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Kinds of Approach. Selected AbstractsAdolescents with Type 1 Diabetes: transition between diabetes servicesJOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING, Issue 6 2006Kate Visentin MN Aim., The research aimed to develop a sustainable and coordinated approach to facilitating the transition between diabetes services for adolescents. The objectives were to: (1) involve key diabetes health delivery stakeholders in expressing their concerns and issues about current service delivery and ways to improve same, and (2) reveal from the perspective of the adolescents living with Type 1 Diabetes their experiences surrounding the process of transition. Background., This paper presents research that sought to identify the major concerns and issues that stakeholders had about transition and to reveal the experience of transition for the adolescent with Type 1 Diabetes. Key representatives from seven public diabetes services in Adelaide, South Australia worked collaboratively to answer the objectives of this inquiry. Approach., Interview data were generated and analysed using a response focus framework provided by fourth generation evaluation research. In this study, the focus was on common concerns, claims and issues raised by health care professionals (n = 21) and adolescents (n = 10) aged between 15 and 18 years about transferring from children's to adult diabetes services. Findings., Data revealed education and dietetic advice was reactive rather than proactive and that the paediatric model of care is philosophically and practically different to the adult model of diabetes care. Three phases of transition were identified: preparation, formal transition and evaluation. Our findings indicated that these stages of transition were not being fully implemented in health units. Conclusion., The project findings have set the scene to establish a multidisciplinary working party to work collaboratively across agencies to develop effective transition pathways. Relevance to clinical practice., The role of diabetes nurse educators and dietitians in South Australia is under-used throughout the transition process. Diabetes nurse educators are in an ideal position to prepare, coordinate and evaluate transitional processes. [source] MLJ,Reviews: Japanese Language Teaching: A Communicative Approach. by BENATI, ALESSANDRO T.MODERN LANGUAGE JOURNAL, Issue 3 2010SUWAKO WATANABE No abstract is available for this article. [source] Strategies for the numerical integration of DAE systems in multibody dynamicsCOMPUTER APPLICATIONS IN ENGINEERING EDUCATION, Issue 2 2004E. Pennestrì Abstract The number of multibody dynamics courses offered in the university is increasing. Often the instructor has the necessity to go through the steps of an algorithm by working out a simple example. This gives the student a better understand of the basic theory. This paper provides a tutorial on the numerical integration of differential-algebraic equations (DAE) arising from the dynamic modeling of multibody mechanical systems. In particular, some algorithms based on the orthogonalization of the Jacobian matrix are herein discussed. All the computational steps involved are explained in detail and by working out a simple example. It is also reported a brief description and an application of the multibody code NumDyn3D which uses the Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) approach. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ 12: 106,116, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com); DOI 10.1002/cae.20005 [source] Can behavioral evolution be measured on a staircase? a commentaryDEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOBIOLOGY, Issue 1 2004Celia L. Moore Abstract The serious, comparative study of behavioral complexity that Greenberg et al. advocate is a progressive direction for the field, but their proposal to separate comparative psychology from its roots in evolutionary biology seems regressive. Modern evolutionary theory has been broadened within biology to include development and paleontology alongside natural selection, making closer integration with that discipline particularly timely. Such an integrated evolutionary approach in psychology would offer a useful alternative to the adaptationism popularized by evolutionary psychology. Although the differences between comparative psychologists and biologists may be blurred in the process, the behavioral sciences will be better served by a rich biological approach to evolution than by a uniquely psychological approach. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 44: 16,20, 2004. [source] Occurrence and distribution of sesamoid bones in squamates: a comparative approachACTA ZOOLOGICA, Issue 3 2010Adriana Jerez Abstract Jerez, A., Mangione, S. and Abdala, V. 2010. Occurrence and distribution of sesamoid bones in squamates: a comparative approach.,Acta Zoologica (Stockholm) 91: 295,305 Sesamoids are defined as skeletal elements that develop within a continuous band of regular dense connective tissue (tendon or ligament) adjacent to an articulation or joint. In this work, we discuss developmental data on two squamate species, provide data on the onset of the squamate sesamoids and the muscles they are associated to. Our results show that Mabuya mabouya and Liolaemus albiceps exhibited rather similar ontogenetic patterns