Towards a Rule Interchange Language for the Web

This articles discusses rule languages that are needed for a a full deployment of the SemanticWeb. First, it motivates the need for such languages. Then, it presents ten theses addressing (1) the rule and/or logic languages needed on the Web, (2) data and data processing, (3) semantics, and (4) engineering and rendering issues. Finally, it discusses two options that might be chosen in designing a Rule Interchange Format for the Web

SAVCBS 2004 Specification and Verification of Component-Based Systems: Workshop Proceedings

This is the proceedings of the 2004 SAVCBS workshop. The workshop is concerned with how formal (i.e., mathematical) techniques can be or should be used to establish a suitable foundation for the specification and verification of component-based systems. Component-based systems are a growing concern for the software engineering community. Specification and reasoning techniques are urgently needed to permit composition of systems from components. Component-based specification and verification is also vital for scaling advanced verification techniques such as extended static analysis and model checking to the size of real systems. The workshop considers formalization of both functional and non-functional behavior, such as performance or reliability

Digitization of academic library resources: A case study of Donal E. U. Ekong Library

This study investigated the digitization of academic library resources in University of Port Harcourt. Five research objectives guided the study. The research design adopted for this study was a descriptive survey. The total population for this study was thirteen (13) library staff involved in digital library practices. As a result of the concise population, there was no sampling. The instrument for data collection was questionnaire. A total of thirteen questionnaires were distributed and distribution recorded a 100% return rate. Data were analysed using descriptive statistical tools (frequency tables and mean scores). From the analysis, the findings revealed that the need for digitization of library resources are majorly to preserving endangered collections, increasing the visibility of institutional outputs, enhance timeless access to library information resources and promote interlibrary cooperation. The result shows that the digitization of library resources in Donald E. U. Ekong library is at a very high extent and the librarians involved in the digitization of library resources are competent and possesses the necessary skills required. Digitization of library resources is challenged by several factors such as power supply, security of databases, infrastructure to contain the digitization process, staff capacity to manage the process, users’ dependency in traditional library resources, etc. and that the strategies for enhancing digitization of library resources include the installation of alternative to power supply such as standby power generating set, solar power system, utility power systems, etc., installation of anti-virus, malware and hacks proof software, inclusion of digitization sections while planning for library buildings, library user education should include skills needed for use of digital libraries The study concluded that in order to remain relevant in the present digital environment, libraries especially in developing countries should make every effort to digitize their local content for preservation and easy access

Knowledge-Intensive Processes: Characteristics, Requirements and Analysis of Contemporary Approaches

Engineering of knowledge-intensive processes (KiPs) is far from being mastered, since they are genuinely knowledge- and data-centric, and require substantial flexibility, at both design- and run-time. In this work, starting from a scientific literature analysis in the area of KiPs and from three real-world domains and application scenarios, we provide a precise characterization of KiPs. Furthermore, we devise some general requirements related to KiPs management and execution. Such requirements contribute to the definition of an evaluation framework to assess current system support for KiPs. To this end, we present a critical analysis on a number of existing process-oriented approaches by discussing their efficacy against the requirements

Negotiating Common Ground: Tools for Multidisciplinary Teams.

Beers, P.J. (2005). Negotiating Common Ground. Tools for Multidisciplinary Teams. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. Open University of the Netherlands, The Netherlands

Low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC) compliance manual

This manual is designed to be a reference guide for the administration of LIHTC developments in compliance with the applicable laws, rules, regulations and policies that govern tax credit developments. The staff of SC Housing also uses the manual as a program guide for administering its compliance monitoring procedures

Advancing the Law of Weapons Control - Comparative Approaches to Strengthen Nuclear Non-Proliferation

This article analyzes in-depth the SAGSI recommendation that more effective safeguards draw upon the elements (including the managed access provisions) contained in Part X of the Verification Annex to the Convention on the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.” SAGSI found that the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) offers approaches for verification and investigation that may be adaptable to the NPT

Expanding Dimensionality in Cinema Color: Impacting Observer Metamerism through Multiprimary Display

Television and cinema display are both trending towards greater ranges and saturation of reproduced colors made possible by near-monochromatic RGB illumination technologies. Through current broadcast and digital cinema standards work, system designs employing laser light sources, narrow-band LED, quantum dots and others are being actively endorsed in promotion of Wide Color Gamut (WCG). Despite artistic benefits brought to creative content producers, spectrally selective excitations of naturally different human color response functions exacerbate variability of observer experience. An exaggerated variation in color-sensing is explicitly counter to the exhaustive controls and calibrations employed in modern motion picture pipelines. Further, singular standard observer summaries of human color vision such as found in the CIE’s 1931 and 1964 color matching functions and used extensively in motion picture color management are deficient in recognizing expected human vision variability. Many researchers have confirmed the magnitude of observer metamerism in color matching in both uniform colors and imagery but few have shown explicit color management with an aim of minimized difference in observer perception variability. This research shows that not only can observer metamerism influences be quantitatively predicted and confirmed psychophysically but that intentionally engineered multiprimary displays employing more than three primaries can offer increased color gamut with drastically improved consistency of experience. To this end, a seven-channel prototype display has been constructed based on observer metamerism models and color difference indices derived from the latest color vision demographic research. This display has been further proven in forced-choice paired comparison tests to deliver superior color matching to reference stimuli versus both contemporary standard RGB cinema projection and recently ratified standard laser projection across a large population of color-normal observers