CML: the commonKADS conceptual modelling language

We present a structured language for the specification of knowledge models according to the CommonKADS methodology. This language is called CML (Conceptual Modelling Language) and provides both a structured textual notation and a diagrammatic notation for expertise models. The use of our CML is illustrated by a variety of examples taken from the VT elevator design system

Fixture knowledge model development and implementation based on a functional design approach

The development of a knowledge model applied to fixture design is a complex task. The main purpose of such model is the development of a knowledge-based application to assist fixture designers. It comprises a detailed specification of the types and structures of data involved in the execution of the inference process needed to create a fixture solution for machining a raw part. A development method together with a knowledge model for automating fixture design is proposed. The development was divided into three parts: Design Process Model, definition of Top-level functional functions and Product Knowledge Model. Adopting a functional design approach, the fixture design solution was created in two levels: functional and detailed. The functional level is based on fixture functional elements and the detailed one is based on fixture commercial elements. The definitions and concepts used in the application are specified in several Units of Knowledge (UoK) that comprises the Fixture Knowledge Model. Common Knowledge Analysis and Design Structuring (CommonKADS), Methodology and software tools Oriented to KBE Applications (MOKA), Integrated DEFinition for Function Modelling (IDEF0) and Unified Modelling Language (UML) are the methodologies and techniques used in the proposed method. Finally, a prototype KBE application for fixture design was developed

Linear square-mass trajectories of radially and orbitally excited hadrons in holographic QCD

We consider a new approach towards constructing approximate holographic duals of QCD from experimental hadron properties. This framework allows us to derive a gravity dual which reproduces the empirically found linear square-mass trajectories of universal slope for radially and orbitally excited hadrons. Conformal symmetry breaking in the bulk is exclusively due to infrared deformations of the anti-de Sitter metric and governed by one free mass scale proportional to Lambda_QCD. The resulting background geometry exhibits dual signatures of confinement and provides the first examples of holographically generated linear trajectories in the baryon sector. The predictions for the light hadron spectrum include new relations between trajectory slopes and ground state masses and are in good overall agreement with experiment.Comment: 33 pages, 5 figures, updated to the extended version published in JHEP, vector meson bulk potential and metric corrected, comments and references added, phenomenology and conclusions unchange

Holographic mesons in various dimensions

We calculate the spectrum of fluctuations of a probe Dk-brane in the background of N Dp-branes, for k=p,p+2,p+4 and p< 5. The result corresponds to the mesonic spectrum of a (p+1)-dimensional super-Yang-Mills (SYM) theory coupled to `dynamical quarks', i.e., fields in the fundamental representation -- the latter are confined to a defect for k=p and p+2. We find a universal behaviour where the spectrum is discrete and the mesons are deeply bound. The mass gap and spectrum are set by the scale M ~ m_q/g_{eff}(m_q), where m_q is the mass of the fundamental fields and g_{eff}(m_q) is the effective coupling evaluated at the quark mass, i.e. g_{eff}^2(m_q)=g_{ym}^2 N m_q^{p-3}. We consider the evolution of the meson spectra into the far infrared of three-dimensional SYM, where the gravity dual lifts to M-theory. We also argue that the mass scale appearing in the meson spectra is dictated by holography.Comment: 44 pages, 2 figures; v2: typos corrected, references adde

Open string modes at brane intersections

We study systematically the open string modes of a general class of BPS intersections of branes. We work in the approximation in which one of the branes is considered as a probe embedded in the near-horizon geometry generated by the other type of branes. We mostly concentrate on the D3-D5 and D3-D3 intersections, which are dual to defect theories with a massive hypermultiplet confined to the defect. In these cases we are able to obtain analytical expressions for the fluctuation modes of the probe and to compute the corresponding mass spectra of the dual operators in closed form. Other BPS intersections are also studied and their fluctuation modes and spectra are found numerically.Comment: 58 pages, 3 figures, LaTeX;v2: typos correcte

BioJS: An open source standard for biological visualisation - its status in 2014

BioJS is a community-based standard and repository of functional components to represent biological information on the web. The development of BioJS has been prompted by the growing need for bioinformatics visualisation tools to be easily shared, reused and discovered. Its modular architecture makes it easy for users to find a specific functionality without needing to know how it has been built, while components can be extended or created for implementing new functionality. The BioJS community of developers currently provides a range of functionality that is open access and freely available. A registry has been set up that categorises and provides installation instructions and testing facilities at http://www.ebi.ac.uk/tools/biojs/. The source code for all components is available for ready use at https://github.com/biojs/biojs