and that the first sesamoids appear in embryos. The ossifying sesamoid timing is different between M. mabouya and L. albiceps, being faster in the former. In adults, we found 41 sesamoids, considering both fore and hindlimbs. We did not find any intrataxonomic differences, or any differences between the right and left side of the specimens in relation to the sesamoid presence. We recognize four types of sesamoids: (1) embedded sesamoids; (2) interosseus sesamoids; (3) glide sesamoids; and (4) supporting sesamoids. A table is included with a preliminary survey of the sesamoid distribution pattern in 10 Squamate clades. [source] Design and integration of eco-industrial parks for managing water resourcesENVIRONMENTAL PROGRESS & SUSTAINABLE ENERGY, Issue 2 2009Eva M. Lovelady Abstract This work is aimed at developing an optimization-based approach to the design and integration of eco-industrial parks (EIPs). Focus is given to the management of water among multiple processes in a common EIP facility. Recycle, reuse, and separation using interception devices are considered as possible strategies for managing wastewater. A source-interception-sink structural representation is used to embed potential configurations of interest. The representation accounts for the possibilities of direct recycle, material (waste) exchange, mixing and segregation of different streams, separation and treatment in interception units, and allocation to process users (sinks). Then, the EIP design problem is formulated as an optimization program whose objective is to minimize cost of the EIP while determining optimal recycle and separation strategies. A case study is solved to illustrate the applicability of the devised approach. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 2009 [source] Val-Ala Dipeptide Isosteres by Hydrocyanation of ,,-Amino ,,,-Unsaturated Ketones , Control of Stereoselectivity by the N -Protecting GroupEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF ORGANIC CHEMISTRY, Issue 10 2003Fabio Benedetti Abstract Three diastereoisomeric hydroxyethylene isosters of the Val-Ala dipeptide were synthesized from ,,,-unsaturated ketones 1 derived from N -Boc- and N,N -dibenzyl- L -valine. The enones were hydrocyanated with diethylaluminum cyanide to give the corresponding ,-cyano ketones with the stereoselectivity depending on the protecting group. N -Boc protected enone 1a gave a 1:1 mixture of anti and syn adducts 4a, 5a while the corresponding N,N -dibenzyl compound 1c gave a 6:1 mixture of anti, syn adducts 4c, 5c. Borohydride reduction of the resulting cyano ketones is also controlled by the protecting group, resulting in opposite stereoselectivities for N -Boc and N,N -dibenzyl compounds. The cyano alcohols thus obtained were converted, in several steps, into two series of enantiomerically pure hydroxyethylene isosters of the Val-Ala dipeptide. In the first series the hydroxy group and the N -terminal of the isoster are internally protected through the formation of an oxazolidine; in the second series the hydroxy group and the C-terminal are protected as lactone. Two oxazolidines (28, 29), corresponding to syn,syn and syn,anti 4-hydroxy-5-amino acid isosters, and three lactones (23,25), corresponding to syn,syn, syn,anti, and anti,anti isosters were obtained by this approach. (© Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2003) [source] Pilot study experiments sourcing quartzite, Gunnison Basin, ColoradoGEOARCHAEOLOGY: AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL, Issue 6 2008Bonnie L. Pitblado This paper reports the results of pilot-study efforts to develop methods to profile quartzite, a rock type to which geochemical and other sourcing techniques have only rarely been applied. The long-term goal of the research is to fingerprint sources of quartzite in the Gunnison Basin, southwest Colorado, used by Paleoindian people ca. 11,500,8,000 years ago to make stone tools. Success would facilitate reconstruction of Paleoindian mobility in the Southern Rocky Mountains and potentially anywhere prehistoric people used quartzite. The goals of this paper are more modest: to demonstrate that a small-scale exploration of sourcing techniques suggests reason for optimism that quartzites may be amenable to source discrimination. For the same twenty Gunnison Basin quartzite samples, this study evaluated petrography, ultraviolet fluorescence (UVF), wavelength dispersive X-ray fluorescence (WD-XRF), instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA), and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry,both acid-digestion (AD-ICP-MS) and laser ablation (LA-ICP-MS),as means to differentiate among the specimens and the sources they represent. Although more testing is needed to verify and refine our results, the study suggests there is potential for petrography, INAA, and both versions of ICP-MS to discriminate among quartzites from different source localities in the Gunnison Basin. The greatest potential for discriminating among different sources of quartzite in the Gunnison Basin may lie in a methodology combining petrographic analysis and LA-ICPMS. Future testing is required to evaluate this two-fold approach. