On applying Or-Parallelism and Tabling to logic programs

Dissertação de Doutoramento em Ciência de Computadores apresentada à Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade do Port

Decision-support systems for establishing radiata pine plantations in the central North Island of New Zealand

A framework for decision-making relating to establishment of radiata pine plantations was defined, with provision for both numerical models and non-numerical representations of knowledge. Data from Nelder-design experiments were used to investigate the amount of between-tree competition occurring in young radiata pine plantations. Dbhob was found to be unrelated to initial stocking prior to year five. Modelling of basal area/ha growth and yield in a Nelder-design experiment showed that functions used in traditional basal area models under-estimated basal area growth during the two years following the time when mean height was 1.40 m. An adjustment was made to these functions, allowing for allometric assumptions on which growth models are based, which improved models estimates of early basal area/ha growth. Models of young radiata pine survival and size class distribution models were built for crops aged 0 to 5 years in the Central North island region of New Zealand. Data came from site preparation experiments, and the models are sensitive to variations in altitude and site preparation practices. Off-site preparation practices studied, weed control was found to have the largest effect on both initial survival and growth. Mounding improved growth to a lesser extent, and cultivation improved survival of young trees. Fertilisation with nitrogen and phosphorous was found to have a negligible effect on growth and no effect on tree survival. The basal area/ha function incorporated the allometric adjustment developed during the analysis of Nelder-design experiments in a way which resulted in compatible mean height and basal area/ha models. As an illustration of the potential for non-numerical decision-support tools, a knowledge-based computer program was developed to assist forest managers in selecting herbicidal treatments prior to, or during the years following plantation establishment. The system was built using techniques developed for artificial intelligence applications, in a form which allows updating of knowledge relating to weeds, herbicides, surfactants, application methods and treatments, by experts unfamiliar with computer programming. Opportunities for incorporation of these tools into a comprehensive decision-making and control system are discussed

Programming Languages and Systems

This open access book constitutes the proceedings of the 28th European Symposium on Programming, ESOP 2019, which took place in Prague, Czech Republic, in April 2019, held as Part of the European Joint Conferences on Theory and Practice of Software, ETAPS 2019

Application of definitive scripts to computer aided conceptual design

The creative phases of design are based upon the human ability to conceptualise or abstract ideas from physical observations of the real world. That ability comes from experience, based on experiment: discerning patterns of behaviour in particular sets of observations. In this work it is shown that the process of identification, experiment and abstraction may be modelled accurately on a computer by definitive, or agent-oriented, programming, so forming a powerful aid to conceptual design. A new computer modelling language, called EdenLisp, has been developed by the author around Definitive Notations and interfaced to a commercial Computer Aided Design package. It provides a tool whereby computer models of systems can be originated that have state and on which state change can be made, not only by the designer but also by other autonomous agents of change Experiments with the language are described that show that scripts of definitions can have characteristics that permit the design to proceed as if there were an engineering prototype of the physical system being designed. The explicit representation of state at the lowest levels permits experimentation, observation of properties and addition of further observations. The interactive construction of EdenLisp is analogous to the conceptual design process It is used to illustrate and test design meta-theories for modelling conceptual design. It is shown to have potential for concurrent or multi-agent design, and is also an excellent vehicle for design education

The 1995 Goddard Conference on Space Applications of Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Information Technologies

This publication comprises the papers presented at the 1995 Goddard Conference on Space Applications of Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Information Technologies held at the NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, on May 9-11, 1995. The purpose of this annual conference is to provide a forum in which current research and development directed at space applications of artificial intelligence can be presented and discussed

Constraint Programming-Based Heuristics for the Multi-Depot Vehicle Routing Problem with a Rolling Planning Horizon

Der Transportmarkt ist sowohl durch einem intensiven Kostenwettbewerb als auch durch hohe Erwartungen der Kunden an den Service geprägt. Die vorliegende Dissertation stellt zwei auf Constraint Programming basierende heuristische Frameworks vor, die eine Reoptimierung bereits geplanter Touren zu festgelegten Zeitpunkten erlauben und so eine Reaktion auf die gesteigerte Wettbewerbsdynamik und den Kostendruck ermöglichen.Actors on the transportation market currently face two contrary trends: Cost pressure caused by intense competition and a need for prompt service. We introduce two heuristic solution frameworks to enable freight carriers to deal with this situation by reoptimizing tours at predefined points in time. Both heuristics are based on Constraint Programming techniques

Automated Deduction – CADE 28

This open access book constitutes the proceeding of the 28th International Conference on Automated Deduction, CADE 28, held virtually in July 2021. The 29 full papers and 7 system descriptions presented together with 2 invited papers were carefully reviewed and selected from 76 submissions. CADE is the major forum for the presentation of research in all aspects of automated deduction, including foundations, applications, implementations, and practical experience. The papers are organized in the following topics: Logical foundations; theory and principles; implementation and application; ATP and AI; and system descriptions