Planning with Templates

The University of Edinburgh and research sponsors are authorised to reproduce and distribute reprints and on-line copies for their purposes notwithstanding any copyright annotation hereon. The views and conclusions contained herein are the authorâ s and shouldnâ t be interpreted as necessarily representing the official policies or endorsements, either expressed or implied, of other parties.When we talk about planning with templates,we mean standard operating procedures we've learned or been trained to use for solving typical problems and as a starting point for solving novel problems. These structures contain variables relevant to an activity and current variable values that affect a problem or have been chosen in a problem-solving instance. With templates we can configure domain-independent planning algorithms, making them applicable to many different problem domains. By making the template explicit for the user in the form of a GUI, we can facilitate mixed-initiative, user-centric systems that help maintain awareness of complex and dynamic situations, share information across the network, and solve problems incrementally and iteratively

Diffuse Neutron Scattering Study of a Disordered Complex Perovskite Pb(Zn1/3Nb2/3)O3 Crystal

Diffuse scattering around the (110) reciprocal lattice point has been investigated by elastic neutron scattering in the paraelectric and the relaxor phases of the disordered complex perovskite crystal-Pb(Zn1/3Nb2/3)O3(PZN). The appearance of a diffuse intensity peak indicates the formation of polar nanoregions at temperature T*, approximately 40K above Tc=413K. The analysis of this diffuse scattering indicates that these regions are in the shape of ellipsoids, more extended in the direction than in the direction. The quantitative analysis provides an estimate of the correlation length, \xi, or size of the regions and shows that \xi ~1.2\xi , consistent with the primary or dominant displacement of Pb leading to the low temperature rhombohedral phase. Both the appearance of the polar regions at T*and the structural transition at Tc are marked by kinks in the \xi curve but not in the \xi one, also indicating that the primary changes take place in a direction at both temperatures.Comment: REVTeX file. 4 pages, 3 figures embedded, New version after referee cond-mat/010605

A probabilistic approach for acoustic emission based monitoring techniques: with application to structural health monitoring

It has been demonstrated that acoustic-emission (AE), inspection of structures can offer advantages over other types of monitoring techniques in the detection of damage; namely, an increased sensitivity to damage, as well as an ability to localise its source. There are, however, numerous challenges associated with the analysis of AE data. One issue is the high sampling frequencies required to capture AE activity. In just a few seconds, a recording can generate very high volumes of data, of which a significant portion may be of little interest for analysis. Identifying the individual AE events in a recorded time-series is therefore a necessary procedure for reducing the size of the dataset and projecting out the influence of background noise from the signal. In this paper, a state-of-the-art technique is presented that can automatically identify cluster the AE events from a probabilistic perspective. A nonparametric Bayesian approach, based on the Dirichlet process (DP), is employed to overcome some of the challenges associated with this task. Additionally, the developed model is applied for damage detection using AE data collected from an experimental setup. Two main sets of AE data are considered in this work: (1) from a journal bearing in operation, and (2) from an Airbus A320 main landing gear subjected to fatigue testing

Inflammation decreases keratin level in ulcerative colitis; inadequate restoration associates with increased risk of colitis-associated cancer

Background Keratins are intermediate filament (IF) proteins, which form part of the epithelial cytoskeleton and which have been implicated pathology of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). Methods In this study biopsies were obtained from IBD patients grouped by disease duration and subtype into eight categories based on cancer risk and inflammatory status: quiescent recent onset (<5 years) UC (ROUC); UC with primary sclerosing cholangitis; quiescent long-standing pancolitis (20–40 years) (LSPC); active colitis and non-inflamed proximal colonic mucosa; pancolitis with dysplasia-both dysplastic lesions (DT) and distal rectal mucosa (DR); control group without pathology. Alterations in IF protein composition across the groups were determined by quantitative proteomics. Key protein changes were validated by western immunoblotting and immunohistochemical analysis. Result Acute inflammation resulted in reduced K8, K18, K19 and VIM (all p<0.05) compared to controls and non inflamed mucosa; reduced levels of if– associated proteins were also seen in DT and DR. Increased levels of keratins in LSPC was noted relative to controls or ROUC (K8, K18, K19 and VIM, p<0.05). Multiple K8 forms were noted on immunoblotting, with K8 phosphorylation reduced in progressive disease along with an increase in VIM:K8 ratio. K8 levels and phosphorylation are reduced in acute inflammation but appear restored or elevated in subjects with clinical and endoscopic remission (LSPC) but not apparent in subjects with elevated risk of cancer. Conclusions These data suggest that keratin regulation in remission may influence subsequent cancer risk

