper has been funded partially by Esprit project No. 393, ACORD, of the European Commission.