Coherent matter wave inertial sensors for precision measurements in space

We analyze the advantages of using ultra-cold coherent sources of atoms for matter-wave interferometry in space. We present a proof-of-principle experiment that is based on an analysis of the results previously published in [Richard et al., Phys. Rev. Lett., 91, 010405 (2003)] from which we extract the ratio h/m for 87Rb. This measurement shows that a limitation in accuracy arises due to atomic interactions within the Bose-Einstein condensate

Evolution of cosmic star formation in the SCUBA-2 Cosmology Legacy Survey

We present a new exploration of the cosmic star formation history and dust obscuration in massive galaxies at redshifts 0.5 1010M⊙ galaxies at 0.5 10. One third of this is accounted for by 450-μm-detected sources, while one-fifth is attributed to UV-luminous sources (brighter than L∗UV), although even these are largely obscured. By extrapolating our results to include all stellar masses, we estimate a total SFRD that is in good agreement with previous results from IR and UV data at z ≲ 3, and from UV-only data at z ∼ 5. The cosmic star formation history undergoes a transition at z ∼ 3–4, as predominantly unobscured growth in the early Universe is overtaken by obscured star formation, driven by the build-up of the most massive galaxies during the peak of cosmic assembly

Tidal Dwarf Galaxies at Intermediate Redshifts

We present the first attempt at measuring the production rate of tidal dwarf galaxies (TDGs) and estimating their contribution to the overall dwarf population. Using HST/ACS deep imaging data from GOODS and GEMS surveys in conjunction with photometric redshifts from COMBO-17 survey, we performed a morphological analysis for a sample of merging/interacting galaxies in the Extended Chandra Deep Field South and identified tidal dwarf candidates in the rest-frame optical bands. We estimated a production rate about 1.4 {\times} 10^{-5} per Gyr per comoving volume for long-lived TDGs with stellar mass 3 {\times} 10^{8-9} solar mass at 0.5<z<1.1. Together with galaxy merger rates and TDG survival rate from the literature, our results suggest that only a marginal fraction (less than 10%) of dwarf galaxies in the local universe could be tidally-originated. TDGs in our sample are on average bluer than their host galaxies in the optical. Stellar population modelling of optical to near-infrared spectral energy distributions (SEDs) for two TDGs favors a burst component with age 400/200 Myr and stellar mass 40%/26% of the total, indicating that a young stellar population newly formed in TDGs. This is consistent with the episodic star formation histories found for nearby TDGs.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures, Accepted for publication in Astrophysics & Space Scienc

Comportamento de dois genótipos de milho cultivados em sistema de aléias preestabelecido com diferentes leguminosas arbóreas.

O cultivo em aléias tem sido recomendado como alternativa para a substituição da agricultura de corte e queima, no trópico úmido, devido à grande capacidade de produção de matéria orgânica e de reciclagem de nutrientes, mas algumas dúvidas quanto à sustentabilidade e à competição interespecífica são persistentes. O objetivo no trabalho foi avaliar a viabilidade da cultura do milho em um sistema de cultivo em aléias de leguminosas arbóreas. O delineamento experimental utilizado foi em blocos casualisados, com quatro repetições dos tratamentos: aléias de sombreiro (Clitoria fairchildiana), ingá (Inga edulis), guandu (Cajanus cajan) e leucena (Leucaena leucocephala) e uma testemunha sem aléias. Foram avaliadas a remobilização de carbono e nitrogênio, massa de grãos, massa de mil grãos e competição interespecífica entre as cultivares de milho e as leguminosas. A produção de grãos foi maior nas parcelas com C. fairchildiana e L. leucocephala. A produtividade do híbrido de milho foi superior à da variedade em todos os tratamentos. A produtividade e a massa de mil grãos de milho não são negativamente afetadas pela distância da linha da leguminosa arbórea. Esse estudo conclui que o sistema de aléias com leguminosas arbóreas é uma alternativa importante ao manejo sustentável dos agroecossistemas no tropico úmido. Além disso, nessa região a produtividade em grãos na cultura do milho é favorecida no sistema de aléias preeestabelecidas com as leguminosas arbóreas sombreiro, ingá e leucena e pela utilização de genótipos eficientes no aproveitamento do nitrogênio, cujo sincronismo entre a liberação e a absorção do N aplicado por meio das leguminosas deve ser aprimorado