Magnetization plateau in the spin ladder with the four-spin exchange

The magnetization process of the $S$=1/2 antiferromagnetic spin ladder with the four-spin cyclic exchange interaction at T=0 is studied by the exact diagonalization of finite clusters and size scaling analyses. It is found that a magnetization plateau appears at half the saturation value if the ratio of the four- and two-spin exchange coupling constants $J_4$ is larger than the critical value $J_{4c}=0.05\pm$0.04. The phase transition with respect to $J_4$ at $J_{4c}$ is revealed to be the Kosterlitz-Thouless-type.Comment: 4 pages, Revtex, with 5 eps figure

A research agenda for seed-trait functional ecology

Trait-based approaches have improved our understanding of plant evolution, community assembly and ecosystem functioning. A major challenge for the upcoming decades is to understand the functions and evolution of early life-history traits, across levels of organization and ecological strategies. Although a variety of seed traits are critical for dispersal, persistence, germination timing and seedling establishment, only seed mass has been considered systematically. Here we suggest broadening the range of morphological, physiological and biochemical seed traits to add new understanding on plant niches, population dynamics and community assembly. The diversity of seed traits and functions provides an important challenge that will require international collaboration in three areas of research. First, we present a conceptual framework for a seed ecological spectrum that builds upon current understanding of plant niches. We then lay the foundation for a seed-trait functional network, the establishment of which will underpin and facilitate trait-based inferences. Finally, we anticipate novel insights and challenges associated with incorporating diverse seed traits into predictive evolutionary ecology, community ecology and applied ecology. If the community invests in standardized seed-trait collection and the implementation of rigorous databases, major strides can be made at this exciting frontier of functional ecology.Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation. Grant Number: R‐90470‐0

In search of disorders: internalizing symptom networks in a large clinical sample.

Background The co‐occurrence of internalizing disorders is a common form of psychiatric comorbidity, raising questions about the boundaries between these diagnostic categories. We employ network psychometrics in order to: (a) determine whether internalizing symptoms cluster in a manner reflecting DSM diagnostic criteria, (b) gauge how distinct these diagnostic clusters are and (c) examine whether this network structure changes from childhood to early and then late adolescence. Method Symptom‐level data were obtained for service users in publicly funded mental health services in England between 2011 and 2015 (N = 37,162). A symptom network (i.e. Gaussian graphical model) was estimated, and a community detection algorithm was used to explore the clustering of symptoms. Results The estimated network was densely connected and characterized by a multitude of weak associations between symptoms. Six communities of symptoms were identified; however, they were weakly demarcated. Two of these communities corresponded to social phobia and panic disorder, and four did not clearly correspond with DSM diagnostic categories. The network structure was largely consistent by sex and across three age groups (8–11, 12–14 and 15–18 years). Symptom connectivity in the two older age groups was significantly greater compared to the youngest group and there were differences in centrality across the age groups, highlighting the age‐specific relevance of certain symptoms. Conclusions These findings clearly demonstrate the interconnected nature of internalizing symptoms, challenging the view that such pathology takes the form of distinct disorders

Computational Modelling of Tissue-Engineered Cartilage Constructs

Cartilage is a fundamental tissue to ensure proper motion between bones and damping of mechanical loads. This tissue often suffers damage and has limited healing capacity due to its avascularity. In order to replace surgery and replacement of joints by metal implants, tissue engineered cartilage is seen as an attractive alternative. These tissues are obtained by seeding chondrocytes or mesenchymal stem cells in scaffolds and are given certain stimuli to improve establishment of mechanical properties similar to the native cartilage. However, tissues with ideal mechanical properties were not obtained yet. Computational models of tissue engineered cartilage growth and remodelling are invaluable to interpret and predict the effects of experimental designs. The current model contribution in the field will be presented in this chapter, with a focus on the response to mechanical stimulation, and the development of fully coupled modelling approaches incorporating simultaneously solute transport and uptake, cell growth, production of extracellular matrix and remodelling of mechanical properties.publishe