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Postradiotherapy surveillance practice for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma,too much for too little?,HEAD & NECK: JOURNAL FOR THE SCIENCES & SPECIALTIES OF THE HEAD AND NECK, Issue 12 2003David L. Schwartz MD Abstract Introduction. Limited information is available regarding surveillance patterns after head and neck cancer radiotherapy. We cataloged follow-up for a specified patient cohort treated at three neighboring university, community, and Veterans Administration institutions. Methods. One hundred fifteen patients were treated with curative intent between 1994,1998 with definitive or postoperative radiotherapy for newly diagnosed squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity, oropharynx, larynx, or hypopharynx. One hundred patients had continuous follow-up at their treating institution and were included for analysis. Median follow-up until disease recurrence or censorship was 28.5 months. Results. Median follow-up frequency was 5.7 visits/year and was highly variable. Although visit frequency correlated with disease stage and the presence of high-risk disease features, this association was lost when patients with early recurrences were removed from analysis. Procedure and test utilization closely mirrored visit frequency, resulting in a wide range of estimated yearly charges ($0,15,668/year; median, $1,772/year). Actuarial 3-year overall survival for the study group was 71%. Eighty-six percent (19 of 22) of potentially salvageable locoregional failures were discovered secondary to symptomatic complaint rather than by test results. Disease failure, whether detected by symptom or testing, predicted for poor survival (22% at 24 months after recurrence). Conclusions. Postradiotherapy surveillance for head and neck cancer is inconsistently pursued. A proven correlation between intensive follow-up and improved patient survival is lacking. Surveillance directed by patient symptoms should be investigated as an alternative approach. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 25: 000,000, 2003 [source] Preoperative evaluation of patients with parathyroid adenoma: Role of high-resolution ultrasonography,HEAD & NECK: JOURNAL FOR THE SCIENCES & SPECIALTIES OF THE HEAD AND NECK, Issue 1 2002David Ulanovski MD Abstract Background Unilateral parathyroid exploration with adenoma removal and identification of a normal parathyroid gland is a controversial surgical approach to the treatment of primary hyperparathyroidism. The aim of this study was to evaluate the ability of high-resolution ultrasonography to localize adenomas preoperatively and to assess the effect of such localization on operative time. Methods One hundred twenty consecutive previously non-operated patients with primary hyperparathyroidism underwent ultrasonography before surgery, which consisted of unilateral neck exploration. The procedure was changed to bilateral exploration when justified by the surgical findings. Results The sensitivity and positive predictive value of the ultrasonographic examinations were 89% and 98%, respectively. These results were obtained regardless of the size of the adenoma. No significant difference was found in the presence of thyroid multinodular disease (p = .2). A positive sonographic examination decreased the operative time to an average of 59 minutes. The average size of the adenomas was 19 mm (range, 4,55 mm). A positive and highly statistically significant correlation was found between adenoma size and both preoperative calcium level (p = .01) and parathyroid hormone level (p = .0001). Conclusions In experienced hands, high-resolution ultrasonography can be a cost-effective means of localizing parathyroid adenomas when unilateral neck exploration is considered the acceptable surgical approach. © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Head Neck 24: 1,5, 2002. [source] Virtual environments in machinery safety analysis and participatory ergonomicsHUMAN FACTORS AND ERGONOMICS IN MANUFACTURING & SERVICE INDUSTRIES, Issue 5 2007Timo J. Määttä The objective of this work was to evaluate the impact of Virtual Environments (VEs) on safety analysis and participatory ergonomics. The developed method Safety Analysis with Virtual Environments (SAVE) is based on Participatory Ergonomics (PE), Task Analysis (TA), Work Safety Analysis (WSA), the standard EN 1050, and three-dimensional (3-D) functional modeling of the objects being analyzed. The materials of this work comprised machinery systems of six plants in a steel factory, which were implementing ongoing modernization projects. The results indicate that the SAVE method was applicable for safety analysis in the machinery layout design phase. According to the results, 58% of all identified hazards in a steel factory could be identified with VEs. A common understanding of designs, possibilities of evaluating and developing the system by the workers, and of providing training for operators and maintenance persons were the major contribution when using VEs in a safety analysis and applying a participative ergonomics approach. