A frame-based knowledge representation model and its mapping to nested relations

The first part of this paper introduces the basic constructs of a frame representation model and gives a formal definition for them. Subsequently the nested relational model (NF²) is described as an extension of the classical relational model to support relation-valued attributes. In the second part of this paper both models are compared with each other and a mapping of frame representation structures to NF² structures is specified. The structural similarities between frames and NF² relations are made clear and it is shown that their main difference is due to the type polymorphism introduced by the concept hierarchy of the frame model. This causes type collisions to occur in the strictly typed NF² model when frames are directly mapped to NF² structures. Two solutions to this problem are suggested and compared. The paper concludes with a reformulation of query operations of the frame model in terms of NF² algebra operations.     

A dynamic linear programming approach to market allocation of renewable resources in the italian energy system: The case of solar thermal and biogas technologies

In Italy solar thermal energy and energy from biogas are two possible means of reducing dependence on energy imports. Using a multiperiod LP model (MARKAL) the authors assessed the likely potential of both technologies under various circumstances. The study covered the period 1980–2005, in five segments of five years. It focused only on the subsystem of the energy end-uses which can be substituted for by solar thermal and biogas technologies. The overall non-renewable sources which can be saved in 20 years by these technologies total 450 PJ (1 PJ = 10^{1 5} J) if the fuel prices rise at 0 per cent average annual, 1450 PJ if the fuel prices rise at 4.2 per cent average annual, 1860 PJ if the fuel prices rise at 7.2 per cent average annual and 3780 PJ if the fuel prices rise at 15 per cent average annual. However the most competitive technologies appear to be solar water heaters used mainly in the private and commercial sectors and biogas systems used mainly in the agricultural sector. The study was carried out by APRE under ENEA (formerly CNEN) contract and was intended to serve as an analytical basis for establishing an overall development and demonstration strategy for end-use renewable technologies in Italy.     

Review of Forms of feeling: The heart of psychotherapy.

Reviews the book, Forms of feeling: The heart of psychotherapy by Robert F. Hobson. Robert Hobson calls this book his autobiography as a therapist. As such it provides interesting glimpses into some of his more meaningful sessions with clients, illuminating his approach to therapy and enabling the reader to see a master therapist at work. Hobson also presents a new method of therapy, which he calls the conversational model. On this level, his book is considerably less satisfying. Hobson succinctly outlines the general principles of the conversational model and basic skills required of the therapist, but in so doing offers essentially little new information, however valid the points may be. According to Hobson, the conversational model is designed for clients whose problems arise from disturbances in their significant relationships, and those problems are best solved not by talking about them but by being in a relationship such as therapy that provides "a special kind of friendship." Hobson puts great stress on the use of metaphorical language in therapy and learning how to use the language of art as well as of science. He relies heavily on literary quotations, prefacing each section with one or two, and liberally interspersing many more within the pages of text. The net result is not so much illuminating as it is wearisome, and the general tone is slightly pretentious and, when Hobson addresses his "dear Reader" directly, somewhat condescending. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Residual Stress Simulation of Injection Molding

In this study, distribution and history of residual stresses in plaque-like geometries are simulated based on linear thermoviscoelastic model, which helps to understand the mechanics and evolution of the residual stresses in the injection molding process. The numerical calculation of direction, combined with the specified boundary conditions. Results show that the stress variation across the thickness exhibits a high surface tensile value changing to a compressive peak value close to the surface, with the core region experiencing a parabolic tensile peak. Residual stress distribution throughout the thickness is almost same along the flowpath and the final residual stresses value near the gate is lower than the value near the end of flowpath.     

Compact Dipole Antenna for Terrestrial Digital Multimedia Broadcasting Service

A compact dipole antenna for the terrestrial digital multimedia broadcasting (TDMB) application is presented. The length of the antenna is about 0.06λ at the TDMB resonance frequency of 190 MHz. Miniaturization of the antenna is achieved by using meander structures and lumped elements. The proposed antenna has two resonance frequencies and covers the TDMB band from 174 MHz to 216 MHz in Korea. The antenna has good impedance bandwidth and radiation characteristics for the TDMB. The experimental results of the designed dipole antenna are presented and analyzed.     

Identification of gaps in mangrove forests with airborne LIDAR

Mangrove forests change frequently due to disturbances from tropical storms, frost, lightning, and insects. It has been suggested that the death and regeneration of trees in small gaps due to lightning may play a critical role in mangrove forest turnover; however, the large-scale quantification of spatial pattern and areas of gaps is lacking for investigating this issue. Airborne light detection and ranging (LIDAR) technology provides an effective way for identifying gaps by remotely obtaining direct measurements of ground and canopy elevations. A method based on an alternative sequential filter and black top-hat mathematical morphological transformation was developed to extract gap features. Comparison of identified gap polygons with raw LIDAR measurements and field surveys shows that the proposed method successfully extracted gap features in mangrove forests in Everglades National Park. There are 400–500 lightning gaps per square kilometer in mangrove forests at the study sites. The distribution of gap sizes follows an exponential form and the area of gaps with sizes larger than 100 m² account for 55–61% of the total area of gaps. The area of gaps in the mangrove forest in Everglades National Park is about 4–5% of the total forest area and the average gap formation rate is about 0.3% of the total forest area per year, indicating that lightning gaps play an important role in mangrove forest dynamics.     

Symmetric BEM formulations for 2-D steady-state and transit potential problems

This paper presents a new concept for symmetric boundary element method (SBEM) applicable to 2-D steady-state and transit potential problems. Two kinds of SBEM formulations are derived. Symmetry is obtained simply through matrix manipulation, and no hypersingularity appears. Therefore, SBEM is much easier than the traditional symmetric Galerkin BEM. Compared with the traditional asymmetric BEM, the present SBEM can reduce the computational cost for time domain problems only. However, when applied to BEM/FEM coupling procedure, SBEM can reduce the computational cost for both steady-state and time domain problems. Three numerical examples are included to illustrate the effectiveness and accuracy of the present formulations.     

Extensions of LDA by PCA mixture model and class-wise features

Linear discriminant analysis (LDA) is a data discrimination technique that seeks transformation to maximize the ratio of the between-class scatter and the within-class scatter. While it has been successfully applied to several applications, it has two limitations, both concerning the underfitting problem. First, it fails to discriminate data with complex distributions since all data in each class are assumed to be distributed in the Gaussian manner. Second, it can lose class-wise information, since it produces only one transformation over the entire range of classes. We propose three extensions of LDA to overcome the above problems. The first extension overcomes the first problem by modelling the within-class scatter using a PCA mixture model that can represent more complex distribution. The second extension overcomes the second problem by taking different transformation for each class in order to provide class-wise features. The third extension combines these two modifications by representing each class in terms of the PCA mixture model and taking different transformation for each mixture component. It is shown that all our proposed extensions of LDA outperform LDA concerning classification errors for synthetic data classification, hand-written digit recognition, and alphabet recognition.     

Mixed formulation of nonlinear beam on foundation elements

This paper presents an inelastic element for the analysis of beams on foundations. The element is derived from a two-field mixed formulation with independent approximation of forces and displacements. The state determination algorithm for the implementation of the element in a general purpose nonlinear finite element analysis program is presented and its stability characteristics are discussed. Numerical studies are performed to compare the model with the classical displacement formulation. The studies confirm the superiority of the proposed model in describing the inelastic behavior of beams on foundations.