Using correlation matrix memories for inferencing in expert systems

Outline of The Chapter… Section 16.2 describes CMM and the Dynamic Variable Binding Problem. Section 16.3 deals with how CMM is used as part of an inferencing engine. Section 16.4 details the important performance characteristics of CMM

Exchange Rate Targeting and Economic Stabilization

In this paper, we investigate the effects of increasing exchange rate flexibility at the margin instead of comparing the polar regimes of fixed and flexible rates. A VAR model with a structural analysis of the financial sector, including exchange rate intervention, is set up for a set of five major industrial countries and estimated using monthly data from the post-Bretton Woods period. IRFs suggest that in most countries intervention appears to be effective, although responses seem very short-lived, lasting just a few months. Counterfactual experiments are undertaken in which the central bank limits exchange rate fluctuations within a prescribed band. Varying the bandwidths shows that the only variable that systematically changes is foreign reserves, which become more volatile with a narrower band. Greater exchange rate flexibility obtained through wider bands neither increases nor decreases volatilities in the interest rate, output, or inflation for the majority of cases. Our results suggest that exchange rate stability is not necessarily earned at the cost of sacrificing interest rate stability and thereby support the idea that stable exchange rates can be welfare improving from a purely domestic point of view and for countries with heavy external debtExchange rate targeting, economic stabilization, counterfactual experiment

The Scope of Judicial Review of Agency Actions in Washington Revisited—Doctrine, Analysis, and Proposed Revisions

This Comment analyzes current Washington law on the scope of judicial review, and compares it to recently proposed revisions to the Washington Administrative Procedure Act (APA). Part I discusses the doctrine surrounding the review of agency actions by Washington courts. Part II examines Washington case law and identifies several elements that determine the intensity with which the court will examine a particular agency action, regardless of the doctrinally prescribed deference. Part III compares and discusses the proposed revisions to the Washington APA. While based primarily on the latest Model State APA, 6 the proposed revisions contain some significant variations. The Comment concludes that the proposed revisions are a necessary step forward and should be adopted by the Washington legislature

Lawyer Advertising

This Survey Comment will give a brief synthesis of the constitutional law underlying the area of attorney advertising, and take a more detailed look at the Zauderer decision. While an overview of the Washington Rules has been given elsewhere in this issue, the primary focus of this comment will be on how the rules meet, and fall short of, the constitutional standards clarified in Zauderer. In particular, the prohibition of direct mail contact with specific persons known to need legal services in a specific matter appears to be unconstitutional. Additionally, the Washington rule limiting the use of trade names may be invalid

Shock Advertising; Its Justification and the Effects on Society

Advertising encapsulates both the realities and fantasies of the world in which we live (Cortesse, 1999). Dating back to the Roman era, advertising has been used as a communications medium, revolutionising the way in which people view the world around them and changing the lifestyle of those who surrender to its calls. However, the power of this medium is grossly underestimated. To many, advertising is seen as an enjoyable form of persuasive artwork, capable of igniting ones’ emotions irrespective of age, gender or socio-economic status. To others, advertising presents a platform for advertisers to exploit their creative talents, formulating deceiving, provocative and highly controversial advertisements, staged before our very own eyes or ears. Sadly, this is a truer depiction of the advertising world. Although many choose to concentrate on the positive influence it continues to provide and the reward it holds for this who use it respectfully. Many however choose to neglect the damaging effects advertising has had on the moral and ethical high grounds on which some elements of society rest. Fundamental misconceptions and distorted truths can often be blamed on advertising campaigns that choose to shock their audience for the sake of generating publicity. The debate argued within this paper seeks to decipher whether shock advertising is predominately justifiable, based as it is upon the frequent misuse and exploitation of sensitive and delicate issues. The paper also questions whether the intentions were morally and ethically justified (Wnek, 2003), in spite of causing widespread public offence. More often than not, advertising agencies are oblivious to the damaging effects that shock advertising continues to have on society. It leaves those responsible to grapple with the burdening question of whether images and literature used in advertising campaigns pose a risk of introducing messages that contain impurities into the most vulnerable elements of society and our society as a whole. This paper draws in views gathered during interviews with the Advertising Standards Authority and OfCom, based in the United Kingdom, together with perspectives from advertising agencies to present a consideration of both the reasons for and the impact of using shock tactics within advertising. Do advertisers perceive that a highly controversial and offensive advertisement is a success if publicity and profit were generated, despite considerable public complaints? Are agencies lowering their standards of advertising through the use of such controversial material? Where do they, and the regulatory bodies, see advertising progressing in the future and what effect might this have on society as a whole? Concern for the future of advertising is therefore in need of much attention, since the consequences of neglect may be damaging to our future prosperity. The study highlights the much-needed role for a greater responsibility to be exercised throughout the industry, together with an effective regulatory framework, void of any potential loopholes