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Hum Factors Man 17: 435,443, 2007. [source] Clustering technique for risk classification and prediction of claim costs in the automobile insurance industryINTELLIGENT SYSTEMS IN ACCOUNTING, FINANCE & MANAGEMENT, Issue 1 2001Ai Cheo Yeo This paper considers the problem of predicting claim costs in the automobile insurance industry. The first stage involves classifying policy holders according to their perceived risk, followed by modelling the claim costs within each risk group. Two methods are compared for the risk classification stage: a data-driven approach based on hierarchical clustering, and a previously published heuristic method that groups policy holders according to pre-defined factors. Regression is used to model the expected claim costs within a risk group. A case study is presented utilizing real data, and both risk classification methods are compared according to a variety of accuracy measures. The results of the case study show the benefits of employing a data-driven approach. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Expression profiling of Wilms tumors reveals new candidate genes for different clinical parametersINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CANCER, Issue 8 2006B. Zirn Abstract Wilms tumor is the most frequent renal neoplasm in children, but our understanding of its genetic basis is still limited. We performed cDNA microarray experiments using 63 primary Wilms tumors with the aim of detecting new candidate genes associated with malignancy grade and tumor progression. All tumors had received preoperative chemotherapy as mandated by the SIOP protocol, which sets this study apart from related approaches in the Unites States that are based on untreated samples. The stratification of expression data according to clinical criteria allowed a rather clear distinction between different subsets of Wilms tumors. Clear-cut differences in expression patterns were discovered between relapse-free as opposed to relapsed tumors and tumors with intermediate risk as opposed to high risk histology. Several differentially expressed genes, e.g.TRIM22, CENPF, MYCN, CTGF, RARRES3 and EZH2, were associated with Wilms tumor progression. For a subset of differentially expressed genes, microarray data were confirmed by real-time RT-PCR on the original set of tumors. Interestingly, we found the retinoic acid pathway to be deregulated at different levels in advanced tumors suggesting that treatment of these tumors with retinoic acid may represent a promising novel therapeutic approach. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Thermal decomposition of tert -butyl peroxide in a gas chromatographic reactor: A comparison of kinetic approachesINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL KINETICS, Issue 7 2004Peter J. Skrdla The thermal decomposition of tert -butyl peroxide is investigated utilizing both the column and the injection port of a commercial gas chromatograph (GC) as chemical reactors. Using the injector liner as the reactor, the chromatographic peak areas of the reactant, measured at various injector temperatures, are used in the determination of the activation energy of the decomposition (Ea). With the column serving as the reactor, both the reactant peak areas and the product peak shapes are similarly utilized for this purpose. Values of Ea obtained using different mathematical treatments for each of the three approaches are found to range from 115 to 164 kJ/mol. Of these methods, the column reactor approach utilizing peak area measurements (referred to as PACR, for "peak area, column reactor") is found to be far superior in terms of its speed, robustness, and its accuracy in determining Ea. The PACR method's effectiveness can be largely attributed to the mathematical treatment that is described in the approach. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 36: 386,393, 2004 [source] Family-based treatment of eating disordersINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EATING DISORDERS, Issue S1 2005James Lock MD Abstract The current article provides a brief description of the theory and empirical support for family treatment of eating disorders. The main literature related to family treatment for anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN) is reviewed and the findings highlighted. Family treatment, particularly as devised by researchers at the Maudsley Hospital, appears to be an effective treatment for adolescents with short-term AN. It also may be an appropriate treatment for BN in the same age group, although evidence for this is in much shorter supply. Data support the use of family treatments for adolescents with eating disorders. Controlled trials and other systematic research are needed to determine whether family treatment is the best approach. © 2005 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Aspect-enhanced goal-driven sequence diagramINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS, Issue 8 2010Jonathan Lee Recently, aspect-oriented approaches have resulted in a tremendous impact on the processing of broadly scoped properties during the development of software systems. However, the weaving mechanism of these crosscutting concerns cannot be easily represented with the extant unified modeling language (UML) notation at the early stage of software development life cycle. As an attempt toward the investigation of how the crosscutting behavior takes place, we proposed, in this work, an aspect-enhanced goal-driven approach to modeling the aspectual behavior in UML state transition diagrams and sequence diagrams with the proposed interaction operators based on the aspectual weaving semantics. By introducing the proposed interaction operations in the UML combined fragment, UML sequence diagrams can be further enhanced to support the modeling of the interactions between aspectual and base behavior in the analysis and design stage of software development. To further exemplify our points, the meeting scheduler system is chosen as a vehicle to illustrate the proposed approach. