Cashing in on Caching: An Architecture for Time-Bounded Knowledge-Based Problem Solving

Knowledge-based computing, in general, suffers from an inherent open-endedness that precludes its application in time-bounded domains where an answer must be computed within a stipulated time limit. We examine a two-way improvement of the shortcomings: a knowledge representation scheme that provides easy access to relevant knowledge and thereby reduces search time, and a reasoning scheme that is algorithmic in nature and thus makes computational requirements meaningfully estimable.In this work, we offer a cache-based architecture that is capable of both storing knowledge in different formats (e.g. rules, cases), and invoking an appropriate reasoning scheme to fit the available computing time. The cache helps in retrieving the most relevant pieces of knowledge (not only exact matches) required for solving a given problem. This cache relies on a reasoning tactic, knowledge interpolation, that can generate a solution from two near-matches in an algorithmic way, to generate time-bounded solutions. We illustrate the design of such a cache for solving resource allocation problems in the domain of shortwave radio transmission and evaluate its performance in observing imposed temporal bounds.     

Profile of Triacylglycerols,Phenols, and Vitamin E of Manjari Medika Grape Seed Oil and Cake: Introducing a Novel Indian Variety

The aim of the study is to investigate the biochemical composition of grapeseed oil and cake from an unexplored Indian grape‐juice cultivar, Manjari Medika (MM). The composition of oil and residual seed cake is evaluated using various chromatographic and spectroscopic techniques. The findings demonstrate that the vitamin E content of MM‐seed oil (1.15–1.35 g kg^?1) is distinctively higher than the Codex standard, suggesting its superior quality as an edible oil. The predominant triacylglycerols include trilinolein (LLL, 43%), dilinoleoyl‐stearylglycerol (LSL, 19%), and dilinoleoyl‐palmitoylglycerol (LLP, 11%), which are earlier recognized as natural antioxidants. The seed‐cake is rich in polyphenols including acylated anthocyanins (e.g., pelargonidin‐3‐O‐coumaroyl glucoside) and certain other flavonoids (e.g., catechin). The profile of phytonutrients in MM seed‐oil and cake is significantly superior to its seeded female parent and two other widely cultivated wine‐grape varieties. In brief, the studied by‐products of this new grape‐juice cultivar can be an important source of high‐value ingredients for use in food supplements, nutraceuticals, and functional foods. Practical applications: This study reports the phytochemical profile of the seed‐oil and seed cake derived from a newly developed grape variety, Manjari Medika. High contents of selective antioxidants: lipids, vitamin E, and phenols in the seed‐oil and cake with health benefits suggest their potential for use in nutraceutical and functional foods. These byproducts can be utilised as ingredients of functional foods and nutraceuticals (e.g., grape seed oil capsule) and also as raw materials in food supply chains (e.g., for production of grape cookies or cake). MM can also be utilized as a colorant in the food industry.     

Modelling of a downdraft biomass gasifier with finite rate kinetics in the reduction zone

A model of a downdraft gasifier has been developed based on chemical equilibrium in the pyro‐oxidation zone and finite rate kinetic‐controlled chemical reactions in the reduction zone. The char reactivity factor (C_RF) in the reduction zone, representing the number of active sites on the char and its degree of burn out, has been optimized by comparing the model predictions against the experimental results from the literature. The model predictions agree well with the temperature distribution and exit gas composition obtained from the experiments at C_RF=100. A detailed parametric study has been performed at different equivalence ratios (between 2 and 3.4) and moisture content (in the range of 0–40%) in the fuel to obtain the composition of the producer gas as well as its heating value. It is observed that the heating value of the producer gas increases with the increase in the equivalence ratio and decrease in the biomass moisture content. The effect of divergence angle of the reduction zone geometry (in the range of 30–150°) on the temperature and species concentration distributions in the gasifier has been studied. An optimum divergence angle, giving the best quality of the producer gas, has been identified for a particular height of the reduction zone. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Antimicrobial Properties of Nanogold-Imprinted Starch Bionanocomposites

Nanogold-imprinted starch bionanocomposites of various compositions were synthesized by “one-pot reaction” with in situ generation of nanogold. Bionanocomposites were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscope and high-resolution transmission electron microscope. The electrical conductivity of nanocomposites was enhanced because of dispersion of nanogold in the starch. Antimicrobial activity of starch was increased due to incorporation of nanogold. The bionanocomposites were resistant towards dilute acid and alkali with little scarification in biodegradable properties. The enhanced thermal, gas barrier and antimicrobial properties may enable the synthesized materials for packaging applications.     

Crystal structure, thermal expansion and electrical conductivity of Nd0.7Sr0.3Fe1−xCoxO3 (0≤x≤0.8)

The crystal structure, thermal expansion and electrical conductivity of the solid solution Nd_0.7Sr_0.3Fe_1−xCo_xO₃ for 0≤x≤0.8 were investigated. All compositions had the GdFeO₃-type orthorhombic perovskite structure. The lattice parameters were determined at room temperature by X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD). The pseudo-cubic lattice constant decreased continuously with x. The average linear thermal expansion coefficient (TEC) in the temperature range from 573 to 973 K was found to increase with x. The thermal expansion curves for all values of x displayed rapid increase in slope at high temperatures. The electrical conductivity increased with x for the entire temperature range of measurement. The calculated activation energy values indicate that electrical conduction takes place primarily by the small polaron hopping mechanism. The charge compensation for the divalent ion on the A-site is provided by the formation of Fe⁴⁺ ions on the B-site (in preference to Co⁴⁺ ions) and vacancies on the oxygen sublattice for low values of x. The large increase in the conductivity with x in the range from 0.6 to 0.8 is attributed to the substitution of Fe⁴⁺ ions by Co⁴⁺ ions. The Fe site has a lower small polaron site energy than Co and hence behaves like a carrier trap, thereby drastically reducing the conductivity. The non-linear behaviour in the dependence of log σT with reciprocal temperature can be attributed to the generation of additional charge carriers with increasing temperature by the charge disproportionation of Co³⁺ ions.     

Temporal link prediction in multi-relational network

Link prediction problem in complex networks has received substantial amount of attention in the field of social network analysis. Though initial studies consider only static snapshot of a network, importance of temporal dimension has been observed and cultivated subsequently. In recent times, multi-domain relationships between node-pairs embedded in real networks have been exploited to boost link prediction performance. In this paper, we combine multi-domain topological features as well as temporal dimension, and propose a robust and efficient feature set called TMLP (Time-aware Multi-relational Link Prediction) for link prediction in dynamic heterogeneous networks. It combines dynamics of graph topology and history of interactions at dyadic level, and exploits time-series model in the feature extraction process. Several experiments on two networks prepared from DBLP bibliographic dataset show that the proposed framework outperforms the existing methods significantly, in predicting future links. It also demonstrates the necessity of combining heterogeneous information with temporal dynamics of graph topology and dyadic history in order to predict future links. Empirical results find that the proposed feature set is robust against longitudinal bias.