Optimizing the Environmental and Economic Sustainability of Remote Community Infrastructure

Remote communities such as rural villages, post-disaster housing camps, and military forward operating bases are often located in remote and hostile areas with limited or no access to established infrastructure grids. Operating these communities with conventional assets requires constant resupply, which yields a significant logistical burden, creates negative environmental impacts, and increases costs. For example, a 2000-member isolated village in northern Canada relying on diesel generators required 8.6 million USD of fuel per year and emitted 8500 tons of carbon dioxide. Remote community planners can mitigate these negative impacts by selecting sustainable technologies that minimize resource consumption and emissions. However, the alternatives often come at a higher procurement cost and mobilization requirement. To assist planners with this challenging task, this paper presents the development of a novel infrastructure sustainability assessment model capable of generating optimal tradeoffs between minimizing environmental impacts and minimizing life-cycle costs over the community’s anticipated lifespan. Model performance was evaluated using a case study of a hypothetical 500-person remote military base with 864 feasible infrastructure portfolios and 48 procedural portfolios. The case study results demonstrated the model’s novel capability to assist planners in identifying optimal combinations of infrastructure alternatives that minimize negative sustainability impacts, leading to remote communities that are more self-sufficient with reduced emissions and costs

Widespread mistaken identity in tropical plant collections

Specimens of plants and animals preserved in museums are the primary source of verifiable data on the geographical and temporal distribution of organisms. Museum datasets are increasingly being uploaded to aggregated regional and global databases (e.g. the Global Biodiversity Information Facility; GBIF) for use in a wide range of analyses. Thus, digitisation of natural history collections is providing unprecedented information to facilitate the study of the natural world on a global scale. The digitisation of this information utilises information provided on specimen labels, and assumes they are correctly identified. Here we evaluate the accuracy of names associated with 4,500 specimens of African gingers from 40 herbaria in 21 countries. Our data show that at least 58% of the specimens had the wrong name prior to a recent taxonomic study. A similar pattern of wrongly named specimens is also shown for Dipterocarps and Ipomoea (morning glory). We also examine the number of available plant specimens worldwide. Our data demonstrate that, while the world's collections have more than doubled since 1970, more than 50% of tropical specimens, on average, are likely to be incorrectly named. This finding has serious implications for the uncritical use of specimen data from natural history collections

The relationship between Higher Education and labour market in Greece : the weakest link?

The high level of graduate unemployment, even though it is acknowledged as one of the most distinctive characteristics of the Greek labour market, it has not attracted enough attention in the academic literature. This paper utilizes micro-data from the Labour Force Survey in order to investigate how the employment situation of young (aged 35 and below) graduates varies across fields of study. The findings suggest that graduates of disciplines that have high levels of private sector employment, such as Polytechnics and Computer Science, are in general better off in the Greek labour market. On the other hand, graduates of disciplines that are traditionally related to the needs of the public sector, such as Sociology and Humanities, face poor employment prospects. The findings of this study highlight the need for drastic reforms of the Higher Education system