Towards OWL-based Knowledge Representation in Petrology

This paper presents our work on development of OWL-driven systems for formal representation and reasoning about terminological knowledge and facts in petrology. The long-term aim of our project is to provide solid foundations for a large-scale integration of various kinds of knowledge, including basic terms, rock classification algorithms, findings and reports. We describe three steps we have taken towards that goal here. First, we develop a semi-automated procedure for transforming a database of igneous rock samples to texts in a controlled natural language (CNL), and then a collection of OWL ontologies. Second, we create an OWL ontology of important petrology terms currently described in natural language thesauri. We describe a prototype of a tool for collecting definitions from domain experts. Third, we present an approach to formalization of current industrial standards for classification of rock samples, which requires linear equations in OWL 2. In conclusion, we discuss a range of opportunities arising from the use of semantic technologies in petrology and outline the future work in this area.Comment: 10 pages. The paper has been accepted by OWLED2011 as a long presentatio

O último dos moicanos da aprendizagem desenvolvimental: em memória a Vladimir Vladimirovich Repkin

O texto contém o relato público do autor a respeito do impacto provocado pela morte de V. V. Repkin próximo de completar seus 95 anos de vida. O termo “o último dos moicanos da aprendizagem desenvolvimental” coloca de manifesto a magnitude da obra do psicólogo, linguista e didata ucraniano, só igualável a D. B. Elkonin e V. V. Davidov. Os três representaram, pela complementariedade da obra que produziram, os pilares fundamentais de um sólido sistema psicológico e didático de aprendizagem desenvolvimental

Electrically-Detected ESR in Silicon Nanostructures Inserted in Microcavities

We present the first findings of the new electrically-detected electron spin resonance technique (EDESR), which reveal the point defects in the ultra-narrow silicon quantum wells (Si-QW) confined by the superconductor delta-barriers. This technique allows the ESR identification without application of an external cavity, as well as a high frequency source and recorder, and with measuring the only response of the magnetoresistance, with internal GHz Josephson emission within frameworks of the normal-mode coupling (NMC) caused by the microcavities embedded in the Si-QW plane

Slippery Near-Surface Layer of the Ocean Arising Due to Daytime Solar Heating

Measurements made in the Equatorial Atlantic during the 35th cruise of the R/V Akademic Vernadsky using a free-rising profiler and drifters revealed a near-surface slippery layer of the ocean arising due to daytime solar heating. The solar heating warms and stabilizes the surface layer of the ocean. This suppresses turbulent exchange and limits the penetration depth of the wind-induced turbulent mixing. The heated near-surface layer is then slipping over the underlying water practically without friction. At daytime warming of 1°C the resistance coefficient in the upper 5-m ocean, Cu = (U*/ΔUs)2 became smaller by a factor of 25–30 as compared with the case of neutral stratification. The effect of slipping results in forming a daytime near-surface current. At low wind speed the velocity of this current was observed to achieve 19 cm s−1. A simple one-dimensional integral model reproduces the main diurnal variation of the temperature and the current velocity in the near-surface layer of the ocean. For daytime the experimental data suggest the existence of a self-regulating state of the diurnal thermocline, which predicts linear temperature and velocity profiles and an equilibrium value of the bulk Richardson number. This provides simple relations coupling the temperature and velocity differences and the thickness of thermocline. An estimation of the upper velocity limit of the daytime near-surface current is equal to 29 cm s−1

Consideration of soil strata heterogeneity influence on differential foundation settlements of overpasses for high-speed railways

The implementation of projects for the construction of high-speed railways actualizes the search of effective approaches to accounting the influence of soil strata heterogeneity along the course of the track on differential foundation settlements of overpasses. Russian special technical conditions prescribe sufficiently stringent regulation limits of absolute values of overpasses' foundation soil settlements (20 mm for ballastless track) and angles of break in profile (the differential foundation soil settlement), which should not exceed 1 ‰ for ballastless track. These requirements make it necessary to develop the calculation method, which is based on the criterion of deformation. To ensure compliance of design solutions to the specified regulations it is appropriate to use the method of the predefined equated soil settlements for design of shallow foundations of overpasses for high-speed railways. Several features of application of this method are presented in this article