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] A goal-driven approach for service request modelingINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS, Issue 8 2010Chiung-Hon Leon Lee We propose a goal-driven approach to model the service request intention in service-oriented systems. The service request intention can be extracted from the user input and modeled by predefined goal models. We identify this problem as the service request intention extraction. If a service-oriented system has the abilities of user's intention extraction and can make some activities to satisfy the extracted intention, the system can provide a more convenient and efficient service for the user. We start the system construction from the view of goal-driven requirements engineering. The requirements specification is generated by the goal-based requirements analysis in which the functional and nonfunctional requirements will be extended with goal models. A set of computable goal models that represent the user requirements is selected and refined as the basis of system services. The designer can also design related system services based on the requirements specification. Based on the proposed intention extraction approach, the user's vague and imprecise intention will be extracted and mapped to computer understandable and computable goal models for representing the intention. A case-based method is developed to implement the intention extraction process. The intention interpretation knowledge is stored in a case base, and the intention interpretation is based on the process of case retrieval and adaptation. A general architecture for an intention-aware service-oriented system is proposed for demonstrating how to apply the proposed approach. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Evidential reasoning-based nonlinear programming model for MCDA under fuzzy weights and utilities,INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS, Issue 1 2010Mi Zhou In a multiple-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) problem, qualitative information with subjective judgments of ambiguity is often provided by people, together with quantitative data that may also be imprecise or incomplete. There are several uncertainties that may be considered in an MCDA problem, such as fuzziness and ambiguity. The evidential reasoning (ER) approach is well suited for dealing with such MCDA problems and can generate comprehensive distributed assessments for different alternatives. Many researches in dealing with imprecise or uncertain belief structures have been conducted on the ER approach. In this paper, both triangular fuzzy weights of criteria and fuzzy utilities assigned to evaluation grades are introduced to the ER approach, which may be incurred in several circumstances such as group decision-making situation. The Hadamard multiplicative combination of judgment matrix is extended for the aggregation of triangular fuzzy judgment matrices, the result of which is applied as the fuzzy weights used in the fuzzy ER approach. The consistency of the aggregated triangular fuzzy judgment matrix is also proved. Several pairs of ER-based programming models are designed to generate the total fuzzy belief degrees and the overall expected fuzzy utilities for the comparison of alternatives. A numerical example is conducted to show the effectiveness of the proposed approach. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Mapping the forms of meaning in small worldsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS, Issue 7 2008Bruno Gaume Prox is a stochastic method to map the local and global structures of real-world complex networks, which are called small worlds. Prox transforms a graph into a Markov chain; the states of which are the nodes of the graph in question. Particles wander from one node to another within the graph by following the graph's edges. It is the dynamics of the particles' trajectories that map the structural properties of the graphs that are studied. Concrete examples are presented in a graph of synonyms to illustrate this approach. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Genetic fuzzy systems to evolve interaction strategies in multiagent systemsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS, Issue 9 2007Igor Walter This article suggests an evolutionary approach to designing interaction strategies for multiagent systems, focusing on strategies modeled as fuzzy rule-based systems. The aim is to learn models evolving database and rule bases to improve agent performance when playing in a competitive environment. In competitive situations, data for learning and tuning are rare, and rule bases must jointly evolve with the databases. We introduce an evolutionary algorithm whose operators use variable length chromosomes, a hierarchical relationship among individuals through fitness, and a scheme that successively explores and exploits the search space along generations. Evolution of interaction strategies uncovers unknown and unexpected agent behaviors and allows a richer analysis of negotiation mechanisms and their role as a coordination protocol. An application concerning an electricity market illustrates the effectiveness of the approach. