Reusable Knowledge-based Components for Building Software Applications: A Knowledge Modelling Approach

In computer science, different types of reusable components for building software applications were proposed as a direct consequence of the emergence of new software programming paradigms. The success of these components for building applications depends on factors such as the flexibility in their combination or the facility for their selection in centralised or distributed environments such as internet. In this article, we propose a general type of reusable component, called primitive of representation, inspired by a knowledge-based approach that can promote reusability. The proposal can be understood as a generalisation of existing partial solutions that is applicable to both software and knowledge engineering for the development of hybrid applications that integrate conventional and knowledge based techniques. The article presents the structure and use of the component and describes our recent experience in the development of real-world applications based on this approach

Lorenz meets rating but misses valuation

Using an experiment with material incentives, this paper investigates the violation of Lorenz relations in the case of dominant and single?crossing Lorenz curves. Our experimental design consists of two treatments: an income distribution treatment and a lottery treatment. Both treatments were conducted in Italy and Spain. In each treatment, subjects were asked to judge ten multiple?outcome lotteries or ten n?dimensional income distributions in terms of both ratings and valuations. This 2 × 2 × 2 experimental design, allows us to investigate the response?mode (rating versus valuation) and framing (lotteries versus income distributions) effects in subjects? perceptions concerning the two types of Lorenz relations. We found the existence of a marked response?mode effect, as only the ratings of the lotteries and income distributions confirm both Lorenz relations, whereas the valuations violate them. The framing effect is significant only for the Spanish data. For this data the sign of the framing effect depends on the type of the Lorenz relation considered. For crossing Lorenz curves, a higher conformity corresponds to the lottery frame, for Lorenz dominance a higher conformity corresponds to the income distribution frame. --Income Distributions,Lotteries,Lorenz Curves,Inequality and Risk Aversion,Response?Mode Effects

Collective and Random Fining versus Tax/Subsidy - Schemes to Regulate Non-Point Pollution : An Experimental Study

In this paper we present results of an experimental study on the performance of three mechanisms which are designed to deal with non-point source pollution : collective fining, random fining, and a tax-subsidy scheme. Our results show that collective and random fining schemes do not induce the subjects to play the efficient equilibrium. Experience from participation in similar treatments further enforces the tendency to under-abate. The taxsubsidy mechanism, by contrast, induces the efficient equilibrium action to be played more frequently than the fining mechanisms, with a slight tendency to over-abate. Experience enforces this tendency. Controlling for the subjects? risk attitude, we find that for risk averse subjects the random fining mechanism outperforms the collective fine. --Non-point source pollution,environmental policy,collective fining,random fining,tax-subsidy scheme,experiments

Income Distributions versus Lotteries Happiness, Response-Mode Effects, and Preference

This paper provides a comparative experimental study of risky prospects (lotteries) and income distributions. The experimental design consisted of multi?outcome lotteries and n?dimensional income distributions arranged in the shapes of ten distributions which were judged in terms of ratings and valuations, respectively. Material incentives applied. We found heavy response?mode effects, which cause inconsistent behavior between rating and valuation of lotteries and income distributions in more than 50% of all cases. This means that ethical inequality measures lack support in peoples? perceptions. In addition to classical preference reversals between generalized P?bets and $?bets we observed three additional patterns of preference reversal, two of which apply only to income distributions. Dominating Lorenz curves and Lorenz curves cutting others from below receive decidedly higher ratings (which implies risk and inequality aversion), but lower valuations. The transfer principle is largely violated. The rating of lotteries is a decreasing function of skewness, the rating of income distributions is a decreasing function of standard deviation. The valuation of lotteries is an increasing function of standard deviation and kurtosis, and the valuation of income distributions is an increasing function of standard deviation, skewness, and kurtosis. --Income Distribution,Lotteries,Income Happiness,Inequality and Risk Aversion,Ethical Inequality Measures,Preference Reversal

El derecho de alimentos del concursado tras la Ley 38/2011 de 10 de octubre de reforma de la Ley Concursal

Se tratan en el presente trabajo las principales novedades introducidas en por la Ley 38/2011 de 10 de octubre de Reforma de la Ley Concursal que ha modificado el régimen jurídico del derecho de alimentos del concursado que presentaba fallos en su regulación que dieron lugar en la práctica a un “abuso” en la utilización de esta figura, fruto del injustificado automatismo en su concesión, teniendo en cuenta la naturaleza civil del derecho de alimentos que subordina su otorgamiento a un estado de necesidad del alimentista. La posición jurídica de las parejas no casadas y el tratamiento concursal de los alimentos fijados en sentencia judicial por el juez civil son algunos de los temas tratados en el presente trabaj