A method for the efficient prioritization of infrastructure renewal projects

The infrastructure renewal program at MIT consists of a large number of projects with an estimated budget that could approach $1 billion. Infrastructure renewal at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is the process of evaluating and investing in the maintenance of facility systems and basic structure to preserve existing campus buildings. The selection and prioritization of projects must be addressed with a systematic method for the optimal allocation of funds and other resources. This paper presents a case study of a prioritization method utilizing multi-attribute utility theory. This method was developed at MIT's Department of Nuclear Engineering and was deployed by the Department of Facilities after appropriate modifications were implemented to address the idiosyncrasies of infrastructure renewal projects and the competing criteria and constraints that influence the judgment of the decision-makers. Such criteria include minimization of risk, optimization of economic impact, and coordination with academic policies, programs, and operations of the Institute. A brief overview of the method is presented, as well as the results of its application to the prioritization of infrastructure renewal projects. Results of workshops held at MIT with the participation of stakeholders demonstrate the feasibility of the prioritization method and the usefulness of this approach.     

THE APPLICATION OF COKELET''''S WAVE THEORY IN THE CALCULATION OF WAVE-CURRENT FIELD

By using Cokelet's wave theory,the limiting wave height and the relative waveangular frequency in wave-current field were calculated in this paper.It is indicated by numeri-cal calculation that if the water depth is not too small,the result given by authors'calculationare very close to the results of limiting wave height by Dalrymple(1975)and to the data of rel-ative wave angular frequency by linear wave theory;but if water depth is rather small,thereare some discrepancy,     

压水堆核电厂用全自动多螺栓四同步安装机的结构创新研究

首先在结构上创造了新型螺栓、螺母和一套崭新的安装机。在主机上去掉了精密、复杂、昂贵的机器人或机械手，改用结构简单的集成齿轮机构，以实现同步旋拧功能；运用现代流体传动与控制的理论，建立流本控制的数学模型和传递函数，从而实现了4个同步安装的效果。     

A New Approach to Abstract Syntax with Variable Binding

The permutation model of set theory with atoms (FM-sets), devised by Fraenkel and Mostowski in the 1930s, supports notions of ‘name-abstraction’ and ‘fresh name’ that provide a new way to represent, compute with, and reason about the syntax of formal systems involving variable-binding operations. Inductively defined FM-sets involving the name-abstraction set former (together with Cartesian product and disjoint union) can correctly encode syntax modulo renaming of bound variables. In this way, the standard theory of algebraic data types can be extended to encompass signatures involving binding operators. In particular, there is an associated notion of structural recursion for defining syntax-manipulating functions (such as capture avoiding substitution, set of free variables, etc.) and a notion of proof by structural induction, both of which remain pleasingly close to informal practice in computer science. Received October 2000 / Accepted in revised form April 2001     

由有穷自动机构造正则表达式的新算法

本文借助图论的理论，通过识别回路和不包含回路的由起始状态到终止状态的路径的方法，提出一种构造给定有穷自动机对应的正则表达式的新算法，并给出具体实例。     

A remark on bilinear systems and moduli spaces of instantons

Explicit equations are given for the moduli space of framed instantons as a quasi-affine variety, based on the representation theory of noncommutative power series, or equivalently, the minimal realization theory of bilinear systems.     

Some Notes on the Formal Properties of Bidirectional Optimality Theory

In this paper, we discuss some formal properties of the model ofbidirectional Optimality Theory that was developed inBlutner (2000). We investigate the conditions under whichbidirectional optimization is a well-defined notion, and we give aconceptually simpler reformulation of Blutner's definition. In thesecond part of the paper, we show that bidirectional optimization can bemodeled by means of finite state techniques. There we rely heavily onthe related work of Frank and Satta (1998) about unidirectionaloptimization.     

Simulating the Child's Acquisition of the Lexicon and Syntax—Experiences With Babel

This paper describes the theory and implementation ofBabel, a system which explores the hypothesis that much of the differences in the world's languages may be characterized by the inventory and properties of the lexical items and functional categories of those languages. The structure ofBabel assumes that functional categories are originally lacking in a child's syntax, and are acquired through a statistical induction process of lexical acquisition.Babel then uses information induced from the structure of the lexicon to create a model of syntax via a deductive, rule-based process. This model makes a number of predictions about the time course of language acquisition. These predictions are tested by runningBabel as a simulation of child language acquisition, using large samples of adult speech to children as input. The simulation results are shown to highly correlate to longitudinal studies of child language acquisition in English and Polish. Finally, the approach to handling noisy data withBabel is detailed.     

On perspectives, theories, models, and friends: A reply to the relationalists.

The authors respond to the "relational" issue of Psychoanalytic Psychology (PP; Vol. 12, No. 1) and support Karol Marshall's remonstration about the need to clarify what exactly the category relational refers to. It is noteworthy that in this issue of PP the relational thinkers do not engage the specific topics of our essay. The author's article attempted to review the most comprehensive relational thinkers of that time across theoretical variables. Relationalists have begun to spell out the technical consequences of their perspective in recent discussions of neutrality, authority, and self-disclosure, among other issues. This is a useful trend in the relational literature, and we hope it continues. We are concerned, however, that the relational thinkers writing in this issue tend to dismiss the contributions to PP 12(1) because the perspectives presented there did not satisfy the relationalist vision of how scientific exchange should be undertaken. Although we feel that it is important for emerging points of view to be able to elaborate assumptions, constructs, and principles within their own framework and in their own way, constructive dialogue, much less a comparative analysis of the contributions and limitations of different points of view, requires that we have some common ground. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)