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Int Syst 22: 971,991, 2007. [source] Assessment of four modifications of a novel indexing technique for case-based reasoningINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS, Issue 4 2007Mykola Galushka In this article, we investigate four variations (D-HSM, D-HSW, D-HSE, and D-HSEW) of a novel indexing technique called D-HS designed for use in case-based reasoning (CBR) systems. All D-HS modifications are based on a matrix of cases indexed by their discretized attribute values. The main differences between them are in their attribute discretization stratagem and similarity determination metric. D-HSM uses a fixed number of intervals and simple intersection as a similarity metric; D-HSW uses the same discretization approach and a weighted intersection; D-HSE uses information gain to define the intervals and simple intersection as similarity metric; D-HSEW is a combination of D-HSE and D-HSW. Benefits of using D-HS include ease of case and similarity knowledge maintenance, simplicity, accuracy, and speed in comparison to conventional approaches widely used in CBR. We present results from the analysis of 20 case bases for classification problems and 15 case bases for regression problems. We demonstrate the improvements in accuracy and/or efficiency of each D-HS modification in comparison to traditional k -NN, R-tree, C4,5, and M5 techniques and show it to be a very attractive approach for indexing case bases. We also illuminate potential areas for further improvement of the D-HS approach. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Int Syst 22: 353,383, 2007. [source] An argument-dependent approach to determining OWA operator weights based on the rule of maximum entropyINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS, Issue 2 2007Jian Wu The methods for determining OWA operator weights have aroused wide attention. We first review the main existing methods for determining OWA operator weights. We next introduce the principle of maximum entropy for setting up probability distributions on the basis of partial knowledge and prove that Xu's normal distribution-based method obeys the principle of maximum entropy. Finally, we propose an argument-dependent approach based on normal distribution, which assigns very low weights to these "false" or "biased" opinions and can relieve the influence of the unfair arguments. A numerical example is provided to illustrate the application of the proposed approach. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Int Syst 22: 209,221, 2007. [source] University timetabling through conceptual modelingINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS, Issue 11 2005Jonathan Lee A number of approaches have been proposed in tackling the timetabling problem, such as operational research, human-machine interaction, constraint programming, expert systems, and neural networks. However, there are still several key challenges to be addressed: easily reformulated to support changes, a generalized framework to handle various timetabling problems, and ability to incorporate knowledge in the timetabling system. In this article, we propose an automatic software engineering approach, called task-based conceptual graphs, to addressing the challenges in the timetabling problem. Task-based conceptual graphs provide the automation of software development processes including specification, verification, and automatic programming. Maintenance can be directly performed on the specifications rather than on the source code; moreover, hard and soft constraints can be easily inserted or removed. A university timetabling system in the Department of Computer Science and Information Engineering at National Central University is used as an illustrative example for the proposed approach. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Int Syst 20: 1137,1160, 2005. [source] Ranking of alternatives with ordered weighted averaging operatorsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS, Issue 5 2004M. Teresa Lamata Multiattribute decision making is an important part of the decision process for both individual and group problems. We incorporate the fuzzy set theory and the basic nature of subjectivity due to ambiguity to achieve a flexible decision approach suitable for uncertain and fuzzy environments. Let us consider the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) in which the labels are structured as fuzzy numbers. To obtain the scoring that corresponds to the best alternative or the ranking of the alternatives, we need to use a total order for the fuzzy numbers involved in the problem. In this article, we consider a definition of such a total order, which is based on two subjective aspects: the degree of optimism/pessimism reflected with the ordered weighted averaging (OWA) operators. A numerical example is given to illustrate the approach. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] A fuzzy goal programming procedure for solving quadratic bilevel programming problemsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS, Issue 5 2003Bijay Baran Pal This article presents a fuzzy goal programming (FGP) procedure for solving quadratic bilevel programming problems (QBLPP). In the proposed approach, the membership functions for the defined fuzzy objective goals of the decision makers (DM) at both the levels are developed first. Then, a quadratic programming model is formulated by using the notion of distance function minimizing the degree of regret to satisfaction of both DMs. At the first phase of the solution process, the quadratic programming model is transformed into an equivalent nonlinear goal programming (NLGP) model to maximize the membership value of each of the fuzzy objective goals on the extent possible on the basis of their priorities in the decision context. Then, at the second phase, the concept of linear approximation technique in goal programming is introduced for measuring the degree of satisfaction of the DMs at both the levels by arriving at a compromised decision regarding the optimality of two different sets of decision variables controlled separately by each of them. A numerical example is provided to illustrate the proposed approach. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Novel method for analyzing proteomeINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF QUANTUM CHEMISTRY, Issue 6 2007Bo Liao Abstract We propose a 6D representation of protein sequences consisting of 20 amino acids. Based on this 6D representation, we propose a proteome distance measure for constructing phylogenic tree. And we make use of the corresponding similarity matrix to construct phylogenic tree. The examination of phylogenic tree belong to 30 mitochondrial sequence illustrates the utility of our approach. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2007 [source] A graphical method to construct a phylogenetic treeINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF QUANTUM CHEMISTRY, Issue 9 2006Weiping Wang Abstract A 3D graphical representation of DNA sequences, which has no circuit or degeneracy, is derived for mathematical denotation of DNA sequence. Based on this graphical representation, we propose a new sequence distance measure. We make use of the corresponding similarity matrix to construct a phylogenic tree by virtue of the fuzzy theory. The examination of phylogenic tree belong to eight species illustrates the utility of our approach. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2006 [source] Systematic formulations for electronegativity and hardness and their atomic scales within density functional softness theoryINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF QUANTUM CHEMISTRY, Issue 2 2006Mihai V. Putz Abstract A unified Mulliken valence with Parr ground-state electronegativity picture is presented. It provides a useful analytical tool on which the absolute hardness as well ionization potential and electron affinity functionals are based. For all these chemical reactivity indices, systematic approximate density functionals are formulated within density functional softness theory and are applied to atomic systems. For the absolute hardness, a special relationship with the new electronegativity ansatz and a particular atomic trend paralleling the absolute electron affinity are established that should complement and augment the earlier finite-difference energetic approach. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2006 [source] Low-frequency noise conversion modeling in RF devices under forced nonlinear operationINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RF AND MICROWAVE COMPUTER-AIDED ENGINEERING, Issue 1 2006Gabriele Conte Abstract The article addresses the frequency conversion of low-frequency noise deriving from trap-assisted generation-recombination (GR) noise in RF devices under forced, nonlinear operation through a physics-based noise model. The superposition of the stationary (small-signal) GR spectra originating from noninteracting trap levels with properly distributed energies is shown, in simple yet significant device case studies, to yield a 1/f or 1/f -like behaviour over a prescribed frequency range. The same trap distribution is also exploited for large-signal, cyclostationary noise simulation in forced periodic conditions. In this case, low-frequency 1/f -like noise is shown to be upconverted from the baseband to all noise sidebands. Circuit-level compact modeling strategies for noise-frequency conversion based on the modulation of small-signal low-frequency noise are also investigated and compared to the fundamental approach. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J RF and Microwave CAE, 2006. [source] Analysis of microwave components and circuits using the iterative methodINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RF AND MICROWAVE COMPUTER-AIDED ENGINEERING, Issue 5 2004A. Mami Abstract This article presents an efficient implementation of an iterative method that includes a fast-mode transformation (FMT). The method has the advantages of simplicity and not involving basis functions and inversion of matrices, as used in other calculation methods. Therefore, this approach has the potential to be capable of analysing larger bodies than other classical techniques. An implementation of the iterative calculation is shown for the extraction of S parameters of microwave components and antennas. The good agreement between the simulation results and experimental published data justifies the design procedure and validates the present analysis approach. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J RF and Microwave CAE 14, 404,414, 2004. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||